THE GRASSROOTS POST

HOW TO RUN A TEAM

COACHING: MIKE PHELAN

WOMEN'S: AFC FYLDE & NEWPORT CITY

FUNDRAISE WITH SPOND

APRIL 2022

NATIONAL EDITION

FREE!

VOL. 02 ISSUE 02

DE!

INSI

: N BENTT E R R A D ADDIC FOOTY 8–41 P3

WOMEN'S

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MEN'S

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COLLEGE

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VETS

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WALKING

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DISABILITY

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SMALL-SIDED

...& FUTSAL!

STATEMENT

Website: the-bigstep.com

WE WILL NEVER HAVE BETTING OR GAMBLING ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE GRASSROOTS POST. As a free paper shining a light on the best of grassroots

James Grimes is the Head of this campaign...

football, we are reliant on our partners to survive. How-

“The Big Step came from my own addiction to gambling

ever, we have always said that those partners will only

which started with football betting and ended twelve years

be those that truly enhance the grassroots game and

later in contemplating suicide. Public Health England esti-

their communities.

mate that there are over 409 gambling-related suicides every

So, we’ve decided to partner with The Big Step: a campaign to end all gambling advertising and sponsorship in football, led by people harmed by gambling, that already

year. I've not met one recovering gambler who hasn't had suicidal thoughts.”

“My story is not unique. Football is so precious to the

has many conscientious football clubs as partners includ-

gambling industry, as it acts as the hook to draw first time

ing Lewes FC, Luton Town FC, Forest Green Rovers and

gamblers into the more addictive products. We are not an-

Dulwich Hamlet FFC.

ti-gambling, but there is no justification for football to continue

Gambling with Lives is a charity set up by the families and friends of young people who have taken their own lives as a direct result of gambling.

deliberately risking the health of its young fans by promoting something which harms so many.”

We wish James, The Big Step and Gambling With Lives the very best with their campaign and encourage other football

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clubs to join them. TGP

Image: Jamie Marriott @football35mm

The home dugout of Wingate and Finchley Football Club, based in the London Borough of Barnet. Many grassroots grounds lay dormant during the pandemic, but thanks to the power of volunteers, they survived to welcome back crowds this season

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VOL. 02 ISSUE 02

Contents 06

HELLO

60-61 INCLUSIVE & INSPIRATIONAL with FOTMOB

08

STATE OF PLAY with The FA

62-67 COACHING with The Coaching Manual

10-25

11 A-SIDE

28-32 TECH with Footsapp and Spond 34-35

REFEREES

38-55

SMALL-SIDED

56-57

DISABILITY FOOTBALL

58-59

HEALTH

and The Coaches’ Voice 68 MY GREATEST GAME

HELLO 6

Welcome to the eighth edition of The Grassroots Post. And in April, in eleven-a-side, we find ourselves at the business end of the season. The inclement weather is over and the pitches are no longer marshland, but back to their bobbly best. Double headers are everywhere as teams attempt to complete half a season in seven weeks. Cup Final season is upon us. And there’s nothing more gratifying than a grassroots cup final. The build up, the friends and family pouring through the turnstiles, the match announcer, the programmes, the fact that when you bump into a teammate years down the line, you’ll still have that bond. Remember that bloody cup final, mate?

We are also surging towards a very special event. The Women’s Euros takes place in July in England, cementing women's football not only on our TVs, but in our schools and on our grassroots pitches for generations to come. No doubt the host towns and cities will have all sorts of events celebrating this major tournament and ensuring that its legacy lives on. It's a tournament that no doubt will pass without the scenes we saw at the

culmination of the last event on our shores. Get behind it!

Women’s football is just one of the formats that we’ve tried to shine a light on as much as possible since we began The Grassroots Post. And in this issue we’ve had the pleasure of visiting our first teams outside the South East, in Newport City and AFC Fylde.

Every club we’ve ever visited, in whatever format of the game, has its characters. Volunteers that live and breathe it, where their small club plays a large role in their life. They give so much, and ask for so little back.

They’re the lifeblood of the best amateur football scene in the world and it’s impossible not to be inspired and feel a sense of warmth when walking away from every club we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

Whether we’ll be able to make another edition of The Grassroots Post, I don’t know, but knowing that these people exist in every pocket of this country is the most satisfying thing I’ll take away from it.

Mike Backler Editor, The Grassroots Post

There are 4.36 million of us and we are

tomorrow’s female future.

We’re part of every community and come from all social backgrounds, cultures and religions with different skills and abilities. We’re an unstoppable force for good if we’re given the chance. The chance to play football.

We want to play in the school curriculum, at breaktime, after school, at local clubs

wherever, whenever we want.

NO barriers, NO stereotypes

LET US PLAY. Find out more at: www.EnglandFootball.com/LetGirlsPlay

GOVERNANCE

Interview: The Grassroots Post @thegrassrootspost

STATE OF PLAY: THE FA Joe Heatley-Baillie is a Senior Brand Manager for The FA and key to promoting grassroots football.

TGP: So, Joe, tell us about your role at the FA? JHB: I work in the brand marketing team dedicated to the promotion and communications of grassroots football. We cover everything from affiliated football on Saturdays and Sundays across the country, to specific participation programmes aimed at getting young girls to play football for their first time, to digital products such as Matchday which are aimed at making the experience for our grassroots volunteers as enjoyable and easy as possible.

TGP: And are you much of a player yourself? What's your experience in or with grassroots football?

JHB: I used to play football a lot when I was a kid for my local team Wey Valley in Hampshire, playing in most of the age groups until I went to university where I played in a student-run league with friends. When I started my career I played less often due to time commitments and now

I have two children I am restricted more to five-a-side in the evenings.

I am an FA Level 1 qualified coach and intend on getting involved with my local club when my children are old enough and of course want to.

TGP: The grassroots game seems to have more pathways than ever to play or be involved, regardless of age, ethnicity or ability. Has that been a huge focus for the FA? JHB: Absolutely. Football is a game for everyone and we have been working hard to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get involved, be it playing, coaching, volunteering or supporting. We have made great progress with women’s and girls’ football, with the Game Plan For Growth strategy that has delivered on all its objectives of doubling the number of women’s teams. This season saw the launch of the Football Your Way disability football plan which will see significant momentum over the next three years in an area of participation which was hardest hit by the pandemic.

TGP: Feels like the last couple of seasons have been about weathering the storm of the pandemic.

How has it been?

JHB: For much of those involved in grassroots football it’s been difficult. Forever changing circumstances and lockdowns meant most of our time was spent ensuring guidance was in place to ensure everyone was safe and able to enjoy the game. It does feel like this season with restrictions fully lifting we have seen some sense of normality with leagues and cups back in full swing, participation programmes bringing players back into recreational sessions and player numbers TGP: And what areas are across the board have been positive the main focus as we move towards 2022/23? across male, female and disability.

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Website: thefa.com

JHB: We continue on our four-year strategy for grassroots football, focusing on our seven key objectives which will deliver transformational change. With the Women’s Euros on home soil this summer there is a massive focus on ensuring those inspired and entertained by this showpiece competition get involved in grassroots football in any way they can and we will be focusing on helping people to find those opportunities. We have more to come from our work in disability football and of course a huge focus on our digital products, getting these right and helping our huge volunteer workforce.

TGP: What are your hopes for the grassroots game in the future?

JHB: My hopes are for grassroots football to be as enjoyable as it’s meant to be for everyone involved.

That means everyone has the opportunity to participate in whatever way they choose and the infra-

structure around the game both physically (pitches and facilities) and digitally (online tools and resources) are the best they can be and our volunteers are happy and enjoying themselves.

TGP: What are you most proud of in your time with the FA? JHB: There are so many things to be proud of but in particular our work on RESPECT through the launch of We Only Do Positive and, more recently, RESPECT the Ref and their really important message being so well received by grassroots communities across the country. Also the launch of England Football, giving a home for grassroots marketing allows us to tell inspirational stories from around the game and demonstrate the impact this level of the game has on our England teams, as without the grassroots game the elite teams wouldn’t be where we are today. TGP

Words: Matt Fletcher-Jones @iammfj

Images: Mac Morgan @mac–morgan–70

NEWPORT CITY RISING

WOMEN’S

Location: Newport, Wales

Matt Fletcher-Jones travels to South Wales to meet Newport City Ladies coach Phil Butler - a magnanimous manager on a mission to take his club to the Premier League.

Spytty Park, Newport, South Wales. Home to big Tesco, Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales, Dragon Park the FAW’s Development Centre, and Newport City FC. The location of Newport City’s home ground is prescient to their women’s team’s coach and founder Phil Butler. The FAW’s Development Centre is where in 2009 Phil took his UEFA C Licence under the tutelage of a young Development Officer by the name of James Rowberry. As we speak thirteen years later, Phil is manager of the only women’s team in the city, while a few miles away Rowberry has become Newport County’s new manager in EFL League Two. County themselves used to play “down Spytty” when they were battling their way back into the Football League, having been relegated and gone out of business in the late ’80s.

Phil and Newport City Ladies share the same fighting spirit. As Phil explains, despite having their home

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"You’ve got girls who’ve come back to football after fifteen years and those who’ve played since they were seven alongside absolute beginners" in the shadow of Welsh football’s world-renowned Development Centre, “there’s no interaction with Dragon Park as the grassroots game has very little money in Wales”. Fortunately, there’s some smart brains at work at the club.

The name Newport City FC only came into being in the last decade.

Llanwern FC, linked with the city’s steelworks, was rebranded. A bold move which raised the club’s profile and led to Phil getting the call to set up a women’s section.

This wasn’t his first rodeo. Having left the army in 2003, Phil took his skills as an operating department practitioner to the NHS. In his spare time he helped make Villa Dino FC a force in Newport and set up their first girls’ team. With his kids having

grown up, Phil Butler thought his time in the South Wales grassroots game was done, but a football man through and through, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to do it all over again. Newport City Ladies was born.

“We started with nine players, including my daughter, and began a social media campaign, as well as involving the ‘Women of Newport’ project to bring more women and girls to the club,” says Phil as we talk on a typically drizzly Newport night. “Word got around and it became self-fulfilling.”

The club took off and grew a strong girls’ section, with the Under 16s team winning the league in their first season, although financial challenges remained off the pitch. “The women conceded a last-minute equaliser in the Cup. We couldn’t afford to pay for the pitch for extra-time too, so we went straight to penalties. And lost the shootout.” From the edge in Phil’s voice you can hear the manager in him still hasn’t got over that one. Yet, bigger challenges were to come.

“In 2019 we were halfway through our first full women’s season and then Covid properly hit us for six.”

The grassroots game ground to a halt and many teams are still recovering from the pandemic’s impact.

Newport City Ladies’ youth section was particularly hit, yet the two senior women’s teams have risen again.

“Everyone came back,” says Phil with pride. And with focus shifting to the two women’s teams, further success could be on the horizon with both sides having good seasons in their respective leagues, the Ardal South East and the South Wales Women’s and Girls’ League.

The impact of Covid-19 has tempered expectations a little, especially as Welsh women’s football has effectively only just restarted again after another pandemic-induced stoppage. Phil is understandably cautious. “You can’t think too far

ahead. This should be year three of a five-year plan to be a Premier League club. In reality it’s year one, but the girls are flying.”

Regardless of results, Phil, who also somehow finds the time to manage the men’s reserve team, is most animated when talking about the women’s players’ character and commitment. “You’ve got girls who’ve come back to football after fifteen years and those who’ve played since they were seven alongside absolute beginners. We’ve even got a forty-five-year-old and her twin daughters in the same team.”

After nearly twenty years in the grassroots game, Phil is far from a man set in his ways and quickly admits that coaching women’s teams has changed his way of doing things on and off the pitch. “It’s made me a much better coach. I’ve learned the need to communicate in a different way, with the women preferring visual guidance and to be verbally reassured. It’s just as enjoyable as coaching the men, if not more so.”

And off the pitch? “The women’s teams want social interaction.

They want to get on. I thought the days of being dragged to the pub after games were over!”

The team spirit and that of the community around Newport City Ladies is rising, and the crowds are growing at their matches, but with money tight, they aren’t getting the chance to play regularly at Spytty Park’s Newport Stadium.

Instead, they’re exiled to Newport High School across the city in Bettws. Sponsors have been quick to support women’s football in the town, but backing from the Council could really help the club’s push for Premier League football.

“If we could play in Newport Stadium, we’d get a crowd,” says Phil.

