Contents 5 MD’s Letter 7 Vodafone Rural Open Sure Signal Rural An idea if you haven’t got a mobile phone signal at your club and want to get more involved with the local community 11 Market Your Club A new service from a friend of Grassroot 16 Sports First Aid First Aid advice – part one 20 Cricket Coaching With Andrew Beaven Ringers, going slow, more ringers and spirits – sounds like a nice weekend! 24 Colin Smith Colin enters the big time with an appearance at Wembley (although he wasn’t the main event this time)
29 Sports Psychology with David Harrison David talks about ‘awareness’ vital if we are to fulfil our potential 32 The Secret Non-League Footballer Early days in the Conference 36 Club Security Security while playing 38 Twitter Directory 39 Blockshop 40 Sponsor A Local Club 42 Sports Therapy with Square One This month: concussion 46 Our Game & Non-League Day A way for your players, members and fans to save money while supporting the club 48 Grassroot Photos A new feature showcasing some of your pic’s from the month
Grassroot Media Contacts Twitter @grassrootmedia Facebook.com/grassrootmedia Office telephone number 0800 8 20 21 22 or 01992 27 44 27 Mathew Court’s email address mcourt@grassrootmedia.com No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without permission.
The MD’s Letter Hello and welcome to September’s magazine. And so that’s it for another cricket season. I know some of you are still playing (some of you keep going until October!) but I’m guessing most of your leagues are nearly done and dusted. I hope the season went well enough but in sport there always has to be a winner and loser. But it’s all about winning and losing in the right way that concerns me, and that’s why I like Andrew Beaven’s piece this month (see page 20) as it really struck a chord with me having been “ringered” (?!?) at the weekend in our last league match of the year. On the football side I hope pre-season went well, and the hard work you’ve put in over the summer has paid off. Some of our member clubs already have four or five league games under their belt, which is great as I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another very wet winter - and you’ve got to make space in your fixture lists for all the cups you’re going to win eh? I do hope you all have a great season, we’re lucky to have such great members in terms of proactivity off the pitch and I always try to keep an eye on Twitter at the weekends to see how you’re all doing on it. One last thing before I go, if you’re from a small village without a Vodafone mobile signal check out the Vodafone feature on the next page. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine.
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Mat Court
Rural Club? You can be the centre of the mobile community... I was driving home from Grassroot HQ the other day (yes, I no longer cycle thanks to East Herts District Council’s poor road-side vegetation maintenance policy) something on the radio made my ears prick - an advert for Vodafone’s new Rural Open Sure Signal. Now, obviously the advert would have been better on a poster in our changing rooms, but like East Herts lack of interest in sorting out over hanging branches, that’s a discussion for another day. However, what it said to me made me think I should get the old grey matter going and see if it could be useful to our clubs. At the time I wasn’t sure how it could help and then I remembered the Wi-Fi/mobile data research we ran a few months ago (featured in the magazine a couple of issues back) and that’s when I worked out how it could help a few of you, so I
got in touch with Vodafone to find out a bit more about what it is and whether my idea might work. Essentially Sure Signal is a magic box that does a good impression of a big mobile phone mast, just with a smaller coverage radius. OK, it’s probably not real magic, but it’s pretty clever; I had one of Vodafone’s original boxes in our previous house so I could get a mobile signal when Grassroot Media HQ was in the basement (with no mobile signal reaching underground), so I know it works. The new Open Sure Signal is a more powerful version, and unlike my unit, is an ‘open’ system which means anyone with a Vodafone 3G mobile can make and receive calls within its coverage area. Vodafone’s strategy with it is to get
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these units, which cover about a 500 metre radius, installed in places that could cover a rural village which I guess is too small or remote to be served by a big mast), but equally has enough people within to make it worth providing some kind of mobile signal to. You can see a video from Vodafone about it here: http://youtu.be/TPWdguOCGoc which explains it a lot better than I am doing.
“...my idea is your club could host the mobile phone signal for your village...” My idea is that if you’re a club that doesn’t have a good mobile signal, the club could be the host in your community to provide a probably much wanted service. If you have a strategy of getting your club more involved with the village, this could be a nice little part of it. Yes you and the players will get a good signal out of it, but I think the bigger win is that it shows the community that the club is trying to do something to improve the amenities that you all share.
And you never know, you might end up with some residents coming down to the ground just to make a call that would never normally have come your way. There are a few things you need to do (or have) to get on board, but rather than bang on about them here I’ll just direct you to the page on the Vodafone website here. And you can read their Open Sure Signal blog here. There is an application process, and you have to have broadband as a minimum to be considered for a box, but if you want to apply to get a 3G Vodafone signal in your community, hosted by your club, click here to be taken through to the application form. If any of you go for it, and I know the vast majority of you already have a good signal from the research we did, please let me know. If nothing else I’m interested in techie stuff, community stuff and grassroots sports stuff, and this kind of ticks all the boxes for me. Disclaimer: Grassroot Media is not receiving anything for this article; we’re telling you about it simply because we found out about it and thought you might want to know.
