DCM
25th November 2007, 07:58 PM
I send a newsletter out to the GCAFCYD parents and players each week. You might be interested in having read of this one - you are suppoting a club with a thriving youth set up who in 3 weeks of games - 6 sides - have lost only once. As I say bellow, its not about winning, but its a measure that many folk like to use.
If you want to join us then I really need a Press Officer. 2 hours a wek max and you dont even have to come to matches - but once you get involved I promise you will end us watching them play because the football is good - sometimes very good.
Here it is
This weeks newsletter is going to be a little bit different to normal, in that I don't intend to dwell on our results this weekend (though for the record everybody won, including the 18's and the First team, apart from the 14's who lost their first game of the season). Over the last 2 days I have been lucky enough to spend time with the 13s, 14s and 15s and I wanted to share with you my thoughts about that I saw.
Those of you that joined us at the start of the season, might recall that at the parents meeting we talked about the importance of developing our young players so as to give them the best possible opportunity to develop their football skills and to make the best of the talent they all have. Indeed, the development part of the squad is so important it's even part of our name - Gloucester City Youth Development. But what does development mean? It means that we place as much importance on the training and coaching the players receive as results they get on the pitch. We are not about simply winning football matches but challenging our players to compete with the best in their age groups in the Midlands and if we loose, then as long as we learn and benefit from the experience then the game is a success. Don't get me wrong - every time we send a team out, be it for a cup final or a pre season friendly, we are setting out to win the match, but the victory itself is not our only measure of success.
On Friday night I joined the Under 15 squad for a training session at their new base at the Abbeymead Community Centre. I have to say the new pitch and lights they have is superb and the whole set up is a great credit to Abbeymead Rovers. The thermometer in the car told me its was -3 outside. It was perishing. Now, those that know me will already be aware that I would never claim to be anything other than an arm chair fan. However, I have seen a few training sessions in my time and I think I know enough to be able to spot a good session from a bad. What I saw, on a night that was so cold even the owls stayed tucked up in the trees, was a well planned, well structured session attended by a group of lads that were focused but at the same time, despite the chill wind, having fun and enjoying the session and the company of their team mates. This came as no surprise to me at all, I would expect nothing less from the coaches we have.
On Saturday I caught the tail end of the Under 13 game when without putting too fine a point on it, they gave their visitors a bit of a thrashing (and for the record our visitors were no mugs). It's the first time I have seen this group of lads play in a competitive match since the cup final last year. I saw a couple of free kicks that sailed into the top corner - these were no flukes but quality strikes, I saw some good passing football, lots of determination and lots of good sportsmanship as well. My real reason for going to The Spa was to see the 14s. Again, its a while since I last saw them in a competitive match. Naturally, I arrive and they loose! Listening to some of the parents, it was perhaps not the best performance of the season. OK, that may be the case, I cannot say. But what struck me from the off is just how much the players and the team have developed over the last few months. The game was quicker, the team work much improved and some of the players, even on what I gather was an off day, had clearly improved so much since my last visit.
I'll tell you what else I saw over the weekend. I saw Mums and Dads running the line, putting up goals and even arranging the purchase of fish n chips for our visitors. I heard lots of encouragement from the touchline on what was again a freezing cold day. You hear so much about the way in which some parents behave at junior matches, getting on the back of the players and the ref. All I saw and heard was support and encouragement and sportsmanship.
So whats my point? I sat down on Saturday night with a tin of bitter and reflected on what I had seen over the last few days. Good coaching, good football, performances improving, lots of hard work and a group of Mums, Dads and other relatives who are doing a good job, even if its only cheering their lad from the touchline. There was something else - I heard people laughing, smiling, enjoying themselves but at the same time very serious about the job in hand. Was I surprised. Not at all. It's exactly what I would expect to see - but sometimes it does no harm just to reflect on whats happening.
Am I happy with where we are now. No - not at all. There are aspects of the club which need improving and once we have made those improvements there will be more needed again. Our players are working well, and getting good results, but there is a lot more hard work to be done yet, its only November after all. At the standard of youth football we play at if you stand still for a moment, the rest will overtake you. But for sure we are rolling in the right direction.
So, from me, its a thank you to all the coaches, secretaries, Mum's, Dads and not forgetting the players, for all the hard work already put in. Lets keep it going.