“We’re the only ladies’ team in Newport and want to remain the biggest.”

Up the City. TGP

WOMEN'S

Words: Alan Bond @alanbond–

Images: Nigel Broster

WET, WINDY &

Alan Bond went to see AFC Fylde Women take on one of England’s great footballing institutions. Grassroots characters, wild elements and a crucial last minute winner awaited.

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Location: Fylde, Lancashire

AFC FYLDE It's Thursday afternoon and the phone rings. I’m making a cup of tea downstairs. “Am I okay to call you back at five?” I ask. Jenny Rigby, General Manager of AFC Fylde is on the line.

The signal upstairs is rubbish, too. It’s not the ideal introduction when looking for some background on a side who are punching above their weight at the top end of the FA Women’s National League.

Just over a week later and I’m in the drive-thru at the KFC in Wesham before heading towards the M6. Signal is no issue here. The club badge of the Coasters shines on in the near distance at the brand new state-of-the-art facility at Mill Farm, home of the AFC Fylde men’s team who have come within touching distance of the Football League in recent times.

I’m spending the afternoon just a couple of miles away at the club’s original home, Kellamergh Park, where the men’s team spent years climbing the non-league steps. My senses couldn’t be more alive; I’m looking forward to being treated to a proper afternoon of football by another team at the club who are aiming to follow the same path.

I arrive at the ground just under an hour before kick-off between AFC Fylde Women and Nottingham Forest Women. Located beneath the Birley Arms Hotel, Kellamergh Park is a tucked away destination down a gravel path with goals and a patch of grass beside it, ideal for a training

area. Smartly painted in white and blue, signage sits behind the turnstiles and entrances. It's tranquil here and as I get out of the car I notice the surrounding farmland.

Waiting to greet me is a man whose name I don’t yet know. He tells me that Jenny - in typical volunteer style - will be milling about the several locations behind the nearest goal and the side where the covered stand is situated.

I meet Jenny through the window of the club shop, laughing about the failed phone calls last week before she fills me in on the history of the club’s women’s side who compete in Tier 3.

Ten years ago, the amalgamation of the Kirkham Town and Wesham teams formed the club as we know it today. As part of his vision, owner David Haythornthwaite acquired a women’s team from the club in 2016 after they were previously at Preston North End. The team consists of a group of players who have largely been together through thick and thin.

The togetherness here is clear to see. The mother of goalkeeper Ellie Etheridge enquires about signed photographs of her daughter. They are on their way. It’s a beautiful thought which highlights the detailed touches in the merchandise made available by the club.

I’m introduced to joint-manager Kim Turner, who is partly responsible for fighting to keep the team alive when Covid threatened

"I feel nourished.

Not just from the tuna and beef rolls but from the volunteers and personalities I have met today"

its existence, and then I go for a wander around the perimeter of the ground as music starts to play from the tannoy. This might still be deemed grassroots level but it's clear to see that both the standards and atmosphere are professional.

Both teams are in full club uniform. Nottingham Forest are armed with a large backroom team including analysis. Both sides’ goalkeeper coaches are making their players work in the muddy goalmouths as supporters begin to gather around the pitch in front of the watching sheep in nearby fields.

AFC Fylde Women are grassroots through and through. They are competing in a division against Burnley, Wolves, Derby County and today's opponents. Huge footballing institutions. Yet the players are not paid and, in true amateur spirit, they wash their individual sets of shorts and socks. That will be a job in itself after today.

On loan from Manchester City, seventeen-year-old Etheridge wears the No.1 for AFC Fylde.

Confident and technical, she looks focused and switched on. Today she is facing a side who her parent club drubbed 8-0 in the FA Cup just a few weeks ago. A sign of the gulf, despite being only two leagues below, it's always nice to see a young player plying their trade in the lower leagues.

I’m searching to get a sense of how up for it the teams are in these conditions. AFC Fylde are in the mood.

I can see it through the demanding standards of their passing drills.

I catch eyes with the club photographer Nigel Broster and he is straight over, full waterproof gear and camera in hand. Again, it’s a warm greeting. We chat about yesterday's defeat for the men’s team and a stonewall penalty that was turned away before attention quickly turns to the importance of today and a chance to go top of the league.

I’m still observing the Fylde team as they wait in anticipation for their opposition to show from the dress-

ing room. It’s an early psychological play. Midfielder Hannah Forster is ready to lead her troops to battle.

You can feel that this team knows what the reward will be.

My first glimpse of joint-manager Danielle Young is through seeing her give a passionate last rallying cry as she makes her way across the pitch and towards the dugout.

As the teams finally walk out and undergo the formalities, the referee blows for kick-off. I go back towards the tea hut and notice a lady move away from the window. It’s Catherine, another lovely personality. She tells me the role the club plays in her life as Mick Woods, the man who let me in, joins the conversation. There’s a real sense of warmth here.

The match is tense. Both teams struggle to gain a foothold of the game. AFC Fylde right-back Hannah Fryer looks to get forward as much as possible. She’s in a duel with Forest winger Tamara Wil-

cock, a constant outlet.

With chances few and far between, a fifty-fifty between Forster and Nottingham Forest left-back Charlotte Greengrass sees both players in need of medical attention.

Forster, although sometimes giving the ball away, never shies away from possession. Her bravery is key to her team in a match of such significance. Rising from the deck, she rolls her shin pad sleeve and sock back up, playing on.

As the teams go back into the changing rooms for the break, the hosts’ management duo Turner and Young stay out. They are letting their players have their moment whilst taking stock themselves. Just before they follow the players into the tunnel, substitute Alex Taylor is called to get ready.

AFC Fylde have lost their captain.

Turner tells me that the message during the break was to “do the basics better”. Then, just a minute after the restart, the visitors take

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"Football isn’t about yesterday, it's about today"

the lead through Rachel Brown.

Watching the second-half from the hospitality cabin due to the adverse weather, there’s an astute calmness from the AFC Fylde dugout on the far side.

But things are about to change.

Jenny arrives in the cabin and she’s just in time to see the equaliser as striker Faye McCoy heads home Laura Mellin’s free-kick from the left. We all celebrate in our own way.

As the scoreboard enters ninety minutes, AFC Fylde are awarded a corner. The ball rattles the bar, bouncing around. Amy Hughes, on as a sub, has stretched a leg out enough to divert the ball over the line. All the AFC Fylde players and staff pile into the dugout. There’s no VAR here and it feels so good to see a team go top of the league like this.

Nigel bursts in. “Have a look at that then,” he says, showing me the money shot of the celebrations.

He’s already been given permission to use them. Soon after the players

are flooding in and he’s showing them, too. Everyone is buzzing. It's a beautiful moment.

I grab a couple of minutes with Turner before she heads off for a deserved pint. We talk about the Academy which will be coming into the club next year, and what that will mean for the grassroots scene.

“We talk a lot here about common language,” Turner tells me.

“We’ve been very strict about how we play in a framework and basic principles. It brings out a collective trust in the unit.

“The weather meant the local teams weren’t here today but normally they're here as our mascots, putting flags up and supporting us. We want to tap into them and inspire local Fylde players. The Academy means we can start raising participation levels in the area.

“We are top of the league tonight and we’ve talked a lot about bringing silverware into this club. We have a semi-final next week and that's a big

chance for us to move towards that.”

As I get ready to leave, I feel nourished. Not just from the tuna and beef rolls but from the volunteers and personalities I have met today.

AFC Fylde, a club who are the only team to have won both the FA Vase and FA Trophy, are continuing to write their own story. Today’s heroes will play in a semi-final next week.

Mick leaves me with a quote, one which resonates as the door shuts on a magical afternoon in Lancashire: “Football isn’t about yesterday, it's about today.”

Patience and a keen fighting spirit have shone through for Kim Turner and Danielle Young’s brave unit today. The volunteers’ duties are done until next time. And one thing is for sure: with their common language and collective trust, AFC Fylde Women will get there. TGP

11-A-SIDE

Words & Interviews: Mike Backler @backlermike

HOW TO RUN:

A GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL CLUB Starting a grassroots team is tough. There are so many elements to consider. Here’s our guide to getting started, with a little help from those who have

Grassroots football has an army of volunteers like no other. Setting up and running a team is hard, but anything that is truly worthwhile always is. Managing the communication, availability, kit, equipment and finances and the twenty different needs, requirements and commitment of a squad is no mean feat. But what can be created can be truly beautiful and there aren’t many things that pull people together and are as satisfying as ensuring the physical, mental

and social benefits of a group of mates each weekend and watching it grow.

It’s not easy, but we want to make it easier for those that have entertained the idea, and support those that are finding it tough. We are grassroots managers ourselves, and we have spoken with four teams that are making it work. Relatively new teams that are run properly and are already providing inclusive and well organised environments for their communities to play football.

Huge thanks to Mark from Sunday FC Men’s and John and Liam from City East FC Men’s in the Hackney and Leyton League, Chris from AFC Acorns Women’s who have two senior teams - one of which plays in the London & South East Regional League - and to Ravinder from Grand Sports Club Men’s in the Rochester and District League.

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GETTING STARTED

"Make sure you have the

passion and the time and the drive to do this

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. First of all, check in with yourself - make sure you have the passion and the time and the drive to do this. Accept that there will be ups and downs, and things beyond your control. Approach an already established club that has space for a team, or take the great leap and start one yourself. Though you won’t have a full squad just yet, it’s a good idea to have a pool of friends that will come along with you.

Mark at Sunday FC did just that.

“We are a brand new team but seven of us came over from a Saturday team playing in the Essex Alliance Leagues. This is our inaugural season. We're not even a year old, although some of the grey hairs beg to differ!” John and Liam also built their club from an already established group. “Talks began around 2017 with a few friends but we officially started City East FC in 2018. We’ve been going for four seasons now and are not looking to stop anytime soon. It’s been one of our greatest decisions, starting a football team.”

Rav started the club from a pool of players that were already attending football fitness sessions. “The club was born in 2015. We were a new side, created on the back of a Health Project to get men back into football.” And Chris at AFC Acorns had the pandemic to contend with: “We started the club in 2020; just as Covid-19 hit the UK, we launched with two senior women's teams.”

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SUPPORT Support is vital. It may feel like your baby, but you need to let go and let others get involved. A majority of people will just want to turn up around other commitments and pay their subs and play, which is totally fine, but there are always those that will want to help and understand that you need support to help it thrive. Every club we spoke to has a management team. You’ll figure out very quickly who can help.

Chris at AFC Acorns recognised this immediately. “We formed a management team and committee to ensure general day-to-day management and planning for short, medium and long-term growth.”

As did Rav. “We have support over both clubs; you must, otherwise you will get overwhelmed.”

If you play in the team, like Mark, you’ll definitely need support.

“There's three-to-four of us who run it, split the roles but always able to share the load when needed. We're all playing too so it can be a bit of a juggle on match days when you're wrangling people, sorting kit and team sheets, when you're meant to be warming up.”

John and Liam found out the hard way: “Originally it was just us for the first season, but we came to learn it was going to be a bit harder than we first thought … luckily enough, with the help of others, we now have a management team of seven. We are all league representatives and it’s usually rotated between us for league meetings.”

RECRUITMENT So, you’re committed, you’ve got your team name, your pool of players along for the ride and your support.

Now comes the hard part. There’s no perfect method for recruiting new players. Having a few involved already definitely helps, so that people can see the type of player and individual they will be playing with. AFC Acorns work alongside local schools and academies but if this isn’t your level, it’s time to go full Harry Redknapp and sell the dream. Every player that has played regularly has a bank of contacts, so you must lean on them to make an introduction and just keep posting. What you can uncover may be a pleasant surprise!

As John and Liam found out: “To be honest, it’s pretty much been word of mouth. Everyone in our team is a childhood friend or relative. Although we’ve actually had two great signings through them contacting us via email or on social media. Andrew our Scottish journalist. And Adam Groom,

‘The Shrewsbury Broom’. Literally sweeps up everything at the back!”

Mark had similar success, albeit at the last minute. “We had about eight players with a few weeks to go before the season. Thankfully Gumtree came to the rescue. We've found players who are now new mates through the ads we put out - lads from Italy, France, Greece and Newbury. Obviously it's a bit of a lottery when you put the call out but we've been lucky to find good lads, not just good players.”