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‘Market Your Club’ A New Service From A Friend Of Grassroots One of the first people I spoke to when I launched GM was Castlecroft Rangers’s David Brook. He’s a man with a lot of grassroots football marketing experience...
Market Your Club...
No you silly lot, not that kind of market... You may be aware of one of the more successful footballing Twitter feeds out there: @CastlecroftRngr and how they use social media as the core part of their marketing strategy to increase the profile of the club and generate sponsorship and other income. You know already I like Twitter but I’ve never really looked in to much
detail how it can help you as clubs. Now I don’t have to as David Brook, Chairman of Castlecroft Rangers, and the man behind their Twitter account has done it for us. For sake of transparency, there’s nothing in this for me or Grassroot Media, I just saw what Dave was doing and thought you should know about it...
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Mat Court: Can you tell us a little bit about 'Market Your Club'? David Brook: It was a suggestion from a few friends one Friday night over a pint or two. We were talking about what I had done at Castlecroft and one of them working in the Sport Industry suggested that other clubs might be interested in hiring my skills. From there we talked some more and they recommended I set something up, my wife was supportive too; it’s the type of thing that needs family support. I had been thinking about it for a while, with the greatest respect to everyone out there I see lots of teams making a really bad job of social media and asking the wrong questions to the wrong people. These are all good people who want to do well and be successful but do not know how to access the funding. There are lots of sharks out there too who expect the earth for very little return; I want to help people avoid them.
It's a predominantly football-based service but can cricket clubs get involved too? Obviously my background is football but the concepts can be picked up by any sports club. I think grassroots cricket tend to
have better commercial relationships than football. For one they tend to be bigger organisations with clubhouses etc. that gives sponsors a little more back; It can be hard to market a football team, playing in someone else's kit on a borrowed pitch! I am interested in sport generally and am willing to help anyone from an Olympic Show Jumper in Carlisle to a Stock Car Racer in Lowestoft. What's your experience in this field? Completely self-taught, I have about eight years experience in grassroots football administration. I dropped down to amateur football about four years ago to a team that was penniless and owing money to the type of people you probably wouldn't want to owe money too.
“...four years ago the team was penniless and owing money people you didn’t want to owe money to...” In my first month were came within two weeks of being forced to fold twice. I brought with me a sizeable
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twitter following from my old club and that was all I had to save us.
“...I turned to social media as a revenue stream...” Four years later we have two senior teams costing around £4,500 a season, at least £3,000 we fund with our interaction with businesses and individuals on social media. I have learnt what to do, what not to do, who to interact with and who to avoid through simple trial and error, all very much on a first hand basis. Why do you think the ‘Market Your Club’ service is needed? Football is expensive and the opportunity to access funding can be challenging. Sponsors are few and far between if you ask the wrong questions but the money is out there. It’s just about asking for the right amount, at the right time and from the right people. The service provides guidance, its not free, it will cost them a one off fee of £50, but I hope it will provide them with a new approach both to fundraising in general and using social media.
What do you think clubs will get out of it? Ultimately the answer to that question has to be sponsorship. I cannot promise success, some of my best ideas are those that never really take off but what I can do is get you asking the right questions and increasing your chances of success when you go looking for sponsorship. Is this not something that county FA's & cricket boards should be doing? I don’t think so. They should provide some guidance and maybe access to services like this but we cannot expect NGB's to help us secure sponsorship, it’s too fraught with issues. For example if they access a sponsor how do they decide which club to work with. Of course a good relationship with your NGB is appealing to a sponsor but it is very much a club's responsibility to find the income.
“...a good relationship with your NGB is appealing to a sponsor...” 13
What are your top five tips for clubs? 1. Don't ask for the world. Would your employer/business hand over ÂŁ1000, probably not, so why should they. Be creative, break it up and make it manageable. 2. Always offer something back: what do they get from their investment? Have some facts and figures up your sleeve to help with that too. 3. Have an up to date website that looks like its being used; a potential sponsor is likely to being their homework on you too. 4. Use your social media outlets to interact with local businessesuse your local #hour to meet businesses in your area. 5. When interacting with businesses and local people build up a relationship first don't just cut to asking for cashlet them see the benefits of your club and that you have a human side. Having said that, don't let your feed get too human and too opinionated!!! How do clubs get involved? They can contact us on twitter @marketyourclub or @castlecroftrngr email via marketyourclub@gmail.com or by phone 07972 926686.
Looking for:
TROPHIES AWARDS MEDALS SHIELDS SALVERS And want 30-40% off RRP? And free engraving? And free centre caps? Go to grassroottrophies.com Or email Mat at Grassroot Media on mcourt@grassrootmedia.com
Sports First Aid
Sophie Hoskins from Physical Sports First Aid continues her column on Sports First Aid. See more at www.physical-sports.co.uk
Basic First Aid Advice Part One: The Dr’s ABC In the first part of our series of articles on basic first aid advice we’re going to cover the primary survey of a casualty. Please note that this advice is no substitute for first aid training and courses are widely available. The primary survey is the first steps you should take if you come across someone who appears unconscious. There are a number of handy acronyms you will learn if you take a first aid training course and the one commonly used for dealing with this situation is DRsABC. The DRsABC is a great way to help you remember what to do to complete the primary survey, so read on to find out what it stands
for: D - Danger. Your priority when you are trying to help someone in this situation should always be to remain safe and avoid causing any injury to yourself or others. Look and listen for signs of potential risks before you start to treat the unconscious person. If the area isn’t safe, move away from the danger and call 999.
