This is FUTSAL

issue #21

that’s football the magazine for youth football in Manchester

...and this is

Exclusive interview...

...the international renown game for developing the football skills of junior footballers for the future... plus... F3 comes to Manchester inside: features on: Hattersley F.C. Curzon Ashton F.C. and Sale United F.C. and Part Two of ‘a word from the official’

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Trials and interview evenings at Stalybridge Celtic FC

www.tameside.ac.uk

For 16 to 18 year olds who want to develop their sporting interests into a career.

Ref: TCM512.1

Stalybridge Celtic Football Club in partnership with Tameside College

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contents Front cover story. Futsal exclusive and interview pages: 5 to 13

Exclusive feature on Hattersley F.C. pages: 14 to 19

Exclusive feature on Curzon Ashton F.C. pages: 20 to 24

Exclusive feature on Sale United F.C. pages: 25 to 27

‘a word from the officials’ - part two pages 25 to 28

thats football magazine is designed and produced by studio 5 publishing in Sweden and the UK Printed in the UK to order and available on all major on line platforms world wide

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the futsal revolution...continues World Player of the 20th Century, ‘Pele ‘ on Futsal “...perhaps in regular football you cannot appreciate the talent. Everything is more physical. But in Futsal you have small details of quality, class and tactical aspects. Futsal requires you to think and play fast.

It makes everything easier when you later switch to football.”

©2018 thatsfootball.com. everything is this magazine is copyright of studio 5 publishing Sweden/UK or by the companies mentioned. No content in this magazine may not be used by a third partry, quoted, copied or reproduced in anyway whatsoever without prior written concent: studio5@telia.com +46 431441050

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“sometimes our default is to say, ‘don’t do that anymore’, but as soon as you say that, you cap potential. One thing you can’t do in the foundation phase is to tell players what is not possible.”

Pete Sturgess, FA Technical Lead (5-11) & England Futsal Head Coach That’s Football... this is Futsal – a revolution for grass roots Futsal, sometimes referred to as Five-a-side or mini-soccer, was founded in the early 1930’s by a gentleman named Juan Carlos Ceriani. Juan became a professor of Physical Education and held several directorships at Soccer academies in South America. As a trainer of children participating in sports, mainly Football, Juan devised a small sided version of the game for youth competitions in YMCA’s.

Utilising indoor basketball courts without the sidewalls or barriers that adorn the usual “cage style” indoor and outdoor football pitches or sports halls.

The ball had to be kept below head height and this was later enforced by the use of a heavier style of ball that would ensure the play was kept at the feet.

The sport became very popular in Brazil, the emphasis was placed on skills and tricks appose to the structured soccer camps associated with the full size 11-a-side format. Something the Street Football playing Brazilian’s craved for that’s for sure. Legends such as Pele, Zico, Socrates and Bebeto all developed their skills playing Futsal / street football. They would go on to dominate the Futsal competitions across the continent for many years to come.

The tradition continues today in South America and far beyond. In 1989 the first Futsal World Cup competition was played and continues every four years up to present day. The 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup will be the nineth in its history, the quadrennial international futsal championship contested by men’s national teams from among member associations of FIFA. It is due to be held from 12 September to 4 October 2020. A modern day Brazilian legend – Ronaldinho also made the following statement on Futsal...

“...Futsal is an extremely important way for children to develop their skills and understanding of the game” Football legends of their time and without doubt player’s with more tricks than your average magician, one can easily accept Pele and Ronaldinho’s advice. Closer to home examples of Premier league players who trained in Futsal include the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah and many more. Almost every South American in the Premier league also played Futsal or street football. Beyond the English premier league, global stars none other than Lionel Messi began his career playing Futsal. The choice is an obvious one.

The sport is growing year on year and is being recognised as a pivotal part of junior football development here in the UK. Futsal is becoming more and more popular within the Junior Football scene in the UK. That’s Football magazine catch up with one of our local community coaches providing weekly sessions, based at the prestigious Futsal Arena located within Oldham College.

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That’s Football a meeting with Mike Melvin Our first meeting with Mike Melvin was one of observation appose to conversation simply due to fact he had lost his voice, A coaches occupational hazard. Mike heads up of a team of 3 volunteers who manage a successful FA affiliated community club, Manchester Lions JFC. The club arranged for a trip to Oldham College’s Futsal arena which proved to be hugely popular with the children. Mike knew immediately that a revolution was on the horizon and began his mission to increase participation within Futsal for the grassroots players in Greater Manchester. Having secured the venue and gained relevant FA training, his new Club, Futsal3 was born.

Futsal3 has a specific design to how the matches are played, the games are designed in a 3 vs 3 format which simply means a team contains 3 players. The main factors behind this structure are to allow more teams to be formed, reduce the cost for participation and to increase the number of children taking part.

On too many occasions we see games being postponed or cancelled due to lack of players , it’s incredibly difficult to complete a 7, 9 or 11 a-side line up each week. As Futsal is primarily an indoor sport, playable pitch quality is also bypassed. Futsal3 allows 3 matches to be played out in a single arena, 18 players on the pitch at the same time appose to only 10 in a 5v5 setup.