Other clubs may sadly be folding so it might be worth offering players a chance to continue playing. Beyond the usual channels like Facebook, Instagram and Gumtree there are also platforms that can help. Rav appreciates the work involved. “Via word of mouth of the players in the squad and every social media platform going, all the random ‘Player Wanted’ Facebook groups and pages, adverts went and still go anywhere. We also have the Kent FA’s Perfect Match tool.”

"A positive culture where players are part of something bigger than just a football team will add so much to your club"

KIT & EQUIPMENT Again, begin by asking the question of your players. Your bank of contacts for a kit or a local sponsor or supplier are multiplied everytime someone asks the same questions to their network as you. But in truth, as long as you have something to get started with you can revisit later on as you grow. The main thing is getting out there! As Mark can testify: “We kindly borrowed a rather heavy long sleeve kit from a Gaelic football team, which kept us clothed until we found a sponsor who could help us buy our own kit.”

Chris and his management team had a plan in place. “Working very hard with the committee, we created a commercial plan to fund everything required. In nor-

mal years we would have been able to claim grants from ‘Grow The Game’, but due to Covid-19, all funding was withdrawn at the local FA level. We rely on local partners and sponsors to keep membership at a low rate while also providing good kit, equipment and training facilities.”

If it’s too early for sponsorship and you don’t have access to a kit, ask the team if they’d be happy to contribute. What can feel like a huge figure suddenly becomes more manageable when split among the squad. John and Liam work to this model. “Kits and equipment, everything is self-funded and players have helped where and when they can.”

JOINING A LEAGUE OR COMPETITION Be persistent, like Mark. “I sent about twenty emails to the Hackney and Leyton League hoping to squeeze us in and thankfully they did. We didn't want to play anywhere else but the football Mecca of Hackney Marshes, and to be fair we love it.”

The best thing in your favour is that you already have worked hard on all of the above, and leagues and County FAs know that you are in it for the long term, are organised, have a squad and are serious. Some leagues will require you to be part of an established club, as Rav found out. “Firstly, I messaged the Kent County League, who informed me you must be established and meet certain requirements for their lev-

el and redirected me to the Rochester & District League. Once I emailed them, they informed me of the process, and we applied and were accepted.”

There is always information online and John and Liam have been lucky that April, a member of their management team, is a dab hand at getting them set up. “Entering competitions like the London FA Sunday Cup is quite simple as you can just google it. Any other competition is usually forwarded to us

by April - she’s always looking for ways to win silverware. April has also been a massive help with the day-to-day running of the club, dealing with emails from the London FA and the league, booking

our training facilities, etc. She’s even been asked to be a part of the League Committee of the Hackney and Leyton League.”

Another example of that support team working for you. It’s so important you surround yourself with people who want to see you grow.

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AVAILABILITY & FUNDS So, after all that, it’s time to actually play some games. Get some friendlies in against local opposition. How you decide to manage your day to day when it comes to availability and funds is crucial to saving yourself time and keeping things streamlined and efficient.

We use Spond to manage availability, communicate with players and pay our subs. It’s been an incredibly effective tool

for us over the past few seasons.

Rav is still going down the WhatsApp route! “WhatsApp – thousands of groups, individual chats – it is literally endless! But worth it when the weekend comes.” But be warned: this can be hard to manage or keep control of if you’re not a man like Rav. Chris uses TeamApp to manage training and matchday availability.

City East have their own system.

“We’ve got a decent little system

where the players copy and paste a layout to confirm their availability for match day and will leave a certain emoji for how they're paying their subs, whether it’s cash or via bank transfer.” John and Liam appreciate the importance of getting this right.

“We are a self-funded club and for the past four seasons we have relied a lot on the players turning up, paying their subs and signing fees on time.

Every and any penny received goes straight back into the club to pay for pitch permits, booking training and replacing kits and equipment.”

It’s about finding a time-effective and organised way that works for you, but keeping hold of this is crucial to any grassroots club.

VALUES & COMMUNITY What you promote both on and off the pitch is vital. To recruitment, to player happiness, to your relationship with leagues and officials, and to your chances of receiving sponsorship. DO NOT BRING DICKHEADS into your club, however good they are.

A positive culture where players are part of something bigger than just a football team will add so much to your club.

Mark from Sunday FC has got it right. “We've played eleven-a-side for years, and what we realised was that if you're not enjoying the bits before and after the games then you don't enjoy the time during the game. So we've made it clear that we want to create a positive and supportive culture, no egos, no benching a regular to play your ex-semipro mate, no politics. We lost our

first six matches and I was expecting people to sack it off, but amazingly everyone has stuck around.”

As has Rav. “Everyone is welcome, and the club is a safe space where you can come and play football. No judgments.” Chris recognises this too: “Inclusivity, ALL areas. On a personal level and being part of a health club we like to offer and promote the benefits of self-investment.” John and Liam agree. “The values we try to promote at City East are commitment, family, brotherhood, hard work and being on time! Early preparation is a big key to our success. We are out fixing the nets and doing our warm ups every week, regardless of what the weather brings.”

Social and fundraising events can be key to a side’s togetherness and success and players buying into the

whole ethos, as well as engaging with local community establishments and organisations. Whether that be local charities, food banks or even just generating business for the local pub!

Grand Sports are hugely involved in the local community. “We have run some coaching sessions with the local council during the summer of 2021 and we will be working closely with the local youth services at The Grand to provide football and basketball (which we hope leads to a Grand Basketball side).” City East’s manager has “helped a few of our younger players with job courses linked with a local youth club”, and AFC Acorns support local academies, cancer and mental health charities. “In 2022 we are about to launch a very special community project which will be the first of its kind in our local area.”

"Obviously it's a bit of a lottery when you put the call out but we've been lucky to find good lads, not just good players"

"

How you decide to manage your day to day when it comes to availability and funds is crucial to saving yourself time

IN CONCLUSION...

So, is there a perfect way to run a grassroots football club?

No, everyone is different and different ways of working suit different people. But by focusing on the above topics in the right order and ensuring the values are upheld within the club, you can’t go too far wrong. TGP

MEN'S

Website: barnetsundayleague.co.uk

BARNET SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE HOW TO RUN A LEAGUE:

1966 was a great year for English football: the Barnet League was born. But its progression in recent years has made it a great example to follow in how to run a grassroots league.

1966 will always be most remembered as the year that England won the World Cup and football finally came home, creating a generation of people who wanted to play the beautiful game and have a crack at becoming the next Bobby Moore, Alan Ball or Geoff Hurst. The buzz and excitement around the national sport due to England’s success on home soil filtered all the way down to the grassroots amateur level and led to the formation of the Barnet Sunday Football League (then known as the Barnet & District Sunday League) for the 1966/67 debut season.

For that first season, the league had twenty-two clubs, two divisions consisting of twenty league games and a singular cup competition. The first team to be crowned Division One champions were Inter-Woodcock who also went on to claim the double with the League Cup. Runners-up were Pursley United. In Division Two,

the champions were North Met O.D. (Barnet) with Barnet College as runners-up. Only one founder club that played in that initial season remains with the league today - Roving Reporters.

Periods of success and decline have followed the league over the years, but owing to the resilience of the volunteers and the clubs that play in it, the league has always been able to continue.

Fast-forward to the current season in 2021/22 and the Barnet Sunday Football League has gone from strength to strength in recent times and now has seventy-four teams, eight divisions and runs six cup competitions.

It’s been one hell of a journey over the past fifty-six years to reach this point but none of it would have been possible without the many men and women who have served as custodians, giving up their time to volunteer in the running of the league.

SOCIAL MEDIA The recent social media modernisation has been a massive help in bringing Barnet Sunday Football League into the twenty-first century over the last few seasons. A rebrand of the league logo, a new website, engaging social media content and most importantly the launch of the league's YouTube channel has helped solidify the BSFL as the largest Sunday League in North London. Recently the league has expanded its project and has a game a week filmed and uploaded to the YouTube channel. This can be anything from a top of the Premier Division clash to a relegation battle in Division Six, or anything in between. It gives the teams a level of exposure which they wouldn’t necessarily get and teams on the rise get that vital filming experience.

INCREASED PARTICIPATION Due to the league’s growth and being the largest organised league in North London, the BSFL has seen participation increase in record numbers. There is no better example of this than when the league gained thirty-two new teams ahead of the 2020/21 season following

23

Words: John Eager @dantracey1983

“The largest organised league in North London, it has seen participation increase in record numbers” CUP FINALS

Covid-19 restrictions being lifted; an impressive number of new teams, and the largest single intake of teams ahead of a new season in the league’s history. This is down to the hard work of the social media team who are always looking to add new teams to the league to facilitate growth. One of the main challenges in this regard has been the referee shortage that has been a national issue but the BSFL have managed to combat this by funding referee courses with London FA and Middlesex FA helping us gain officials.

Due to the pandemic, a reduced cup format with amended rules had to be agreed in principle by the teams that wanted to enter the cups. Thanks to those clubs agreeing to be flexible in regards to playing midweek, Saturday and in some cases having to play two games on one day, it meant the cup programme could be completed. Over 1,000 people turned up to watch the finals, with the league generating in excess of £4,000 in revenue.

The planning, delivery and execution of the cup finals by the committee members involved led to a record-breaking cup competitions programme - a testament to the dedication of the league to give its teams a memorable occasion.

COMMUNICATION One thing the BSFL excels at is its level of accessibility and communication with clubs and referees.

Regular comms are sent out in a

Club Admin Group facilitated by WhatsApp and teams are also in a Divisional group where they are encouraged to ask questions and create a bit of comradery. All committee members are accessible and engage with modern technology in order to ensure a smooth running of the league. But it’s not just the communication with the clubs that the league prides itself on. The league has a great relationship with the local councils whom have been understanding in regards to the national shortage of match officials and have allowed afternoon kickoffs to take place on pitch permits, enabling the league to double up on match officials. It would be very easy for the league to focus just on its clubs, but by creating relationships with councils, County FAs, local businesses and pitch providers at every opportunity, the Barnet Sunday Football League ensures it has a network of support in the local communities. TGP

11-ASIDE

Website: wooltonfc.org.uk thecoachingmanual.com

MSB WOOLTON: THE BIGGEST GRASSROOTS CLUB IN THE COUNTRY MSB Woolton Football Club in Liverpool has more than 3,000 players across more than 150 teams, with 270 coaches providing grassroots football for the community on an incredible scale.

Based at the Simpsons Football Ground in Liverpool, MSB Woolton also has the biggest girls' football section as well as teams for players as young as four. "If any kid turns up at the door there's a team for them," said coach and committee member Luke McAvoy.

Not only does Woolton provide football pathways for children in their community, the club also boasts three men’s teams, one women’s team and a veterans team.

Currently, Woolton’s men’s first team competes in the Liverpool County Premier Division, whilst the women compete in the Liverpool County FA Open Age League.

The club was awarded Charter Standard Community Club status by the FA during 2010 and was named Liverpool County FA’s Charter Standard Community Club of the Year for 2014. Community Club status is the pinnacle of the club development pathway and is awarded to clubs that have a high quality, mul-

ti-team set up with excellent social, training and playing opportunities for all. As such, Community Club status is one of the truest measures of success for the FA Football Development strategy and is considered by the FA to be the ultimate goal for clubs at grassroots level.

The club has also been part of the FA’s Club Leadership Programme since season 2018/19, which involves a small group of grassroots clubs collaborating to improve the sustainability of grassroots football across the country. It is testament to the dedication of personnel within the club that all 270 coaches perform their role on a voluntary basis.

MSB Woolton has a rich history going back to the 1930s when they operated under the banner of the Woolton Boys’ Club. The Boys’ Club committee was made up of the headmaster of the local school, town councillors and the Reverend Rector of Woolton. Shortly after the Second World War, a pre-Liverpool Bob Pais-

ley would give a talk at the clubhouse.

Until the turn of the century, the club was operating from Woolton Youth Club in Woolton village and was registered at the FA as Woolton Youth Centre FC. The teams were loosely affiliated, and the business of the club was run by a committee of all the team managers, with no formal constitution. Adjacent to the youth club, a casual drop-in football session began to take place, which led to a number of teams at various ages being formed, and the club rose in size considerably.

In order to control the club’s expansion, it was decided that a formal organisation would be created and, as a result, a general meeting was called at which a committee was elected and a constitution created.

The club subsequently adopted codes of practice for players, coaches, parents and spectators and set about ensuring that all its managers and coaches became qualified to a minimum FA Level 1 standard. This

25

"If any kid turns up at the door there's a team for them."

was a slow process given the number of teams, but in 2005 the club was ready, and following application to the FA it was awarded FA Charter Standard Development Club status.