“...the Dr’s ABC is a great way to help you remember what to do to complete the primary survey...” 16
R - Response. You now need to assess how responsive the casualty is and if they are conscious. The first step in this stage is to loudly ask a simple question, such as “Hello, can you hear me?” If they answer clearly, then they are alert and you can move straight on to the last stage of the survey (Circulation).
anyone to help you, shout for assistance as loud as you can! If possible, you should also send someone to get an automated external defibrillator (AED), so that you can use it if necessary. A - Airway. In order for the casualty to breathe, they need to have a clear airway. If they are unconscious, the tongue can become floppy and fall to the back of the throat, blocking the airway.
“...The first step in this stage is to loudly ask a simple question, such as “...If they are “can you hear me?”...” unconscious, the tongue can become floppy and If they don’t respond verbally, try fall to the back of the asking another question in a loud voice close to their ear, such as throat, blocking the "Can you open your eyes?" If there airway...” isn’t any movement of the eyelids, then give them a firm pinch on both shoulders. If the casualty isn’t alert, this is generally indicates that the person needs immediate medical attention, so an ambulance should be called. If the casualty is unresponsive to your voice, or a firm pat or a pinch on the shoulder, then they are unconscious and you need to…
S - Shout for help. If there are other people present, tell one of them to ring for an ambulance. If there isn’t
The airway can be opened by placing two fingers under their chin and your other hand on their forehead. You then gently tilt the head back and lift the chin. While the casualty’s head is in this tilted position, their tongue will be away from the back of their throat. The head will need to be held in this position, so keep your hands on the forehead and the chin, or enlist a bystander to help.
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B - Breathing. Once the airway is clear you need to establish if your casualty is breathing normally. The easiest way to check this is to lower your head to the level of their face and look down their body, from their head to their feet. In this position you will be able to see if their chest is rising and falling, while listening for breathing and seeing if you can feel the movement of their breath on your cheek.
“...The easiest way to check breathing is to lower your head to the level of their face and look down their body...” You should hold this position for no more than ten seconds. If your casualty is unconscious, but breathing normally, you can move on to the final step of the survey circulation. If the casualty is unconscious and not breathing you should immediately start CPR (this will be covered in more detail in part two of this series). It’s important to only move on to the next stage when you are sure that the casualty is
breathing normally. No time should be wasted in starting CPR. C - Circulation. Once you have checked that the casualty’s airway is clear and they are breathing normally you need to look for signs of major blood loss. If there is any external bleeding, apply pressure to the area and if the bleeding is from a limb, raise the affected arm or leg above the level of the heart. Injuries or conditions that result in severe bleeding, internally or externally, can be life threatening because of the risk of shock. It’s possible that the casualty may have internal bleeding, so the casualty should be monitored signs of shock. More information on recognising and treating clinical shock will be provided in part three of this series. If the unconscious person is breathing normally and is showing no signs of severe bleeding or shock, then all you need to do is keep their airway open by placing them in the recovery position, which will be covered in part four.
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Andrew Beaven
This month Andrew Beaven, Coach at Oakfield Parkonians Cricket Club in Barkingside, Essex gives us his thoughts on over rates!
League Cricket, and the spirit of the game August has been a tough month for the team I play for, the 4th XI of a middling Club in metropolitan Essex. Always on the fringes of the promotion places, never quite able to put together a series of wins that could out us into contention for one of the top slots, when the season ends in early September. Ringer
The month started with a defeat to a promotion rival. A promotion rival who just happened to have a player with nine 1st XI appearances in 2014, who scored a ton against us, but, for one week only, who was playing 4th XI cricket.
Nothing wrong about this according to the match regulations of the League. Go Slow A win in our next match was followed by a bore draw. And I mean BORE. "Chasing" 219 to win, in 50 overs, our opponents scored just 75 for the loss of 5 wickets. Subtract the 24 sundry extras, and they scored just 51 runs from the bat. In 50 overs, with close fields and a mixture of bowlers. Nothing in the rules about playing for the draw...maybe not from the 2nd ball of the innings, though.
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Their logic was sound - by not losing, our opponents stopped us from taking 15 more points (the difference between 25 points for winning we might have had, and the 10 bonus points we actually took home), at a cost to themselves of just 4 (the maximum batting points they could have scored if they had got to 200 and still lost). And they ended up only 8 points behind us in the League table, with two games to play, instead of 20 or more if we had won. Ringer (revisited) In our penultimate League game, we faced a side struggling near the foot of the table. When we batted (and struggled), it was obvious that one player stood out in the field, being more competent and more athletic than we normally see in the lower XIs. As he opened the batting and recorded a match winning 70, it transpired that he had been playing regularly this season for an XI three tiers higher than our opposition on the day. Nothing against the match rules.
