Dear Parents and Students It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the new academic year and the 2021-22 Football season. I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff, students and parents for their continued support. Despite the huge challenges that we have faced over the past 12 months there are still a number of achievements that we can look back on with pride. Our Senior Girls team became Independent Schools FA 7-a-side National Champions with our B team finishing 3rd, a great example of the strength of our programme. Sophie Peskett has become the first ever female professional at our partner club Ipswich Town, a role she will fulfil whilst beginning her university studies. Maddie Biggs and Anna Grey have also gone on to sign contracts with the club with the strong hope that Blue Wilson will also follow suit. Sophie & Maddie have also continued to receive England youth call ups, whilst we are delighted that Summer Hughes (Year 12) has been rewarded for an outstanding season with her first England cap at U19 level. Congratulations also to Erika Lempek who has been invited for training with the Hungarian FA. Justin Byles and former student Jackson Kirkconnell have remarkably both made their full international debuts for the Cayman Islands which must have been an incredible experience. Ashdon Fowler has again represented Suffolk Schools FA in the games that have been able to be played. We are excited with what the season has in store for us. A number of students have been put forward for the ISFA and SCSFA boys and girls representative teams. We have entered our teams into competitions at both local and national level and will combine this with a variety of friendly fixtures to provide appropriate opportunities for our students. Within the coaching department, Cole Skuse will continue with us in combination with his new playing role at Colchester United. He has already made a huge impact on our football delivery as you would expect from someone with almost 600 league appearances! A new addition will be Paige Shorten joining us from the FA. Paige is an extremely well respected UEFA A Licence coach and is one of the most highly regarded figures in female youth development, so much so that she has recently been appointed to the National coaching team for the England U15 women. Alongside this Paige will combine her role at St Jo's with being a skills coach for the ITFC Womens 1st team and U21's. This gives our students unique access that we know will be of huge benefit to them. In addition to this we will continue to have guest sessions from local players and coaches within the professional game. After school clubs will continue to be incorporated in to the College’s Development Hour and advertised via the Parent Portal. Parents are asked to sign up to the respective age group club. Mr R Pruden - Head of Football
Performance Sports Pathway At St Joseph's College, we take pride in providing the very best environment in which our pupils can develop, not solely as athletes but as young people too. We are confident that a focus, not on results, but on individual development will help to provide the very best opportunities and support each pupil in fulfilling their potential.
Thrive
EXCEL + BEYOND THE COLLEGE
Provide the very best opportunities
Support
FOCUS + SMALL GROUP AND 1:1
Deepen understanding and broaden skill set
Prepare
DEVELOP + EXTRA-CURRICULAR OFFERING
Nurture talent and teach pupils to embrace challenge
Encourage
INSPIRE GAMES AND CORE PE
Provide encouragement and identify talent
Engage
During their time at St Joseph's College, pupils are encouraged to play Representative or Academy football if selected. The College will support the endeavours of students and make allowance to balance training and playing exposure.
We will always strive to support pupils into the most appropriate pathways and have outstanding links with Ipswich Town FC both within the Academy and Community programmes. Coaches from the club will be regular visitors to the school and we will always put forward those who we feel will benefit from training or trialling in such an environment. We can also introduce pupil to other clubs in the area, both professional and grass roots. The girls programme is a prime example of our close relationship with the 21/22 season seeing the launch of a joint initiative to enter a Development team into the FA Womens National League reserve division. We also have strong links with University Football programmes such as Loughborough and Essex and also US Sports Scholarships who specialise in finding college scholarships for those who wish to continuing playing and studying in America.
Playing Philosophy Our playing philosophy is simple, we want our teams to play attacking football whilst having a solid defensive platform from which to build. We will look to retain possession of the ball in order to create space and opportunities, not simply for the sake of it. Formations will be dependent upon what suits the players in each team but will generally be based around 4-4-2 & 4-3-3, looking for pace, width and creativity in attack and compactness and organisation in defence.
Coaching Philosophy We seek to create an environment where pupils love what they do and feel safe to express themselves. We want them to feel challenged but to fully embrace this, accepting that they won't always have immediate success and being prepared to learn from this. We want all players to be respectful and work hard for one another, celebrating each others successes and supporting when things don't go their way. We will develop successful teams and strive to win competitions as these provide excellent learning opportunities and wonderful memories for all involved. However, individual development will always be at the forefront of what we do and we will follow the FA 4 corner model (Technical/Tactical, Physical, Psychological & Social) to achieve this.
Coaching Structure At St Joseph's College, we are immensely proud of the level of support we are able to offer our aspiring athletes. This coaching group brings with it a wealth of experience, from professional playing to academy and regional coaching positions.
Coaching Team Head of Football Mr Ralph Pruden Assistant Head of Football Mr Cole Skuse Goalkeeper Coach TBC
Skills Coach Miss Paige Shorten
Head of Athletic Development Mr Sam Power
Training First and foremost we will always look to provide enjoyable, stimulating and competitive training sessions. There will always be a strong element of technical development and a games based approach to improving tactical understanding through small sided and conditioned games.
