Newsletter February 2023

Thank you for filling in the questionnaire this has been really helpful in identifying what we are good at and what areas we need to address.

We had lots of positive comments which was lovely to hear and a few areas which need addressing so I will hopefully clarify below.

Kits

All teams are provided with the same Nike kits and jackets, any other club coats/training kits/long sleeve tops are purchased by either the parents or through sponsorship and not from club funds. We are happy to help facilitate any of these orders either through the club web shop or point you in the right direction to other local suppliers and printers. If your team doesn’t currently have a black club jacket these will be purchased ahead of the new season.

Equipment

All coaches are provided with balls, bibs and cones and requests for other equipment are listened too, there is also shared equipment at Ferryside Lane for when we are on the grass, some coaches have their own extra pieces of equipment too that they have acquired over the years. If you have any questions or concerns around this, please contact Paul Mullan on mullan342@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to discuss with you.

Welfare officers

Ben Minto is the welfare officer and Paul Mullan is also welfare officer trained but we have asked Chloe Williams who is a parent in the under 8’s to take over this role once the training course has been completed. Chloe has wealth of knowledge from her job in HR which will complement the training the FA provide and of course Ben and Paul will always be on hand to help and support Chloe in the role.

Team Fee Pay

A couple of people commented they would prefer to pay by DD or the transaction fee was too much, whilst we understand the comments, Team fee pay saves so much time for our volunteer treasurer so we feel it’s a small price to pay as it automatically reconciles payments to the teams/players and sends us a report on any missing payments during the middle of the month. We have also checked our subs price against other clubs and we are cheaper than most, its effectively £5 a week and you get a training session and a match (subject to weather). We haven’t changed our cost in three years even though everything has gone up as we are trying to offer value for money and not price anyone out during the on going cost of living crisis.

Facilities

We have been in discussion for a while now with the local council, Liverpool county FA and the local ward councillors about improvements to Ferryside Lane. This is starting bear fruit and you should see some small changes soon from security poles to stop travellers coming on to the field, SAJFC

signage, improvements to the grass cutting service amongst others. We are also purchasing the lease on the building so we have a clubhouse so we can offer toilet facilities and a small snack bar until such time we can raise funds to kit the building out so it can be a real community asset.

Between ourselves, Liverpool FA and Sefton council we are actively seeking improvements to the playing surfaces which hopefully includes drainage but please be aware this wont be an overnight solution. It’s taken us nearly three years of fighting, pestering and pressure to get to the point of all parties sitting down and actively discussing issues.

We have also been accepted on to the FA’s Club programme part of England Football, which exists to support the future needs of the game across the league and club landscape. The aim of this is to stand side by side with leagues and clubs to build a robust and sustainable league and club network with sound infrastructure, that delivers inclusive football, are pillars of your community and together helping make sure football remains fit-for-purpose and built to last.

Plainly speaking we have a club consultant who helps set up the right structure to support the club long term and helps us apply for grants that get us better facilities which can range from clubhouse and playing pitch improvements right up to 3G pitches.

Hopefully the above reassures you we are doing our best behind the scenes to make sure this great club continues to be the best club around!

Volunteers

A number of people who replied to the questionnaire expressed interest in helping out around the club in various capacities, as it was anonymous we don’t who you are so can you please get in touch with us via southportathleticjfc@gmail.com or make yourself known to your coach and we can find the best fit for you and the club. The majority of people interacting with our facebook page are women and we are keen to engage that support by having more mum’s, guardians, grandparents, and aunties involved in the decision making and coaching at SAJFC. From next season we will issue a welcome to the club guide about what is provided, what is expected of coaches, players and spectators and a guide on how to complete the admin side of things.

Parents Committee

We are setting up a parents committee to bring fresh ideas and a platform for guardians voices to be heard. Scott Williams will head this up and he will be sounding you all out soon.

Girls football

Whilst we have a few girls playing for our teams we have actively held off until we can provide toilet facilities. With that looking like its going to be sorted soon we are going to be in a position to offer girls only football, if you know someone who would be interested in joining or would like to run a girls only team please get in touch. We would love to see the famous black and red strip worn by a team full of girls!

Club involvement in teams

Everyone is a volunteer here and that means there is a limited amount of time to be shared between the club and our own family life, so we leave the vast majority of team admin to the coaches, this ranges from organising the training and matches (the club sorts the facilities out) to submitting results and team sheets on the FA full time system and anything else in-between. That said we are

always here for any concerns or suggestions for improvement. Social media shout outs was mentioned, all coaches submit their results in the managers WhatsApp group so if they provide a picture we can easily sort or you can send a picture, match report, personal milestone, birthday shout out to the Facebook page or email it across and one of Scott, Paul, Ben, Phil, Matt or Carl will happily post for you.

Football updates.

We have two team’s so far through to a cup finals and hopefully one more will join them soon.

The under 12 reds sponsored by JA Jones flooring are through to the cup final against our friends at Fleetwood Hesketh, both teams are top of their respective leagues so it should be a good game, good luck to Carl, Lee and the boys.

Ben’s u9 blacks team made it through to the final with a tense 2-1 semi final win over Formby JSC with two well taken goals by Thomas Minto, the first was expertly taken with a deft finish with the outside of his boot past the on rushing keeper. They will play S&AA at Burscough in March.

Both under 11 teams got beat in the semi-finals, the u11 blacks went toe to toe with Redgate Rovers and unfortunately conceded a last second penalty in extra time to lose the game 3-2. Everyone there thoroughly loved the game and said it was a proper cup tie that had a bit of everything, unfortunately someone had to lose but we wish Redgate all the best in the final.

The under 11 reds lost out to Birkdale United in their semi final in a game where the 5-0 scoreline didn’t reflect the game. Rob, Alan and the lads have made tremendous progress this season and being in a semi final is testament to all the hard work the team has put in.

Stephens u10 blacks have their semi final this coming weekend at 11am on Deansgate Lane (5th March) Good luck boys!

And last but not least the mighty under 8 reds are taking part in the Craven Minor League trophy event finals this weekend at Edge Hill University from 1pm, if you are at a loose end please go down and support Scott and the boys!

Thanks for reading, Paul

Newsletter November 2022

It’s that time of the year again so the Christmas party is once again at Southport Rugby club on Friday 9th December. There is a raffle, DJ a visit from Santa and a selection box for the players. Raffle prizes include a Royal Box at Funny girls, Breakout room Liverpool voucher, Preston North End tickets and a £300 flooring voucher from our u8 sponsor DCTUK, Karting Session voucher amongst other items. These tickets can be purchased from Chloe Williams and Kelly Gilboy, if you want some but don’t know either of these two please speak to your coach who can arrange it.

Big thank you to Chloe, Kelly and Karen Rimmer for organising the Christmas party, they form part of the events and social committee and would welcome any offers of help.

The venue capacity is only 200 people so we have made arrangements for the older teams to have separate events We acknowledge that this isn’t ideal and are on the hunt for a bigger venue for next year.

Cup runs

We are having a bit of success in the reaching the latter stages of the Craven Minor League cup competitions with both under 11 teams and the u12 reds in the semi finals of their respective cups. The u8 reds are through to the final stages of their cup picking up some magnificent results in what was a tough group to get out of.

Welcome to the club

The Under 11 reds have a new manger in Rob and a few new players in Jack, Tommy, Ilyas and Jesse, the team are progressing well and have picked up some great results recently, both under 12 teams have welcomed new arrivals too recently, the blacks Reece, JonPaul, Owen and Theo and the reds have welcomed Reece and Joel. We hope you enjoy your football with us.

Update from our newest teams

In the summer we welcomed some new managers to the club so we thought it might be nice to hear how they are getting on from the managers, first up…

‘’Hello All, My name is Phil Rowland and I have the pleasure of running the u7s reds team. My son Theo was part of Martyn’s coaching sessions for a few years and I was approached and asked about taking an u7s team for this season. I jumped at the opportunity. Having played football for most of my life in the Southport leagues (and scored a few gaols along the way) you get to the age when its time to watch the game from the side-lines. 

 At the start we had a squad of around 13 lads so it was difficult to find to find another coach to take the blacks team but luckily Paul Morton stepped up and took on the team. We trained and played preseason matches as a squad to begin with and as the season approached we split the squad into the 2 teams.

 It has been great to watch the players develop over the past 5 months and see the players really enjoying the game. In preseason we started off really well with 2 wins and I thought this coaching job was easy but I was soon brought back down with a few defeats.  We had our first league win this weekend as a team (unfortunately it was against the black team) and hopefully that will be a great confidence booster for the team to push on for the rest of the season. 

 Southport Athletic as a club has been great with me from providing me with the relevant training and coaching courses. I jumped at the chance to become FA Qualified coach and recently undertook the Level 1 course. I am hoping to undertake the next level of course to be able to coach the players at a higher level. I was also luckily enough to be passed on a sponsor for the teams kit in Hickories who were kind enough to provide a full kit and training jacket which the players loved. When I first took the sessions I was provided with all training gear needed to coach the team. I would encourage anyone to get involved in helping at grassroots level.’’

Secondly here is Paul Morton of the u7 blacks

“It’s been a great start to the season for the U7 Blacks. All of the boys were new to playing in a team. With me being a new coach it really was uncharted territory for all of us. We have worked hard to get the basics right, being comfortable with the ball, learning about formations, passing and above all having fun and enjoying their football. What has taken me by surprise is how quickly they have adapted to match days. For children so young to show so much heart and will to win is amazing to see, and it resulted in a league win within the first 3 months of the season which is a huge achievement for them. They are making huge progress really quickly.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this grassroots journey and seeing the boys improve week by week and playing with a smile on their face gives me a huge sense of pride. There is a huge amount of work that goes into being a manager and running a grassroots club. SAJFC has a fantastic management structure that supports the coaches and puts the kids welfare and community values as a highest priority. There is always support and guidance from across the club whenever needed which is a huge reassurance for me. The plans for the club also make for a very exciting future.

Lastly I want to thanks the parents and families for their amazing support so far. The hours spent going to training, match days and for their support for me and what we are trying to achieve. Knowing the parents are supportive is huge for a football manager (especially a new one) and to see them cheering and encouraging the boys on is great to see. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds for this team’’

Lastly Carl Baldantoni from the u12 reds

U12's Reds - Our season so far, we've played 7 championship league games and 2 cups games winning all but 1. We're into the semi final of the Joseph Jackson premier Cup.