League positions It's League cricket. Who cares about the spirit of the game?
Congratulations to every side that has own promotion this season, and commiserations to those who have been relegated. But please, do remember your commitment to the Spirit of the Game. Do League positions really matter that much? The Spirit of Cricket "To play it [the game of cricket] keenly, honourably, generously, selfsacrificingly, is a moral lesson in itself and the classroom is God's air and sunshine. Foster it, my brothers, so that it may attract all who can find the time to play it; protect it from anything that would sully it, so that it be in favour with all men." Lord Harris - Letter to The Times 2nd February 1931 I can't believe that many players will be attracted to play the game by our experience of League cricket this August. Is it any wonder that Clubs struggle to keep young players in the game?
“... Is it any wonder that Clubs struggle to keep young players in the game?� 21
Colin Smith Colin Smith from Elvington & Tilmanstone Colliery Welfare Cricket Club continues his monthly column with more tips for our clubs.
My knees go all Trembly at Wemberly, Wemberly... As previously reported, one of my great pleasures in life is to nominate worthy people for awards. It gives me great pleasure when somebody, often an unsung hero, receives an award for something that they would otherwise have taken to the grave unrewarded. This year alone I have successfully nominated three people for
awards. Two of these nominations have resulted in National Honours and one resulted in a County Football award. Here I will tell you about two of them. One of my good friends, Tony Condon, will receive the recently reintroduced British Empire Medal which he was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June. This will involve Tony
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attending a dinner and receiving the medal from the Lord Lieutenant of Kent. In addition Tony will be invited to a Queen’s Garden Party. These will be two days that Tony will never forget – once in a lifetime experiences or in this case twice in a lifetime. This is always my aim when I nominate somebody for an award. The VIP experience really lives in the memory.
“...the VIP experience really lives in the memory...” This brings me onto my second successful nomination. In case you’re wondering this can also count as fundraising as it also involved a £1,000 cash prize for the club. It is also very close to home as it was for my wife Jackie, Eythorne Rovers Club Secretary and Welfare Officer. The nomination criteria, which you must always bear in mind, was for a moment in time that demonstrated the upmost Respect and Fair Play. The National Honour that Jackie won was part of the FA Respect and Fair Play Awards and specifically the People’s Award. As I said the criteria is the key to all good nominations – make sure you have the right category for the act or
actions of the nominee or you are wasting your time.
“...always bear in mind the nomination criteria...” I nominated Jackie for this National award as she prevented a stabbing incident at a youth football match last season. This included confronting a gang of thugs who not only threatened her with a knife, but our players, the referee and the Police. Needless to say when Jackie called the Police and the gang heard the sirens they ran away. The match was then abandoned. However this was a very scary incident and the gang were grown men about 25 years old. They were not children. On the day Jackie’s first thoughts were for the safety of others and she showed the upmost bravery, and I am very proud of her. In hindsight I think the award should be renamed the People’s Champion. I found out on the day the award was presented, as naturally I was Jackie’s plus one, that she had beat off some 600 nominations to win and the judges were very impressed with my nomination. That’s me very happy.
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Talking of the presentation this provided Jackie with a once in a lifetime day. The award was presented at Wembley Stadium on Community Shield day and involved the missus and I dining in the VIP Wembley Suite with the other winners from the other nine categories and the past giants of the game.
Above: Colin & Jackie at Wembley Below: Jackie receiving her award
The award itself was presented by FA Chairman Greg Dyke and I have to say what a fantastic man he is. He was very chatty, nothing was too much trouble and he is the most
popular boss the FA staff have ever had. I know, I asked several of them. The day included champagne, lobster, lamb and a fantastic cut glass trophy. I managed to get lots of autographs including Stuart Hayton – what do you mean who? The Secretary of Liverpool FC of course. I can’t quite believe I am writing this but we had seats in the Royal Box and have got some fantastic photos of the day. Autographs from Pat Rice, David O’Leary, Francis Lee, Mike Summerbee, Tony Book – it just went on. This VIP experience is just something that will live in the memory forever. I am not ashamed to say I was crying when Jackie went up for her trophy – a bit like Delboy from only fools and horses when Casandra lost the baby when Del was telling Rodney to be strong before they visited her, then Delboy burst into tears as soon as they saw Casandra – well that was me -Delboy that is. That brings me onto a very nice man called Steve Perryman Spurs legend and now Director of Football at Exeter City.
“... I am not ashamed to say I cried when Jackie received her trophy...” 26
As we came back to our seats after the trophy presentation Steve not only congratulated Jackie on her award he could see I was a bit emotional and he actually put out a consoling hand to me. Now this is a Spurs legend and it really touched me that somebody of his stature in the game would care anything about a nobody like me. Well not quite a complete nobody I write for this fantastic magazine – thanks Mat Court. Thank you Steve Perryman I really appreciated your gesture you’re a true gent. As I said the prize also involved a £1,000 cash donation that Jackie has put towards taking 40 children back to Wembley Stadium for a VIP guided behind the scenes tour of the facilities. I will tell you all about this next month. Having previously been on the tour six years ago I know how brilliant it is and inspirational for our 12 year old footballers. In fact our under 18s who did the tour six years ago went onto to win 9 major honours in their time at our club. I think the tour may have had a part in this as there is no better aspirational day for a young footballer than a day at Wembley.
