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

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 - 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

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.

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 - 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  

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☺☺

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

Newsletter - August - September 2020

Hi everyone , are hope you are keeping safe and well and looking forward to the new season which starts in a couple of weeks. I know a lot of you have been involved in a lot of friendly games over the last few weeks and I do hope you were all on the right end of the results.

The club set up continues to make progress, albeit a little slower than we would like. I can promise you that everyone involved is working as hard as possible to get the show on the road and that they are working for the club, as well as  their individual teams.

The under 9’s played in a tournament at Haig Avenue on Sunday 16th August involving a lot of local teams, as well as Teams from Liverpool and Greater Manchester. There were some great performances and results from our teams and overall they enjoyed the experience of playing in the stadium with a large crowd of people watching. You can see some of the photographs on the Web site.

A committee meeting was held on the 4th September and a copy of the minutes taken can be seen below. The minutes will bring you all up to date with progress being made with the Kits, the Bank, the pitches at Ferryside and the financial status of the club.

Southport Athletic JFC Committee meeting 04/09/2020

Present,

Alan McCoombe, Ben Minto, Paul Mullan, Peter Clarke, Craig Stevens, Chris Mooney, Shaun Edwards, Neil Wright, Andy Farquarson, Anthony Church, Andrew Sproat. Matthew Lawson.

Apologies,

Tony Meadows . Martyn Robson

Previous minutes read out and agreed that they were a true statement by Chris Mooney and seconded by Neil Wright.

• Financial statement was attached to the agenda and at the time of the meeting the club had £3,747-34p in the bank and £75-00 cash in hand. This includes monies from the Just Giving account originally opened to raise funds for the club. Just Giving account is now closed. Expenses since the last meeting totalled £1077-75p. A complete list of all bank transactions was presented at the meeting for perusal by all in attendance.

  Subs which commenced on the 1st August were discussed and at the time of the meeting £495-00 was still owed by various players. Cash totalling £295 was given in at the meeting so, only £200 remained outstanding. Sub payments to be reviewed at the next meeting and course of action to be agreed if fees remain unpaid.

Current Finances. 4th September 2020.

Temporary Bank.                   £ 3,747.34

Cash in Hand                          £      75-00

Current Balance                    £ 3,822.34  (credit)

Expenditure Since last meeting.

SMBC Pitch 1st Payment of three          £    670.25p  (Still unplayable?)

Starzo Sports Kits                                     £    170-00p (kits for new signings)

Cravern Minor League                            £    237-50p

Total Expenditure since last meeting.  £ 1,077-75p

• SMBC have had some difficulty in cutting grass and marking out the pitches at Ferryside due to the recent wet weather. Paul advised he had visited Ferryside before the meeting and confirmed that the grass had been cut but, still hadn’t been marked out. Paul also advised that SMBC were in negotiations with us to provide storage on the site for goals and equipment. The older teams who are playing games at Devonshire Road requested a net to retrieve balls from the ditch and it was agreed that two nets will be purchased for them.

• Paul and Ben attended a Zoom meeting held by the Cravern Minor league on 3/9/20. Both advised that there was nothing to comment on, that will affect our club or our season.

• Ben had been in touch over the kits which were due to reach us a couple of weeks ago and still haven’t arrived. An emailed response from the Kit provider advised that there had been delays at customs and the kits should be with us in the next 7 days. It seems likely that the Jackets and managers tops will follow after the kits.

• Paul confirmed that the club received a Defibrillator donated by The Southport Community Link Foundation. This will be located at Ferryside once we have some storage. The Defibrillator, which Phoenix had, has still not been returned to us but, we are still hopeful of getting this back. Paul can arrange a training session on the use of the Defibrillator although no time and date was agreed. This would be of benefit to all.

• Progress with Phoenix. We still have no real news on what is happening and as yet no equipment of any value has been returned. The Police have, in the last few days, been contacting some of the more established managers and taking statements from them.

Any Other Business.

1. Alan advised that Maric Trophies now have our logo so anyone purchasing Medals/Trophies from them can have the SAJFC logo attached. Peter Clarke suggested we link this onto our website. This was agreed by all.