We are enjoying a great start to the season, the lads have responded really well to the training sessions. This is my 1st season as a coach, seeing the lads in training then using what they've learned in the games is wonderful. We've been playing some really attacking football scoring a whopping 68 goals in 7 games, conceding 7 and keeping 4 clean sheets in the league. Our top scorer is Louie Jones with an incredible 27 goals in 9 games.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season to see how far we can go.

The team works so hard for each other and some of the football they play is an absolute joy to watch.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to our sponsors J A Jones Flooring & Excel flooring. The boys look the business in their new kits. 

Forza Athletic!!

Team Fee pay

This new subs payment system seems to be working quite well after some teething problems which Ben and Alan look to have got to grips with now, we know theres one or two issues left to sort which Ben is working his way through with the effected people.

Ferryside Lane.

Just to keep you updated we are in constant dialogue with our friends over at Green Sefton about improvements to the playing surfaces and what we as a club can do to help. This wont be an overnight fix but please be assured we are making steady progress and received some encouraging news recently. We will soon be the lease holders on the building and have plans to firstly install female toilets before making some layout changes internally so the club can sustain itself long term but more news of that at a later date. We will require some help as we are looking at putting together a development board consisting of architects, surveyors, project managers, solicitors and book keepers/accounts who are willing to help out even if its in an advisory role.

Girls Teams

Whilst we have girls in our teams, Millie, Bella and Ruby we want to have a girls only team next year ideally. Once the toilets are up and running we will be actively looking to set a team up to play in the Hightown girls league. We have held talks with Liverpool County FA who are keen to help us expand our offering to girls and wouldn’t it be fantastic to see our kit on a girls team!

Thanks for reading as always if you have any suggestions or news you want sharing please get in touch at southportathleticjfc@gmail.com

Robbo’s Column October 2022

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well and enjoying the start of the new season. Setting challenges for games and training is a great way for coaches to motivate individual players and teams.

Here are my top 10 tips for using individual player and team challenges in training sessions and matches:

1) Get to know your players

 How well do you know the players in your team/squad? Do you know who can use their weaker foot? Who is accurate with their short passing, but not with their long passing? Player challenges are most effective when they are designed for individuals, so it is really important to get to know your players better.  Start by identifying strengths and areas that are challenging for the players.

2) Stand back and watch

The best way to get to know your players is through observation. Set yourself a challenge to do more watching than talking in your next session or game. By taking a step back it is amazing what different things you will identify when watching the players. Take notes whilst you are watching as this can be the start of creating effective individual challenges.

3) Continue to improve strengths

It is tempting to link all the player challenges to improving weaknesses. Although there are certain fundamentals of the game that all players need to develop, it is also really important to identify what is unique about a player and help them get even better at that part of their game. For example, if you have an excellent dribbler, challenge them to get even better at dribbling with challenges and areas that will make them think. Adding extra objects, players or influences when dribbling can help with the players closer ball control, decision making skills or by them being more aware of who or what is around them.

4) Variety in design

Challenges don’t always have to link to the technical and tactical side of the game. For example: you may have a player who is quiet both on and off the pitch and doesn’t mix with the rest of the group. You may give the player a communication or leadership challenge to boost their confidence. Linked with this you may challenge another player in the squad, somebody with good teamworking skills, to try and integrate the player into the group more.

5) Sessions which challenge the players

Once you have an idea of your player or team challenges, think about how you can design a practice session that allows the players to work on their own individual challenge in a group setting. This is no easy task, but it can be achieved through effective and clever planning.  Game-like activities are the best way to approach the task, with effective use of player positions, pitch sizes and formations. This will in turn challenge the players and push them to the next level

6) Time and patience

It is important to give players the time to work at their challenge. For example, a player might work at the same challenge for a six-week block, or even longer.  If you change the challenge too often, the player may not have the opportunities to solve the problems that the challenge poses.

7) Matchday challenges 

When you are working with younger players, it is crucial that your training sessions link to matchday. Ask the players to continue to work on their challenges during a game and continue to support them.  Don’t let the score line detract from what you are trying to achieve with your individual players. 

8) Different positions

Experimenting with player positions is a great way to provide different challenges. Think carefully about the challenges different positions afford and then link the position with the individual you are working with. For example: if you want to help a player with their receiving skills and awareness, you may play them in central midfield where there will be a lot of pressure when receiving. Similarly, you play them as a central defender and encourage the goalkeeper to play short to start attacking moves.

9) Different age-groups

Similar to experimenting with different playing positions, playing players in different age-groups can provide great challenges. For example: a player who needs to develop their physical qualities or understanding of when to take lots of touches and when to play quickly, may benefit from playing in an older age group where the time and space will be challenged. What other challenges do different age-groups offer? (Please note that this should only be done for one off or in a couple of games per season).

10) Ask the players for their input

Lastly, don’t forget to ask the players what they think they need to improve or what they would like to work on during training and games. This will help the player take responsibility for their own development and progression.

New Season - August 22 Newsletter

We are back (well nearly!) We hope everyone has enjoyed their summer holidays and feels refreshed and ready for footballs return?

Quick recap of what’s happened over the summer

Some teams took part in summer leagues at the JMO sports park in Skelmersdale, Scott and Jay’s under 8’s had some great performances and results, Carl’s under 9’s team stepped up to the change in format to 7v7 and gave a great account of themselves. Paul’s under 11’s took part in a friendly summer league to help with the transition to 9v9 and managed to win it. Big thanks to Nick at Birkdale United for organising and sponsoring it through his company www.battlebus.co.uk go check them out for gaming parties. Lots of our teams played in tournaments over the summer, we had a good turn out at the Southport Hesketh tournament weekend with no fewer than seven of our teams taking part. The under 8’s under 10’s and under 12’s took part in a tournament organised by the No More Knives team, this is a great initiative to encourage youths not to carry or use knives, check the good work out here https://www.facebook.com/nomoreknive/ The under 10’s finished second in a couple of tournaments which is testament to the progress they have made over this last year, they also hosted a 5 a side tournament at Dunes on the weekend of the airshow to raise money for the Mayor of Seftons charity. Winners of the ‘champions league’ was Southport Trinity and the winners of the ‘Europa league’ was Southport Athletic Orange. The under 17’s ran a 6 a side competition to help raise money for the local NHS charity. Next summer we aim to run a couple of tournaments ourselves at Ferryside lane to raise some money towards an exciting project that helps secure the future of the club but more details on that at a later date………..

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Safeguarding

Ahead of the new season you will see a big push on our Facebook page and in your football groups on how you as parents can help create a positive side line, we want to create the best possible environment for the children to play football, it’s the responsibility of parents, coaches and players to make sure unacceptable behaviour isn’t tolerated. We have to remember the game belongs to the children and not us as adults and we have to let them play and enjoy it. Below is a little preview of the social media post. The FA in conjunction with the NSPCC are having a big push on this and the weekend of the 17th and 18th September is designated at the Play Safe weekend and they have launched a new course for parents and carers to take https://thebootroom.thefa.com/learning/qualifications/safeguarding-awareness-for-parents-and-carers its a free course that only takes 25 minutes of your time but is worthwhile and we encourage everyone to check it out.

Payment of subs

To save our treasurer having to reconcile the payments every month and to aid clarity over payments we have decided to use a service that helps manage it for us. After looking at all the systems out there we have partnered up with Team Fee Pay, for the ones already signed up you have probably had the first email to remind you a payment is being taken on the 1st of September and they also send you a receipt when payment has been made which helps reduce any queries and provides clarity for both parents and the club. It helps produce accounts at the end of the season which again saves the volunteers lots of time. Any problems setting this up please email southportathleticjfc@gmail.com and we will do our best to help you. As always if anyone is worried about not being able to afford paying subs please come and speak to the club in confidence and we will see how we can help.

Winter Training

We are booked in at Greenbank from 10th October but it might be the week after for some times but once the slots have been confirmed with the coaches they will let you know.

New Season, New Teams, New Sponsors

This year we have welcomed two new under 7’s team who are both generously sponsored by www.hickorys.co.uk/venue/southport/ and will be ran by Phil and Paul. We have also welcomed a new under 12 team sponsored by www.facebook.com/jajonesflooring and www.facebook.com/excelflooringandcarpets and ran by Carl, there’s a new addition at under 8 too with the new white’s team sponsored by www.divintyhairsouthport.co.uk and led by Rob and supported by Scott.

New sponsors for existing teams

Under 11 Blacks www.specsavers.co.uk I can see a few jokes about this over the season!

Under 12 Reds www.lma.ac.uk

Under 13 Blacks www.photondale.co.uk

Under 13 Reds www.ribblecycles.co.uk and www.barclaypropertiesltd.co.uk

We cannot thank the sponsors enough, your generosity is amazing, especially with the cost of living squeeze we are currently facing.

Newsletter - End of the 22 Season

First of all thank you to all the players, parents, sponsors and coaches on another fantastic season. Its been a season of growth and progression on and off the pitch!

Lets start with a bit of club news, at the start of this season we had 13 teams at our club, at the start of next season we potentially have 19 teams! This says a lot about what we all collectively are doing that so many players want to be part of our club.

The u7 and u9 groups in particular have seen big interest, at the start of the season we just had one team in each age group , by Christmas we entered a second teams into the league and next season we have a third teams starting! This has been driven by the coaches Scott (u7) and Stephen (u9) and the fantastic work they are doing.

Registrations

The new season registration form is now starting to be handed out and the £25 fee falls due soon. This fee helps towards pitch fees, affiliation to the league and county FA, insurance, league entry fees and helps towards the kits. No one at this club has a paid role or claims expenses and is totally ran by volunteers.

Social and fundraising committee

We set this up a couple of weeks ago and the first two people to come forward to help were Chloe Williams and Kelly Gilboy who have children in our u7 reds team. I’ve got to say their enthusiasm has been a breath of fresh air and they have already sorted the raffle prizes out for the presentation day already! They have contacted several local businesses who have donated prizes from restaurant vouchers to signed shirts to match tickets for Southport FC to name but a few!

The raffle is key to helping cover the costs of the presentation which costs roughly £2500

 If you feel you could help the more the merrier so please contact Paul, Ben, Alan, Chloe or Kelly for more information. We asked them for a picture but as they hadn’t washed their hair they said no!

Presentation day 18th June

Keep the date free! Its once again at Southport Rugby Club on Waterloo Road, So far we have a DJ and karaoke, raffle, inflatable assault course to keep the kids entertained as well as the usual end of season awards. Food is available to purchase on the day from the hatch in the function room. We need an idea of numbers so the kitchen has enough stock to serve everyone wanting something to eat.

New teams for next season

Next season we are welcoming to the club three new under 7 teams, a new under 8’s, a new under 9’s and a new u12’s! A big SAJFC welcome to all our new members and we hope you enjoy being part of the Southport Athletic family.