Initially games were played out with five players on each side, Mike discussed how he found this overly challenging for the young players, they would struggle to integrate immediately and Mike wanted to correct that as soon as possible. The Futsal3 format brings the best of 3v3, futsal and street football together.

Training sessions focus on Futsal specific qualities such as specialised set piece routines, rotation patterns, playing without goalkeepers and the disguising “Shoot to miss” technique. The results show that every player gets lots of time and touches on the ball. Game rules ensure they all work hard in an environment that gives the players the freedom to express themselves. Futsal has been designed to place an emphasis on speed, not only physically but also speed of the mind which reminds us of one of our favourite coaches phrases,

“The most important space on the pitch is between your ears.”

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Futsal 3’s chosen venue also plays host for a number of FA delivered training courses, the next event taking place in April 2018, Delivered by Ian Bateman, an FA educator in Futsal and England Futsal team assistant coach. The course will free of charge to existing licensed coaches and is designed as a practical workshop for children and coaches. ‘...the

idea is to build on the level 1 accreditation, bridging the gap towards level 2. All the coaches involved are aligned with the club philosophy of the #LetThemPlay accord.’

Having gained a number of years of experience within grassroots football Mike was well in tune with the fact junior football is a team effort, not only for the children but the coaches, spectators and venue providers, he demonstrates this by teaming up with two Futsal academies ran by Eden Goldie of Ball Masters Academy and Marcus Leon of the FS5 Club.

The three clubs operate in conjunction with each other sharing the venue and facilities at Oldham college and collaborate far beyond that also. Children from the age of 5 can join the Tots sessions and play continuously throughout their school lives until reaching adulthood. This is not the end of their journey by any means as we discuss the next stage in the Futsal revolution with Mike, Eden and Marcus.

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Collaboration is a key factor to the future of Futsal3, Ball Masters and FS5 clubs , this is shown through community driven projects such as the recent charity day for Sports relief.

A hugely successful day at the Futsal arena witnessed a side splitting parent’s vs players match. Relatively short 10 minute duration brought a great deal of heavy breathing and a realisation that hangovers are best avoided. Skill of the day was awarded to one parent for his unseen before trick. Globally this will be known as the trip over and land on your butt technique.

The Futsal community will extend their portfolio further afield this month with a new partnership being secured at the Parrswood High School in Manchester. Sessions will be offered in the same format and infrastructure as the Oldham Futsal arena.

The revolution continues….

A number of clubs have been selected to participate in an FA backed scheme known as “Wildcat Centres” The objective is to increase Female participation and retention in Football. Mike’s Futsal family will launch their Wildcat centre this month. Girls will be invited to attend a dedicated training session each Sunday, Matches will be played in due course.

There is no better time to gain involvement in Futsal in greater Manchester. With so much in the pipeline, the Futsal3 & FS5 and Ball Masters Clubs are the perfect choice with so much infrastructure and dedicated team managers.

We hope you can give it a try, your children will love it and they’re game will develop in the correct way. For more information contact Mike, Eden or Marcus through Facebook or on the following number:

0161 533 0803 email: info@futsal3.com

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The Football Association’s take on Futsal Our colleagues at The Football Association are placing a heavy interest in the aspects Futsal brings for players in the foundation phase of their footballing journeys, The England DNA core values coaching modules are perfectly aligned with Futsal in terms of how young players are to be developed, the key message being “Allow the players to develop the ability to Master the Ball at their feet, afford a player the chance to make mistakes and be brave enough to attempt to beat a player using tricks and ball protection with their body.

A key member of the team of coaches behind the design and implementation of the England DNA is the current FA technical lead in the foundation phase, coach – Pete Sturgess.

The following summary has been supplied by Pete for That’s Football magazine readers. Further information and in depth practice plans are available for all FA licensed coaches through an FA backed online service named - The Hive learning system. (www.hivelearning.com/thefa).

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the Foundation Phase DNA and Futsal The England DNA wants coaches to work towards helping players develop outstanding technical ability.

This starts in the Foundation Phase and playing Futsal is a great game to use.

The Foundation Phase is the perfect time to introduce players to the benefits of playing Futsal.

The constraints of the game really do help to challenge the players, regardless of age, and it is the perfect game to supplement the involvement many young players will have with football.

The England DNA demands that a different kind of player is developed and Futsal has a very important role to play. In the information that follows I have made reference to a feature of the game and aligned this with the DNA headlines to help you see how the game is integral to the England DNA in the Foundation Phase.

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Pete Sturgess comments on Futsal ...If you are indoors in the winter and have limited time – just play the game, The players will have increased touches and decisions to make (master the ball).

The players will have increased opportunities to: accelerate, decelerate, change direction, stop and start, dodge and feint (master your body).

Players are under constant pressure and have limited space (seek creative solutions) The players will have more tactical challenges to overcome (instinctive decision making) There will be more opportunities to shoot, pass, move, dribble and play 1v1 (be exciting with the ball) The players will have to react to transition more often (instinctive decisions.