Getting back to our day it was very interesting to hear Greg Dyke’s views on English players in the Premier League, or lack of
opportunities for them to play. Especially as the game was between Arsenal and Man City – two of the biggest offenders for not providing chances for English players. Despite the audience Mr Dyke did not pull his punches and I respect him for that. I know he is also a realist and money talks but something has to change to allow the young English players to come through.
“...This award shows how you can turn a really bad incident into something really positive...Who is the Daddy now Mr Stabby...” This particular nomination just shows how you can turn a really bad incident into something really positive. Who is the Daddy now Mr Stabby!! If anybody needs advice or help with a nomination please let me know as you can also provide a deserving person with a once in a lifetime experience. The missus and I can thoroughly recommend it. Colin Smith
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Sports psychology David Harrison from Pinnacle Performance (www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk and @PinPerform looks at what we can learn & apply from Sports Psychology.
Awareness I am a BASES Accredited Sport Scientist in sport psychology based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and my company is Pinnacle Performance www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk. This month we revisit arguably the most important mental quality: Awareness.
Awareness is imperative if you intend to be successful so I am coming back to awareness because it is so important. Its importance was reinforced when I met and talked with an ex-professional footballer is now working extensively with Sporting Chance and a sprint coach who himself has competed nationally (both were ex-students of mine!) about performance.
Awareness is important in any endeavour but we as athletes need to be fully aware of our own strengths and areas of development.
“...we need to be aware of our own strengths and areas of development...� This will allow us to concentrate on our strengths during competition, when it matters, to give ourselves the greatest opportunity to be successful and get the win. We need to be well versed in our strengths so that we can do them without thinking; we can just play. So in training we need work on all aspects of our game so that this can
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be achieved but also time needs to be spent on our areas of development to get them to a point where they can no longer be called weaknesses. This is hard work which takes determination and dedication. The mentality to have here is to concentrate solely on the things within your control and ignore everything else. Focus on perfecting the skill (Perfection can never be achieved as there are always improvement that can be made but should be aspired to), to master the skill so it can be completed effortlessly and without thinking during competition. To enhance awareness keep a journal where you can reflect on your training and competitions. Within this journal also look at your sport to identify what exactly is required for you to be successful and win. Be very specific to get as much information as you can. If passing is important in your sport then what type of passes are needed? Being fully aware also allows you to be ‘play to win’. This is because you know what is required to win but you also understand how your
strengths will allow you to do this. Playing to win brings the focus onto you as an athlete and your awareness because you are concentrating on your strengths during competition but are aware of others competing in the same environment and the things they are good at. A lack of awareness leads to a mentality of playing not to lose. This is because you are not fully aware of what is needed so can’t fully commitment to your strengths to be successful. Both the sprint coach and ex pro reinforced this message of awareness being so important to performance which is pleasing as awareness is a major part of a book I’ve written called the Journey on what is needed to be successful. The Journey will be out at the end of September and information can be found on my website (http://www.pinnacleperformance. co.uk/books-by-pinnacleperformance.php). The Journey has been written so that it appeals to athletes and coaches alike giving them practical suggestions to improve that are supported by real life examples. If you require any information on the Journey or have any sport psychology questions please get in touch.
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The Secret Non-League Footballer Each month we print an article from the excellent Secret Footballer website – you can see more at www.thesecretfootballer.com
Key Signings Can Boost Gateshead Promotion Push far this season, it has demonstrated that most are very much trying to get into the groove. It’s a case of finding the perfect XI, which the manager will chop and change on numerous occasions until he discovers the requirements that will benefit him and the team. It’s still very much early days in the Vanarama Conference, a name which I’m still taking time to get used to. I can only think of a “white van man” when this name pops up. Nevertheless, the company has invested a lot of money in the league, which is a great coup. After five matches for each team so
Consistency is key at this time of the season. Good teams get into good habits of winning and it then becomes natural. Regardless of them playing well, they can still take all three points. Conversely, some teams can start off badly, which puts them on the wrong foot for the rest of the campaign.
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Alfreton Town have disappointed the most after a succesful season last term. Other teams I fear for are Dartford, Chester, Welling United and Nuneaton Town. Nuneaton will probably struggle the most this time after losing their manager Kevin Wilkin, who produced miracles last term with such a small budget. It won’t help that he took their two best players, Wes York and Louis Moult, to Wrexham. I also believe Dartford may really struggle. They had a turbulent time last term after shocking many people the season before when they were newly promoted from the Conference South and finished in the top ten. However, after being reinstated in the summer due to Salisbury City being demoted for not paying their creditors, they are lucky to be in the Conference. Monday’s 4-0 defeat at Barnet may well have knocked the players’ confidence but, with a home game against AFC Telford United tomorrow, it could be a good time to bounce back and go three points ahead of their opponents.