But being such a huge club poses as many challenges as it does opportunities. How can you possibly communicate a playing philosophy, making sure around 270 coaches are on the same page? How do you ensure everyone has the resources they need to guarantee that players are getting the most out of each training session?

Recently, MSB Woolton established a structured coach education programme, including the introduction of digital coaching platform The Coaching Manual.

Luke said: “Our partnership with The Coaching Manual is undoubtedly the natural next step towards creating a first-class environment for best practice football coaching, both at youth and adult level.

“Since we set up with The Coaching Manual, personally, I think it's a really good site. The content gives you inspiration but I've especially found the season planner useful. We're all volunteers, and the season planner really helps us keep on top of things.

"The content that you get access to [on The Coaching Manual] is a lot different from jumping on YouTube and trying to find a video. It's a lot more structured, best practice in a sense, so what we've got to do is promote best practice and that's probably where it will help us the most."

The Coaching Manual Founder Chris Barton said: "MSB Woolton FC are a huge football institution, filled with passionate people who want what's best for grassroots football in

this country and, just as importantly, their volunteer coaches and players.

“We are very proud that they are now on board with The Coaching Manual. We look forward to supporting their coaches going forward and continuing our support of grassroots football in England.”

MSB Woolton’s Academy Manager Colin Windrow said: “Our focus is now heavily on community, with initiatives with local businesses throughout the region getting involved with the club moving us on to the next step of hopefully our adults playing in the North West Counties and one day competing with Everton or Liverpool in the FA Cup. We have the youth side right; our focus is now on producing the adult side right.” TGP

MOTIVATION

League: ALL OF THEM, EVERYWHERE...

Words: Andrew Martin @ajmartin90

So, You Want to Win the League?

County Durham FA men’s seven-a-side-winning captain (2013/14) Andrew Martin walks you through the five vital components of a successful title-winning team.

1.

TV pundits talk a lot about how winning trophies is in certain teams’ DNA. Maybe it’s true.

Maybe, woven into the very bricks and foundations of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, are tiny double-helixes of naturally victorious genes. Cup chromosomes.

But what do you do if you’ve never won a trophy in your life, and your team’s DNA is made up of 50% drywall, 30% bin juice and 20% crisps? Read on to discover how to turn a team of born potatoes into born-again winners.

Find a dedicated goalkeeper.

It doesn’t even matter if they’re any good. Just find somebody who doesn’t mind standing between the sticks every week. Ideally they’re about thirty-five years old, they own their own gloves, and they are shouty. Being shouty is the most important trait a grassroots keeper can have. They literally exist to prevent discussions about who should play in goal each week, and they will be vital to your title charge.

2.

Do not give your big centre-back anything complicated to do.

My team, Substandard Liege, had a big slow centre-back – let’s call him Dave, because that’s his name. I loved him to bits but he had the pace and turning circle of a sinking tugboat.

He also had a tendency to panic on the ball. To the untrained eye, Big Dave would’ve been a hindrance, but you must see the strengths in your teammates. Dave didn’t have speed, or skill, or a right foot, or a left foot... but Dave had heart.

Dave had more heart than an octopus which, due to the Zoom quiz pandemic of mid-2020, I know to have exactly three hearts. Your Dave is your team’s emotional control centre, so keep them happy, use them as the deepest-lying defender and, if the ball falls to them, tell them to kick it as hard and as far as they can. Foolproof.

27

Illustrations: Millie Chesters @milliechesters

4.

Play mind games.

3.

Borrow your mate’s partner’s younger sibling.

We had an extremely nippy eighteen-year-old on the wing – let’s call him Dan, because that’s his name. He was our goalie’s girlfriend’s kid brother. He could do things with his feet that Prof.

Brian Cox couldn’t describe with his mouth. Once, during a warmup, I was standing in goal and he performed a series of feints and flicks with his feet that nearly made my eyes punch each other. When his feet stopped moving, the ball was no longer there, and I couldn’t figure out where it had gone for the life of me. I turned around to discover it was in the back of the net and, to this day, I have no idea what happened. What I’m saying is: teenagers have learned black magic from the internet, so you should stick one on the wing.

Let’s say you’re coming up against a team who are, on paper, better than you. You’re going to need a plan. Every team has a weakness, and you must exploit that weakness.

Identify your title rivals, scout their games, find out everything you can about them, and be prepared.

The bookies’ favourites in our league – let’s call them Unreal Madrid, because that was their name – were quite scary. For a team whose pre-match warm-up consisted entirely of chain-smoking cigarettes, they were impossibly fast and they were extremely aggressive on the pitch. Their weakness, however, was in their mentality. Such angry young men. We knew they would lose their heads if we could frustrate them, so we played our three quickest players in defence. A big fliparoo. This meant the angry boys couldn’t get in behind us and, therefore, couldn’t score. Their voices got louder, their fingers started pointing, their eyes got wider, and we nicked a goal from a corner. Any rationality they’d previously possessed jumped out of their respective bodies and ran for cover, and we ended up winning 3–0.

They said they were going to fight us after the game but, really, I think they wanted to fight their own insecurities.

Still, I’d recommend parking your car very close to the pitch and getting out of there double pronto.

5.

Be organised BUT flexible.

Set up in a formation that plays to your strengths and, most importantly, do this whilst you’re at work so that you’re technically getting paid for it like a proper football manager. Substandard Liege landed on an innovative 3-0-3 formation, with the wide attackers and full-backs pushing on ahead of the central players when in possession. Sort of like a V on top of a V. The Double V (patent pending).

Settle on a formation early in the season, but be adaptable. If in-game circumstances call for it, be prepared to switch to the footrest formation, or the anthill formation, or whatever is needed. Also – and I can’t stress this enough – have a backup plan for when Dave gets sent off. TGP

TECH & FUNDRAISING

Website: spond.com

Spond: Groundbreaking Grassroots App Intros Fundraising Tool Cambridge City FC Under 16s raised £1,260 in just seven days after becoming one of the first UK grassroots teams to take part in Spond's new Spot the Ball fundraising competitions platform.

Spond, the groundbreaking app

Ball is a welcome addition to the op-

other teams and clubs in the Cam-

that helps grassroots sports

tions available for coaches and admins

bridge area. Everyone is looking for new

coaches manage their squads, set

looking to keep their teams alive. It is

ways to raise money after the pandem-

up the new Spot the Ball competition

not only simple to set up and manage,

ic, and the great thing about this is the

platform to help raise vital funds for

it also provides a unique selling point -

fact that it requires little or no admin on

teams like Cambridge City, who plan

e.g. the chance to win a gift card prize

the part of the coaches. We can set it

to spend the proceeds on an end-of-

- for those who might otherwise not

up and let the squad do the work."

season social event for their players,

make a financial contribution.

coaches and supporters.

"It's great to hear that Wayne's

Formed in 1908 and known as “The Lilywhites”, Cambridge City is a suc-

players have embraced Spot the Ball

cessful community club with sixteen

and when I heard about this new fea-

so enthusiastically and managed to

squads, including ladies, mens, junior

ture I was really keen to try it out," said

have some fun while raising vital funds

and ParAbility teams. The Under 16s

Wayne Bates, the team's head coach.

for their team," said Trine Falnes, CEO

teams compete in the Eastern Junior

"We're always looking for new ways to

at Spond. "I was particularly excited

Alliance U16 Red and Brown Leagues.

raise funds and I think it's good when

to see the league table being used to

people have a little incentive, which was

incentivise the players to sell more

is the award-winning free sports team

proven by the great response we had.

entries. After all, grassroots sport is all

management app that takes the hard

about friendly competition."

work out of team work, saving 2.5

"We've used Spond for many years

"In particular, the lads loved the per-

With 1.4 million weekly users, Spond

Having tried out the Spot the Ball

hours per week for the average team

that they could compete for the highest

fundraiser with the Under 16s team,

coach. The Spond app can be down-

number of entries. I introduced a bit of

Wayne now plans to roll it out across

loaded for free from Apple and Android,

an incentive, with a £25 Xbox voucher for

other squads at Cambridge City FC,

and fundraising competitions can be

the player who sold the most, so you can

and also at Histon Hornets FC, where

set up in a couple of minutes. TGP

imagine the excitement that caused!"

he is club chairman.

sonalised fundraising pages and the fact

With a third of grassroots teams in

Wayne added: "We already have fur-

the UK struggling financially, the digital

ther fundraisers planned and I'm going

Download the Spond app from Google

fundraising solution offered by Spot the

to be recommending Spot the Ball to

Play or the App Store

100% free Complete team, club and league management system Coaches save hours every week 1 million monthly active users teaching us how to be better every day

DOWNLOAD the app and register your team today

Spond.com

ADMINISTRATION

Website: www.londonfa.com

London FA: How To Get England Football Accreditation For Your Club ‘’England Football Accreditation is a great way to show your community that your club values safety, inclusivity, quality delivery and a great experience for all those involved in the club or league. Congratulations to all the clubs that have achieved England Football Accreditation in 2022 and all our accredited leagues for continuing to support their accredited clubs’’ – Niamh Coyle, Football Development Officer (Clubs and Leagues) at the London Football Association

To apply, your club must meet the

England Football Accreditation is the

England Football Accreditation is

new framework for Club and League

designed to make your club and

eligibility and minimum criteria, all of

accreditation and replaces FA Charter

league more sustainable and this

which can be evidenced within your

Standard. England Football Accreditation

is supported through the reward

Club Portal Dashboard found at clubs.

helps clubs and leagues create the expe-

package offered by your County

thefa.com. The Club Portal Dash-

riences and environments where players,

FA. All London FA affiliated clubs

board helps you to view all the criteria

coaches, officials, referees, volunteers and

once awarded England Football

required and how to complete the

spectators can thrive. Accreditation is a

Accreditation will receive:

criteria you are currently not fulfilling.

clear signal to your community that you

• 10x Nike Strike Footballs

The dashboard is split into 4 sections –

value the importance of being an acces-

• England Football Accredited

Clubs, Officials, Documents and Player

sible, safe and sustainable club or league.

England Football Accreditation is automatically awarded to all clubs and leagues that previously held FA Charter Standard.

England Football Accreditation is

Welcome Pack • England Football Accredited

Pathways. Each section has a set of criteria that you must complete prior to

Digital Asset Pack & Certificate

application. Once you have fulfilled the

• Entry to our Kitlocker prize draw

criteria, you must press the “Apply for

from January to April 2022

Accreditation” button to apply. Your application will be reviewed and approved

awarded using a star system: one star, two stars and three stars for clubs and

For existing accredited clubs, the re-

within 48 hours. All unsuccessful ap-

a single award for leagues. One-star

wards vary based on your star rating:

plications will be provided feedback on

clubs must have a minimum of one team

• All existing clubs will receive digital

how to improve and re-apply. TGP

playing within a league. Two- and threestar clubs must offer a complete pathway with a minimum number of teams from

assets, welcome pack and certificate outlined above • One-star clubs receive £25

If you are keen to find out how your club

other pathways. The full pathways and

in Kitlocker vouchers and 4x

can become accredited, please contact

criteria for clubs and leagues can be

Nike Strike Footballs

your local County FA for further infor-

found by searching England Football Accredited. For existing accredited onestar clubs and leagues, new criteria must

• Two-star clubs receive £25 in Kitlocker

mation. For London FA affiliated clubs,

vouchers and 5x Nike Strike Footballs

please email Niamh.Coyle@londonfa.

• T hree-star clubs receive £100 in

com for details on how you can apply.

be achieved by November 2022. Existing

Kitlocker vouchers, 10x Nike Strike

Additionally, you can find out more

clubs with two and three star ratings have

Footballs, 2x Nike Match Footballs,

about England Football Accreditation at

until November 2023 to rebuild their ex-

England Football Accredited Plaque,

englandfootball.com/run/leagues-and-

isting pathways and fulfil the new criteria.

England Football Accredited Banner

clubs/england-football-accreditation.

33

London FA, Utilita Energy & Grassroots Football team up to help leagues tackle respect to referees & volunteers

London FA Female Referee Development Utilita Energy’s “Grass-

Grassroots Football’s Paul Kirton

London FA in partnership with the Amateur

roots Fund” administered by

commented on why the packs were

FA & Middlesex FA are committed to the re-

Grassroots Football funded

important: “The Respect campaign

cruitment, development, progression and sup-

the creation and distribution

has been very effective in remind-

port of female referees. It’s important with the

of thousands of cards, posters

ing players that without a referee,

female pathway growing and becoming more

and bibs carrying the message

there is no game.”

popular, day by day, week by week, and year

“No Ref, No Game” to all affiliated leagues.

upon year, that we as a governing body underAquila Burgess, London FA’s Football Development Manager

stand the need for higher levels of support.