The players will have to defend as an individual and a team (intelligent defending) And whilst all this is going on the players are having fun and enjoying the game.

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As coaches we have to consider the balance between structured and unstructured practice time during the week. For our Foundation Phase players the training time in the grassroots game is likely to be between an hour and two hours per week (if you are lucky). If this is all structured, coach led and quite formal in nature then the players will miss out on the problem solving, decision-making and improvisation needed just to cope with the game of Futsal.

If you take your team indoors for the winter you have to consider using Futsal.

It is a great option for development and the FA now has a range of Futsal qualifications from Level 1, Level 2 to UEFA B which will help coaches develop both themselves and their players using this game.

To find out more about the FA’s Foundation Phase free to access DNA resource please use the link below and join a rapidly expanding group of coaches supporting the England DNA for young players:

www.hivelearning.com/thefa

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HATTERSLEY FOOTBALL CLUB Hattersley is an area of Tameside some 10 miles from Manchester city centre. It is a large overspill estate, which became home to many families rehoused from inner city Manchester in the 1960’s. Football has always played a big part in the Hattersley community and ever since the first residents were welcomed by the major of Hyde way back in 1963, there has been a football team. However in October 2001 Hattersley FC was officially formed and within three years they had achieved FA Charter Standard level, In 2001 the club consisted of just one team but the club has grown expeditiously since those early days and now proudly boasts more than 14 teams ranging from under 8’s to under 18’s. They also have a mini academy for players aged 4-6 years old. The club are currently affiliated with Cheshire FA, Tameside Football League, Stockport Metro Football league and East Manchester Junior Football league.

They provide children with football on Saturdays and Sundays with training on various evenings at the Ken Ward Centre (their home ground). The club sponsors now include Sports Tours International, Bird Consultancy and Nationwide Transport Breakdown Services who the club are obviously very grateful to. Without the support of sponsorship the club would find it very difficult to function.

MEET THE CHAIRMAN Mark Hunt has been involved with Hattersley Football Club for some 10 years now and until recently was a manager of one of the teams for 7 years. His wife Sam is the club secretary and their son Kian plays for two Hattersley teams. It’s in the family you might say.

Mark is passionate about the football team and its role on the estate.

He believes that offering kids the chance to play football can only be a good and productive accomplishment, reasoning that football can offer kids a way of escape from the pressures of school and the streets. And he’s right, the football club does that.

He speaks with pride about how the club has over 190 players and has grown into possibly the leading attraction for boys and girls in terms of sport, on the estate. As he points out “I love the fact that in the past we’ve been successful winning cups and winning leagues and we continue to do so, but I still believe our biggest achievement is providing football for nearly 200 boys and girls, in a friendly environment, with fabulous training facilities as well as pitches that are the envy of the league”.

Having such a long involvement with the club, I asked Mark what his fondest memories of his time with Hattersley have been so far?

He smiles and says “One of my best memories since I started at the club is having a packed presentation evening and being able to Introduce Stuart Pierce as a special guest to hand out the players their trophies and awards” Then he stops and laughs, but before saying...

“...but nothing compares to seeing your own son score a world class goal for his team”.

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‘Rio’ who’s 57 goals this season have helped Hattersley under 11’s on their way to their first ever cup final.

I asked the chairman what the future holds for Hattersley Football Club?

“The future looks great if we can continue recruiting players and coaches like we do. The club seems to be growing all the time. I think one of the positive signs that we are getting it right, is that the club is attracting players from neighbouring towns. People can see that we are a well structured club with great facilities and a great philosophy. We continue to operate as one of, if not the cheapest clubs in borough to play for, and we do that without sacrificing quality, with great coaching staff, most of whom are FA Level 2 qualified which separates us from most clubs who only stipulate level 1...” “...we have great kits thanks to a deal done with New Balance, so the teams all look the part. It’s important when the players go out to play for the club that they wear their kits with pride.”

“We are opening an online shop in the coming weeks so that the parents can purchase scarfs and team wear at reduced prices. We carry the hashtag #onefamily and it’s important that the families feel that they are part of the club too.

It’s that projection towards a close knit family club that we are aiming for” Finally I ask him why players should choose Hattersley Football Club over others?

He holds his hands out and says “It’s not about kids choosing us over other teams; it’s about players coming to Hattersley and experiencing a friendly and welcoming atmosphere where kids will be safe and treated well. I have faith in all our fantastic volunteers, on and off the pitch, and I know that the boys and girls who chose to come here will find our volunteers very friendly and enthusiastic, whilst keeping football at the right price for everyone to enjoy.

Meet the Head Coach Hattersley’s head coach is 33 year old Gareth Howell.

Gareth ‘Gaz’ Howell runs two of the three under 11’s teams for Hattersley, one of which has just booked their place in this seasons cup final. So it’s a very happy

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First of all Gaz, congratulations on getting to your first ever cup final How does it feel?.

“Personally I’m over the moon but it’s the lads I’m happiest for. Together I feel myself and the players have worked hard as a group since I took over.