Chester are another team who will be down there at the end of the season. Manager Steve Burr didn’t quite do enough last season. Chester were relegated but, like Dartford, were reinstated due to Hereford United being demoted for unpaid bills. The problem I see with Burr’s team is that the recruitment of half a dozen players was completed when the club was expecting to be playing in the Conference North next season. Burr had signed these players only for the club to be reinstated in the Conference. His recruitment would have changed but, unfortunately for him, he had committed to these players by signing them and used up a chunk of his budget. For me, Welling will be relegated. Manager Jamie Day has worked wonders at the club over the years and is a real prospect to go on and manage higher up the football pyramid when the time is right. But with a small squad and losing some key players to other clubs in
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the summer, I think they may well suffer relegation. With the league table starting to take shape, there is still a long way to go before we see one team pull away at the top. It may well be Christmas before one team hits solid form and runs away with it. I predicted Gateshead and Forest Green Rovers to be title contenders so it’s no suprise that they are where they are. Gateshead have been playing some splendid football, football you don’t often see at this level. But they really surprised me when they suffered a heavy defeat at home to Grimsby Town, losing 6-1. This result shocked a lot of people but what a great way to bounce back, when they went away to Altrincham, which is never easy, and beat them 1-0. I’m sure manager Gary Mills would have been livid with his players after the Grimsby game but they showed a great reaction by winning and getting a cleansheet. Forest Green are the big-hitters this term with the good players that manager Ady Pennock has brought in. They haven’t set the league alight yet but I still fancy them. With their
squad so strong in depth, this will serve them well when winter comes and there are injuries. My dark horses were FC Halifax Town. Halifax sit top, the only team with a 100 per cent record of five games played and 15 points. Whether they can maintain this fine form, I’m not sure. There is a long way to go and, hopefully, they haven’t peaked too early. But they will be there or thereabouts come April. The stand-out player so far has been Gateshead striker Marcus Maddison, who has just joined Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee on a four-year deal. Not a bad move for the 20-year-old, who was released by Newcastle United only a year ago. It shows great ability for a young player to be released by a Premier League club, enter non-league and then is given an opportunity to play first-team football. Maddison has grabbed the chance with both hands and performed well, which has warranted a move to a League 1 club. He had scored four goals in five games for Gateshead this season.
Web: thesecretfootballer.com Twitter: @tsfnonleague Facebook: /TSFootballer
Club Security After searching for a while I’ve found a company that offers not too expensive safes - the idea is that safes inside changing rooms could prevent a lot of thefts.
Has Your Club Been Victim Of Valuables Theft? Players know they should take as much care of their valuables as possible, but sometimes people forget leaving wallets and car keys in trouser pockets, not locking the changing room door, or leaving the valuables bag near the pitch within easy reach of passers by.
“...I’ve played in a few games where things have gone missing from changing rooms...” I've played in at least a few games where people have had things stolen from inside the changing room and I reckon it's a common occurrence across the country.
I've even read stories during 2014's cricket pre-season of players turning up for a trial, claiming to have to leave early and then making off with a player's car and several wallets. While we can't do much about that form of crime from here at Grassroot Towers, we think we have come up with something that could help with the issue of opportunistic thieves going in to changing rooms while the game is on looking for something that isn't theirs... Safes...
“I’ve never seen a safe at a club I’ve played at and I wondered why...” 36
I've played at many football and cricket clubs and never seen a safe and I'm not sure why as it seems a relatively simple thing to install to prevent crime.
From the research I've done it seems as though the price is good on what they are offering.
“...As with everything, shop around, perhaps on your local high street, to compare prices...”
“...Maybe it's because keys get lost, maybe it's because it's expensive, as I said I don't know. ...” Maybe it's because keys get lost, maybe it's because it's expensive, as I said I don't know. But, if it's the latter then I've found a company that is willing to help reduce the cost of small safes for clubs to put up in their changing rooms: Simply Safes (you've guessed it, they specialise in safes). They've got together a special deal to get more safes inside club changing rooms - and by the way we aren't making any money out of this, we're promoting them because it's a good idea and I think it’s a good deal that we have negotiated for you. Each month we'll be running an ad for them, this month’s is on the next page, so don't worry about keeping hold of this so that you've got their details.
But of course it’s always a good idea to shop around, perhaps on your local high street, to compare prices. They come with everything you need to put them on the wall, the only thing you'll have to worry about is making sure the keys are kept safe! (Although if you lose them Simply Safes can supply replacements on models). Keep Safe... Actually while I’ve got you, if you are thinking of getting some safes but don’t like these ones advertised, whatever you do don’t get a digital hotel-style safe, they are incredibly easy to break in to; I’ve done it. Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies...
