Friendlies are a great way to prepare for the season. You can take so much from them, especially when the format of the game changes. The problems arise when the school holidays are just before the start of the new season! Our 1st and only friendly so far was back in July, just before the kids broke up. Then the school holidays hit and I lost half of the team. Don't see this as me complaining because I was also one of those that took a break for a couple of weeks. I just don't know how other teams manage it.
Over the last few weeks, I received numerous texts, phone calls and emails asking for friendlies but I've had to turn them down. We have only been managing 6-7 at training to getting at least 9 together for a match on a Sunday is definitely a no-no. Do these other teams have considerably larger squads than us? Surely not as we are only allowed a certain number of players in the squad. Do other kids not go on holiday? Maybe, or they don't all go at the same time.
We have 14 players, of which 3 or 4 have been unavailable all summer. That leaves us with 10-11. Factor in others going away and we are struggling to get a team for the whole summer holidays.
What I do know is come September, I will have a squad of players eager to play. It may take us a couple of games to get going but they'll learn quickly.
Monday, 19 August 2013
Friday, 9 August 2013
Excitement of Fixture Release Day
The day the new seasons fixtures are released have always been exciting. Who is our first game against? Who are we playing over the Christmas period? Are we at home or away for the final day? This season is no different for me, other than it's not Sheffield United's fixtures I'm looking at, it's Ecclesall Rangers U11s.
Up until the last Friday, I hadn't realised the Championship, League 1 and League 2 seasons were starting on the Saturday! Since starting coaching, my interest in the professional game has dwindled. Not completely, but enough to not worry about it during the close season. My focus has totally changed to the part of the game I really enjoy.
Today, the fixtures for the SDJSL were released and I did the same as always, first game, Christmas period and last game. Then after that it was "Are we playing during school holidays?". Professional clubs don't have to go through this! It's always a struggle to get a team together at these times. Many of my team go and visit family or take holidays leaving us with the bear bones. So these will be the dates I'll be trying to rearrange.
It may be sad, but I still get the buzz of excitement on the day the fixtures are released. Next week we get to go through it again when we find out our cup opponents!
Up until the last Friday, I hadn't realised the Championship, League 1 and League 2 seasons were starting on the Saturday! Since starting coaching, my interest in the professional game has dwindled. Not completely, but enough to not worry about it during the close season. My focus has totally changed to the part of the game I really enjoy.
Today, the fixtures for the SDJSL were released and I did the same as always, first game, Christmas period and last game. Then after that it was "Are we playing during school holidays?". Professional clubs don't have to go through this! It's always a struggle to get a team together at these times. Many of my team go and visit family or take holidays leaving us with the bear bones. So these will be the dates I'll be trying to rearrange.
It may be sad, but I still get the buzz of excitement on the day the fixtures are released. Next week we get to go through it again when we find out our cup opponents!
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Finding a Sponsor
Finding a sponsor for a football team is always hard, especially in the current financial climate. Thankfully, we were lucky enough to have a parent sponsor our 1st season at U8s. 3 years on and 1 kit handed from the age group above, this year we really needed to start looking for a new kit sponsor.
There are many websites with advise on how to go about finding a sponsor, local businesses, asking parents, etc. Thankfully, this year Twitter came to the rescue! It's not often you get a business asking to sponsor a grassroots team but we were lucky to find just that. Milestone CDM Ltd posted to our league to see if there was any teams interested in the S11 area of Sheffield. This was back in March and after a busy end to the season and a post-season break, things have started moving.
I met Michael in June and his enthusiasm for putting something back into the local community is commendable.
So the new kit has been ordered with Euro Soccer Company and will hopefully be with us for the start the season.
A big thanks to Michael and the guys at Milestone CDM Ltd for their support.
There are many websites with advise on how to go about finding a sponsor, local businesses, asking parents, etc. Thankfully, this year Twitter came to the rescue! It's not often you get a business asking to sponsor a grassroots team but we were lucky to find just that. Milestone CDM Ltd posted to our league to see if there was any teams interested in the S11 area of Sheffield. This was back in March and after a busy end to the season and a post-season break, things have started moving.
I met Michael in June and his enthusiasm for putting something back into the local community is commendable.
So the new kit has been ordered with Euro Soccer Company and will hopefully be with us for the start the season.
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| Mock up of kit |
A big thanks to Michael and the guys at Milestone CDM Ltd for their support.
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Football boots
Without wanting to sound old, I have to say "They're not like they used to be!" I was from a generation where the majority of boots were black. Now, you're lucky to find a black pair. In fact, it's easier to get every other colour but black!