I’ve changed the way the team plays but that would have been impossible without the teams engaging attitude and hard work. I just hope they enjoy the day, take it all in and have a brilliant experience, they deserve it”.

So what does a head coach do?

“As head coach I deal with any queries the other coaches might have. That could be anything from pitch problems, training issue’s, new kit or equipment, dealing with parents, that sort of thing. I also host monthly coaches meetings to keep everyone up to date with what’s happening off the pitch, as well as attending meetings with the chairman and various sponsors or planners regarding the any future plans the club might have.”

I’ve heard that you can sometimes be seen inspecting pitches early in the morning or late in the evening, is that right?

“Yea of course, I take the role seriously as all our coaches do, but we are volunteers at the end of the day. I live a stone’s throw from the ground and I’m happy to help assess a pitch before a game goes ahead. If the pitch isn’t fit and I can save an away team travelling 20 or 30 miles to play, then why not?”

It’s this kind of attitude of Gaz’s that I think embodies Hattersley and backs up the chairman’s claim about he club being one family. I ask Gaz what brought him to Hattersley?

“I sort of stumbled taking on a coaching role with Hattersley.I was doing a soccer school with Hyde United and a role at Hattersley presented itself. I wasn’t sure what to do at first, but once I saw he set up and the vision the club had, it was a no brainer. “As for the under 11’s, that came about almost by accident. I was coaching the year below the under 11’s who were under 10’s at the time. I offered to help their coach out as he was always on his own and circumstances eventually led to me taking over as the main coach for that team. With my son playing for the team and having lived in Hattersley all my life, it seemed like the logical thing to do.

Why should players sign for Hattersley?

“In my opinion players should come to the club because it is the most supportive team that I’ve ever come across and regardless of ability, whether you’re a boy or girl, we have a team for you”.

Where do you see the future of Hattersley FC?

“The future? I see a big bright future for the club. However, it’s Above: Brook plays for the under 11’s and is one of a number of girls at the club looking to follow in the footsteps of ex Hattersley player Ellie Turner who went on to join Manchester City’s Youth Academy.

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Above: Gareth Howell kneels down to make his point to the under 11’s

the same as any other voluntary role, you constantly need a mix of new fresh faces and at the same time experienced coaches. You wouldn’t believe how much dedication is needed when volunteering to coach a football team.

The rewards can be brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone, but you have to be warned that although it’s a ‘volunteer role’, it’s probably closer to a full time job, without the holidays” he laughs.

MEET THE STARS OF TOMORROW

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The future Hattersley players attend the mini - academy, they play together on Saturday mornings and are coached by Chris Brown. The academy has been running since September 2017 as a new venture for the club. Hattersley are very focused on bringing boys and girls in from an early age in an attempt to equip them with a sound knowledge of the game.

“Since its creation the academy has gone from strength to strength with numbers increasing every week” says Chris.

Chris sees the mini-academy as an exciting introduction to the world of football saying “the main objective in bringing on the future generation of Hattersley footballers, is to give them as much time as possible with a ball at their feet, getting them to get to know the ball, while at the same time making it fun and enjoyable”.

I ask him how he keeps them interested, what makes them want to keep coming back?

“We try to do different activities each week to keep it fresh, playing different games and always finishing with a game of ‘tackle’ at the end. There’s also the added bonus that they are making new friends”. The Mini Academy is on Saturday mornings between 10 and 11.30 at the Ken Ward.

Daanish is in his third season at Hattersley and plays a year above his age on both Saturdays and Sundays. It is his first season with the Saturday Under 15’s team who are riding high as league

No matter what the weather, these boys and girls turn up to have their weekly miniacademy sessions

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Meet the Hatttersley Jets Captain, Daanish Hussain leaders and have recently booked their place in the semi-finals of the league cup. For the Jets he took over as captain last season and has kept the role ever since. He won Managers player of the season last year for the Jets and players player.

He also won Managers player for the under 14’s.

He’s a talented lad obviously.

Hattersley Jets put through their paces with a speed gun

LAST SEASONS HONOURS Jason Stelfox was last years Under 15’s man of the match in the cup final against local rivals Curzon Ashton. The final was played at Hurst Cross, home of Ashton United and the game was won by Hattersley, who had to come from behind against a very good Curzon side. This season Jason has taken up a coaching role with the under 8’s.

Ian Forder oversaw the under 16’s winning the league last season with a number of games to spare before the end

above: Coach Ian Forder

of the campaign.

So it seems exciting times are ahead for Hattersley football club who are always on the look out for new players. Players of any age or ability are more than welcome to get in touch with the club. If anyone is interested then they should visit the website for further information. hattersleyfootballclub.co.uk

We caught up with Daanish at training and asked him how it feels to play for Hattersley Jets?

He considers the question, he’s pretty laid back, we wait, he ponders, and then says... “I enjoy playing for Hattersley, and I like the fact that I represent a local team. Football is my passion and I absolutely love playing, and getting to play with my friend’s makes it even better, a bonus”.

You’re captain of the Jets, what’s like being captain and what does it mean to you?

“I feel honoured to be the captain, it’s a privilege, I don’t forget that” he says, “and I think it shows that my hard work and effort is being recognised by the manager”.