Sadly we are saying goodbye to our current under 17 team, injuries and Saturday jobs have gotten in the way of playing football and they have taken the decision to call it a day. We wish all the lads the best and glad you chose to play for us. A huge thanks goes to Neil and Andy for looking after the team this past couple of years.

New Sponsors

Huge thank you to Hickorys Smokehouse for sponsoring two of the new under 7 teams. Please check out their latest menu here https://hickorys.co.uk/menus/main_menu/

The under 11 black’s are being sponsored by Specsavers Hearing centre Southport https://www.specsavers.co.uk/hearing a big thank you to Mr and Mrs Kimball for sorting this out.

Photondale Electrical Services are sponsoring the away kit for our u13 black team http://www.photondale.co.uk/

We welcome back returning sponsors www.ribblecycles.co.uk  and T&R Interiors

Cup highs and lows

This year we had another two teams reach finals, first up was the under 10 blacks hoping to repeat last years success. They got off to a great start with Isaac Neal scoring from a Ollie Mullan corner in the first two minutes to settle some early nerves. S&AA reds grew into the game and both teams had chances to score before Harry Swarbrick launched a long clearance downfield which caught in the wind and the bounce caught the S&AA keeper out went in to the empty net which meant we went in at half 2-0 up. The second half carried on much in the same as the first but our defensive unit of Oliver Howse, Lewis Kelly and Taylor Kirkpatrick held strong but S&AA pulled one back with five minutes to go and tested Captain Eddie Thompsons resolve in the last minute but he was equal to it and we ended up 2-1 winners

Squad members. Eddie Thompson, Lewis Kelly, Oliver Howse, Taylor Kirkpatrick, Harry Swarbrick, Harry Ray, Millie Clarke, Oliver Kimball, Ollie Mullan, Isaac Neal, Joseph Asoore.

The under 16’s had their first final on the fantastic Burscough FC 4g pitch. It was a ‘David v Goliath’ match as they were playing top of the table Rainford Rangers who were on a cracking unbeaten run. SAJFC were dogged in their approach and defended from the front to weather the early storm, the game settled down a bit with our lads having to work hard and Rainford knew they were in a game. Rainford struck first but we equalised almost straight away to go into the half time break 1-1. The second half continued with more Rainford pressure which was dealt with more resolute defending and the help of the bar and post the game looked to be heading towards extra time and penalties. Rainford then capitalised on a mix up in defence and scored a second with ten mins remaining. Our lads were tired by this point after putting up a valiant effort and Rainford bagged a couple more goals to secure the win. The support the lads got during the final was excellent so thank you to the parents and coaches from other SAJFC teams for popping down to support the guys

Both finals were superbly organised by the Craven Minor League and our thanks go out to them and Burscough Dynamo and Burscough FC for hosting.

New kits

New kits are coming for all the teams with the non Nike kits and orange away tops for the teams without them. Please respond promptly to requests from your coach about your kit size as Ben who sorts all the kits out has a huge job on his hands ordering it all and getting up printed up.

Ferryside Lane update

We have received a couple of complaints from residents about the car parking situation, you are reminded whilst it is ok to use the road please park considerably by not parking over driveways or on corners. Also a gentle reminder the speed limit is 20mph and only 5mph on the access road to the small car park on the field. Crossens way just off the coastal road has plenty of space to park so please consider using this area too. Paul and Alan met with some local councillors about our plans to make the field feel more like our home ground and the parking issue was brought up. Hopefully when the new Lidl development is built we will be able to use the car park there so there will be no need to park on Ferryside Lane and Kingston Close.

A few thoughts from our coaches on how the season has gone for their teams

Jay under 7 blacks

Wow, what a 1st season we have had! We may still be looking for our 1st win, but the progress we have made as a team is astounding. Each week watching the improvement and knowledge that is developing in this group of players is a joy to behold. As the weeks progressed the players become accustomed to the roles and positions each of them hold within the team, the performances improved week on week and the team spirit and confidence has grown along with it. The levels the players have grown to is thanks in no small part to Scott and the support of all the parents. When I put myself forward to manage the team, I Didn’t know what to expect, but the support from the parents, the club and most of all Scott and Chloe, I am looking forward to helping take my forward for many seasons to come. Breaking news we won our first game!

Stephen under 9 reds

The u9 Reds have had a fantastic second half to the season, not only measured in results but in how the boys have performed and improved individually and collectively. A very strong showing at the Southport FC tournament at Haig Ave was a fitting end to the season for what has become a strong and close-knit team.

The u9s are growing in numbers all the time and we will have three teams at this age group next season. Ste and John will continue to focus on positional rotation to support player development, and above all on participation and enjoyment.

“I have enjoyed playing in different positions, learning how to play in them. I feel a lot more confident since being at Southport Athletic and feel part of the team. Thank you for all the boys supporting me” Jenson Redmond, left wing back and centre midfielder, age 9

Paul under 10 blacks

It’s been a joy to coach this team as the progress they have made since losing every game at under 7 level to winning the shield last year, to getting promoted to the North part of the league and competing against the stronger teams to winning the shield again this season has been sensational. I’m proud of every single one of them and personally for me its been great to be a part of their journey. ‘‘i thought we were going to get battered when we got into the north league but we worked hard and got some good performances and wins’’ Ollie Mullan age 9

Shaun and Matthew under 12 reds

Dominating end of the season from the u12 reds.

The final run in from the U12 reds was akin to the recovery LFC had at the end of the 21 season. We recovered from a couple of unfortunate and ill-timed injuries to two key players, along with the team settling into a rhythm of knowing their roles and positions. Communication and link-up play between the players paid dividends, with U12 beating three teams convincingly that we’ve never been able to beat in the past, including teams from the higher league.

Max, SAJFC Right footed left-winger, was quoted, “That’s two hat-tricks in two games”

The 22/23 season, now being 11v11, is going to be an exciting one and the boys seem up for it too.

That’s it for now and good luck to our teams playing in summer leagues and tournaments throughout the summer and as always if you can help or have anything for the newsletter please email southportathleticjfc@gmail.com

Newsletter - March 2022

As some of you are aware we were formed after the theft of monies from Phoenix FC, whilst we have no formal ties to that club some of our parents and players were victims of the fraud.

We saw the verdict handed out to the people entrusted with running Phoenix and whilst we take no joy at seeing a mother of three children having to spend time behind bars we welcome the verdict as it allows us to look forward and put this behind us.

The way our club is set up is to ensure complete confidence and trust, the key positions at the club are held by people that aren’t related and no spouses can be on the committee. We believe this is the most transparent way of doing things and we publish our accounts every three months at the committee meetings. A copy of the club accounts will be available at the end of the season.

Also this club is entirely ran by volunteers, nobody gets paid is purely for the love of grassroots football! The time the people spend doing all the admin or coaching is taking free time away from their own families so if you are interested in helping out please please please get in touch, even an hour here or there or helping set up or take down the pitches helps.

Whilst we don’t want to dwell on the past the loss of a potential clubhouse was a massive blow and it’s a key aim of the club to get a club house for us and the local community to use. Another aim is to improve drainage and pitch quality at Ferryside Lane as we see our long term future at the site. The site is council owned and operated but we see massive potential in the site and look forward to speaking to Sefton Council again about how we can jointly provide a grassroots hub in Southport that is sorely lacking.

Anyways on to football news!

Last weekend saw four teams take part in semi finals and there was mixed success, two teams won and reached the final and the other two were unsuccessful.

First up was Stephens under 9 reds who faced a strong Hillside Athletic team, after the first meeting between the two teams ended with Hillside running out clear winners we went into the game clear underdogs. However SAJFC surprised Hillside with a very determined display and after a couple of world class saves by Hillsides goalkeeper and a penalty save by SAJFC’s keeper Fabian, Hillside finally came out on top with a 1-0 win. We wish them well in the final against Churchtown Jags.

Next was Alans under 10 reds against S&AA reds. Alans team put in a dogged display after losing some key players this season but in the end S&AA’s quality and substitutions helped seal a very worthy win.

Paul’s under 10 blacks reached their second successive final against a very well drilled Birkdale United. The team took a very early lead in front of the cameras (more on that later) and never looked back, some of the link up play was the best we have seen from them and the goals ranged from well worked tap ins to screamers from outside of the box. They will face S&AA reds who beat Alans team in what should be a very entertaining and close game if previous meetings are to go by! The final is to be played at the fantastic facilities at Burscough Dynamo’s home ground Abbey Lane on Sunday 24th April.

Craigs under 16’s reached their final by way victory over Southport Trinity but who better to tell you about than Craig himself!

⚽️Cup 1-0 SP Trinity⚽️

Very proud of all the squad today. A well deserved 1-0 win that on chances should have been at least 3-0 and puts us into our first Final👊 Some excellent and lovely football all round from the team and everyone played their part and had great games.👏👏👏

Probably one of the best disciplined and controlled wins we have ever had and more gratifying as they did it on a big Semi-final game against their adversaries. Lewis P captained the side today and lead by example taking the penalty for an early second half lead.  This was after some really good first half play by all and creating chances for Theo, James C (unlucky with them) and good shots from Louis and Olly B.

Second half continued with strong  midfield play from Adam, Olly B, Cam T and solid defence from Cohen, Ben, Lewis, Kieran, Nayr, all whilst attackers Theo, James C, Louis, Nath, James K and Sam at the end looked dangerous throughout. Pass and move play was excellent thoughout the team and they all defended so well, I really can’t think of any key chances from the opposition, bar a first half scrappy corner header.

Cohen completely out marked one of the best forwards in the league and deserved Parents MOM.👏

Josh kicking in net was awesome, keeping us on the offensive and very safe hands earned him Managers MOM with the whole squad in truth due to their support. We appreciate their team support throughout. Still let’s not forget the big picture, this team has been a developing team for many years and to play so well in their first ever semi-final with all their parents watching, takes a hell of a lot of character and hence why I’m so pleased and proud of them all today. Special shout out to James C recovery who took a bad knock to the face and spent the afternoon in A&E and thankfully hearing he’s going to be fine 🤞.  The date and the venue of the final is still TBC but once we know it would be great to see you all down there supporting the team.

We were on TV! We are going to be in the newspapers!

As mentioned earlier BBC North West Tonight visited us to do a good news piece on how well we have done since forming. Alan was meant to be interviewed but he was too busy managing the team looking for a first win of the season so Paul got thrust in front of the cameras despite it being completely out of his comfort zone! After seeing himself on TV he quickly booked in for a visit to the barbers for a long overdue haircut! The cameraman was on the pitch filming sections of the game and got some great footage of the game. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-60739346

Alan met the Liverpool Echo as they want to take up our story and we will send the link out to that once the story is published.