2. Those managers without a current DBS stayed behind after the meeting with Paul and completed applications to the FA.

3. Some of the teams are struggling with player numbers and it was agreed to Get all Team and manager details onto the website so potential players can make contact direct with the managers. This has been listed on social media and there has been a very positive response.

4. Ben will order two match balls per team ready for the start of the season. Ben also asked all managers to let him know if they are in need of any equipment, other than goal nets which need to be purchased.

5. Matthew Lawson discussed the website and advised on how we can get everyone to subscribe to the newsletter. It was generally agreed that all the managers need to keep promoting it on their team Whatsapp, Paul will continue to post it on Spond. It was agreed by all that we will follow Matthew’s advice and that promotion of the website is the way forward.

6. The meeting was closed at 9-05pm. No time and date was agreed for the next meeting but the general consensus was to meet again in October and going forward every 2-3 months.

The meeting was closed at 9-05pm. All being well the season will be under way when the next Newsletter arrives. With all the pre-season training and friendly games which have been going on I’m sure all teams are keen to start the season and show what they can do. 🤞🤞🤞

Don’t forget get to sign up to the website for those who haven’t done so, no cookies guaranteed ☺

Also if you would like to post anything in our newsletter please feel free to email me at alanmccoombe05@gmail.com 

Finally a message to everyone Please support your manager they very busy making sure your team is happy and successful and although it may not seem it, he’s working very hard behind the scenes so I’m sure that he would appreciate a little help here and there. 🏐🏐🏐

Sorry the Newsletter is brief this month but, we’ve been busy getting ready for the new season.

Newsletter - July 2020

Hi everyone,

Sorry Newsletter is a bit late this month but, at least can give some updates on the current situation. I can’t believe another month has gone by; It will soon be Christmas ☺.

Finally, we are seeing a return to football, and I know all the teams have been out there training and playing games trying to get the kids fit again after easing of lockdown.

Again we’ve been very busy and we are seeing some reward for our efforts, at long last.

Kits

Hopefully the kits will be with us in the next couple of weeks and I for one can’t wait to see them. Once we have got them we will arrange to have a club photograph taken of every team together and also individually for the sponsors. When this is arranged PLEASE! Turn up as this will be a big promotion for the club.

Bank Account

The application to open a community bank account is progressing, albeit too slowly for our liking. Until we have details of the account your individual manager will be collecting the monthly subs from their team in cash at the training sessions. Just to remind you it’s £20 per month per child and then £15 per month for a 2nd or 3rd child. These subs fall due on the 1st of August and prompt payment is vital going forward, to pay for our out goings.

Just Giving Page

We have now closed the Just Giving page, as we need to pay Sefton for the pitch allocations. A big thank you to all of those who contributed to the campaign.

Where we will be playing

You should all know by now that Sefton MBC have allocated playing grounds. For under 7’s to Under 13’s we have been allocated Ferryside which is at the top end of Marshside Road. The Under 14’s to under 16’s have been allocated Devonshire Road. This is a relief as up until a couple of weeks ago week we had 11 teams with nowhere to play.

Epic by Robbo

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Martyn Robbo completed his gruelling 105 mile run over 5 days to help raise money for the club. The day after the run he ran to Preston New Road and then around the field twice with some of the younger kids. For my sins I decided to run two laps with them and came home very firmly in last position☹☹ and completely knackered. I’ve got to say though to all you players, the support for Martyn’s fundraise was a bit disappointing with very few of you making even a small contribution. Please remember this fundraising is so all of you can have the best kits and equipment going forward and to build a club for the future of the up and coming kids. Thank you Martyn for such a great physical effort .

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Committee Meeting

On Friday evening on the27th July we were able to hold a committee meeting at the Richmond pub in Scarisbrick New Road for the first time since March. As you can imagine there was a lot to talk about and the following is a copy of the minutes taken.