And what about the manager, or coaches, how do you see them? “I’ve known Steve and Ben since I was at Hyde United”, he enthuses, “that was three years ago now. My team and I are lucky to have such thoughtful and caring coaches who want the best for us. It’s the same on a Saturday, everyone’s very focused and determined to get the best out of us, but in a way that makes you want to work”.

We appreciate that, you know, everything they do for the team, We wouldn’t want it any other way”.

Daanish is clearly very passionate about his football and speaks like a player much older than his years. If I didn’t know better, listening to him, I’d think he’s been playing the game for as long as he is old!

What’s is your favourite memory of playing for Hattersley? “My favourite memory was playing in the semi-finals in our first season, as I was assigned the task of man marking the oppositions best player, which helped us win the game”.

And your worst? “Easy, missing the penalty in the cup final. I was absolutely (he looks away for a minute) devastated”.

“That sounds tough. “It was, it really was, but, do you know what got me through it? The support from my team mates and my coaches, everyone was brilliant”.

Steve O’Donoghue, manager of the Jets says of Daanish. “ He’s one of the hardest working, politest players I’ve ever come across. He is fully committed to training and always puts a shift in on match days.

If I had to find a criticism in his game, I’d probably say he’s too self-critical, but they are the standards he sets himself by.”

above: Shaun Goater with Coach Steve O’Donoghue at a training seesion

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Curzon Ashton FC “The Nash”

Curzon Ashton FC was formed in 1963 after the merger of two clubs, Curzon Road Methodists F.C. and Ashton Amateurs F.C. The amalgamated club’s name was originally Curzon Amateurs before being changed to the current name – Curzon Ashton Football Club Curzon joined the Manchester League and once they had found their feet in the higher competition, there was no stopping the Nash (the Nash nickname derived from the fact the newly formed Curzon Ashton played on the site of the ground of Ashton National Gas FC –(National became commonly known as Nash). Curzon Ashton FC are a grade 2 semi-professional club, the first team play in the Vanarama National League. Apart from the mens first team they also operate a full time women’s team named Curzon Ashton L.F.C. They currently play in the Midland Combination Women’s Football League.

Their success can be measured at all levels included the youth setup and academy.

That’s Football take a look behind the scenes with current youth team coaches and players.

Mark Bradshaw, youth development officer and head of the Academy, explains how the club infrastructure defined the junior teams and that a standard set by the club is adhered to for the children involved. Players join from the age of 6 at the start of their 1st year in primary school; they are placed into two separate teams and begin playing organised matches at weekends almost immediately.

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World Cup Heroes statue outside the entrance to Curzon Aston ground

The year groups are managed by Mark and his assistant coach. At this tender age of six and seven, it is viewed as a key stage in the junior players journey into Football.

Parent involvement is a vital aspect to accepting new players into the club and behaviour from the side-lines is always taken into consideration.

The club are firm believers in a correct ethos and philosophy and share these messages with all parents, players and coaches.

The youth setup at Curzon Ashton throughout the age groups is funded by the parents paying a signing on fee and weekly training fees. (subs) The price is set as standard across all age groups which ensures a fair and respectful approach.

From the age of 8 teams are allocated with a dedicated coach for that season & beyond, right the way through to u16’s. Coaches are usually responsible for their own age group however transferring between ages in not uncommon simply due to the agreed club standards, players engage immediately with different coaches as they all follow “the Nash” code of conduct. Curzon youth teams boast a high ability level as the majority of teams are playing in the high divisions in the Club sponsored league East Manchester Junior Football League. This is the case across all their age groups from u7’s to u16’s Once a player reaches the end of their phased progression and leave high school at 16 they are offered trials into the u17’s 18’s 19’s and ultimately the u21’s who double up as the reserves for the 1st team.

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Across each age group you will find a full spectrum of Girl’s teams. They are integrated with the Boys from school years 1 - 5 and play as mixed teams in the EMJFL. At the age of 10 the girls and boys split into their relevant gender teams. Beyond girls and boys team the club also run a number of initiatives for older players, these include Adult PAN Disability teams, Army veterans 5 a side squads and the ever popular Walking football team known as The Nash Amblers.

Following the clubs incredible run in last season’s FA Cup and obtaining crowd funding via the Football Foundation trust, a budget has been allocated by the club to provide infrastructure improvements at their already impressive Tameside Stadium and adjoining training pitches this summer. The largest section of this project is a complete overhaul of the training pitches adjacent to the stadium. A brand new 3G pitch (rubber crumbs included) will be layered along with replacement fencing, drainage works and new floodlights.

The club will continue to operate during this time with attendance to centralised venues operated throughout the EMJFL’s summer league.

Last season, Curzon’s u18 team made History for the club. A very talented group of young men went on to win a quadruple of trophies, The Manchester County Cup, the North West Youth Alliance Cup, the North West Youth Alliance Premier Division and the Open Cup. They achieved the unthinkable and went on to win all the trophies available to them during the season.