The three County FAs are starting our referee

Each Adult League received

added: “We are delighted to support

development group across the capital. This

the following:

our leagues again to help support

focuses on female referee development to help

• 2000 No Ref, No Game Cards

with the respect, which should be

our female referees develop, network and pro-

• 5 respect Marshall Bibs

shown to volunteers and referees

gress within the game.

across the game.

Aiming to hold development opportunities every month, virtually and face-to-face, this

Each Youth League received the following:

James Heyes, Partnerships Man-

month’s development opportunity is a statement

• 30 Respect Marshall Bibs

ager at Utilita Energy comment-

of intent: Rebecca Welch, EFL, FIFA and WSL

• 11 A2 Respect Signs, indoor or

ed on the important investment:

Referee will be joining them for a face-to-face

“Respect, not only for the ref, but for

visit at Rectory Park.

outdoor usage • 1000 No Ref, No Game Cards

everyone who makes the effort to

Rebecca’s achievements within football, offici-

muck in is so important, it’s what mo-

ating at the highest level in the female pathway

tivates volunteers to continue.” TGP

but also officiating in the English Football League in the men’s pathway, shows how being good

Individuals, teams and leagues can apply for the fund here:

enough, hard work and determination will ensure

teamgrassroots.co.uk/grassroots-fund-powered-by-utilita-energy-high-5/

you will progress, regardless of gender. TGP

REFEREES

Words: Trevor Booking

Illustration: Millie Chesters @milliechesters

OR T RE V I N G : K BO O

WHISTLEBLOWER! Trevor* is an up-and-coming referee who in each issue will blow the whistle on what it’s really like to take control of grassroots games …

When winter turns into spring we enter the “business end” of the season. Title, promotion and relegation battles capture the imagination and even those forced to settle for mid-table mediocrity can still dream of a cup final spot. Referees and their assistants also have an eye on a place in those one-off matches which see teams grab that special end-of-season silverware.

For any grassroots player, official or fan, cup finals are special. That heady mix of a neutral venue, league officials hosting a trophy presentation, dry weather (why is end-of-season football in our mind’s eye always played in glorious sunshine?) and a crowd!

An actual, big, crowd.

In spring those spots in the final are up for grabs. In cup matches, the tackles have a little bit more bite, teams can get revenge for league defeats earlier in the season and everyone understands what is at stake.

For match officials, this time of year means constantly checking your emails (in work, at friends’ weddings, maybe occasionally at half-time on a Sunday morning) to check for the cup final appointments lists.

I may jest, but it really is the ultimate honour for any match offi-

cial. There is no better feeling than being rewarded for your efforts over a long season with the chance to blow the whistle, carry the flag or lift the subs board for one of the biggest matches of the season. After all, there’s no “Ref of the Season” award, so being chosen for a cup final really is as good as it gets.

No matter the league or level, from the moment you arrive at a cup final it feels different. From what you’re wearing (most leagues like you to be suited and booted), to the various league representatives and dignitaries buzzing around, it quickly becomes apparent that this is an “occasion”.

Whereas you might be used to turning up thirty minutes before kick-off, officials will be encouraged to arrive at the ground at least an hour beforehand for a cup final.

This isn’t just to soak up the atmosphere. Before you can even get to the safety of the changing room there will be various people to make small talk with, cups of tea to drink and biscuits to turn down. The nerves will be jangling a little bit and you need to concentrate on what’s to come.

For many, this could be one of the first times working as part of a team of four, with leagues tending to roll out fourth officials to ensure benches can be managed. While

* not his real name.

this is great experience, particularly for young match officials, the clubs will not be used to getting told how many people can stand in a technical area. Don’t be a hero; the teams have worked hard to get to the final. Be human, have an open dialogue with coaches and manage the occasion accordingly.

Just before kick-off, the whole team of officials will be experiencing butterflies. This isn’t time for rousing speeches, but instead I tend to try and treat this as any other game and do the pre-match checks thoroughly to keep standards high. Then grab the match ball, check the equipment (and spares) and enjoy the novelty of leading the teams out. Something which is a really enjoyable moment.

Unlike some of my professional colleagues, I don’t plan on getting any commemorative tattoos. Not sure my other half would appreciate “Berkshire Districts Sunday Combination Cup” inked on my forearm. TGP

Location:

Image:

Battersea, London

Wizzo Denholm

Grassroots Photography Battersea Park Rangers were a team set up in 1999 by George Ryan, and his Mum Wizzo. Nineteen years later, and after working their way through the Southern Sunday League - consisting of ten divisions and one hundred teams - they won the whole bloody thing. Some of the lads who were there at the start were also playing when they did it. Incredible.

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SEND US YOUR GRASSROOTS PHOT OGRAPHY TO:

EDITOR@GRASSRO

OTSPOST.UK

& WE’LL PUBLISH OUR FAVOURITE HERE.

DARREN BENT: SMALL-SIDED

Interview: Mike Backler @backlermike

Images: Abderrazzak Barina @zolaxbarina

Website:

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footyaddicts.com

FOOTY ADDICT

From the clay pitches in Thornton Heath to the Premier League 100 club, beating Spain at Wembley, and now to Footy Addicts. This is Darren Bent’s journey through football.

As a teenager you moved to Cambridge and played for Godmanchester Rovers. Do you think playing in a more urban environment, and then somewhere quite rural, helped you?

Darren: I’ve always said that. When I moved up to Cambridgeshire after being an inner-city kid where there’s so many good footballers trying to aspire to make it, it definitely helped. Even though I played for Croydon Borough (I didn’t get into the Surrey county team and even now I’m like “whaaaat!?”) but after we moved, the one thing I noticed when I moved with my mum is that there was green grass everywhere.

When you grow up in South London, unless you go to the park, there’s no grass. Everything is concrete. I moved and it was like, grass behind the houses, patches of grass everywhere. I was never in the house. Just playing constantly. Practising without practising.

So you’d got used to the close

When you come along to a game at

Thornton Heath. I used to play for a

control and physicality of playing in

Footy Addicts, you’re always looking

Sunday League side there, and my dad

London, and then had the space to

forward to who you’ll be playing with

has always been a Chelsea season tick-

move into all of a sudden. Sounds

and against. Players with different

et holder. He took me to my first game,

like the perfect mix …

styles from all over the world. North Af-

Chelsea v Palace. I remember it too, it

Darren: Absolutely. When you grow

rican flair. Dutch craft. And Italian... well,

was 2-2! And what an experience. My

up in London you have to have a little

the Italians have got a bit of everything.

dad was a postman and every single

something about you. When I went to

Style and discipline.

Sunday morning he used to play with

Cambridgeshire everyone was quite

his mates in the park and I’d go along.

soft, and quite nice! It felt like the perfect

see a striker that scored 106 Premier

So, I went and when I finally started

environment for me to grow and nurture.

League goals and led the line for Eng-

playing it had made me stronger.

But you don’t expect to look up and

And to smash a few goals in?

land at Wembley, asking you for the ball.

Darren Bent is that man, and we caught

What do you remember about the fa-

up with him at Archbishop's Park to

cilities growing up in your local area?

hear about his journey through and love

Darren: Where I grew up it was a clay

of the game. From those first memories,

pitch! Where we played there was no

to those that inspired him, through to

grass. It wasn’t concrete, it was clay. If

now, when he’s burying a couple of late

you used to fall over, it would kill you!

goals in a high tempo, end to end 5-4

It was a big eleven-a-side pitch at the

thriller at Footy Addicts.

side of a park. I used to go down there, and obviously as my parents didn’t have

TGP: Tell us when you fell in love with

a lot of money and they bought me a

football and what your first memories

football, I knew I needed to hang on

of playing are?

to that football! I was always playing

Darren Bent: I first fell in love with it

football, out in the street. When you’re

when I was six or seven when I used

a kid you don’t care about the facilities.

to play in Croydon, South London in

You’d play anywhere!

Darren: Yeah!

"My dad was a postman and every single Sunday morning he used to play with his mates in the park."

Social: @footyaddicts

"I scored seven and we won 8-2 and I’ll never forget the scout saying to my parents, ‘Listen, forget the trial, we want to sign him!’"

Is there anyone that inspired you

Godmanchester Rovers was a five-min-

grassroots football can offer more of a

as a kid? Or looked after you as a

ute walk down the road which took a bit

safety net for those that don’t make it?

player and person?

of stress off my mum. The right environ-

Darren: Yeah and I think that’s really

Darren: Obviously you have your heroes

ment and it just clicked. I scored twenty

important. You even look at young

on TV, like Ian Wright. Then my parents.

goals in my first six games, and then

ages like eleven, twelve and they leave

My mum and dad played huge, huge

the next season I scored ninety-nine!

academies and they’re heartbroken.

Dreams are shattered. I think Crystal

parts. My dad would drive from London, take me to training, come and watch

What happened with the last one?

Palace have started to do it now which

me on Sunday morning, and he never

Darren: I know, yeah!

is good. But there’s not enough of a support network. When they have been

skipped a beat. Some of my teachers, Mr Havard and Mr Turnbull. I’m still in touch

Do you remember the game where

at academies for three to four years,

with Mr Turnbull and he used to push me

you were scouted and what it felt like?

they think it’s gonna go on forever. With

and push me and it used to frustrate me

Darren: Yeah, I remember we played a

grassroots football, you can get them

but it all made sense a few years later.

semi-final and I scored two, but we lost

straight back into football, self-esteem,

3-2 and the game was abandoned as a

mental health, all those aspects. And

Did it help playing there to get scouted?

friend broke his ankle. I would have been

then you can start encouraging scouts

Darren: Of course. If you look at the

thirteen, so quite late. That was the first

to come back and watch them. That

catchment area of East Anglia there

time they came and spoke to my parents

disappointment is tough and they need

aren’t many clubs. We had Cambridge

and they offered me a trial. I remember

someone saying it’s not the end of the

and Peterborough. In London, everyone

then playing in a Cup Final, and I scored

world, it’ll be ok, just keep playing.

is looking. When you start to score a

seven and we won 8-2 and I’ll never for-

few goals in an area like mine, the repu-

get the scout saying to my parents, “Lis-

So how important is grassroots foot-

tation is doubled. People see your name

ten, forget the trial, we want to sign him!”

ball to this country?

in the paper, and again, and again and

And so I went and signed for Ipswich.

Darren: It’s incredible. Even things like this, Footy Addicts. When you’re in the

it starts to peak interest. I might have made it if I’d have stayed, who knows?

And it was a happy time for you in

professional game, you don’t notice, but

But it certainly played a massive part.

Ipswich’s academy. Do you think

once it’s over you start looking at the stats

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"I love coming down here. Getting the feel of the ball. Can’t beat it." of who makes it and the percentage is like

ball. Can’t beat it. I was lucky enough

had any issues, there’s no one where

0.02%. It’s scary. Because I made it you

to have the best job in the world. But

I’ve even thought, “nah, I don’t want to

think anyone can make it, but it’s so hard.

for every one of me, there’s millions of

play with him”. And once we start play-

Grassroots football is about getting that

people that didn’t get to enjoy that. And

ing football, people just forget that it’s

self-esteem, mental health benefits. You’ve

that all started with grassroots and go-

me, and we just play football. And that’s

seen something on Match of the Day and

ing to play football with my dad. That’s

how you want it! At the end of the day,

you want to go out and try it. Football takes where these things start.

I’ve had my time. I’m not here to score

you out of so many different places. The

eight, nine goals. Just to get the ball out

exercise, the mental health aspects. Grass- Why Footy Addicts and why now?

of my feet and play with these guys and

roots football is so, so important.

have a run around. TGP

Darren: Like many others, it fits around work with what I do. It’s also just a great

Still got the buzz to play, then?

time to get out with people to get to-

Footy Addicts is open and

Darren: Yeah, I love playing. I love com-

gether and play football. And I’ve been

everyone can join. Just download

ing down here. Getting the feel of the

here loads of times now and I’ve never

the app and get involved.