Southport Athletic JFC meeting

Date:

27/07/2020

Attending:

Alan McCoombe, Ben Minto, Paul Mullan, Peter Clarke, Craig Stevens, Chris Mooney, Shaun Edwards, Neil Wright, Martin Sarbutts

Apologies:

Tony Meadows, Anthony Church and Andy Farquharson

1. Financial statement

Explained by Chairman Alan McCoombe. (see below). The temporary bank account owes Alan £909.78 This is due to not wanting to close the “Just Giving” account whilst Martyn Robertson was doing his sponsored run and with the new community bank account still being in the process of opening.

2. Kit costs explained by Ben Minto

Although £6,701.74p sounds a lot of money we have purchased a full new kit for every child and supplied them with a jacket. All the managers are getting a club T shirt and jacket so we all have a corporate look. This will hopefully last us two years.

3. Pitch allocations explained by Paul Mullan and Martin Sarbutts

Ferryside Lane for the U7-U13 is the venue for this year and Martin is looking into us getting some sort of storage container at the venue for which the club may incur a cost towards providing. Devonshire Road is the venue for the U14-U16. The U15 raised an objection after previous bad experiences, the council/Paul looking into other venue.

4. Defibrillator

It’s possible we are getting one back from Phoenix (plus other outstanding equipment) but that will be reported back on at a later date. The Southport Community Link Foundation is looking into purchasing us a defibrillator through their grant scheme and we should hopefully hear something next week.

5. Training only subs

IT was decided by a majority these would be £15 a month and the child will be registered free of charge so they are insured. Kids just training will not be allowed to play unless fully paid up.

6. COVID

Martin Sarbutts volunteered to be the SAJFC Covid officer and help prepare the risk assessments and keep us up to date with any new government advice. Managers reminded there is a list of the key points in our WhatsApp group.

7. Chairman and Secretary

It was voted that Paul, Ben and Alan are to continue in the roles of joint secretary’s and chairman until a full AGM can be held safely.

8. Treasurer

Peter Clarke to be club treasurer  

9. Referee fees 

Where possible to be paid through bank transfer so we have a full paper trail.

10. Club website

A big thank you to Matthew Lawson for not only building it but, for also updating it and paying for the cost. We also have a Facebook page he updates for us to which is a big help. With that in mind we ask people to push the website to their parents and friends as it will help us grow. We have had a number of player enquires through both platforms so it is a good asset.

11. Fundraising

Big thank you to Martyn Robbo for doing his epic 105 mile run to raise some money for the club and his continued help with his coaches mentor programme. As part of his Chairman’s statement Alan reminded everyone that any fundraising ideas should continue as any donations will help the club grow and purchase much needed equipment. 

The following is a copy of the club finances discussed at the meeting.

Current Finances

27th July 2020

Temporary Bank: -(£ 909.78)

Just Giving: £ 3,772.00

Cash in Hand: £ 271.50

Current Balance                     £ 3,133.72  (credit)

Expenditure to Date

Kits £ 6,701.74

Insurance £  203.70

Equipment £ 455.14

FA fee £ 25.00

From the above you can see that through Registration fees, Just Giving, Sponsorship and some subs paid (£95.00) we have managed to raise £10,519.30 to date.

Once the new account is open a full statement will be issued.

Finally don’t forget to sign up on the club website to remain fully updated and watch the Video of Peter Clarke being waxed, it is very funny.

Well that’s a pretty full update for this month and next month we should be ready to commence the new season. Good luck to all our teams (especially mine)☺☺ and let’s win some trophies

Newsletter - June 20

Hope you are all keeping well and safe.

At long last we appear to be seeing an easing of lockdown and I know for most of you some form of football training has started up again. I know it’s hard when there is no physical contact however, I know my young under 9’s are having to think more about getting the ball around the pitch by having to pass. I’ve been playing 3 touch walking football with 2 metre distancing and they haven’t found it easy. The way they now think about the game has vastly improved. We`ll see 🤞

A lot`s been happening since the last newsletter and all of a sudden all the hard work put in by everyone is starting to pay off.