Members of that squad now play their football for the first team. For foundation phase teams of primary school age, games are played non-competitively, however we can easily measure their successes via league placement and junior cup runs which are apparent throughout. Individual and team development play a huge role in the club and the onus is set out for the children through regular performance indicators.

The future promises a great deal for an already well established club. This being noticeable not only by their commitment to improving an already good standard of training pitches but also by the level of success with their youth teams.

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‘Zlatan’ aka Toby Beebham - Ashton Curzon Junior

That’s Football had the pleasure to meet and discuss all things Football with a current u7 player Toby Beedham. Toby has been with Curzon since the age of 4, he had a brief spell with a community club inbetween his fifth and sixth birthday. He now trains and plays 5 a side matches with the current crop of 7 year olds who are preparing for their first full season in the EMJFL after this summer as an under 8’s team.

What is your favourite part of playing for Curzon Ashton? “...I love that we do different things every week, I’m never bored. I really love matches and we always play a match at training. The coach likes us to play matches after some practicing and so do I.” Toby was very excited to tell me of the 14 goals he has scored so far playing with the u7’s and explained how he’d earned the nickname – Zlatan. (Referring to Zlatan Ibrahimovich of-course).

Toby is a Manchester United fan so I could tell he was delighted with this handle and when I asked him... “...does he know why he has that nickname? “..my coach says It’s because I’m a beast and have a good strike” I’m sure he will go on to play a role in Football and follow in the great Swedish man’s footsteps.”

His aspirations for next season included a taste for trophies and the desire to win football matches.

This is something you want to hear from young players, they are demonstrating their desire to achieve and play for a prize. Coaching philosophy instils this desire by ensuring the pressure remains absent and in turn they build the drive within themselves. That’s Football Magazine wishes you well little ‘Zlatan’.

Remember to work hard and remain focussed but most importantly enjoy yourself and play with a smile.

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Jack Salkeld

10K Manchester Run and will donate all proceedings to the amazing charity – Christie.

Beyond the players and the high level of their junior teams, Curzon Ashton’s army of coaches can boast their own individual success stories, an good example of this is the current under13’s coach who has just achieved his Uefa B license from the FA with all other coaches working their way through the FA coaching pathway.

Current u16 and first team assistant coach – Jack Salkeld, discussed his own personal ambitions and achievements.

At 23 years of age Jack has accomplished a great deal already, he is a level one licensed FA coach and is working towards his level 2. As a child he played for Curzon from the age of 6, playing throughout his school years up until 17. It was at this time that he began his coaching career managing the u14 squad. He remained with them until u16 level and now manages the u16 teams, Jack explained how that coaching the under 16’s is why he finds himself engaged and connected with the players. The banter and Comradely play a huge part for him, We could tell he loves that the most. This month will see him take the team to a County Cup semi-final.

Jack has recently secured a role within Manchester United Football Club where he will be providing training sessions with youth players across greater Manchester 2 days a week. He remains committed to his boyhood club and will continue to volunteer his time for Curzon outside of his new commitments with MUFC. His work in the community does not end here, following the news of a close friends battle with a disease he has decided to sign himself up to the 10k Manchester Run and will donate all proceedings to the amazing charity – Christie. If you can, please go and support Jack with this challenge he has set for himself.

It really is for a great cause, we salute him. There is little doubt that this dedicated young coach will go on to become a well-respected and important cog in the historic club that is Curzon Ashton FC and Junior Football in Greater Manchester.

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Sale United F.C Girls In Football coaching circles a term used regularly is “Philosophy” What is the Club’s / team’s philosophy? Do you have a personal philosophy and how do you apply that to your coaching? They sound like questions you would be asked during a science lesson or job interview but they underline the importance of having the correct approach when it comes to coaching and running clubs in Junior Football. One club set up with a solid philosophy is Sale United FC. Sale United FC was founded in 1975 by Mr Ken Wilkinson.

Ken had a vision to launch a junior football club which would provide boys in Sale with the opportunity to play Football, not just the good footballers but everyone. A piece of history in South Manchester that continues to do exactly that in today’s game.

In 2011 Sale United FC was recognised by the National FA and awarded the accolade of “National grassroots football club of the year” in recognition of the work being carried out in the name of the ‘Respect Campaign.

The award was presented by the then Prime Minister David Cameron at Wembley Stadium just prior to the 2011 FA Cup Final. In the same year Cheshire County FA recognised the Club as their FA Charter Standard Development Club of the Year, and this was followed in 2014 by being awarded the FA Charter Standard Community Club of the Year.

Currently headed up by Colin Dowdy, their Chairman, Sale United FC boast a healthy fifty two organised teams. The majority of their coaches are a minimum of level one FA qualified with most achieving level 2 and above. Child Safeguarding and First aid accreditation take place before any coach is accepted into the fold.

A newly licensed FA coach and Sale United trainer, Mark Noakes, took the short drive over to That’s Football Magazine offices to share what he believes to be the start of a wider and new revolution at the Club.

Girls Football. Designed in the same vision as their Ken Wilkinson. back in 1975, Mark has aspirations to develop girls teams all operating from Sale United’s home at Crossford Bridge in Sale.