FUTSAL

Words: Alicia Povey @lishapovs

Images: Sheena Booker, FA National Futsal Series

FORMULA FOR FUTSAL SUCCESS With the FA National Futsal Series now available on BT Sport and some of England’s best futsal players entering the limelight, here’s a look into what makes those ballers tick.

In any sport, there’ll be players who are faster, stronger or more skillful; those skills or physical attributes are what make them great. When it comes to futsal, it can be tricky to pinpoint what makes a great player as opposed to simply a good one. But a while back, I spoke to futsal players across the UK and further afield to see what makes some players a cut above the rest, and here’s what they came up with…

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"High-intensity physically and high-intensity mentally - the top players will be the ones who can cope with both"

01. GUILE

02. QUICK THINKING

Cunning, ingenuity, a little bit of trickery - they’re all things which maketh a great futsal player. Working in a smaller area with fewer players means that teams are always having to come up with more elaborate set pieces, tricks or play rotations to get the ball in the back of the net. There’s a certain beauty to when they come off, but there’s also the inevitable embarrassment of when you’re meant to fake left and go right and end up body-checking your own player. The best futsal players are able to trick opponents as easily as you like.

During a forty-minute match (plus stop-clock), futsal players will touch the ball on average six times more than in eleven-a-side. That means there’s no time to switch off, and even less time to decide what you’re going to do with the ball at your feet. Rotations become important in futsal partly for this reason - if you already know where your next move is before you even receive the pass, it makes it nearly impossible to defend against. Sounds easy, right? It’s not. High-intensity physically and high-intensity mentally - the top players will be the ones who can cope with both.

03. BALLS CONFIDENCE There’s no easy way of saying this, but a bit of cockiness can go a long way in futsal. I’m not talking about slagging off your opposition before a game - of course not. Instead, I’m talking about having the confidence to try new skills, flicks and tricks. The best futsal players will have the confidence to take on a player one-on-one but keep it interesting - a nutmeg or a rainbow flick does not look out of place on the futsal court whatsoever. The kind of confidence that gets you two-footed in a Sunday league match can see you applauded on the futsal court... if, of course, you’re talented enough to pull it off! TGP

WOMEN'S

Words & Interview: Abi Ticehurst @abiticehurst23

CAROL BATES:

RENAISSANCE WOMAN Women’s recreational football can appear to be the missing cog. Carol Bates isn’t having that. And through her enthusiasm and endeavours she has created something truly special with Crawley Old Girls.

Doting daughter, tea girl, supporter, coach, mum’s taxi, chair, you name it - Carol Bates has ticked virtually every box there is when it comes to footballing endeavours. She grew up following her dad home and away whilst he was a manager and as a fan, before starting a family of her own with two boys who also had a keen interest in playing football. But when she reached the age of forty-eight she realised that the only thing she was yet to do was play.

Carol puts this down to being part of the “missed generation”, the girls and women who weren’t afforded the opportunity to play football whilst growing up in the 1970s and ’80s. But things were to change, and perhaps she didn’t realise at the time quite how monumentally, when her pal Sandra encouraged her to join her at a charity tournament for a local club, where rules stated you had to have at least two females in the team. Car-

ol jokes, “I touched the ball about twice, I think, but absolutely loved it and knew I had to play again”.

And therein lay the spark that ignited Carol’s belief that “there should be no barriers to any woman who wants to play the game” and the foundations on which Crawley Old Girls (COGs) were laid.

It wasn’t plain sailing to the welloiled machine you see now, however. With her interest piqued and what she calls “a twist of fate”, the Community Foundation at Crawley Town FC held an event looking for girls aged fourteen and up to join a football session. Fantastic, thought Carol, an opportunity to play more regularly and she was keen to get involved. She was stopped right in her tracks, though, as the maximum age was twenty-five, but as is the case so often with Carol, she wasn’t to be deterred. If you ever have the absolute privilege of meeting her, she has an infectious energy, unafraid to ask questions and

delve deeper. She is tenacious and strives to give chances to those who haven’t been afforded them before.

So after some to-ing and froing, she secured ten weeks of funding, convinced some pals to come along and the rest, as they say, is history. Before long, they were working with the FA to help promote women’s participation in football, which in turn garnered some media attention and more and more women got in contact about playing or setting up their own rec football group.

Fast forward to today and COGs are approaching their seventh birthday and now have more than 200 women attending sessions every night of the week. Whether you’re just starting out like Carol was back during that first session with her ten mates, or if you’re feeling a bit more confident and want to challenge yourself at one of their advanced sessions, COGs pride themselves on welcoming women,

55

"COGs are approaching their

seventh birthday and now have more than 200 women attending sessions every night of the week regardless of ability, shape, size or fitness to get involved.

Your typical COG session starts with a warm welcome, Carol assures me. Rec football is never about being competitive; it’s about entering a safe space in a non-judgemental environment that combines the social element of football as much as the physical. Carol quips, “we laugh with each other, especially after mishaps, and the most important thing is for the women to have enjoyed themselves and want to come back!”. For her and the rest of the COGs, it’s fairly simple: “The benefits of being out in the fresh air and being active does wonders for mental and physical health, especially during midlife and menopause. It’s

really just moving with a football and it’s for everyone.”

Carol expects the arrival of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 to skyrocket the participation of women in rec football just as it did during the Women’s World Cup in 2019 and is already preparing to accommodate the interest. But as Carol notes, that interest is a sticking point - many will already know how challenging it is to find suitable and available facilities across the country.

The future looks exceptionally bright for COGs, though. As we motor towards a home tournament, they’ll be embracing the competition as they host COGSEUROFEST22, a National Women’s Recre-

ational Football Festival for no less than forty-eight teams. Why run a festival when you could just watch the games, you may ask? Carol was clear with her response: “The women’s recreational community is such a positive environment and everyone is working together to not only increase participation but to increase watching women’s football too, so we thought it would be a good idea for anyone who wanted to, to combine playing with watching.”

So whilst that final cog may have been missing before, it’s ever-present and whirring full steam ahead now. You’d be remiss not to take a closer look. TGP

DISABILITY

Words & Images: Sam Kershaw @SJKershaw

Website: whycantwe.co.uk

PETER HARDING:

Turning Trauma into Action

Peter Harding was in the minority.

Paralympic Games turned out to be

community groups and securing places

He featured in the slither of young lads

pivotal in his path. Inspired after attend-

on the FA and BBC disability boards as

who had an opportunity at playing

ing the cerebral palsy and brain injury

well as the Kick It Out youth commit-

football at elite level. He has lived and

football matches at The Riverbank, he

tee, alongside his role as a Youth Sport

breathed the beautiful game since the

approached Chelsea FC who had a

Trust ambassador. In 2016, he won the

moment he could kick a ball at age four.

disability team. In time, he became their

FA Young Volunteer Award and was

On the books at Fulham FC, his whole

captain and went on to represent them

presented with the trophy by Geoff

life was set out in front of him.

at major championships in Europe.

Hurst on the hallowed turf at Wembley.

In 2012, aged fifteen, Peter suffered a

On coming home from a tournament

Recent coverage of Why Can’t We

brain injury and everything stopped. His

in Vienna, news reports had misrep-

has included BBC Radio 5 Live, Football

life was reset, having to learn to walk,

resented the facts and ostracised

Focus, Get Inspired, BBC Newsday,

talk and eat again. However, the most

Peter’s team, who were the first to play

World Service and Channel 4’s The

painful thing was that his relationship

at Rapid Vienna’s new stadium. Peter

Last Leg. Not one to rest on his laurels,

with football had been affected. The

channelled this frustration and it was

Peter is also infiltrating from the inside,

dream that had been omnipresent in his

the catalyst for his creation of “Why

meeting with the likes of Barbara Slater

life to date and that he was on course to

Can’t We”, a disability sport campaign

(Director of Sport, BBC) and Henry Win-

achieve was no longer an option.

that raises awareness and coverage

ter (Chief Football Writer, The Times) to

Following his rehabilitation, he went

across mainstream media. From that

push his disability sport agenda on the

back to his local club AFC Brooklands

moment, he found his inner strength

upper echelons of the footballing world.

with the plan of rebuilding, but what had

and began a new crusade: “What hap-

previously come as second nature was

pened to me has been a challenge but

incident, it would have been easy for

no longer there. “My brain was saying

it’s not something I can’t live or cope

Peter Harding to take a different path

one thing and my feet were saying an-

with. I’ve done that my whole life, just

in life. But he has other ideas and he

other, it was really distressing,” says Pe-

moved on and got on with it.”

wants everybody to know about them.

ter. He was at a crossroads and on the

Peter now dedicates every ounce of

After such a traumatic life-changing

“I should slow down, but I can’t, if I’m

verge of walking away from everything

his being to the cause, from coach-

honest. There is still so much work to

he had ever known, yet the London 2012

ing disability football, volunteering at

be done.” TGP

DISABILITY

57

Words & Interview: Ami Cripps @amiloucri

LEGENDS IN THE GAME In each issue we want to celebrate and inspire by hearing from those who have made their way to the top in the world of disability football. The challenges they’ve overcome, their journey and their hopes for the future of the game after the launch of the FA’s Football Your Way plan.

TGP: Where did your love of football

ish, then their confidence and self-belief

come from? You've never let your

will be affected. They won’t want to be

disability stand in the way of your pas-

involved in football because of that, and

sions! But were there any challenges

football will be missing out massively.

or obstacles you faced when you real-

My hope is this initiative filters

ised you wanted to work in football?

down to a grassroots level because

Phoebe: Living with a disability pre-

ultimately that is where most - if not

sents challenges on a daily basis and

all - journeys start. Let's fully invest in

I do my best not to let them stand in

this and watch disability sports grow.

my way. But accessing football when I was younger was difficult, particularly

If you were to give yourself one piece of

with regards to a team as there wer-

advice growing up, what would it be? Or

en't any that could accommodate my

what words of encouragement would

needs as someone with cerebral palsy.

you give to a young person with a disa-

In this issue, we speak to Phoebe

I was able to join in at school, but as I

bility wanting to play or work in football?

Gibbons, a lifelong football fan

got older my mobility started to deteri-

Phoebe: Great question! I think it

whose cerebral palsy hasn’t

orate and it became harder to play.

would be: don't feel guilty about who

stopped her joining her brothers

Becoming a coach was an oppor-

in attempting to visit all ninety-

tunity for me to get back involved with

two Premier League and Football

football and to try and create opportuni-

access the beautiful game in a way that

League stadia. During the pandemic

ties for other disabled people. I've since

meets their individual needs. We all

in 2020 she took the opportunity to

been really fortunate to have found a

should be able to feel part of a team. To

extend her love of the game and took

team who are really supportive. I think

develop friendships and communities,

part in an FA Introduction to Coach-

if there have been any obstacles, we’ve

as well as being able to access phys-

ing pilot scheme.

managed to overcome them as a team.

ical exercise in a fun way. I know it's

I've been really fortunate to have met

hard sometimes, but nothing's impos-

and now coaches Summertown Stars

people who are just as positive about

sible. It's about doing things your way.

Warriors children’s disability team in

inclusion and equal opportunities as me.

It's about doing “Football Your Way”.

Oxfordshire, helping kids with phys-

It's also about your own self-belief

She hasn’t looked back ever since

you are. And you can do this!

Everyone should have the right to

ical disabilities to enjoy football from

and taking opportunities. For me,

What are your dreams for the

an early age - an opportunity she

that’s definitely something that has

future of football?

didn’t have herself.

come with age.

Phoebe: My dreams are that everyone regardless of who they are - can access

Phoebe hopes that the FA’s new Football Your Way strategy will help her

What impact do you think the 'Football

to not only further her coaching quali-

Your Way' plan will have on the sport?

fications, but also grow the number of

Phoebe: I think it will have a really pos-

be more visible, not only in the media,

grassroots teams playing disability foot-

itive impact! We have so many talented

but in everyday life. We need to col-

ball in the county. Football has increased

disabled people out there who want to

laborate and learn from one another.

her confidence and that of the children

be involved with football, whether they’re

We also need to create more teams

she works with, as well as providing a

players, coaches or backroom staff. But

and more opportunities for those who

support network for the parents.

if they’re not given opportunities to flour-

want to participate. TGP

football in a way that meets their needs.

I would love for disability football to

MENTAL HEALTH

Website:

Illustrations: Millie Chesters @milliechesters

gershonportnoipsychotherapy.com

Mental Health:

How to Check In on a Teammate Psychotherapist Gershon Portnoi reveals why talking openly with someone who may be feeling low might make a huge difference.