We need you!

As mentioned earlier we are always looking for volunteer coaches so if you know anyone please tell them to get in touch. We are also looking at adding new players to our under 10 teams in preparation for next years switch to 9 a side football.

Contacts for the club southportathleticjfc@gmail.com

www.southportathletic.co.uk or via our facebook page @southportathleticjfc 

Newsletter - January 2022

Welcome to the January edition of the SAJFC newsletter

January starts with the resumption of the League fixtures, u12-u17 started the weekend of 8/9 but only the under 17's managed to get a game as the wet weather played havoc with the fixture list.

The under 7 to u10's get going on the 23rd of January and our two new teams get to play their first competitive games. First up is the under 7 blacks coached by the reds manager Scott and ran on the match days by Jay. Next up is the under 9 blacks coached by Chris. We hope you enjoy your first games and we welcome you to the Southport Athletic family.

We have purchased some new metal foldable goals to replace the old tired plastic ones we have been making do with. All age groups based at Ferryside lane now have them and they are a great investment as they look great and save the volunteers’ lots of time setting up the pitches.

Matthew completed his epic sponsored 162km bike ride raising an amazing £4558 for the club! Everyone is grateful and proud of Matthews efforts as fundraising is vital to the continued success of our club.

Alan and Paul had a meeting with Sefton council with a view to making Ferryside lane feel more of a home ground for us. At some point soon you will see some SAJFC signs up and around the place. We welcome the chance to work with Sefton Council to improve Ferryside so we can keep enjoying our football there.

The Christmas party was a great success despite having to split the numbers due to COVID regulations, we followed the rules despite the government not being able to follow their own rules! Highlights included a visit from Santa and mini Santa and chairman Alans attempts at the macarena. Everyone seemed to have a good time thanks to the DJ, raffle, Alans party games and Southport Rugby club for putting on a great party.

Speaking of parties, save the date for our annual end of season awards presentation and celebration. Again it will be held at Southport Rugby club on Saturday 18th June. The usual club awards of players, managers and parents players of the year are up for grabs. There will be entertainment, food to purchase from the rugby club, raffle prizes and possibly karaoke after the success of it at the Christmas party.

The last item is we have called a committee meeting on the 1st February 7 pm at the Richmond pub to keep everyone up to date on club matters. If anyone would like to attend or add items for discussion please contact southportathleticjfc@gmail.com

Show Racism the Red Card and Heads Up

I’m finally back, sorry it’s been a while!

A lot has been happening since we went into the original lockdown, way back in March of last year. At the school that I teach at, I have been teaching about ‘Discrimination and Prejudice’, in the Humanities and PE lessons. A focus area that has been looked at is the racial abuse England football players received, after the summers European Championship final against Italy and the effects it had on the players mental health. After Danny Rose was abused by fans, Raheem Sterling tweeted 'get some education', and that's exactly what Larches High School wanted to help with. Students have been looking at the North-East charity organisation ‘Show Racism the Red Card’, which uses inspirational footballers to help children tackle racist attitudes.

Show Racism the Red Card is the UK's largest anti-racism charity and students and staff have been encouraged to wear something red to show how we unite against racism.

In 1990s Newcastle, Shaka Hislop was at a petrol station near St James Park when he was confronted with a group of young people shouting racist abuse at him. After one of the group realised that they had been shouting at Shaka Hislop, the then Newcastle United football player, they came over to ask for an autograph. It was from this experience that Shaka realised he could harness his status as a professional player to make a difference. Coupled with the power of football and his status as a role model, Shaka thought education could be an effective strategy in challenging racism in society.

The students worked through lessons that explored the idea of stereotypes and how to identify a racial incident and the way in which they can deal effectively with these potential incidents. They also explored what Hate-Crime is, how to distinguish what is and isn’t a hate crime and how to report a hate crime. The lessons identified how people of all ages and backgrounds have suffered with the experience of racism and how much it can cause innocent people to suffer just because of their race, culture, heritage and religion.

An educational film was also viewed which features high profile players from across the footballing world, past and present discussing their experiences of racism.

Our very own club president and coach and not forgetting Captain of League Two side Tranmere Rovers FC’s Peter Clarke. Who kindly lent us use one of his shirts to display in the lessons. The shirt carries the ‘Not Today or Any Day’ logo on which is the EFL’s campaign against anti racism.

Following on from this topic we looked at mental health and looked at the work the charities and organisations have set up such as ‘Mind’, whose logos are on the back of all EFL teams numbers. Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Mind also campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.

 We also looked at the FA’s Premier League’s ‘Heads Up’ and ‘Heads Together’ campaigns.

These initiatives are spearheaded by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex to change the conversation on mental health and give people the tools that they need to have a conversation – wherever they are and whenever they need to.

In the build up to these sessions I attended webinars and online courses for Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) and trauma-informed practice, Childhood Trauma and Attachment in schools, Emotion Coaching and Supporting children and young people with ADHD and or/ ASC in football.

 These causes have linked up with my teaching position and role within Southport Athletic JFC. During the October half term, myself and U7s coach Scott, trialled a new initiative that we hope will become a regular event over the course of each year. The ‘Football for All’, Foundation football sessions invited 12 players from 7 different clubs from the Southport area. The session looked at players who had just started out in the game, who were looking to increase game time and established players who could buddy up with the newer players to help each other gain confidence in the game. The session was a great success and me, Scott and the club are looking at dates for next year that will again look at specific target areas such as promoting ‘girls football, players with SEN or extra needs, academy style sessions for the older players, coaching work shops and player position specific sessions’. We aim to run these sessions with a small donation to the club from each player who attends. The next sessions we are pencilling in for around Easter time, so watch out for more updates on the foundation sessions.

For more information on the topics discussed in the article please follow the links or numbers below, which will direct you with the various organisational charities and groups

• Call Mind Infoline 0300 123 3393

• Text SHOUT 85258: A free text service providing 24/7 support for anyone who needs support.

• https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/heads-up

• https://www.theredcard.org

Newsletter - November 21

Welcome to the latest edition of the SAJFC news

 Firstly, we will start with the incredible growth we are experiencing. At the start of the season, we had 142 registered players and now we have 170 with more joining soon! We must be the fastest growing club in Southport and that is down to not only the volunteer coaches but the word of mouth from the parents. We get enquiries almost every other day through the website or Facebook page so we must be doing something right! Clearly, that growth means we could do with some extra help so if you can spare some time please let us know, it might be as simple as helping set up or put away the goals on match days or getting involved with the committee, every little helps after all!

Continuing with the growth theme, we are delighted to welcome two new teams that are in the process of being set up and entered into the league in January. Firstly, it’s our new Under 9 Blacks sponsored by Divinity Hair and coached by Chris Lloyd and secondly the www.dctuk.com sponsored under 7 blacks who are being coached by our existing under 7 manager Scott and ran on matchdays by Jay Barton. Good luck to all involved and I hope you enjoy your football journey with us.

Christmas party update

Tickets are now with the coaches, the first allocation is for the people who requested them on the Spond post but we do have some spares left so please get in touch if you want to attend. Please look after your ticket as that can be redeemed for food in the rugby club!

On the night there will be a DJ, party games, raffle and a visit from Santa who will hand out selection boxes for the younger children. We have had some generous raffle prizes donated so far which amongst others includes

• 5 x £20 vouchers for game from L Billington

• Lego Avengers set from D Laird

• Champagne from C Mott

• Whiskey from K Allan

• Mega Sweet box from S Taylor

• Primark vouchers from C Williams

• Nike footballs from SAJFC

• SAJFC branded woolly hats (some will be on sale)

It promises to be a great night but please follow the latest government advice regarding coronavirus to keep everyone safe for Christmas.

A massive thank you to our under 7 sponsor Ian Rylands for his help moving the storage container on Ferryside, it proved to be a logistical nightmare for the container company but Ian came up with a solution and brought a digger over to lift it up into position, Thanks again Ian!

How are the teams doing?

Next up is a few thoughts from some of our coaches on how the season is going so far

Scott from the under 7 reds

What an amazing and exciting few months it has been for the newest members of the Southport Athletic JFC family the U7’s.

 The U7’s have taken to league games like a duck to water and have put on some very impressive displays despite their young years. Even in the face of adversity they play with a smile, and the love of the game, everything we have tried to promote at this level!!

The togetherness and family values of the team and club has been a massive factor in our success with parents chipping in to help bring each other to training and matches!!

With that said we are now delighted to announce a further U7’s team (Team Black) that will be starting their own league journey with us come January!

Chris from the u8 whites

U8 white have shown improvement every game they have played so far, the lads always give 100% effort and I'm sure the results will come soon.

Stephen and Chris from the under 9 teams

The u9 group has gone from strength to strength, with a new team of players growing to such numbers that we've got a second team joining the league in the New Year.

We organised, hosted, and won (!) the inaugural Biograd Cup in against teams from across the region, and raised more than £750 for the Sefton Afghan Appeal - so the boys went to meet the Mayor of Sefton to present her with a big cheque.

On the field, the u9 Reds are improving every week, with some great performances and good results, and are looking forward to a derby match against the u9 Blacks in the New Year

Alan from the under 10 Reds

Under 10 reds got off to a good start with two close draws and couple of defeats by one goal however last few games have been disappointing with heavy defeats which have deflated the lads but we have been unable to get as much training time in over the winter which would help us.

Paul from the under 10 Blacks

we have continued where we left off last season enjoying some great results and getting some wins against teams from the higher part of the league which is who we want to be testing ourselves against week in week out now. We know it will be a learning curve for our team but one we are looking forward too.

Ben from the under 11’s

great start to the season playing 9 aside football and the 2 new lads have settled in well with the team. The team have grown in confidence and are playing some really nice football.  After the teams undefeated league run last year we are hoping for the same this year and a trophy to top it off

Shaun and Matthew from the under 12 reds

This season we’ve been having some highs and lows, importantly more highs. We are really seeing the boys developing into some good, strong footballers and the team uniting around each other. This is the last season at 9V9 for us, so getting used to passing and making use of space has been important. Big thank you for the parents who turn up and watch each week despite the weather it does really help keep the boys motoring. Southport athletic JFC U12‘s reds are really looking forward to getting some more wins under their belts. Game on!