As we approach the start of the season, my son has started looking for new boots. His choice of boots for the last 3 years have pretty much been made on colour and design. Thankfully, not much thought has gone into which brands his friends are wearing. This year, I'm guessing we'll start to see a shift as he gets older and more aware.
So how is he going to choose his boots from the vast array of choices?
What colour and make?
Does he need more than one pair for different types of ground, Soft-ground (SG), Hard ground (HG) or Firm Ground (FG)?
If he goes for Adidas, does he need Speed, Energy, Control or Heritage boots?
Or what about Nike's range? Speed, Attack, Control, Touch or Accuracy?
Shall we pay more to have his initials on them?
What do all these boots do? As the tutor on my coaching course said, "They're not going to make you play any better". At 17/18 I wore red boots. Why, because I wanted to stand out from the crowd. And being the only one in the team not wearing black boots, I certainly did to the opposition! In fact, you could say I became a target. Now, you wouldn't stand out from the others unless you wore these
So the conclusion I have come to is that my son needs a pair of boots that fit well, are comfortable and are going to last until his feet grow.....again! All I have to do now is to make him think the same!
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| An extremely small selection! |
So how is he going to choose his boots from the vast array of choices?
What colour and make?
Does he need more than one pair for different types of ground, Soft-ground (SG), Hard ground (HG) or Firm Ground (FG)?
If he goes for Adidas, does he need Speed, Energy, Control or Heritage boots?
Or what about Nike's range? Speed, Attack, Control, Touch or Accuracy?
Shall we pay more to have his initials on them?
What do all these boots do? As the tutor on my coaching course said, "They're not going to make you play any better". At 17/18 I wore red boots. Why, because I wanted to stand out from the crowd. And being the only one in the team not wearing black boots, I certainly did to the opposition! In fact, you could say I became a target. Now, you wouldn't stand out from the others unless you wore these
So the conclusion I have come to is that my son needs a pair of boots that fit well, are comfortable and are going to last until his feet grow.....again! All I have to do now is to make him think the same!
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Transition to 9v9
This season sees us make the transition to one 9v9 match from two 7v7 matches. With only 2 coaches, creating 2 teams was never an option, so a decision was made to reduce the squad size from 17 to 14. This has been hanging over our heads for the latter end of the season but parents were spoken to and the squad for the season chosen.
Mini-soccer has been a great introduction to football for the children without the complication of offside, indirect freekicks and huge nets. It encourages freedom and creativity, or at least it should do if the coaches and parents let them play! As a team, we have always encouraged children to express themselves and not to worry about making mistakes. After 3 years of playing the ball out from the back, I would say they are now all comfortable on the ball in pressured situations. This can only stand them in good stead for the future.
So how will they cope with 9v9? An extra 20 mins per match compared to last season should be interesting, and so will the larger pitch. Those players that covered every blade of grass in mini-soccer will have to be more disciplined to ensure they don't burn themselves out. I spoke to a coach from another team and he spoke of having 2 training sessions a week, 1 for ball skills and another for fitness. Personally, I don't think it's necessary. If they're not fit at 10/11 year old, they never will be!
The pitch will be played penalty area to penalty area. Touchline's and penalty areas will more than likely be marked out with markers or alternative coloured lines. At our last managers meeting, it was suggested we have a dedicated 9v9 pitch, marked out correctly with permanent goalposts. Obviously, this would be great but wouldn't be the end if it didn't happen. If not, I'll be seeing which parents can cone out a straight touchline (should be fun for those who've been out the night before!).
Seeing the gulf between England's current U21's and other countries, things needed to change. The FA are moving in the right direction and it will only take time. But the Youth Development Review will make things better and hopefully the gap smaller. It's going to take time and coaches need to be fully behind the changes and make them happen effectively.
Mini-soccer has been a great introduction to football for the children without the complication of offside, indirect freekicks and huge nets. It encourages freedom and creativity, or at least it should do if the coaches and parents let them play! As a team, we have always encouraged children to express themselves and not to worry about making mistakes. After 3 years of playing the ball out from the back, I would say they are now all comfortable on the ball in pressured situations. This can only stand them in good stead for the future.
So how will they cope with 9v9? An extra 20 mins per match compared to last season should be interesting, and so will the larger pitch. Those players that covered every blade of grass in mini-soccer will have to be more disciplined to ensure they don't burn themselves out. I spoke to a coach from another team and he spoke of having 2 training sessions a week, 1 for ball skills and another for fitness. Personally, I don't think it's necessary. If they're not fit at 10/11 year old, they never will be!