Mark became a level one FA coach in October 2017 and had already began his level two training, ensuring that the players he is responsible for receive the highest possible support and coaching available to them. His natural enthusiasm for the game is clear as is his keen attention to detail.

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We discussed the level of administration that now takes place before during and after training sessions and match days and how that preparation and reflection time play a huge role in the weekly activity that began as a “helping hand” to leading the march towards increasing girl’s team participation and the general growth of football for girls. The target is very clear... ...To reach 150 female players at Sale United FC within 5 years. A goal in which I have no doubts whatsoever will be reached. Mark described his under 12 girls teams first season in their current league (Manchester Girls)

“ We have played 15 matches so far and have lost them all, however they have improved dramatically as the season has progressed and more importantly are still turning up and enjoying playing. A strong culture within Sale Utd Group is sportsmanship, and I am delighted to note that we are currently top of the division for sportsmanship awarded by the referees.

Results will come in time, the teams behaviour, approach and participation is treated as the most important thing along side respect which these girls have in abundance.

The team have undertaken a lot of growth in the last 9 months or so and we now have 19 players registered.

Our plans are ambitious and we aim to grow the girl’s facility to 150-200 girls within the next 5 years. Our next step is the establish an Under 9s team for next season” Mark manages the under 12 girls team. They train on a 3G pitch in Wythenshawe weekly and play matches in the South Manchester Girls League. The team play their football with freedom and encouragement to try new things, enjoyment is the key aspect to their philosophy and players are given every possible chance to express themselves each time they play.

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the team visits Manchester City Girls at the Ethiad Stadium to watch the professionals

He doesn’t stop at the pitch either, He has provided sponsorship for the team backed by his own business Integritas Resourcing Limited and plans to strengthen that agreement even further into next season.

Team bonding events have become a regular activity, we spoke of how he took the players to watch a professional women’s match, using the time together to highlight points of reference from the professionals on the pitch. And set his players with challenges to find their matching counterpart in the pro-team.

Away from the team Mark has been working on brand awareness for the girl’s setup at Sale United FC. This includes a social media campaign via Facebook and Twitter, providing the project with a dedicated reference for parents and guardians to be directed to when looking for involvement. This should go long way to ensuring success in the challenge he has set at the club.

Parents and guardians play a pivotal role at any community based football club and they have not been ignored either, A full Parent presentation will be provided before the start of next season, outlining the key objectives and expectations of both the coaches, players and spectators. Surely success is certain for Mark with his aspirations to increase the number of girls teams in the area,

That’s Football Magazine wish him all the very best on his quest, another pioneer discovered?

Only time will tell...

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‘A word from the official’ referee’s past, present and future.

Part 2 Referee Joe Murphy In part two of our three piece feature on referee’s in Junior Football, That’s Football met with a young gentleman currently officiating across two Leagues’ in Manchester - East Manchester junior Football League and the Tameside Junior Football league.

The best way to begin his career as an Football official referee, taking control of matches played by children aged between 8 and 15. Having spent his younger years playing for local community clubs in Tameside, Joe had developed a passion for Football from an early age. He took his opportunity to become a referee at the age of 14. A close family member was managing his local team – Dukinfield Youth FC and had heard on the grape vine of a requirement for a young referee to work at a primary school in the area, covering games and tournaments played on the school grounds.

Joe’s parents assisted with his new venture by booking him onto an FA provided Referee course held at Denton Youth FC’s home, Martinsfield’s.

Joe recalls his experiences with the course as follows; The course was hosted by none other than the newly promoted Premier League referee – Chris Kavana. Chris recently achieved acceptance for the 2017 / 2018 season as a select group 1 referee after working his way up the Footballing pyramid.

The course provided great insights into life as an official, Joe quickly realised the seriousness behind the course, meeting people who had travelled from all over Greater Manchester to obtain the honour of being an FA affiliated referee.

The group included a mixed bag of people stemming from several age groups targeting venues and matches within their local FA affiliated league. The sessions took place over three Sundays between 9am and 3pm.

Joe recalls his delight when being issued with the “Referee Kit” which included a whistle, disciplinary cards (Red and Yellow) and of course a set of assistant referee flags. The good old Liner poles….

One of the most important aspects covered are the official’s standing angle on the pitch during a game. Locating yourself in the correct position is the first step to enable a ref to carry out their work to the best of their ability, giving themselves a stronger chance of making the correct decision.

Having played during his youth, Joe felt he had a good understanding of the game already, however he found that so much more goes into the preparation and delivery following his training. In fairness to him his stated that he had found the information a great deal more than expected and remembered thinking “this is more than I can handle..” He took it all on board and continued with his mission. Additional course subjects included, set piece situations and when to award certain types of a free kick, (be it direct or in-direct), differing challenge types and how a throw in from the sideline’s should be correctly administered. An interesting fact on the throw in is that one cannot simply throw the ball directly into the goal. This is classed as disallowed attempt to score as a player must touch the ball following the throw in, prior to the ball hitting the back of the net. We wondered if any child could actually throw a ball that far, perhaps a windy day would help.