Also thank you to Simply Gifts for our personalised water bottles

Neil from the under 18’s

Have had an excellent start to the season which sees us sitting 2nd in the league a point from top with a game in hand. We have showed great team spirit and a never say die attitude displayed in the last 2 games where we have come from behind in the last 10 minutes to snatch a victory and a draw. If we show the same attitude in the 2nd half of the season we won’t be a million miles away from silverware 🤞🤞

As you can see the coaches are all positive and looking forward to the rest of the season. We have tried to create a family feel to this community club but if you have any concerns or ideas on how to develop us further please get in touch.

Our lovely sponsors

Lastly, we need to thank our sponsors who through their generous support our vision of being able to provide a football club every member can be proud to be a part of.

Premier Roofing, Ribble Cycles, T&R Bespoke, MJ Taylor roofing, LPB Panel Products, Just Wings, Mr Casey’s, Ian Rylands, Southport Gate Company, Dr Hennessy, Servoca, BB Electrical, Silverstone Heating, Tobin Roofing, MJ Roofing, Richard King Haulage, Project M and our three new sponsors DCTUK, Cleartech Communications and Divinity Hair Southport.

Thank you from everyone involved at Southport Athletic.

Contact us through the facebook page or at southportathleticjfc@gmail.com

Newsletter - October 21

Sorry for the delay in getting this issue of the newsletter out but we have been really busy with the season starting and other things going on behind the scenes.

Great to be back

Firstly football has been welcomed back to Ferryside lane, the season is going well for all teams with either good results or progressively better performances. Our new u7’s are flying and off to a great start with some brilliant team performances and getting some really good wins under coach Scott.

The new Under 9 team is generating so much interest we now have enough to start a second team at Christmas. Credit for this is down to coach Stephen and the children for creating a safe inclusive atmosphere that other children and parents are looking at and thinking I need my child to be a part of that and we are getting a steady stream of emails enquiring on how they can become a part of the SAJFC family!

5 a side success

On the 25th September, we held a friendly 5 a side tournament for the new u9’s and invited our friends at Kirkby Storm, Churchtown jaguars, Southport Trinity and Southport Hesketh to come and help raise some money for the Sefton Afghan Appeal that is helping families affected by the war in Afghanistan settle in Sefton. Thanks to our main sponsors Biograd, Edgars Famly Fuit and Churchtown Chimney Sweep and generous donations on the day including a one from Formby Juniors who couldn’t make it we raised £747.14p! Football was a winner on the day too as all the games were really competitive and both semi finals were decided by penalty shootouts. The final was contested by two Southport Athletic sides in a really keenly contested game. The orange team came out on top and lifted the Biograd trophy. Thanks to all the volunteers on the day and Scott from the u7’s and Martin from the u8’s for reffing the games. Thanks to Green Sefton who let us use the pitches and Liverpool County FA for sanctioning the tournament.

Everyone who took part really enjoyed the day. The winning team have very kindly been invited to Southport Town Hall on Tuesday 19th October to meet the Mayor who will present the trophy to the them, the boys are really excited as it’s a huge honour to be invited to meet the Mayor of Sefton!

Metal box

You may of noticed we have now purchased the storage container for Ferryside lane. This will house all our matchday equipment and a really good asset for the club as we now have 24 hour access to our equipment. As part of the planning consent we need to paint it green so if you have any free time to help please contact your coach.

Speedy recovery

A bit of sad news now, Joe from our under 17’s sadly dislocated his knee in the first game of the season and everyone at the club wishes you a speedy recovery mate.

162 what?!

Matthew our U12 coach is raising money for the club and is only 13% from hitting the £4,000 target. He is going to cycle 1km for every kid registered with the club, which is a mammoth 162km in one go.

For the final push to hit the target Matthew is also giving everyone who donates a chance to win a pair of Brand-New Adidas Predator freak football boots worth £85. So please please donate the £2, it’s the minimum just giving allows. If you donate more, you get more chances to win. The winner chooses the size too.

Add your name for who you want to win the boots in the Just giving message.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/MatthewCyclesforSAJFC

Thank you. Good luck to you and good luck Matthew.

Save the date

Date for your diary – Friday 17th December we are having a Christmas party at Southport Rugby club. Parent helpers will be required on the day to ensure it all goes smoothly. There is a visit from Father Christmas so everyone will need to be on their best behaviour! Again if you can help please let us know.

Celtic legend Neil Lennon delights Southport Athletic Junior Football Club

Youngsters at a new junior football club in Southport were delighted when one of the most successful football managers in Europe turned up as a guest of honour for their first-ever awards presentation. 

Players at Southport Athletic Junior Football Club enjoyed their awards ceremony at Southport Rugby Football Club on Saturday, where they were overjoyed to be joined by former title winning Celtic player and manager Neil Lennon. 

Southport Athletic Junior Football Club is a newly formed club, founded in March last year to help develop young footballers aged 6 to 16. It was founded from the previous Phoenix FC under a completely new management. 

The club has an inclusive culture and wants the young players to enjoy their footballing experience.

Paul Mullan runs Southport Athletic Junior Football Club along with friends Alan McCoombe and Ben Minto. 

Paul said: “What a day! Saturday was our first presentation day and it went amazingly well. 

“We would like to say a big thank you to Sue Astwood at Southport Rugby Football Club for donating raffle prizes, Jeff Wilkinson at Bouncy Castle Parade for supplying the inflatables and Lisa at Lisa’s Big Balloon for the balloon arch.” 

Neil Lennon is a good friend of  Chris Mooney, the club’s Under-7s manager, and Joanne Delaney-McGuffie, and was delighted to come down and support the youngsters.

Paul Mullan said: “It was a great surprise to see Neil Lennon at our awards event! 

“Chris Mooney came down with Neil, and introduced me to him. I suddenly looked at him and thought ‘that’s Neil Lennon’! 

“When the parents saw who it was, there was lots of whispering, people saying ‘It’s Neil Lennon’! 

“He had quite a steady stream of people asking him for photos and for autographs. He was really good, very generous with his time. 

“He also helped us to draw the raffle. 

“At the end of the event I thanked him for coming along to our presentation. 

Newsletter - July 2021

Well, that’s the end of the first season as Southport Athletic!

First of all, we want to thank all the parents, sponsors and anyone else that has given us help and support to get the club to the healthy position it now finds itself in.

Now that restrictions are being lifted we hope to see you all at presentation day on Saturday 24th July. We are hoping to start at 2pm with the first trophies being presented to the u7’s at 3pm concluding with the u11’s shortly after 4pm. We are going to try and split the presentation day so for the u13 upwards please arrive from 5pm with the aim for 5.30pm trophy start for the u13 onwards, the presentation of trophies must be finished by 6.30pm as the Lions are playing so there may be some members of the rugby club wanting to watch the game. We are more than welcome to stay and carry on though. this will also enable us to manage the bar area at the rugby club as it can get very busy in there. Please remember to stay away if you are showing any signs of Covid. Anyone not able to attend who has won a trophy we will make arrangements to get it to you, Fingers crossed for dry weather 

It’s worth noting some of the success the club has achieved this year,

• Offered a £5 discount subs to second and third children of the same family

• Secured a defibrillator grant via our friends at Southport Community link foundation

• Organised a food bank which helped friends and family of the club

• Posted Christmas cards to the residents of Ferryside lane and Kingston Crescent and handed out cards to local dog walkers who use Ferryside Lane  

• Some teams put on free zoom fitness classes during the lockdowns to keep the kids fit and seeing each other.

• Two teams reached finals in June but more on that later.

• Replacement of goals and equipment has started with the purchase of folding 7 a side and 9 a side goals

• Opening of a community bank account so the club can operate correctly under FA guidelines

This is just a start and hopefully this goes to show we are more than a football club as we want to be a part of the local community.

The club has big plans for the future and we would welcome more involvement from parents or guardians, if you feel you could help in anyway please contact southportathleticjfc@gmail.com

Finals day 20th June

First up was the under 9 blacks, they played Crosby Stuart youth at 10am on a very good pitch at Burscough Dynamo. I have to say the quality of the pitches and set up there is first class and a great credit to all involved at Burscough. The first half was one of very few chances but SAJFC took the lead just before half time with a well taken strike from Harry Swarbrick, the second half continued in a similar fashion and towards the end it was a backs to the wall job as Crosby kept pouring forward trying to break us down but our defensive shape managed to limit Crosby to one decent shot from outside the box with about a minute to go but Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Thompson pulled off a great save and we managed to hold on for the win. Everyone there said what a terrific game it was to watch, being involved I’m not sure I want to go through that last five minutes again though! Credit to Crosby Stuart’s players for pushing us all the way

Squad Eddie Thompson, Oliver Howse, Lewis Kelly, Connor Baldwin, Harry Swarbrick, Ollie Mullan, Oliver Kimball, Jo Assore, Millie Clarke, Zac Pemberton, Harry Ray.

The under 10’s final against Redgate Rovers didn’t go according to the form book, the first half redgate scored against the run of play and SA found themselves 3-1 down at half time. The second half they pushed and pushed but couldn’t find a way through a resolute Redgate defence who held on for a 3-1 win. Commiserations go out to Ben, Peter and the team but they should be rightly proud of their efforts as they were unbeaten throughout the league season and beyond. We know with the determination of the boys in the squad they won’t let the disappointment get to them and they will be back next season to win it.

Squad Finlay Yapp, Adam Sajan Harrison Dale, Bradley Birkby, Oliver Minto, Charlie Pritchard, Cameron Clarke, Micheal Hannah, Alfie McCreavy Daniel Sandells  Logan Tanner

Next season

Firstly the bad news our current u13’s aren’t going to continue, the switch to Saturday football has decimated the squad. Some of these lads have been together years so it’s heartbreaking to see. It will be nice to give you a proper send off at the presentation evening so please don’t forget to attend.

We are welcoming three new teams, a new under 7 team coached by Scott and Ian, another under 8 team coached by Carl and a new under 9 team coached by Stephen welcome to SAJFC everyone.

Kits

we are purchasing new kits for these teams (kit1 and kit2 images) some other teams have secured a full new sponsor and will be getting the above kits but we are hoping to get another year out of the current kit. Any kits returned will be reused and distributed throughout the remaining teams to ensure this can happen. Kit costs are a huge expense to grassroots teams so we need to try and keep the cost down where we can. That said if you know anyone that can sponsor one of our teams please get in touch. 