The Financials

Financially the club has managed to raise sufficient funds to purchase all the football kits and rain Jackets for every player  and I have to say it’s all looking very smart We have now applied to the HSBC for a community account. Although I think it will be several weeks before they set it up. With registration fees , sponsorship money and fund raising we have managed to raise  £ 9,632-00p. The kits have been the biggest cost and the final total will be around £6,600-00. The balance will be used for much needed equipment , pitch fees  and any unforeseen costs, plus we have had to pay an annual Insurance premium of £203-70p.

Registrations

Registration of all players have now been completed and it is vital that you reply to the FA e mail confirming your child’s registration. Failure to confirm registration will mean they are not eligible to play and I don’t want to be the one to tell them.

A Sparkly New Website

If you are reading this newsletter, then you will  all be aware that Southport Athletic JFC now has it’s own website, which even though it’s still in its infancy looks Superb. All the information you should ever need is easily available on the site at the click of a button. Hopefully this will cut the whatsapp messages down to a 1,000 per day. The web site has been designed and funded by Matthew Lawson, whose son ,Oliver, plays for Shaun’s under 11’s. A massive thank you to Matthew for all his hard work and knowhow and I’m sure you will all agree it’s an excellent asset to the club. 👏👏👏

Fund Raising

Just to remind you that next Month Martyn is doing his 100 mile run in an attempt to raise funds for the club and despite the money raised so far we are still £2,500 short of our fundraising target. Martyn has always given all of us his time and advice and that hasn’t changed since changing from Phoenix. He’s involved in whatsapp groups with all the teams, the managers group and I’ve seen him at several training sessions lately, freely giving up his own time. He’s provided all the FA information for the Web site and has been very active in helping the committee make the right decisions going forward. It would be a nice gesture and token of everyone’s appreciation if we could support Martyn in this challenge. If every player ( not just, Mum’s and Dad’s) just donated £2 that would be £260 and I for one think that makes him excellent value for money. Good luck Martyn. Come on everyone let’s get behind him.

·       This month has seen Peter Clarke, club Treasurer and assistant coach to Ben Minto’s successful under 10’s team, finally succumb to waxing his legs and Bikini line (it still brings tears to my eyes when I type that🤣). Peter raised £475 for the club, which is not a lot for the anguish suffered by him in the lead up. Seriously that’s a terrific effort and a Big Thank you Peter from everyone.

“We are still £2,500 short of our fundraising target”

For those who don’t know Peter he has been in football professionally since he was 14 years of age.  Being a nosy parker I wanted to know more about life as a professional footballer and Peter kindly granted me an interview to talk about his career in football. ( I think I’m Gary Lineker, don’t I?☺). This is what Peter had to say when I spoke to him.

Interview with Peter Clarke

1. Who do you currently play for and what position do you play? 

Currently Play for Tranmere Rovers as a centre back 

2. How old are you ( don’t have to say) 

Although I like to tell people I’m 21 I’m actually 38. 

3. Where were you born, if not in Southport when did you move to Southport 

I was born in Southport on the 3rd January 1982 

4. Wife’s Name ( daren’t ask how old)(how long married)( does she like the term Wag) 

I’ve been married to Lisa for 12 years and she hates the term WAG with a passion. 

5. How many children ( names and ages)( do you have aspirations for them to be successful footballers?) 

We have 4 children, Sophie 11, Cameron 9 and Millie 8 who both play for SAJFC and Evie who is 6. Both Cameron and Millie have aspirations to be professional footballers when they are older but as long as they are Happy and healthy I just want them to enjoy whatever it is they do.