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Twitter Directory Birmingham County FA: @birminghamfa Bosham FC: @boshamfc Bronze CC: @bronzecc Clifton CC: @cliftoncricket Clifton CC ground: @cliftonccdevt Crawley Down Gatwick Football Club: @officialcdgfc Epping CC: @eppingcc Gateshead Fell CC: @gatesheadfellcc Hailsham Cricket Club: @hailshamcc Lodway CC: @lodwaycc Marsden CC: @cuckooscricket Old Parkonians Association: @oldparks Old Parkonians FC: @oldparksfc Parkfield Amateur AFC: @parkfieldafc Rotherfield FC: @rfc1983 South Loughton CC: @southloughtoncc Southgate Compton CC: @sccricketclub Stapleton CC: @stapletoncc Steeple Langford CC: @steeplelangford Sussex County FA: @sussexcountyfa Thaxted CC: @thaxtedcc Tynedale CC: @tynedalecc Westinghouse CC: @westinghousecc Whickham CC: @whickhamcc Winterbourne CC: @winterbournecc Woodnesborough FC: @woodiesfc Worlington CC: @worlingtoncc Worthing CC: @worthingcc Worthing FC @worthing_fc
List your club’s Twitter account in here so everyone else can get following you. Only those clubs that are members of the network like yours are allowed on this list. To get listed just drop Mat a note at mcourt@grassrootmedia .com or on Twitter @grassrootmedia Grassroot Media recommends: @birminghamfa @fvhtweets @sussexcountyfa @meadonscricket @4grants @chance2shine @vscricketsn
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Help players look after their skin while making money for your club We’ve found out about a new entrant to the sun block market, called Block Shop – and they’re keen to be stocked in your clubs – and you can make money out of it
I came across a company called Block Shop on LinkedIn – if you’re not on LinkedIn I’d recommend it, especially if you’re involved on the coaching side of things, yes there’s a lot of rubbish but every now and then you see something that’s incredibly useful. But I digress. I ended up having a chat with a new company called Block Shop about their zinc sun block and whether we could get it stocked in some of our clubs. Well James was already ahead of me and had already got the product in a few cricket clubs and the model was working well.
We all know the damage the sun can do to our and our kids’ skin, and it should work well being stocked behind your bars or elsewhere in your clubhouse; I remember constantly having to borrow other people’s when I’d forgotten to pick some up on the way to a match.
So I’ve agreed to promote the product to you, our clubs.
You can see a bit more detail on the page advert we’ve put in towards the front of the magazine, but you can always take a look at their website here: www.blockshop.co.uk or drop James an email on james@blockshop.co.uk or give him a call on 07900338863. They are also on Twitter @blockshop01
Being mostly blokes we are mostly pretty rubbish at remembering to buy things, especially products like sun block so I think that clubs stocking this is very much making the right product available to the right people at the right time.
The deal for you guys is quite simple, if you want to stock the product, you buy it at £2.50 per tub and then sell it to your players at the RRP of £5.95, or whatever other price you want.
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Use grassrootmedia.com to showcase your sponsorship opportunities A quick update on an idea I’ve had to help you sell sponsorship and advertising in your clubs to local firms. I’ve imaginatively called it ‘Sponsor A Local Club’...
Just another quick reminder on the “Sponsor A Local Club” page on the website we launched last month. We’ve got a few opportunities up on there but space for plenty more. What we’re trying to do is build up a portfolio of sponsorable opportunities that businesses can have a look through and hopefully find something they want to buy. I’ve no idea if it’s going to work but it feels like a good idea. I don’t want Grassroot Media to make anything out of it and all we’ll do is effectively put the idea in the shop window and then market the shop window. You guys will still need to talk directly with the companies that show an interest but my plan is that if we can get plenty of ideas on there I can go to organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses, the Chamber of Commerce and other small business organisations and try to
get them spreading the among their members.
word
So if you want to get your club listed up on there just drop me a line with what you want (try to keep it as short/punchy as possible) and one or two images and we’ll get you listed. We’ll never charge for it and will never look to take a cut of anything you end up selling off the back of it - that’s not what this is about. Instead it’s about promoting the fact that small businesses can really benefit from getting involved commercially with the one of the most important hubs of their local community, their sports clubs. If you’ve got any questions/comments/concerns please give me a shout in the usual way, you can see the page itself here: http://www.grassrootmedia.com/s ponsor-a-local-club
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01727 809867 Follow:
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Sports Therapy with Square One In a new regular feature, Daniel Foster from Hertfordshire-based sports therapists ‘Square One’ looks at what you can learn about Sports Therapy
Concussion In Sport: What Needs To Be Done? We are seeing more and more cases of head trauma and concussion not being treated effectively, this can have dire consequences. We are going to provide you with all the information you need know including signs and symptoms, treatment advice and aftercare.
the head during the game.
I am sure many of you have seen some of the serious cases of missing concussion which have been in the news recently. Andy Hazell, the professional rugby union player who recently retired due to a number of concussions. The saddest story of recent times was the death of 14 year old Ben Robinson who continued to play in a rugby match after three blows to
Below is a brief recap on your role in treating head trauma I hope this is helpful and again if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at danielfoster@squareonetherapy.co .uk
National governing bodies are doing more and more to prevent these injuries and give the correct advice; we are going to give you a step by step guide as to what you need to do as a coach, first aider or manager.