McDonald’s donation

Alan reached out to Kenny Dalgleish and as an ambassador for grassroots football he spoke to McDonald’s who gifted us some much needed equipment for all teams to use this is very generous of McDonald’s and King Kenny (as a United fan it feels weird to type that) he didn’t have to contact anyone but he went out of his way to help us out so I can put my allengine to one side and say thank you very much once again

Lawnmower Donation

The club have been gifted a ride on lawn mower by James Dean of West Coast Geomatics so we can help with grass cutting subject to Sefton Councils approval. James is a big supporter of SAJFC as his son plays in one of the under 9 teams that he also sponsors. Thank you James from us all at SAJFC

Southport NHS Cup

Our under 15’s manager Craig arranged a charity 7 a side tournament with the intention of raising some money for our local NHS trust. The teams taking part were SAJFC, Southport Trinity and Hesketh Colts. The final was keenly contested by one of the Southport Athletic teams and Hesketh Colts, the final was decided by a single penalty to the Colts which they converted. The total raised was £330 pounds and we would like to say thank you to all the clubs taking part and Craig wants to thank Fran, Vicki, Julia, Lindsey, Dan, Chris, Dave and Ian for all their help on the day making sure the tournament went smoothly. The hospital was really grateful for the donation and sent a letter of thanks

To all coaches and assistants, Alan, Ben, Martin, Paul, Peter, Shaun, Matt, Craig, Fran, Neil, Andy, Tony, Stephen, Chris and Martyn thank you for the seen and unseen hours you put in so the kids at SAJFC can play the game we all love.

As always if there is anything you would like to add to the newsletter please contact Alan at alanmccoombe05@gmail.com or southportathleticjfc@gmail.com

Newsletter - April 2021

Easter Weekend saw the return of the football season for us all, at long last.

Overall it was a successful weekend for most of our teams to win or draw. Unfortunately, I saw my team lose although, it was to one of our other teams 😞 it was a very hard-fought contest and thoroughly entertaining. Paul Mullen and I also got to watch our under 16s at Devonshire Road on Easter Saturday. The standard of play was excellent with our boys winning 2-0 again, in a very tight game. If you find time to get down to some of the games to support the club teams, you will not be disappointed. The standard of football is exceptional. I would also just like to comment on how well it looks to see all the players and coaches wearing the club jackets at games the image we are portraying is second to none.

With regards to the current Covid guidelines, we would just like to remind everyone of the current rules regarding grassroots football.

• As long as the games are held in a public field more spectators are permitted. So this means more family members can now watch their child play. As usual, the rules are still confusing and at games, we still need to observe social distancing rules. For more information on this please go to the following link to read more.

If anyone can explain it please feel free to email me.🤣🤣🤣

• Social distancing must be maintained by everyone attending games and training.

• Please remember to use “Sponds” to advise manager if playing or not. This forms the basis of our track and trace set up.

As advised in the last Newsletter the bank account is now up and running and payment of subs started again on the 1st of April. Some parents have forgotten to change the bank details and have been paying money into the old temporary account so can everyone check payments are going into the correct account going forwards. This will save a lot of time in the administration of the account.

Just to remind you the New account details are:-

NatWest Bank Details:

Name of Account: Southport Athletic Junior Football Club
Sort Code: 60-20-11
Account Number: 44647662

Please remember to state the name of the child and age group e.g. Billy Smith Under 16s. Again this will save a lot of time trying to reconcile payments.

Again we would remind all parents that cash will not be accepted by the managers. After what has gone on previously with Phoenix, payments have to be directly into the club account.

Whilst we are on the subject of Phoenix most have you will have seen in the news that the couple accused of stealing all our money appeared in court in March and the case has been referred to the Crown Courts. I understand the hearing at Liverpool will be on the 19th of April 2021. We will keep you fully informed as and when we have more information.

So what else have we been doing during the last month?

  Our club treasurer Peter Clarke played in the Wembley final for Tranmere Rovers on March 14th. Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of a 1-0 result against Sunderland. It was a very tight game and the result could have gone either way. Unlucky Peter. Maybe see you there in the playoffs in front of a crowd.

New goals for the five and seven a side teams have been purchased. These were desperate as the existing goals were getting beyond repair. The new goals are metal and fold away which should save a lot of time for the managers setting up for games.

Assuming all goes well with the government plans to ease lockdown we can sort an AGM out for everyone who wants to come along. At the AGM we will be looking to set up a parents committee. The parents’ committee will then be represented at all committee meetings so parents can be heard through representation. Anyone who may be interested in participating on the proposed committee please make contact either, through your manager or directly to the club secretaries.

Please don`t forget to keep Saturday July 24th clear for the club presentation day at Southport Rugby Club on Waterloo Road. All players will receive a trophy in addition to which trophies will also be awarded for the following categories in each team.

1.       Managers Player of the year

2.       Parents player of the Year

3.       Players player of the year

Let`s hope we have good weather on the day and no government restrictions. ☀☀☀☀

The club would like to wish Lucas Barclay, who plays for the under 11’s, a very speedy recovery. Lucas has broken his ankle😬😬😬. Although I understand it wasn`t actually playing football. Get well soon Lucas and I know your team want you back playing.

 Finally, we are looking for a Calor gas tea Urn at Ferryside so we can serve hot drinks on cold days. To purchase new they are very expensive. So if you, or anyone you know, have one they want to get rid of please let us know. Someone out there may even want to carry out a sponsored challenge to raise funds for a new one 🙏🙏. I will start with a £20 donation if you do.

 Finally, I know I say this in every Newsletter but would really like to post something in the Newsletter sent in by a reader. It can be about anything, not just football related.

If you would like to post anything in our newsletter or, have any questions, please feel free to e mail me at alanmccoombe05@gmail.com

Newsletter - March 2021

Well, spring is here and after a painful lockdown, it looks like we will be back playing from 29th March.

As long as the Government see a continued reduction in Covid cases this is the date we have been given. I know most of the managers have arranged friendly games already so hopefully everyone has kept fit during the lockdown.

So since the last Newsletter in January what’s been happening? Well, the answer is simple; an awful lot. First and foremost I am delighted to tell you all that at long last we have a club bank account. On March the 5th Nat West Bank confirmed that are account application was successful.

Nat West Bank Details:

Name of Account: Southport Athletic Junior Football Club
Sort Code: 60-20-11
Account Number: 44647662

Therefore please ensure all future payments made to the club for subs, registration fees etc. are paid into this account. Also please be advised that no future cash payments will be accepted by your managers all payments must be through the bank and clearly referenced. This provides total clarity for all payments being made and takes the pressure off the manager having to collect money. After all, he’s there to coach football.

Amongst other things, this means we can now start actively seeking funding/grants from various bodies which will allow us to establish a firm footing within the local footballing community. Who knows we may have our own ground and clubhouse one day, which is the ambition of everyone at SAJFC.

Just like to say a big thank you to Matthew Lawson for putting us in touch with the bank, as no banks were interested in new accounts during the lockdown.

 So what else have we been doing during the last month?

• We have organised a trophy presentation day for Saturday the 24th July at the Southport Rugby club on Waterloo Road. Full details will be sent out nearer the time but please make a note in your diaries. We would hope that every player and their families will come along and support the club and the players.

• We have been sourcing new Orange away tops for the teams and most teams now have these tops. There are still a couple of teams to sort out but, we’re nearly there.

• From the end of the current lockdown we welcome a new under 7’s team into the Craven Minor League and once again good luck to Chris Mooney. The kids all have a new strip in keeping with the new club colours and I know they’re all excited about the prospect of playing competitive football at long last.

• In addition to Chris’s under 7 team we also have a new group of under 7’s starting next season and they are already being prepared. They will be coached by Ian Slater and Scott Williams so a big thank you to them. Without volunteer coaches, there is no football. Good luck with the training guys and look forward to watching your team play next season.

• We haven’t had any more committee meetings this month but we are hopeful that soon we will be able to hold full meetings and to organise an AGM. Once we can hold an AGM it is likely we will be looking for one or two parents to sit on the committee to represent parents. If this is something you might be interested in please let us know.

• You will no doubt have seen in the recent press that the Police have now charged a man and wife couple for offences relating to missing monies from Phoenix football club. This is all we can comment on at the moment but, we will keep you updated on any further news regarding this matter.

Wembley Here We Come!

Well, that’s not quite true? Read on.

For those of you who don’t know are Club Treasurer Peter Clarke and his teammates at Tranmere Rovers reached the final of the Football League trophy. They visited Oxford United, of Division One, in the Semifinals and won 2-0. Now they play Sunderland in the final at Wembley on Sunday the 14th March. The final is on Sky TV with KO at 3-00 pm.

Unfortunately, the game will be played in an empty stadium due to the continued Covid restrictions. It would have been nice to take all the kids to watch this at Wembley☹☹.

Never mind they are also doing very well in the league and unless they get an automatic promotion (which I sincerely hope they do) we may be able to go to Wembley to watch them in the playoffs. Best wishes to Peter and Tranmere in the final and fingers crossed Sunderland won’t be lucky “ Black cats” 🤣🤣

Hopefully, you all agree that the future’s looking brighter for the continued lifting of Covid restrictions and for our club but remember, we’re not out of this yet so keep staying safe. Looking forward to seeing you all again when the season restarts.

Please If you would like to post anything in our newsletter or, have any questions, please feel free to email me at alanmccoombe05@gmail.com

Newsletter - New Year 2021

On behalf of all the club managers and committee, we wish every one of you a Happy New year and surely this year cannot be any worse than 2020.🤞🤞

Unfortunately, the season restart didn’t last long before we were all back in lockdown and sitting at home wishing we were stood in the rain and wind watching our kids play football. Rumour has it that Grassroots will be back as soon as schools re-open, which is anticipated early in March. I do hope so as I don’t think I can sit at home watching Coronation Street much longer ☺. Seriously, although we’re not playing, the club Committee/Managers have been keeping busy in readiness for the re-start whenever that will be. So what’s been happening?

• Due to the demand of under 7-year-olds wanting to play football a second under 7’s team has been set up and is being managed by Chris Mooney, who also manages the under 13’s. unfortunately, lockdown arrived before they could play their first game in January, Good luck to Chris and the team going forward.

• Just before Xmas some of the managers and younger players set up a stand at Ferryside offering a Christmas card, mince pies and a glass of Port to dog walkers and residents. This was done as a PR exercise and overall was reasonably successful. Although we were not fundraising a total of £50 was donated to the club by the residents and walkers.

• During the current lockdown, Paul and Ben have been doing training / keep fit classes twice a week via Zoom calls which have been well received by those joining in. I’ve participated in odd exercises with Pauls class, along with the whole of my family. Personally, I think I’m the only one who didn’t enjoy them. For those who like serious pain log on to Ben’s classes. Even if you don’t like exercise Paul’s class is very humorous with Eddie Thompson entertaining us all throughout. Also, Martyn has been sending out videos for training during the lockdown.