6. Which school/s did you go to 

I went to Churchtown primary school & Birkdale high school, although I left there age 14 to take up a football scholarship at Lilleshall in Shropshire, the then national sports centre where we trained on a daily basis and attended the local comprehensive called Idsall

7. Which football team do you support and has that changed from when you were a kid? 

I’m a Liverpool fan 

8. When did you start playing football as a kid and who did you play for before becoming professional. 

I started playing footy when i was about 3 or 4 as my dad used help take my cousins footy team training so I would tag along and then started to join in, I then from being 6 played for Birkdale united in the Craven Minor league

9. When did you decide you wanted to be a professional footballer and how did it happen. 

I was probably about 8 or 9 when I decided I wanted to be a professional footballer. When playing for Birkdale united a scout from Everton came to a game and maybe saw something in me & I was asked to go for a trial, after a successful trial I then became part of their centre of excellence which are now known as academies and progressed through the various Age groups, the reserves & eventually into the first team

10. What teams have you played for during your career 

Everton, Blackpool, Southend United, Huddersfield Town, Bury, Oldham Athletic, Fleetwood Town and Tranmere Rovers. 

11. Which team did you enjoy playing for the most and why 

I probably enjoyed the early part of my time at Huddersfield the most as we had a great group of lads, a real togetherness and a great team spirit. Our manager at the time was former Newcastle Utd midfielder, Lee Clark.

12. What is your most memorable moment as a footballer? 

I’ve been a pro for 21 years now so I’ve got 3,

1. Every time I wore the England shirt from under 15 to under 21 age groups was always very special,

2. Being a local lad and getting named man of the match in a Merseyside derby was a great feeling and

3. Captaining The Huddersfield Town team to a playoff final against Sheffield Utd and winning 8-7 on penalties after a 0-0- draw was very special. It’s the kind of thing you dream about as a kid playing in the streets or school playground.

13. What was the worst moment of your career 

The worst moment was probably losing a playoff final, a 60 game season ended and it felt like I had been hit with a wrecking ball. It was the season before beating Sheffield Utd. on penalties. We lost 3-0 against Peterborough at Old Trafford . Never an easy ground for Merseysider’s

14. Have you ever played at Wembley? If not the best ground you’ve played at? 

I was lucky enough to play at the twin towers Wembley in an under 15 England v Brazil international and also at the new Wembley so that’s probably the best followed by Anfield & the Olympic stadium in Berlin

15. How do you relax outside of football ( if golf or something are you good at that as well) 

I’ve got 4 kids so I’m a taxi to them and enjoy supporting them and their interests too so, no time for golf. Don’t think I have the patience either

16. After you finish your playing career will you stay in football? If not, what will you do? 

I have taken my coaching badges so that is an avenue I could go down when I finish playing. I have also done some punditry work with Sky TV, commentating with various radio stations throughout my career and I’ve also had some conversations about becoming an intermediary, AKA an agent.  

17. Do you enjoy being part of grass roots football? I know you’re involved with SAJFC 

I thoroughly enjoy being part of grass roots football, I assist our joint secretary Ben Minto with SAJFC under 10’s 

18. Did you enjoy the leg and the bikini wax 

I didn’t think the bikini wax was going to be too bad but, once it started I was very much mistaken and couldn’t wait for it to be done.  (Sorry mate but the Video is hilarious and are you sure your girls Love you?)

19. What advice would you give to any youngster looking to become a professional footballer? 

I would always tell any individual with aspirations to be a professional footballer to try your best, always work as hard as you can, to practice and most of all to enjoy it! 

20.     Finally who would you say was the best player you played against?

I played against Thierry Henry when he was part of the Invincibles team and he was brilliant but, the best player I have ever played against has to be Cristiano Ronaldo, he is something else. ( not what I wanted to hear as a Big Liverpool fan 🤣)                                   

I really enjoyed chatting with Peter and it left me wanting to know a lot more about him and the professional game. One thing I did discover is that Peter was very modest about his long and successful career and despite his huge knowledge of the game he doesn’t in any way feel the need to interfere with the running of our club, although always there to help and advise if needed. He’s even Ben’s assistant ☺. I hope in the future Peter will allow me chat with him again.

Thanks Peter and good luck in the future with Tranmere Rovers.

One Last thing

Finally can I ask all parents to complete all the registration information requested by the FA and respond promptly to any request for information on your Whatsapp groups? Paul and Ben are working extremely hard behind the scenes and prompt attention to requested information does make life a little easier for them.

I hope the next Newsletter will be talking about the new season ahead for all of us 🤞🤞.