The RFU are at the forefront of the assessment and treatment of head
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injuries they work using the six R’S; Recognise, Remove, Refer, Rest, Recover and Return. Recognise and Remove – Any player suspected or recognised with concussion must be removed from training and playing and not return to Rugby or other sport or physical activity on the same day. Refer – Any player suspected or recognised with concussion must see a medical doctor as soon as possible. Rest – Players diagnosed with concussion must rest completely until all signs and symptoms of concussion have disappeared. Recover – The concussed player must first recover from all signs and symptoms of concussion at rest and return to activities of normal daily living before starting exercise. Return – Players return to contact training and games following the ‘Graduated Return to Play’ protocol.
Looking for:
TROPHIES AWARDS MEDALS SHIELDS SALVERS And want 30-40% off RRP? And free engraving? And free centre caps? Go to grassroottrophies.com Or email Mat at Grassroot Media on mcourt@grassrootmedia.com
We make money for football and cricket clubs by putting frames up in changing rooms, selling the space and then paying a rent for you letting us do it. It is easy, does not cost the clubs a penny and all you have to do is take a photo each month of the posters once you’ve changed them (we send them out in the post to you).
If you would like to find out more about what we do at Grassroot Media: Go to our website www.grassrootmedia.com Call 0800 8 20 21 22 or 01992 27 44 27 Email info@grassrootmedia.com Be part of the team...
Grassroots News ‘Our Game’ Supports NonLeague Day By Francis Duku, Founder of ‘Our Game’...
efficient fan's network and voice than has ever existed before.
In light of being recognised for our support to the non league football and what we are trying to achieve with 'Our Game', our founder (Francis Duku) has been asked to be an official ambassador of Non League Day. We wanted to celebrate this recognition and are doing so by launching the Our Game Fan membership.
Membership of 'Our Game' is unique in non league football because each and every member will be able to directly and personally benefit from joining, while also being able to help the club they support progress with the help of our network and community.
This membership is open to anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of football at non league and amateur levels, and is being used to give fans the choice of a number of benefits they otherwise wouldn't have access to, while creating a stronger and more
Membership costs only £2.50 per week (payable as £10 per month) and in return for this, you not only get access to all the exclusive 'Our Game' benefits (as shown on http://ourgamefootball.com/ourgame-services), it also allows you as fans to earn the following donations for your club:
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• A full set of training kit for 16 players. This can be donated to either the youth team or a senior team. (Once 25 people have signed up through your club.) • Four season tickets for your club or four pairs of tickets to the FA Trophy or Vase final to be distributed to your club's registered 'Our Game' members via a random draw. Each member will only able to win one of the allocated season tickets. (Once 50 people have signed up through your club.) • A set of portable 9 a side goals training goals able to be used before matches (to protect the goal mouth), in training for any of your club's teams, or even for supporters club games, whatever you choose. (Once 100 people have signed up through your club.) • A set of portable floodlights able to light up an area of 60m x 40m. This can be used to make it easier for your team to train during the winter months when training facilities become harder to come by. (Once 200 people have signed up through your club.) • If 10 clubs achieve the figure of 200 or more members, we will also donate a brand new 16 seat minibus to the club who has the highest number of members as a proportion of their average
attendance. The more 'Our Game' is supported by your club, the greater chance your club has of winning the minibus! This minibus can be donated to your academy team, used by the first team, fans or even your community projects to lower transport costs! Sign up at www.ourgamefootball.com/membershi ps as an 'Our Game' Fan and start benefiting from our services to reward yourself and save money immediately (the benefits from the Store alone, shown at http://ourgamefootball.com/our-gamestore-0, could be worth over £400 a year to each and every one of you), while also giving your club the best chance of earning one of the 'Our Game' donations and possibly winning a brand new minibus! All prizes will be allocated in July 2015 based on the membership numbers at the end of the 2014-15 season, with each club being entitled to the relevant prize for the number of their fans who are still 'Our Game' members at the end of the regular league season. 'Our Game' membership and all its entitlements though will begin immediately each person completes their application. Membership can only be granted to UK residents and is available to all networks and connections of any non league and amateur football fan who wants to help their chosen club while also benefiting from being part of the 'Our Game' network.
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Grassroot Photos A new feature showcasing the photo’s you’ve sent to us over the month. And some nice pictures too! Thank you to all of those that sent photos in.
Left: Burslem CC’s new nets, installed with funding from our friends at Biffa Award.
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Above: The Stamford Bridge CC committee setting up the fund raising tombola during a Yorkshire 2nd XI match there and (below) the ground itself before the match
Above: Brody Robertson scoring Cleethorpes Town FC’s second in the FA Cup this season, a 4-1 win over Borrowash Victoria in the Extra Prelim. Round - the Owls’s first ever game in the competition. Photo by Craig Kendall.
Right: The winners of Allenbury’s Sports & Social Club’s intra-club T20 cricket competition.
Above: Corse & Staunton Cricket Club held an ECB "Open Day" on 15 July which included an U-9 tournament between C & S, Aston Ingham, Apperley and Dymock. Below: Colin Smith on the recent club tour of Wembley, more to follow next month...
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