• At long last, we have been able to apply for a Bank account with The NatWest and hopefully, we should know if we’ve been successful by the end of February.

• We managed to organise a committee meeting on the 28th January, again using Zoom. Due to time limitations on Zoom, the meeting was about an hour. The meeting was well attended and the following matters were discussed.

A.       Club Finances including Income, expenditure and current bank balance. See below for updated income and expenditure.

B.       Annual subs collection and continued suspension of subs until we’re back playing.

C.       New away kits. It is hoped by the start of next season all teams will have an away top. The colour is Orange as voted for last May,

D.       It is hoped that all coaching staff will achieve level 1 FA coaching. For existing managers, this will be paid for by the club. Any new incoming managers approved by the club will have to sign an undertaking that they stay with the club for at least one full season in order to obtain free funding.

That was the meeting in brief.

What else is going on?

Martin Sarbutt from Ben’s under 7’s and club Covid officer has set up a boot room.

He is collecting football boots that are no longer suitable to use Eg. They are too small for your child. The idea is to allow parents to get boots for their children at no cost, although we will advise a small donation to the club can be made if they wish to do so. If you have any boots you don’t want please get in touch with your manager or the club and we will take them off your hands. I know the younger children hardly get any wear out of boots and kits, as they grow so fast.

Below is the clubs latest financial statement.

Again I find myself saying that hopefully next month we will be back playing and training.

Just a reminder, if you, or anyone one you know, are in need of help at this time please let us know. We are a community club and as such, wish to help anyone in need during these difficult times, in any way we can.

Take care everyone and stay safe.

Please If you would like to post anything in our newsletter or, have any questions, please feel free to email me at alanmccoombe05@gmail.com I’m desperate to publish something Cheerful.

Newsletter - December 2020

This month’s newsletter has been guest written by Paul

Well once again it’s been a return to football followed by a break, hopefully just a short one for Christmas (fingers crossed) I hope you have all enjoyed the games no matter the results. I for one look forward to training and games as it’s the only social interaction we are allowed to do at the minute.  

What’s happened since the last newsletter?

Our under 16 team has finally got the reward for the performances they have been putting in and are now on a unbeaten run, myself and Alan went and watched the latest game against Formby JSC and after a tight game Adam Baladi nodded in a last minute winner. I have to admit I got caught up in the moment and jumped up and celebrated. It’s a testament to Neil and Andy’s coaching as the boys never gave up and played good football from the first minute to the last.

Craig’s under 15’s also got their first point on the board, they produced a second half fight back after being a couple of goals down and nearly managed to nick it but it wasn’t to be. Special mention to the new keeper who played great and Josh for popping up with the equaliser.

Ben’s under 10’s are still unbeaten, we might have to start calling Ben the Southport Ancelotti!! All the other teams have been playing well and getting some good results.

We have some other exciting news to share… the club is growing! We have just started up another under 7’s team who will hopefully be playing their first matches in January. They will be managed by Chris Mooney who runs our under 13’s team so he will be busy all day Sunday now and that takes a lot of commitment. Thanks for your efforts Chris

Kit update

We have finally got all the jackets and I have to say despite the delays they look great. I think the teams now look the part. I have even seen some of players wearing them to school so that’s shows they have gone down well. Big big thanks to Ben for sorting this thankless task out, it’s been a bit of a nightmare to sort with supplier issues and covid but he stuck to his vision and its paid off.

Community update

A few of the younger children helped post SAJFC Christmas cards to all the residents of Ferryside Lane to thank them for the support they have shown us since we started playing there.

We also handed out cards to dog walkers along with a small glass of port and a mince pie to encourage healthy dialogue between both users of the field. I think it was a success as we had donations totalling £35 towards the club funds. It wasn’t our intention to collect money but it was greatly appreciated. Thank you to Cheryl who asked to dog walkers to come along so we could speak face to face.

Food bank donations are still coming in and we know of a couple of worthy families to help this Christmas but if you know of anyone that would benefit please get in touch with your manager 

Winter training

Now this has started it’s costing us nearly £1000 a month so we really need to make sure subs are paid promptly please.

Reflection on the past year

Clearly coming from where we were with the old club we have made massive strides in terms of money in the bank and a new club identity. Myself, Ben and Alan were kind of thrown in at the deep end and didn’t realise how much time and effort goes on behind the scenes to enable the 125 children to be able to play football every weekend. We would like to thank all the managers and parents for placing trust in us to deliver a football club the kids hopefully feel proud to play for. We as a collective have achieved so much already and long may that continue.

I’d just like to clear something up, you may have seen some of the younger teams in an orange top, these were bought as the smaller kits were faulty when first delivered so to enable the teams effected to start the season we had to do an emergency purchase. Some of these costs were helped by a sponsor for one team, however these weren’t intended to be an official away kit and just ended up being an unnecessary cost to the club. We will be looking to purchase an away kit for all teams once we have got through a couple of months’ worth of winter training so we know where we stand financially. If you have any concerns about anything you feel is unfair in terms of kit or equipment please come and speak to one of us. Paul and Alan run the under 9 teams and Ben runs the under 10’s we are more than happy to discuss. This club is to be ran fairly for all its members and not just favouring certain teams as in the previous guise.

I’m sorry it’s a long newsletter and I’m sure you will welcome Alan back next month. Happy Christmas and see you in what I hope to be a better new year.

If you have anything you would like to add to the next newsletter please get in touch with Alan on alanmccoombe05@gmail.com or mullan342@gmail.com  

Lockdown Part II: Finding ways to shine during lockdown

I hope everyone is well and is staying safe at home. Again, we find ourselves in a second lock down with football suspended for at least a month. Hopefully, we will be able to play again from the 3rd December. With football only suspended for a month it is important that we find ways to keep ourselves both mentally and physically fit, healthy and prepared for when we can go back to some kind of normality again.

In the first lockdown from March our players saw real-life responsibilities, specially tailored individual programmes, challenging football quizzes and even magic tricks... our players were keeping themselves in shape physically and mentally during that 6-month uncertain period.

Government restrictions and social distancing measures designed to combat the coronavirus have seen football players at all levels resort to exercising individually at home but, by liaising with our coaches and managers and employing basic technology and equipment, those within our club are able to maintain their work ethic, team spirit and competitive edge – and in some cases, show their character away from football.

At Southport Athletic JFC we recognize that it’s important that we’re quite sensitive to the players’, parents and general communities’ situations. Obviously everyone wants to be on the training field, everyone wants to be back at work but the players are finding ways to grow whilst ensuring they adhere to the stay-at-home measures in non-essential situations that are currently in place, which we all know are paramount. In these times, even though it’s difficult, there are still opportunities for them to develop and the players are making the most of that. Examples of this can be seen with players looking after sibling whilst parents, especially those that are key workers are having to work and take on extra working responsibilities, the recent food donations and helping families and individuals who are finding challenges and extra pressure during this uncertain time.

As a club we want to plan  and keep the main element of the football part,  by keeping things fresh, giving them new ideas, new techniques, new skills and asking players to work on areas of their game where they can use this time individually to keep practicing. Coaches will, be able to devise the football sessions and tasks that are all possible within the confines of their houses or gardens – players will be able to deliver back to the coaches and team via whatsapp. Obviously, the players will not be training at the intensity they would be if they were with the group.

Among the football-related challenges that can be set for the players by the coaches can be skills tests, ball-and-a-wall control techniques, headers and balancing drills. Activities can include players being tasked with presenting their best Premier League XI with detailed reasons behind their choices, posting a video in their group and giving a presentation about it, attempting the social media ‘ball in the bin challenge’, taking part in video call quizzes led by the coaches and even attempting magic tricks – all inventive ways of invoking competition while operating from separate locations.

Another example of an activity taking is, asking the boys to write up their own football coaching sessions and use the boys to show, teach and coach each other with tricks, skills, turns and challenges. This way we can keep trying to keep activities and ideas fresh, keeping the players’ minds active as well as their bodies.

Obviously this is a tough time for everybody, but if there’s one thing that could possibly come from this, maybe it’s that our players, as young men and ladies, will have to grow up slightly quicker than they would do normally, because what we’ve also got to be mindful of is that football is secondary to family and making sure that everybody is safe. Ultimately, it’s all about us all staying safe and looking out for each other as a club and our local community.

Newsletter - November 2020

Well as you all know Covid has been causing a lot of problems, and once again we’ve seen Grassroots sports sadly being suspended until at least the 2nd December.

All the hard work that’s been put in by not only the players but, the club coaches and parents have been put on hold because of the increase in the Covid infection rate. Some of you may be thinking, why stop Grassroots football; after all, no one in our team has been affected?

It would appear from the basic records and information that we keep this appears to be the case in the younger teams from the under 10’s down. The older teams, however, have been affected by covid, and prior to lock down many of the older players were missing games or seeing games cancelled, as more and more players were testing positive or having to isolate. Matthew, who assists with Shaun’s under 11’s team and creator of the web site, has recently tested positive for the virus and all at Southport Athletic wish him a speedy recovery.

So what can we do during lockdown? It’s very important that all our players stay fit and prepare the best they can for the return of our beautiful game. I’m sure Robbo will have plenty of advice in his column. Plenty of running and cycling is the best way to keep fit and keep off the Mince Pies which are already in the shops. I’ve had four boxes already. 🤣🤣

Well what else has been happening since the last newsletter?

We have seen some great football from all of our teams, with a lot of teams winning games against sides they were losing to last season. Ben’s under 10’s have continued their success from last season and remain unbeaten so far this year. Keep it going boys.👍

Just before lockdown, several home games were played at Ferryside on the Sunday, on what was a rare sunny day. Everyone agreed that it was a great atmosphere, and for the first time we had a feeling of belonging as a club. It really felt like home with all our teams playing in the same kit and the sponsors advertising banners being displayed around the pitches. Paul and Ben must have felt really proud of what the club had achieved; I know I did. We now have a lock-up at Ferryside where we can store equipment and goals which is a great help and thank you to S and A football club for allowing us to use it.👏👏

Most of you will have noticed the signs erected at Ferryside relating to Dog Poo on the pitches. Since we started using Ferryside, there has been a lot of dog-related issues, not only “Tons of Dog muck “but children being chased by dogs off their leads. We have had several discussions with dog owners at the fields and on Facebook, and it has to be said the majority of dog walkers have been very supportive. We will continue to deal with any dog owner who fails to keep their dog/s under control.