In the meantime please stay safe and follow the Government guidelines. We look forward to seeing you all soon.

Our amazing sponsors

Newsletter - May 20

Yes another month has gone by and we still find most people in lock down and no further information as to when we can start playing football again. I wish I could tell you something more positive other than it looks like Liverpool will get to play out the season and become Premier League Champions.

The football kits we showed last month have changed slightly although, Red and Black is still the colour. Ben has been very busy sourcing a full kit and has managed to negotiate a very good price per kit which allows us to purchase the complete kit as opposed to just shirts and includes all printing. We are looking to make the order for the kits in the next couple of weeks. I have attached below the kits and the new goal keeper kit, which I think is really sick. For those un educated parents “sick” means great these days.

Red and Black

Socks to be black with red band at top

Bank Account

The banks are still not in a position to open an account for us as they are prioritising business loans on behalf of the government and realistically we have been advised that it could be late July before we can deal with this. Unfortunately we cannot wait this long as we need to spend money and prepare for the forthcoming season , whenever that may start. I have a Client Account with the HSB and have agreed with the committee to utilise this facility until we get our own account. We realise this is not what we wanted but our hands are tied at this moment and we can see no alternative .

Sponsorship and Fund Raising

The fundraising has been going really well, considering we`ve all been in lock down. At the time of typing this news letter the Just giving fund totals £2,207-00 although this does include £500-00 sponsorship money paid over. In addition to this I have £150-00 in cash ready to bank when we have an account. Paul and Ben completed their gruelling bike ride and I suffered the embarrassing hair cut for two weeks as agreed and I even returned to work with it. At the moment Peter Clarke from the under 9`s initially agreed to have his legs waxed if he could raise £300 . Pressure was applied and he agreed to a Bikini wax if he raised £400 current total is now £435. I can tell you he`s not looking forward to it but, we can all have a good laugh when the video comes out. It only takes twenty of you to give the price of a pint and who knows he may have to shave his head as well.

Martyn is also fund raising and is doing the Lakeland hundred (100) mile run. The actual race has been cancelled for obvious reasons however, it is being run in virtual mode. Martyn starts running on the 20th July and has to finish by noon on the 26th July in which time he has to have completed the full 100 miles . Please go to the Just giving page if you would like to sponsor him. Martyn has done a lot for all our kids and it would be nice to see him rewarded with some sponsorship.

Progress with Registration

You should of all had your registration forms by now and the latest submission date is the 15th June, so please make sure they are returned in good time. Once these are in we can buy the kits and some new equipment. If you haven`t had your form yet please speak to your manager or contact me.

Home Ground

Since we last published Sefton Council have taken back possession of Russell Road and changed all the locks to the compound. We are still waiting for them to give us access to recover any equipment we may have in there (assuming it`s still there) a story for the future. Paul has been discussing pitches with Sefton and we are very hopeful about that Sefton will advise in the next 10 days.

Sponsorship and Fundraising

So far we have several sponsors for the teams and they are paying either £250 or £500. The generosity of these businesses and individuals has been overwhelming. I`m still trying to collate the information but, for now I have listed all the sponsors below on page 4. By next month I should have more information about all of our sponsors. A big thank you to all of them. If any body would like to help with the sponsored fund raising please let me know and we will get it out there to everyone and onto the Just giving site. Again the link below will take you to the site which will keep you informed of the total raised to date , what`s going on and allow you to make a payment if you wish to do so.

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Thank you all again for your fantastic support, it has more than justified all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes particularly from Ben, Paul and all the managers. Some good news for everyone. During lockdown we have seen the arrival of two new supporters / players. Cora born 19th of May to Louise Fleming and “No name yet” for Ben Minto`s little boy born 1st June. Congratulations to both families and enjoy the sleepless nights.

Newsletter - April 20

Hi everyone, hope you`re all keeping well and safe and looking forward to getting back to some normality.