If you've noticed that one of your

If you've ever had low mood periods

teammates is a bit quieter than usual,

yourself, you can also start by saying

or has been regularly avoiding the

exactly that. Your openness could help

post-match pint, there might be more

them to be more transparent.

during activity can be very helpful in helping us to talk and feel better.

Finally, although many of us have refrained from physical contact during

going on than you realise. Sometimes,

It's important to be honest and not

the pandemic, if you can extend an

we might suspect that something is up

beat around the bush. If you're worried

arm around the shoulder or even a

with a friend or family member, but we

about your friend or teammate, then

warm hug (but ask first!), the benefits

don't quite know how to approach it,

make sure that's exactly what you say.

can be huge. There's stacks of scientif-

Another crucial element of any

ic research showing that physical con-

and often don't do anything at all.

One of the hardest things any of us

conversation is to listen carefully,

tact releases mood-lifting, feel-good

can do is to ask someone if they're ok.

and don't necessarily try to prob-

hormones. TGP

Yet, ironically, it's also one of the most important things we can do to help stop a downward spiral becoming a full-blown mental health crisis.

So, before you rush off to make your intervention, here are a few ideas to

"If instinctively you're concerned about a friend, there's probably a good reason for that"

think about first.

Any significant and consistent change in mood or behaviour can be

lem-solve. The feeling of being heard

a tell-tale sign that all is not right with

can be transformational for someone

someone. If you're still unsure, trust

feeling down, especially if they don't

your gut. If instinctively you're con-

feel there are judgements coming

cerned about a friend, there's probably

back in their direction.

a good reason for that.

The lower someone is feeling, the

It's also worth thinking about the when and where of your approach.

less likely they might be to seek help,

Walking off the pitch together covered

so your effort could make a huge differ-

in sweat and still breathing heavily is

ence. Never underestimate the impact

probably not the best time to strike up

you could make because for someone

this type of conversation.

not feeling great, another person taking

Inviting someone to go for a walk or

an interest in them can be a hugely

coffee is better as it will give you some

positive experience.

uninterrupted time together. And if you've

Once you're talking, it's key to ask

already started regular conversations

open questions. So “are you okay?” is

with someone, there's nothing wrong

To find out more about Gershon

not bad, but “I've noticed you've been

with being spontaneous and turning up

and his psychotherapy practice,visit

really quiet in the changing room re-

at their door to go for a run or bike ride.

gershonportnoipsychotherapy.com.

cently - what's going on?” is even better.

The endorphins released by the brain

NUTRITION

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Social: @nutritionemmy

Nutrition:

How to Eat Like a Pro Player Emmy Campbell is a SENR-qualified sports nutritionist, working with football players from grassroots levels right up to professional players to help them improve all aspects of their game.

Modern-day pros all have sports nu-

If you’ve got a longer session (>60

tritionists on hand and private chefs

minutes), or it’s a particularly intense

in the kitchen to make sure their

one, then you might need to top up

nutrition is on point. Unfortunately, this

your energy stores during the session

isn’t a luxury that grassroots players can

to make sure you’ve got enough left in

enjoy, but it is still possible to eat well

the tank. Sports drinks are ideal op-

and use nutrition to maximise perfor-

tions here as not only do they contain

mance no matter what level you play at.

carbs to boost your energy stores, but they’ll keep you hydrated too.

TRY THIS:

or have sessions every day, getting

When the session’s finished, your

If you’re looking for a quick and

your diet right can have a huge impact

refuelling needs to start. Getting

easy option that ticks off the three

on how well you perform on the pitch

the right kind of food into the body

Rs, give this smoothie recipe a go:

and how you feel day to day.

now will determine how well you

Whether you only train once a week

Carbohydrates are king when it

can adapt, recover and prepare for

comes to performance. They’re the

the next session, or the game at the

CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER SMOOTHIE

main type of fuel the body uses during

weekend. Think of the three Rs when

Ingredients

football. How fast you run, how high

it comes to recovery: Refuel with

•

350ml semi-skimmed milk

you jump and how accurate your

carbs, Repair with protein and Rehy-

•

1 banana

shooting and passing are all depend

drate with fluids. TGP

•

2 tbsp peanut butter

on having carbs in the tank. Simply

•

3 tbsp Greek yoghurt

put, the more or longer you train, the

•

1 tbsp cacao powder

more carbs you’ll need to eat to fuel the session. Base your training day meals

Add all of the ingredients to a

around foods like pasta, rice, bread and

blender, blitz and enjoy!

potatoes and eat your pre-training meal two hours before you get out on the pitch to give your body enough time to digest the food and utilise the energy.

If it’s been more than two hours since you’ve last eaten, then have a high carb snack 30-60 minutes before the session to top up the tank. A cereal bar or toast with jam are great quick and easy options to go for.

Whether you’re looking to get in better shape, need help with fuelling your ninety minutes or just want to take your game to the next level, Emmy can help. Find her on social media @nutritionemmy for support with your performance nutrition.

WOMEN'S

Words: The Grassroots Post @thegrassrootspost

Images: Chris Wharton @chris–wharton–images

INCLUSIVE & INSPIRATIONAL WITH FOTMOB:

WINTER FEST In each issue, FotMob - the livescore app - are sponsoring a feature on inclusive and inspirational grassroots stories and assisting in their development by providing equipment vouchers to these special football clubs.

Sheffield FA recently delivered a women’s football festival called Winter Fest to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the lifting of the ban on women’s football with over forty players participating from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Born out of a conversation during a women’s recreational football forum and with December 5th 2021 being 100 years to the day since women’s football was banned on FA affiliated pitches, it was time to recognise the past and celebrate the future of Sheffield’s developing women’s football scene.

Winter Fest was specifically aimed at women aged eighteen and over and those that were not currently registered

Taking place at St. George’s Park

help it to continue its great work.

for an eleven-a-side team, with the fo-

Thorncliffe alongside their Christmas

cus on the spirit of recreational football.

market, Sheffield FA partnered with

groups that hadn’t worked with

Offering those that don’t often have the

the Stoppage Time Project to create an

or heard about each other before.

opportunity to play in a safe, non-com-

exhibition during the festival displaying

They supplied fifteen hijabs to their

petitive environment the chance to

stories and clips of women in football in

participants and ensured the venue

meet other groups and teams. Sheffield

and around Sheffield and Rotherham

had a safe space for a group to have a

had also not previously hosted a recre-

over the last 100 years, donating all pro-

prayer room and managed the fixtures

ational tournament for women.

ceeds from team entry to the project to

around prayer times.

The festival drew out teams and

61

Websites: sheffieldfa.com fotmob.com

“ To see forty women from across South Yorkshire come out and play together on a cold December day was incredible,” says one Winter Fest participant. “ There were so many stories and memories created on the day, from one woman having never played in goal before and then diving around by game three and setting up her teammate for a goal, to seeing teams congratulating an opposition player for a great goal or tackle. One team manager gave the referee her coat to keep her warm, as well as the roar of celebration when a group of Muslim women who had only been playing Referees on the day were briefed to

A celebration was held at the

football for five weeks, won the

manage the game in the spirit of recre-

end of the tournament, bringing all

most spirited award. All in all, the

ational football and coach the players

teams together and celebrating

future looks bright, supportive and

through the game as much as possible.

what they had achieved and been

empowering for women’s recreation-

Players felt comfortable and confident

a part of over the matches, before

al football.’’ TGP

enough to ask for changes in the rules

enjoying a social with food and drink,

game by game in agreement with their

and the Women’s FA Cup Final.

FotMob is the essential football app.

opposing team, and players truly felt

A perfect day to showcase the

Scores, stats, news and more. Get the

like this was their festival.

beautiful game at its best.

app on iOS and Android.

COACHING

Words & Interview: The Grassroots Post @thegrassrootspost

Mike Phelan:

Giving Back to Grassroots Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan delivered an inspirational training session for Manchester’s grassroots community More than fifty local coaches braved the freezing temperatures to come out and observe the event held at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Platt Lane complex, where attendees were given the chance to watch Phelan as he delivered two separate training sessions to young players from local grassroots and University teams.

One of the practices, delivered to a mixed group of University players, featured a 3v2 rondo, where three attackers looked to keep the ball away from two defenders. The attackers scored a goal

from strength to strength - people have

ing comes close to watching how the

if they completed six passes within the

been waiting to get back to business.”

pros handle a group of young players.

10×10-yard space. The defenders got to

Mike Phelan is the Chairman of Sen-

Phelan added: “It’s important, they

swap out when they won the ball.

sible Soccer Ltd, the hosts of the event

come and they observe the way we

The learning outcome of the

and the UK’s leading provider of football

talk, the way we handle ourselves, the

sessions was possession and the

equipment and supporter of grassroots

way we handle our sessions. They see

importance of creating space while in

clubs across the country. Through this

the interaction (with the players), and

control of the ball. Digital platform The

role, Phelan works tirelessly to give back

that interaction is important. And, the

Coaching Manual were on hand to

to the grassroots foundation of football

players are on show, and they do make

capture the whole event in broad-

in this country and fully recognises the

mistakes now and then, and it’s how

cast-quality video for anyone who

importance of proper coach education.

you correct them - do you leave it as a

was unable to attend.

Phelan said at the event: “It all starts

Opportunities to learn from professional coaches have become more

mistake, or do you correct it as best you possibly can? We’re all fallible.

“The players have also got to think

at grassroots. Without grassroots, there

scarce - gone are the days when a vol-

is no sport. It’s important that we give

unteer or grassroots coach could turn up

about what I know sometimes. I’ve been

something back, and it’s important that

at a Premier League Academy training

there, I’ve seen it, I’ve experienced it, so

we get their enthusiasm up again to

session with a notepad and take down

ask me, feed off me. It’s not brand new.

come out and do these things again and

ideas. Learning about coaching from

You’re giving your experiences, you’re

get organising these sessions, and go

books and diagrams is useful, but noth-

giving your life experiences. It’s still eleven

63

Website: thecoachingmanual.com

v eleven, the same sized pitch. Okay, the balls have changed, different rules. But the game is the same it’s always been.

Hopefully the coaches today will take away something that is really valuable.”

Following the training event, Phelan hosted an insightful question-and-answer session with attendees, before sticking around to pose for photographs with aspiring coaches and sign footballs for the players.

Phelan said: “Match day is what everybody sees. But on the practice ground is where it all happens, the place where the coaches have to come into their own. Sometimes it’s coaching, sometimes it’s advice, sometimes it’s just getting a little bit more out of them.

Sometimes it’s not about coaching, it’s about letting them express themselves.”

As a player, Mike Phelan won the Premier League as a player with Manchester United, where as a coach he won another five Premier Leagues and featured in three Champions League finals, winning the coveted trophy once.

He told coaches: “What I will stress as a coach is: be yourself. You can’t be somebody you’re not. I can’t be Pep. Pep can’t be me. Footballers most definitely take you for what you are. Believe me, they will work you out pretty quick.”

Phelan also won the Premier League Manager of the Month award during his first month in the top flight as a manager, in charge of Hull City, where he coached Harry Maguire, Jarrod Bowen and An-

"It all starts at grassroots. Without grassroots, there is no sport"

drew Robertson early on in their careers.

Coaches have had a hard time recently

access to sessions like this one. As well

The sessions were delivered as part of

with a huge amount of disruption to the

as Mike’s masterclass today, we’ve got

a project to give back to the grassroots

grassroots game. It’s great to get boots

sessions from David Moyes, Steve Mc-

community, empowering local, mostly

back on the ground after two years of

Claren, René Meulensteen, Alan Irvine,

volunteer coaches with an insight to Pre-

uncertainty, and filming this session with

Dean Smith, and more.”

mier League-standard training sessions.

Mike is the perfect way to bounce back.