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The course in general is designed to instil coaching technique for referees. This is to provide the individual with the confidence and ability to educate players during the game, hence giving players reasons and explanations how they have arrived at certain decisions. Additional subjects cover an officials approach regarding their responsibility to carry out the role in the correct manner, looking at body language techniques, tone of voice and handling several differing behavioural management situations.

A great deal of emphasis is placed on the referee themselves advising them on the correct approach, their own behaviour and of course how to operate in a professional, respectful, prepared and organise manner.

All Fa affiliated referee’s similarly to coaches are encouraged to continue with their own development and this no different for Joe. He will begin his next level of FA training later this summer. Beyond that a constant communication is apparent between Officials and the leagues they are working in; emails and phone calls come through each week advising them of any implemented rule changes, venue requirements, match postponement, advice on certain teams and the weekly issued complaints. Joe tells us his aspirations to continue working his way up the officials’ training ladder and seeks a position officiating older and open age matches into next season.

A large section of today’s professional referee is to embrace and operate under newly implemented technologies in the game. Goal line technology and the brand new VAR system are two items we discussed. For Joe, the positives of using these technologies are to provide the ref with a backup or support when making difficult decisions, to assist with the protection of a wrong or poorly made decision and essentially ensuring the game is played fairly for both teams. His concerns included the removal of the drama in the sport, including certain emotions and even intensity from high profile games. His main worry was that this could dramatically reduce the pace of the game as we recently saw in a televised International friendly match involving England and Italy.

When asked of his main challenges Joe didn’t seem too phased by his current job, he explained how changing your age groups can lead to a whole heap of problems, for example, children aged 10 and below play with a retreat rule and no off-sides, whereas a set of players only one year older do. He recalls how on one occasion a goal was granted during a game that should have been flagged for offside. They looked 9 to me he said….. Not offside ref? as he requested the team to retreat. The beauty in junior football is that these children are here to develop their game and that these types of decisions or rather incorrect decision do not weigh in too heavily against young referee’s, although explaining this to a coach can be difficult..

30 From next season Joe is looking to relax his commitments to his Saturday and Sunday playing time to focus on taking his referee career to the next level. He explained how he would remain humble to the sport and accept any type of officiating role be that as a line assistant referee or the “man in charge” on the pitch. He would like to gain the relevant experience and operate in a professional way.

Discussing the emotion was our next subject. What drives your passion to continue operating a Junior Football Referee? “...the sense of achievement is the key, receiving positive and constructive feedback gives me great pleasure and a sense of relief that I’ve operated to the best of my ability giving him a feeling of pride that that tricky decision was the correct one.”

That’s Football hold a keen interest in Futsal and Joe has had some exposure to this also. Having attended a ‘taster’ Futsal session in Trafford, he accepted a number of positions around Manchester officiating junior Futsal matches. He found the experience immensely useful for his grassroots exploits. The pace Futsal is played at being the stand out factor, in football things happen so quickly and in Futsal they are even quicker. His experience learning on the job dramatically accelerated his ability to operate as referee. Every referee will tell you how time is they’re biggest enemy, (I often wondered why they wear two watches).

Joe has had involvement with both of Manchester’s Premier league clubs, taking charge of several youth games at Manchester City’s and Manchester United academy, he explained his thoughts on how the two clubs operate differently, a discussion for a later edition of That’s Football Magazine perhaps?.

We asked Joe to tell us about one of his favourite moments whilst working as a referee. His story is as follows: “...An Altercation with a “helper” assistant coach I took charge of a under 13’s match on a cold and wet Sunday morning. The game was being played out in a competitive but well controlled manner. The ball was cleared and fell outside of the playing area resulting in a throw in for team A. The throw came in and the game continued, at this point the helper coach began shouting over to me “Ref Ref foul throw?” To which I advised the throw was good and waved on play. Team B cleared the ball which deflected out for another throw in, roughly in the same location. The same player took his throw and once again the coach began suggesting in a now increased aggressive way “Foul throw ref! Do you need glasses?” I calmly walked over and requested his reason for calling for a foul throw?

The response was related to the player’s feet and the fact they had left the ground, this was not the case as I scratched my head in confusion, the game continued and to my dismay another throw in over on the Coaches sideline was won by the same team. Without doubt the coach by this point steaming from the ears exclaimed that once again the player had taken a foul throw, following my guidelines from the FA, for the second time I calmly requested his input to which his same response came back at me “The boys feet are off the ground ref! you need to visit a popular opticians beginning with S”. By this point the spectators had moved closer to discover what the fuss was all about and assisted me by advising the coach that the players feet were indeed on the ground, his response blew me away “No No No not off the ground on the pitch!” Sorry Coach I replied perhaps you should visit Specsavers as it would potentially assist you in finding the exit!.” “ What I can tell you that the player’s feet were perfectly situated on the side-line and in fact his throw technique was one to admire. I often wonder how people allow themselves to be blinded by their own desire’s to achieve, I hope the gentleman went on to become an FA licensed coach and that one day he would one day look me up to offer an apology. I won’t hold my breath.”

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