The pitch will be played penalty area to penalty area. Touchline's and penalty areas will more than likely be marked out with markers or alternative coloured lines. At our last managers meeting, it was suggested we have a dedicated 9v9 pitch, marked out correctly with permanent goalposts. Obviously, this would be great but wouldn't be the end if it didn't happen. If not, I'll be seeing which parents can cone out a straight touchline (should be fun for those who've been out the night before!).
Seeing the gulf between England's current U21's and other countries, things needed to change. The FA are moving in the right direction and it will only take time. But the Youth Development Review will make things better and hopefully the gap smaller. It's going to take time and coaches need to be fully behind the changes and make them happen effectively.
Monday, 10 June 2013
Presentation nights complete!
Our last training session was back at the end of April, and after a long and eventful season, I thought it was best that we had a 2 month break before we start pre-season training. 5 weeks in, it now seems like a very hasty decision! I don't know about the kids, but I'm itching to get back coaching and preparing for next season.
So what has been happening post-season?
How did the night go? Well, it started with one of the lads falling out of a tree and ending in A&E. Not your usual presentation night! Other than that, the speech went down well, the food was good and the drinks kept flowing. What more could you want?
The presentation nights ended of a fantastic season, one which had a lot more high points than low. With the squad already selected for next season, planning can now start before we start training again at the beginning of July.
So what has been happening post-season?
League Presentation
2 weeks ago we attended the league presentation evening after winning Division D. I'd heard nightmare stories of it being a long winded affair (for the adults anyway!), sitting through monotonous presentation after presentation. So after pre-warning all our parents, I was pleasantly surprised by the evening. To say it was well organised would be an understatement! Certainly a credit to all at SDJSFL and the amount of time and effort they must have put in! The venue, Barnsley Metrodome, was excellent and Uriah Rennie handed out the trophies (general response from kids to parents was "who's he?"). |
| Fin holding Div D Winners trophy |
Club Presentation
Our second presentation night was held on Sat 8th June 2013. I know a lot of clubs share their presentation nights with other age groups, but each team within our club arrange their own. It has to be said, I have very little to do with the organisation. It's all done by one of the parents so all i have to do is turn up, eat from the bbq and drink from the bar....oh, and there is the small matter of the presentation and speech! One thing I hate, it having to stand up in front of people and talk. It's just not me. The previous 2 seasons, I've not prepared and just bumbled my way through. This year, I thought I'd better change that! So 3 days before I started making bullet points about the season and all the players. I never thought I'd get to 3 pages! |
| 3 page speech! |
 |
| Trophy |
Friday, 10 May 2013
Presentation nights are upon us
It's fast approaching that time of the season when, as a manager/coach, I have to think of those end of season awards. There is much discussion around whether they are valuable or needed, but seeing the look on the face of the kids when they are received is priceless! As a club, it's down to the manager/coach to decide what awards they are to give out
- Managers Player
- Coaches Player
- Players Player
- Supporters Player
- etc.
We opt for 3 of the above plus Most Improved Player , leaving out the Players Player. At a young age, and from my own experiences, this ends up going to the one with the biggest circle of friends within the team. I know it did for the team I played for! I was surprised to find out from my son that he sees the most important being Most Improved Player. I presumed it would be the Managers or Coaches Player, obviously not!
So how are the awards chosen? It would be easy to pick out the child with the most ability, they usually get the most votes in the Supporters Player anyway. For me, when choosing the Managers Player, I look for other qualities, commitment, manners, enthusiasm and not moaning about playing in an unfamiliar position! Most Improved Player is always a tricky one. Throughout the season, you can see every player improving. I always try and look at how they played in the first few weeks of the season compared to the final few weeks. Again, their conduct could also be viewed.
In addition to our own presentation evening, as league winners we have also been invited to the league presentation evening at Barnsley Metrodome.
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| League Presentation tickets |
It will be a late night for our u10s on a school night but I'm sure something they will all enjoy. What a way to end the season!
Last thing, good luck to Millhouses Juniors and Norton Lees Juniors who are playing in the SDJSFL U10s Trophy final on the 18th May. These are 2 teams from our league who play in the right spirit and were a pleasure to play against.
Last thing, good luck to Millhouses Juniors and Norton Lees Juniors who are playing in the SDJSFL U10s Trophy final on the 18th May. These are 2 teams from our league who play in the right spirit and were a pleasure to play against.
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