Since the last newsletter the committee have been extremely busy and as you all know we have now been able to choose a team colour, a logo and a motto. This has been no easy task with so many of you having your say in making these choices and with our only communication being via whattsapp it has not been easy. We know not everyone voted in favour of the colours but, for once we have a democratic decision chosen by the kids. Although these decisions have been made we have to advise that they still need to be approved by the Cravern Minor League. Fingers crossed as we don`t need to go through all that again.

A competition was also held by asking the kids to design a badge for the shirts and there were some very impressive submissions. Again after much deliberation and voting the winner of this competition was Rory Samuels aged 14 and once lock down is over we will sort out a prize for Rory. Well done Rory and to everyone who entered the competition, it`s clear we have a lot of talent in the club. We have the winning badge displayed above however, the final finishing and colouring is still being worked on. A club motto has also been provided by Paul which I`m sure you will all agree fits the bill. “per angusta ad augusta” this Latin phrase translates as “through difficulties to greatness” Well apart from the above what else has been happening in the last few weeks.

Bank Account.

Unfortunately due to the current lock down we have been unable to set an account up with the bank. This is very frustrating but hopefully we can get this done in the next few weeks.

New Manager.

Neil Wright has agreed to manage the under 15`s which was formally managed by Simon Marshall ☹. Big thanks to Neil and Good Luck going forward.

Sponsorship and Fund Raising.

As you all know fund raising has started and we have already raised over £1,000-00. All managers are actively seeking sponsorship and Neil Wright has got a sponsor keen to support his under 15`s team. Also there has been an offer to sponsor one of the under 8`s teams from Harry and Max Swarbricks Grand dad. Please see the column below on sponsorship and Date:- April 2020 HOME AWAY 2 advertising and let us know if you can help or put your manager in touch with a potential sponsor.

Progress with Registration.

It is hoped that we will be ready to commence registration in June however, again this all depends on the current crisis and this may be changed fingers crossed that all will be well.

Home Ground.

Paul has been in contact with Sefton Council and it`s looking possible that Russell Rd, will not, be our home ground in the future, the pitch needs land drainage which will probably be too costly. Sefton council are saying they can provide pitches for us to play on. The feedback is very positive and we are confident of pitch allocation, we will know more once lock down is over. Greenbank have also said they will be able to accommodate some of our teams.

Latest update received from Paul and Ben

Again these two have been extremely busy behind closed doors getting us organised for the new season. With regards to the league and county FA Steve Swinnerton (football services manager) is getting round to us this week but, as all the other staff are on furlough it’s taking a bit longer than usual. The league also need to speak to him to see if we can continue as Phoenix, albeit as SAJFC, and then entry to the league will be a formality. If not we will need to go in as a new club but, they will look favourably on us given the circumstances. We will still have to sit for the standard entry interview and pay the registration fee. Regarding the alleged financial irregularities with Phoenix there has been no further updates from the Police. We have been advised by former Phoenix set up that the bank balance is £50 which they will transfer over to us.

Sponsored Bike Ride

Ben and Paul are doing a sponsored bike ride to raise money for the club and are looking for sponsors. We know these are difficult times and not everyone is in a position to make financial commitments but even £1 is a help. They will ride 20 kilometres a day for 2 weeks which I calculate as 280 km (175 miles) so they should be fit for the start of the season ✿☹. If you can sponsor them please let them know through your group app. If anyone else wants to raise some money by doing something please let us know so we can get it out there. A just giving link has been set up for easy payments which you should all have been sent however if you haven`t had it please contact me and I will send it to you. This is the link.

A word about Team Sponsorship

If anyone or, anyone one you know, is interested in sponsoring a team please put them in touch with your manager. We have calculated that each kit will cost an average of £52 per player which includes, kit, track suit and printing.

To help a sponsor decide we can accept two sponsors per team which will break down as follows.

One sponsor for the playing kits and one for the track suit tops so £250 for the kits and £300 for the track suits. Sponsorship will include the following.

• Company name on shirts and track suits

• Free advert in every Newsletter through out the season

• We would also be happy to display a feather banner at home games, if the sponsor supplies the banner. (subject to approval)

• We will also look at advertising in the future newsletters for a small fee for non – team sponsors.