Phelan’s sessions, complete with dia-

“Our reason for existing is to provide

grams, animations, coaching points and

Footage has been made available through digital coaching platform The

coaches with the tools they need to

suggested progressions, are available

Coaching Manual, which provides video

become the best they can be, which

from www.thecoachingmanual.com.

content designed to help football coaches

includes the ability to watch sessions

Phelan commented: “Technology can

deliver better sessions for their players.

like this one. We fully agree with Mike

play a part in bringing access to coach-

that the sport we love wouldn’t exist at

ing sessions like this, and the videos

ing Manual, said: “We were delighted

all without the passionate people who

don’t even need to be edited. It’s there,

to be able to be a part of this event

work in grassroots, so we strive to em-

it’s right in front of your eyes, it’s real,

and record it for coaches everywhere.

power those coaches by giving them

and it’s not manufactured.” TGP

Chris Barton, Founder of The Coach-

COACHING

THE COACHES CLINIC

with:

Website:

Code:

academy.coachesvoice.com

TGP1MONTH

SESSION:

COUNTERPRESSING 2

SESSION OVERVIEW:

KEY Ball movement

Player movement without the ball Player movement with the ball

PRINCIPLES OF PLAY: • Working in groups • Aggressive pressing

Players

• Angle of press

We’re delighted to have Coaches’ Voice taking over our regular COACHES CLINIC. Coaches’ Voice features worldclass football insights from the game’s leading coaches. Their website www. coachesvoice.com features a stunning array of content from some household names. Perfect for students of the game.

In each issue, they’re going to help us be better, as managers and coaches. First up, playing out from the back. We’d be lying if we said this was something the English grassroots game had mastered, but forget your “get ’em turned” or your “lob it in the channels”, here’s how you get your team up the pitch and into dangerous areas without ever losing possession of the ball. Unheard of, right?

Cones PART 1: PRESSING REACTION •T his practice challenges players

Flat marker

to react to a loss of possession and immediately press the ball in an attempt to force a regain.

•S ix players are required, but

Cones with flat marker

the practice can be adapted depending on the numbers available or the players’ ability.

•A pproximate dimensions:

Goal

12x12 yards.

PART 2:

Mini-goal

PRESSING AS A GROUP •T his practice focuses on the ability to recognise how to go and press with teammates after

Mannequin

a loss of possession.

• It requires 12 players.

•A pproximate dimensions: 25 x 16 yards.

Football

Pole

65

01. PRESSING REACTION PRACTICE:

area, without any Team B players tackling them or intercepting a pass.

• •

•

This practice will challenge players to react

to dribble out of the square. Team A must react to

Four players (Team A) are placed around the

the loss of possession and try to stop Team B from dribbling out of the square, as shown in Diagram 2.

outside of the playing area, with two players •

(Team B) inside, as shown in Diagram 1. You

•

If Team B gains possession of the ball, they attempt

quickly to a loss of possession.

If Team A successfully stops Team B, they then keep

may need to increase the number of Team A

the ball as they try to make their way back to the pe-

players if they struggle to keep the ball.

rimeter lines and create the same situation as we saw

Team A aims to pass the ball between each other

before (as shown in Diagram 1). Team B should try to

while staying on the perimeter lines of the playing

win the ball back in this period.

A

2

1

B

B

A A

A

B

B

A

A

A

A

COACHING DETAILS:

ANGLE OF PRESS

MOVEMENT

• When aiming to press quickly, Team A

TO RECEIVE

must recognise where the immediate

• Although this practice focuses on the

RECEIVING

danger is and which Team B player has

players’ ability to regain possession,

•M ake sure the players know how

the chance to dribble out of the square.

also highlight the need for players

important it is for all players to react to

They must show an understanding of

to move along the perimeter lines to

the loss of possession. If one member

how they can prevent this through their

of Team A does not react, there will

movement and body shape.

be a large gap for Team B to dribble through and escape the grid.

•A ll players must concentrate

• If they are successful in doing this, they

receive passes from teammates.

• Without efficient movement from teammates, it will be very difficult to

should then start to think about how to

retain possession and the practice

force the Team B player who is dribbling

can lose momentum.

throughout, or the opportunity for

with the ball towards other teammates

success is limited.

who can make a tackle.

66 C

02. PRESSING AS A GROUP PRACTICE: •

B A

This practice challenges players

A B

to react quickly to a loss of posregain the ball.

•

B

C

session and work as a group to A group of 12 players is split into three teams of four.

•

Two teams join together to make an 8v4 situation. Six players from the team of eight spread themselves around the outside of the

C

playing area, with the remaining two players from that team as well as the team of four inside the grid, as shown in the diagram.

•

B

A

A

Here, Team A and Team C are in possession. They aim to pass the ball from one end of the playing area to the other and back again as many times as possible. The players on the outside of the grid are limited to the perimeter lines.

•

C

Team B aims to win the ball. If they do, they attempt to dribble to the outside of the playing area while

COACHING DETAILS: TECHNICAL

PRACTICE DETAIL

If Team B manages to dribble out

RECEIVING

TRANSITIONS

of the playing area, they swap

• Highlight the importance of defenders using

•P ractices such as this one with

Team A joins the two Team C players in the middle to counter-press and try to regain the ball.

•

roles with Team A and the prac-

the foot closest to the ball to tackle oppo-

tice starts again. If Team A re-

nents and their back foot to block passes.

gains the ball, they try to dribble

•

ANGLE OF PRESS

while Team B counter-presses.

• The angle of press is extremely impor-

quick to react to a loss of possession and regain the ball as soon •

tant in limiting the space that opponents can play in.

• Defenders should aim to force oppo-

as possible.

nents towards a smaller space, where

The coach can progress the

teammates are able to press the ball

practice by placing a touch limit

from another direction.

on the Team C players.

•

become messy and unstructured.

• Allow players the time to solve

back to their starting positions The aim here is for players to be

high numbers of turnovers can

• Secondary defenders must recognise

the problems and understand what is needed for success.

• If necessary, provide coaching points around moving to make the pitch big in possession and small when out of possession, and the need to do this quickly.

• Highlight the need for an intense and aggressive press from all

Rotate teams after each block

pressing triggers and be aggressive in

players after a loss of posses-

so all players experience all the

pressing with their teammates.

sion..

roles within the practice.

TGP

67

LOCAL

69

Website: premierleague.com

LOCAL LEGEND:

Celia The Premier League is celebrating fifteen years of its flagship community programme. Premier League Kicks has supported hundreds of thousands of young people to achieve their potential and improve their wellbeing through free weekly football sessions and educational workshops.

One person who has benefitted from their involvement is Celia Facey, of London, who has been named as a Premier League Kicks “Local Legend” by Arsenal in the Community as part of the programme’s fifteen-year anniversary.

Premier League Kicks began in the 2006/07 season in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, with the aim of involving and supporting young people in regular, positive and fun activity, whilst helping to create stronger, safer, more inclusive communities.

As part of the fifteen-year celebrations, clubs have nominated a Premier League Kicks “Local Legend” – somebody who has taken part in, volunteered or worked on the programme and has inspired others through their dedication, work ethic and own personal development.

Each nominee will receive a bespoke “Local Legend” football card, which has been created with support from Premier League partner Panini.

Celia, aged sixty-seven, was chosen as Arsenal in the Community’s Premier League Kicks Local Legend because she has dedicated fifteen years’ worth of evenings to support local young people in her community – demonstrating outstanding commitment to the project throughout the period as well as being an integral member of the programme's success. Ever-present in the local community, Celia also volunteered at the local food banks during the lockdowns of 2020.

Celia said: “I’m very passionate about the kids I work with. A lot of the young people grow up on the estate and I know their parents as well, so it’s like a little family. A lot of them become coaches after being involved [as participants] so I just love being here! It’s a real honour to have this award and I’d like to thank all the people who put me forward for it. It makes a big difference in my life as well.”

Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Leader of Islington Council, added: “In a borough where we have 40% child poverty, it brings a lot of hope, it brings activity to young people, and it means they can have a lot of fun.

Celia is an absolute legend – she’s here in all weathers, all year round!

She’s really one of these quiet heroes that doesn’t ask anyone for anything but is there for our community throughout everything.”

The Premier League funds Premier League Kicks and other community programmes through its £100m investment per season in community facilities and community and education programmes.

This is the biggest voluntary contribution to communities and other good causes of any football league in the world. TGP Visit premierleague.com for more information.

MENS

Words: Sam Diss @samdiss

Illustration: Millie Chesters @milliechesters

Location: East London

MY GREATEST GAME SENRAB V MILLWALL ALBION, 2000, WANSTEAD FLATS The rivalry with Millwall Albion was tasty. One of those ding-dong clashes that jumped out the grubby pages of the East London Advertiser.

The first name you looked for, even before your own. The feeling – the kind of animosity that could only stem from two sets of eight or nine parents of football-mad nine-year-olds in East and South East London who all seemed to drink in the exactly same pub, the Prince of Wales in Poplar, the crimson-hued meeting place (“the beer shop,” my dad called it) just off the market which served as the area’s town centre – was mutual.

I played for Senrab. Let’s just describe them as “the glory club”.

Storied history, Premier League alumni, fun name origin story. (It’s just “Barnes” – as in Barnes Street in Stepney, just a road over from where I grew up, where the club began in 1961 – but backwards; a term which is disappointingly referred to, simply, as a “semi-palindrome”.)

Well, technically we were Senrab B but Senrab A were ’orrible and, if I’m honest, not even better than we were but their manager, Terry – a man my dad referred to only as “The Slug” – was also the club secretary, so: Senrab A. Anyway, Millwall Albion were our fiercest rivals. We were nine, so having fierce rivals means staying up until 8.30pm drawing a picture in purple felt-tip of your team celebrating while theirs lay

in bloodied pieces on the grass of Victoria Park, our home pitch. If I remember it correctly, we played them pretty much every week in those days, as the B team wasn’t actually entered into a league. Thanks, Terry. Still, both teams were of a good standard, had the shared bond of the Prince, and spent our nights revelling in ultra-violent scribbles.

But anyway, the match. The one that stands out to me most – amongst the many, many, many derbies we played – was one in the autumn of 2000. I was Senrab’s marauding right-back and captain. If I had to describe my style of play, it would be … erratic. Extremely fast, about three-feet-five, with a shaved head, the face of a cherub, and a penchant for anarchy which once made the manager of a team called Aztecs in Buckhurst Hill denounce: “He’s an animal! An animal!”

Anyway. Autumn. Derby. Vicky Park. Every game we played was settled by just a goal or two. And this

game, you guessed it, I got it. Senrab’s own animal. Up for a corner, flicked on at the front post and, like a yellowed leaf falling from one of the Holm oak or Poplars that lined the park, I floated through the air to score an overhead kick past whatever poor nine-year-old fool they’d coaxed in goal. Ball caught flush on the flap of my red Umbro Tornados. It was beautiful. I opened my eyes and felt glorious. Golden, perfect. I felt reborn. I couldn’t wait to get home to my felt-tips. But my teammates were forlorn. I just couldn’t explain why.

Perhaps the beauty of my goal caused them to lapse into an untimely crisis of faith – could they ever, really, expect to produce such sublime skill as they had just witnessed?

The walk back to my dad’s cab after the game was one of high energy. For me, anyway. I skipped and bounced towards the car park. He barely blinked. “But Dad–” I said, before he cut me off. Turns out we’d lost 4-1.

But what a one, eh? What a one. TGP

MANY THANKS FOR GIVING US A READ Got a grassroots story that needs telling?

Email us on editor@grassrootspost.uk.

Vol.02 Issue 02: Editor: Mike Backler

Design: Alex Mertekis

Sub Editor: Lucy Mertekis

Words:

Images:

Illustrations:

Matt Fletcher-Jones, Alicia Povey,

Gem Atkinson, Alan Bond,

Millie Chesters

Andrew Martin, Abi Ticehurst,

Jamie Marriott, Mac Morgan,

Jon Eager, Amie Cripps,

Nigel Broster, Abderrazzak Barina,

Sam Kershaw, Trevor Booking*,

Sheena Booker, Chris Wharton,

Gershon Portnoi, Emmy Campbell,

Wizzo Denholm, The Plastic

Alan Bond & Sam Diss

Goldfish Co & Grassroots Sport Photography

Special thanks: Emily Harding at Newspaper Club, Matt Hall at The Premier League, John Abela and Liam George from City East FC, Mark from Sunday FC, Chris Minn from AFC Acorns, Ravinder Marwaha from Grand Sports Club, Joe Heatley-Baillie at The FA, Jake Nolan from SPR, Daniel Tunna at The Space Between, Trine Falnes at Spond, Matt-Fletcher Jones and Larissa Khatchik at Cake, Drew Smith and Ian Dougherty at Powerleague, Corrie Davidson at Goals, James Grimes at Gambling With Lives, Amanda Lewis and Aquila Burgess at The London FA, Matias Morgan at The Coaches Voice, Richard Redman from The Coaching Manual, Ben Williamson at YesRef.

TW: @GrassrootsPost

IG: @thegrassrootspost

FB: @thegrassrootspost

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