Oh yes, this development stuff - does it work. Well, this week another young man stepped up from the Under 18 squad to play for the First team. His name is Matt Sum. I understand he played very well and played his part in an impressive away win. I also heard that one of our old boys, Niall, is doing very well at West Br om and is clearly making the best of the chance they have given him. It does work you know.
If you want to join us then I really need a Press Officer. 2 hours a wek max and you dont even have to come to matches - but once you get involved I promise you will end us watching them play because the football is good - sometimes very good.
Here it is
This weeks newsletter is going to be a little bit different to normal, in that I don't intend to dwell on our results this weekend (though for the record everybody won, including the 18's and the First team, apart from the 14's who lost their first game of the season). Over the last 2 days I have been lucky enough to spend time with the 13s, 14s and 15s and I wanted to share with you my thoughts about that I saw.
Those of you that joined us at the start of the season, might recall that at the parents meeting we talked about the importance of developing our young players so as to give them the best possible opportunity to develop their football skills and to make the best of the talent they all have. Indeed, the development part of the squad is so important it's even part of our name - Gloucester City Youth Development. But what does development mean? It means that we place as much importance on the training and coaching the players receive as results they get on the pitch. We are not about simply winning football matches but challenging our players to compete with the best in their age groups in the Midlands and if we loose, then as long as we learn and benefit from the experience then the game is a success. Don't get me wrong - every time we send a team out, be it for a cup final or a pre season friendly, we are setting out to win the match, but the victory itself is not our only measure of success.
On Friday night I joined the Under 15 squad for a training session at their new base at the Abbeymead Community Centre. I have to say the new pitch and lights they have is superb and the whole set up is a great credit to Abbeymead Rovers. The thermometer in the car told me its was -3 outside. It was perishing. Now, those that know me will already be aware that I would never claim to be anything other than an arm chair fan. However, I have seen a few training sessions in my time and I think I know enough to be able to spot a good session from a bad. What I saw, on a night that was so cold even the owls stayed tucked up in the trees, was a well planned, well structured session attended by a group of lads that were focused but at the same time, despite the chill wind, having fun and enjoying the session and the company of their team mates. This came as no surprise to me at all, I would expect nothing less from the coaches we have.
On Saturday I caught the tail end of the Under 13 game when without putting too fine a point on it, they gave their visitors a bit of a thrashing (and for the record our visitors were no mugs). It's the first time I have seen this group of lads play in a competitive match since the cup final last year. I saw a couple of free kicks that sailed into the top corner - these were no flukes but quality strikes, I saw some good passing football, lots of determination and lots of good sportsmanship as well. My real reason for going to The Spa was to see the 14s. Again, its a while since I last saw them in a competitive match. Naturally, I arrive and they loose! Listening to some of the parents, it was perhaps not the best performance of the season. OK, that may be the case, I cannot say. But what struck me from the off is just how much the players and the team have developed over the last few months. The game was quicker, the team work much improved and some of the players, even on what I gather was an off day, had clearly improved so much since my last visit.
I'll tell you what else I saw over the weekend. I saw Mums and Dads running the line, putting up goals and even arranging the purchase of fish n chips for our visitors. I heard lots of encouragement from the touchline on what was again a freezing cold day. You hear so much about the way in which some parents behave at junior matches, getting on the back of the players and the ref. All I saw and heard was support and encouragement and sportsmanship.
So whats my point? I sat down on Saturday night with a tin of bitter and reflected on what I had seen over the last few days. Good coaching, good football, performances improving, lots of hard work and a group of Mums, Dads and other relatives who are doing a good job, even if its only cheering their lad from the touchline. There was something else - I heard people laughing, smiling, enjoying themselves but at the same time very serious about the job in hand. Was I surprised. Not at all. It's exactly what I would expect to see - but sometimes it does no harm just to reflect on whats happening.
Am I happy with where we are now. No - not at all. There are aspects of the club which need improving and once we have made those improvements there will be more needed again. Our players are working well, and getting good results, but there is a lot more hard work to be done yet, its only November after all. At the standard of youth football we play at if you stand still for a moment, the rest will overtake you. But for sure we are rolling in the right direction.
So, from me, its a thank you to all the coaches, secretaries, Mum's, Dads and not forgetting the players, for all the hard work already put in. Lets keep it going.
Oh yes, this development stuff - does it work. Well, this week another young man stepped up from the Under 18 squad to play for the First team. His name is Matt Sum. I understand he played very well and played his part in an impressive away win. I also heard that one of our old boys, Niall, is doing very well at West Br om and is clearly making the best of the chance they have given him. It does work you know.