Year 7 & 8 Training Games Afternoon: Tuesday Development Hour: Monday (Girls) Wednesday (Boys)
Year 9 & 10 Training Games Afternoon: Thursday Development Hour: Tuesday (Boys) Wednesday (Girls)
Year 11 and Sixth Form Training Games Afternoon: Wednesday Development Hour: Monday and Thursday
**Please note there will not be Saturday football training**
Fixtures We will play a variety of fixtures in the English Schools Football Association knockout competitions, the Independent Schools Football Association knockout competitions and the Suffolk Schools FA knockout competitions. In addition to this we will play friendly matches against appropriate Independent and State schools. Our Senior boys will play regular Wednesday afternoon matches in the AOC league whilst our Senior girls can supplement there school matches by playing for our partner team, Ipswich Town Development in the FA Womens National League Reserve section on a Sunday afternoon. In the Christmas Term we are likely to be at our busiest for Football fixtures with national cup matches taking place within the first fortnight of the new school year. Each round tends to then take place within the next 2 - 3 weeks, this will of course depend on us winning games! As we lose the light after half term fixtures may be more likely to take place in games lessons and there quantity is likely to be dependant upon our success, or not, in cup competitions. The Lent term will hopefully see us working towards the latter stages of competitions although we appreciate that this may not be the case, certainly not for every age group. We will endeavour to maintain a regular programme of fixtures for our teams throughout this time. By the time we reach the summer term we expect our fixture programme to have finished with the exception of any finals that remain to be played.
Our fixtures are added to the Calendar on the Parent Portal once confirmed, however these fixtures are subject to change. Any changes will be communicated at the earliest opportunity.
Selection Criteria At St Joseph's College, we recognise the value of all players having access to an appropriate level of competition. This being said, to be considered as available for selection a player should: Consistently attend training sessions (and notify staff of reasons for any absences) and Consistently apply themselves in an effort to develop, demonstrating respect and a positive attitude towards all staff and players Not all players will be selected for every fixture and there will be regular occasions where teams will change dependant upon the competition and the eligibility rules. We will always strive to pick the most appropriate team for the fixture and give the right level of challenge for the individuals involved. This will in some instances mean students 'playing up' if we feel this is best for their development. Wherever possible we will put on additional fixtures to give additional opportunities to students.
Selection Process and Notification Teams will be selected by the Friday prior. In some instances, a larger squad may be selected at this time, which will be finalised no later than Monday morning. (This should not be the case for any fixtures taking place on a Monday) Teams will be visible via the Parent Portal and will be emailed to parents/guardians of players on a Friday evening. On the evening prior to the fixture, confirmation of the fixture will be sent to parents/guardians of players.
Playing and Training Kit STC provide all of our PE and Games kit. This can be purchased from their online store which is specific to St Joseph's College: https://stc-stores.com/collections/st-josephs-college As a minimum, players are expected to have the following kit for training and fixtures: STC Quad tech tee
STC Pro Shorts
STC Match Socks
There is a range of additional kit available to ensure that players are appropriately clothed in all weather conditions:
Match shirts will be provided for all fixtures, in most cases students will be asked to use their own shorts and socks. We are expecting to have football shorts added to the available kit to purchase online.
All players participating in football must have shin pads Students must also have appropriate footwear, for most this will mean football boots ( I would recommend firm ground studs as these are most versatile). For those doing football in games on the astroturf, a pair of astroturf trainers would be best studs cannot be worn on this surface.
Sports Scholar Expectations At St Joseph’s College we have exceptionally high expectations of our scholars and require that they demonstrate high standards of conduct at all times across the College. This will require: Attendance at all PE, Games and Extra-curricular sessions. Commitment to their academic studies across all subjects, with consistently positive effort grades. Representing the College when selected for sporting fixtures during the course of the academic year. Acting as a positive ambassador for the school and faculty at all times, including wearing official St Joseph’s College uniform and kit. Attending all Scholar specific events and engaging with related programmes. Scholarships are awarded for the duration of the pupil’s time in the School. However, scholarships are reviewed annually and can be withdrawn if the College believes that a Scholar’s progress is unsatisfactory, involvement in area of specialism is minimal, or that the College's Core Values are not being embraced. Sport will be the priority of a Sports Scholar in terms of the extra-curricular programme.
Player Code of Conduct Participate for enjoyment, not just to please your parents or coach. Play by the Laws of the Game and accept, without question, all referees’ decisions. Control your language, emotions, and temper - you and your team will benefit. Work hard for yourself and for your team. Be a good sportsman - win or lose. Recognise all good play, whether by your team or by your opponents. Treat all players as you would like to be treated. Do not interfere with, bully, or take advantage of any player. Acts of Violence will be dealt with in accordance with the College's Disciplinary procedure. Recognise and appreciate the efforts made by coaches, parents and officials in providing the opportunity for you to play the game and enjoy participating. Appreciate the values of respect and commitment to coaches and team-mates.
Parent & Spectator Code of Conduct We very much hope that parents will enjoy watching their students representing the school and meeting other parents and coaches. Remember, young people learn by example. Foster enthusiastic participation, do not force an unwilling child. Encourage your child to play by the laws of the game. Acknowledge the value of the time and resources given by staff to facilitate a positive experience for your children. Emphasise the importance of respect for referees. Support your child's aspirations whilst also managing their expectations. Focus on young players’ efforts and skills development, rather than the result. Honest effort is as important as victory so that defeat is accepted without undue disappointment. Show appreciation for both sides; condemn bad behaviour and bad language. Encourage a child who has made a mistake - never ridicule. Attendance at both Home and Away fixtures is at the discretion of the College or their opponents and we both reserve the right to ask any adult to leave the premises and would support our opponents if they felt that this was an appropriate course of action.
Player Welfare The College will ensure that there is a suitably qualified first-aid trained member of staff present at all events. In addition, the College will endeavour to provide experienced pitch-side medical support at all fixtures that take place off-site or at times when the College's Nurse, Mrs Debenham, is not working. The College will always place the welfare of each individual at the forefront of any decisions regarding selection or performance. Any player who is confirmed to have or is suspected to have been concussed will enter the Graduated Return to Play (GRTP) process - The GRTP should be undertaken on a case by case basis and with the full cooperation of the player and their parents/guardians.
**In the interest of player welfare we follow the above GRTP process for all students in all sports and activities and ask for your support in doing so **