Finally a big thank you to Mr and Mrs Williams who live on Ferryside Lane. An email was received from them saying how much they enjoyed the return of children playing football at Ferryside and they also made a financial contribution to the club. 👍👍

Breaking News

Congratulations to Peter Clarke, the club treasurer, who scored the 84th-minute winner for Tranmere Rovers against Accrington Stanley in the FA cup. Good luck to Peter and Tranmere in the second round draw! If this doesn’t inspire you players, nothing will!

Food Bank

As always in life, there are families out there who are struggling, through no fault of their own, during these unprecedented times. Paul and Ben have set up a food bank, although I believe Claire and Kerry, Paul and Ben’s better half’s, are doing all the hard work. ☺. To date they have been able to support several families through their efforts. A big THANK’S to all of you for making donations and please continue to do so during lockdown, with Christmas coming up these families need all the help we can give them. For more information on how to donate, please go to the Southport Athletic Facebook via the web site.

If anyone is struggling at this time, please contact any of the football managers direct and be assured that the upmost discretion and confidentiality will be given. Please do not hesitate to ask for help if you or anyone you know needs help.

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Kit Update

Unfortunately, at this moment, we find ourselves still waiting for our winter jackets; however, I am assured they should be with us in the next few days. This has been a real learning curve for the club and going forward the decision has been made to source kits locally in the future.

Bank Update

No further response or apology has been received from the bank. Monthly Subs Player’s subs are an annual fee payable over a ten-month period. The decision has had to be taken to continue to collect subs during the current lockdown, due to end 2/12/2020. If lockdown continues beyond this date, the club will review the situation and decide whether or not sub payments will be suspended.

Sub payments have been kept to an absolute minimum, and every penny is/has been put back into the club so our children can have the very best kit and equipment. We also have to look to next season to ensure funds will be available to make payments required. In normal circumstances, fundraising events would have been held to raise finance, but, as you all know, this hasn’t been possible so far this year.

Again if any parent/s are struggling, please advise your manager for assistance, and we will help.

Thank you for your continued support. To make payments, please use the following bank details.

HSBC Bank

Sort Code 40-12-26

Acct No. 93663191

Using a correct reference is required EG:- Name of player and team playing for. Therefore Smith Under 9’s. any issues please discuss with the team manager.

The following is an update of club finances from 30/9/20 up to and including 6/11/20

Hopefully next month we will be back playing, although only briefly as Christmas is nearly upon us, when we take yet another break from the game☹☹ .

Please, Please remember, if you or anyone one you know, is in need of help at this time let us know. We are a community club and as such wish to play an active role in the community wherever we can, as well as providing grass roots football for the kids. Take care everyone and stay safe. We will get there!

If you would like to post anything in our newsletter please feel free to e mail me at alanmccoombe05@gmail.com It would be nice to post any contribution submitted☺☺

The FA Four Corner model and how it can help you learn more about your players

I hope everyone is well and is enjoying the new season. Following on from Septembers column on ‘Using the 4-corner model/Preparing for the new season’. I want to try and explain how the FA Four Corner model helps coaches within the club address the needs and challenges of every player within Southport Athletic JFC.

For most of you reading this, the Four Corner model is used to address long-term player development and will not be something that you are totally unfamiliar with. For those that are new to the concept, I will recap.

What is it?

The Four Corner model (also known as the Long-term Player Development model or LTPD) is a holistic approach that recognises the core areas to be considered by coaches for players to develop their game. The areas are defined as technical/tactical, social, physical, and psychological. (illustrated below)

How can I learn more about my players and more importantly why do I need to know more about my players?

The main reason I selected this topic was really to try and give you a few thoughts, ideas, and possible methods to consider when using the Four Corner model back within the players at Southport Athletic JFC.

In times past, I think it is fair to say that the predominant coaching style implemented was very much a command style (fully coach led) and sessions planned for players took on a ‘one size fits all’ approach. (Very old school style of coaching).

Things have changed somewhat and we are now recognising that this isn’t necessarily the most effective way to educate players. Working with coaches at the early stages of their coaching journey, a common theme that I notice regularly is that we are pretty good at identifying and analysing the physical and technical aspects of our players, but don’t seem to have nearly as much insight into what they are like psychologically or socially.

This isn’t hugely surprising as the physical and technical aspects present themselves very visually and pretty consistently at training and in games. However, I do believe that our starting point as coaches is to recognise that each player is firstly an individual before becoming a cohesive member of a football team, and we as a club and with ourcoaches should acknowledge this within our approach to planning, delivering, and reviewing of training and matchday practices.

So you may be thinking: where does the Four Corner model fit in with this?

Well, hopefully it will fit into all of the planning, delivery, and reviewing processes of our coaching sessions within the club. It is important to have shared team goals and objectives, but for me the real task of coaching is being able to also have individualised goals and objectives that meet the needs and challenges of each individual player.

Development isn’t a one-way street…

Scientific studies have steered us towards the idea that we tend to remember more effectively if we are part of the process when finding solutions to problems. The understanding of the ‘Why?’ around what we are doing is a key aspect of effective learning and enables players to construct a more in-depth pattern of understanding.

I think it is important to look at how the Four Corner model can support us with this.

One method that I have personally used is the following:

• Sit down with all parents and players to introduce the Four Corner model to them at the start of the season and briefly explain what it is.

• Have a substantial list of qualities/skills/characteristics that fit with each of the areas of the model and allow parents/player to decide the top three and bottom three in each area for each player.

• After a period of a month you do the same exercise for each individual player in your group and then compare to the previous one, looking for similarities and significant differences.

• Then discuss your findings with the player/parent and come up with areas you wish to focus on to develop as a priority.

• These areas identified can certainly be interchangeable throughout the season and should be discussed regularly in agreement with the player.

• Remember when discussing this, be sensitive to players feelings and try to explain why what you are saying is beneficial to the player and the team.

In addition to this, you may even want to try giving players laminated cards to take to training and matchdays which have the Four Corner model background. This will allow players to set themselves an individual challenge in each area and then review how they did in their own time. (This is player-led as much as possible, but some 5-11 year old players may need support with this from the coach,parent or guardian.)

Why do I need to get to know my players?

There are many benefits that will help support you and your coaching, but I’ll try to summarise. For most players it is about feeling part of Southport Athletic JFC as a club, being part of their age group team, socializing and mixing with friends/new friendship groups and having fun are all fundamental drivers for being involved in football and this shouldn’t be ignored.

From a purely player development point of view, and again thinking about the Four Corner model, the more information you can access and gather about the players, the better placed you will be to make informed decisions/judgements/actions that will help support them in their development at Southport Athletic JFC.

Final note…

I would just like to stress to anyone reading this piece that the Four Corner model is a long-term vision and that player development will be a bumpy ride with lots of inconsistencies, peaks and troughs, but as coaches and as a club we should place player well-being at the centre of everything we are doing, especially during uncertain times like we are experiencing now with Covid 19. If any player, parent or guardian needs help or is struggling with these uncertain times, please do not suffer in silence. Myself, Southport Athletic JFC and all members of the committee are here to help. If you need help, advice or just a chat, please do not hesitate to contact us via the contacts on the website. Stay safe everyone and I hope everyone is finally enjoying the start to the new season.

Newsletter - October 2020

Welcome everyone to this first Newsletter which actually can talk about the long awaited start the FOOTBALL season.

Yes, despite Covid, we have kicked off and what a great start to the season it was, with opening wins for most of our teams. Unfortunately Craig’s under 15`s have not been able to start as several of his players had been sent home from school due to an outbreak of Covid. Hopefully Craig’s team will be able to start next week as we know they are “chomping on the bit” Good luck to Craig.

After a lot of chasing Ferryside was ready to play and after a lot of rain we were worried it may not be playable over this weekend as many games were called off 24 hours before at other venues. There was no need for us to worry, the pitches were excellent and bone dry 👍.

Unfortunately the 11-a –side pitch was vandalised within 24 hours of Sefton erecting the goals. The goals were ripped out of the ground, including the concreted fixings and the action of the Morons who did this will not go unpunished if we catch them. This was not the action of young children but appeared to be a pre-meditated attempt to stop us playing football. Fortunately there were no 11-a-side games at Ferryside this week so Sefton will be able to sort things ready for next weekend.

We now have storage a Ferryside in the building in the far corner were goals can be stored when not in use.

Kit Update

Most of the new kits arrived and for those able to use them they look really good. The kits for the under 7s, 9s and 10s were not so great as none of the shirts fitted over the players heads☹ new kits are on order and will hopefully be with us in the next week. For those teams affected we ordered orange tops for them to play in which is our official way strip colour.

Bank Update

There is still no official club account. Having chased the bank we are advised they are not looking at any new accounts now until at least Christmas due to pressures and demands on them for Government Business bounce back loan applications. A complaint has been logged with the bank about the manner in which this has been dealt with.

Monthly Subs

Going forward please can all parents arrange to pay the subs due on the 1st day of each month directly into the current bank Account as follows:

HSBC bank
Name: Mr Alan McCoombe
Sort Code 40-12-26
Acct No. 93663191

Using a correct reference is required
EG:- Name of player and team playing for. Therefore Smith Under 9`s. any issues please discuss with the team manager.

Unfortunately due to the recent spike with Covid we have not been able to have a committee meeting so all communications have been by messaging or e mails. This is not ideal but there is little we can do.

Below is a financial statement of the club as at the 30th September 2020.

Supporting Information.
(1) Needed to purchase Orange tops to start season due to ill fitting kits from Starzo
(2) Petty cash issued to secretaries for miscellaneous use, preventing out of pocket expenses.
(3) 2 x landing nets cash paid as no credit card machine- taken from cash in hand ( still one available) (4) All managers paid 4 weeks ref fees in advance

Sadly this month two of our teams had to withdraw from the league as some players decided to go elsewhere. This meant the teams did not have enough players to make a team. I know some of the players remaining have moved up an age group which will allow them to continue playing and some players will continue to train in the hope new players will come on board. Good luck to Anthony and Andy and your players. Hopefully we will see you back playing at Christmas.

Again Covid has been rearing its Ugly head and the Government are introducing restrictions on a daily basis. As yet they have allowed outdoor grassroots sports to continue and long may that be the case. It is appreciated that not all of the Governments advice appears logical at times however, they are the rules and we must stick to them to ensure our football continues. An updated advice continues to be posted on the Sponds so please read this and confirm you have read it. Also please respond to all team postings on the Spond App with regards to training and matches as this forms the makeup of the clubs track and trace.

Good luck for the rest of the season and keep working hard. Hopefully we will see some silverware by the end of the season.🏆🏆🏆
Finally remember help your manager whenever and however you can 👍👍

If you would like to post anything in our newsletter please feel free to e mail me at: alanmccoombe05@gmail.com