Grass roots football - Part 1

I'm sure they're not unique.  I'm sure you and I, Bluey, have had the same issues as the PBFL with regards to poor pitches that are badly maintained, with facilities that are either poor or non-existent.

And then there's this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/grassroots-football-in-crisis-players-could-fund-pitches-but-then-again-pigs-might-fly-9780599.html

There's 20 PL clubs with a squad of 25 players each - that's 500 players.  That's 500 new 3G pitches with full facilities.  And they could probably manage that every year.  Some players could probably manage to sponsor two or three.

I think it would be good for us, as a club, to encourage every player to fund one 3G pitch in the Manchester area.  They could have it named after them, too.  If the rags did the same, we'd have fifty decent schoolboy facilities and that would make a massive difference.

I've mentioned this before, but I'll do it again. I live in a town with less than 10,000 inhabitants. We have a football stadium and several teams. We have two full size artificial pitches that are used all the time. Sunday mornings and the local firemen come to play football before we have our matches there.

The kids play on the pitches but sideways so two matches can take place at once. We have proper pull out goalposts to enable these matches to take place.

It took the initial investment to get this off the ground but our kids are reaping the benefits of being able to play whatever the weather. That can only help them to get better in the long run.

leopold wrote:I'm sure they're not unique.  I'm sure you and I, Bluey, have had the same issues as the PBFL with regards to poor pitches that are badly maintained, with facilities that are either poor or non-existent.

And then there's this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/grassroots-football-in-crisis-players-could-fund-pitches-but-then-again-pigs-might-fly-9780599.html

There's 20 PL clubs with a squad of 25 players each - that's 500 players.  That's 500 new 3G pitches with full facilities.  And they could probably manage that every year.  Some players could probably manage to sponsor two or three.

I think it would be good for us, as a club, to encourage every player to fund one 3G pitch in the Manchester area.  They could have it named after them, too.  If the rags did the same, we'd have fifty decent schoolboy facilities and that would make a massive difference.

........................................

Can you imagine if local footballers would purchase the cost of a 4G pitch in the local community?

Now that's proper 'giving something back' in my eyes.

We're lucky and on the other hand, not so lucky. We have a beautiful, full size pitch with retractable goals, however, my mini-soccer teams have to use half the pitch for their games, plus mens/vets teams and another local team Tarporley Vics use it as well.

It can take it's toll to the point whereby management say "no games this weekend", as the cost to repair a badly damaged pitch is £4-5k...money we just don't have.

There is a space between our pitch and the tennis courts that I have been trying to get funding for a 4G pitch, for nearly 3 years. I nearly secured the funding through our sponsor I got, Taylor Wimpey, but when the locals objected to a new housing estate being built by them on the edge of the village (2 miles away!), TW pulled out of investing £45k into it. It could have been self-sustaining for years to come...

However, trying to get FA Funding is useless as we are not an FA affiliated club - we only have 3 junior teams. Help with coaching courses is non-existent.

I have 4 roles as trying to get parental help (consistently) is very difficult.

We've now taken control of the pitch and so tomorrow morning I will be helping cut the pitch, mark it etc for this weekends games.

I just think the PL and FA are brilliant at introducing new ideas like mini-soccer (7v7) games....but don't want to invest any money - and then you read about them wanting to promote sending clubs overseas to promote our game.....FUCKING WELL INVEST IN OUR YOUTH FOOTBALL FIRST!!

Bluey - could the new pitch be self funding? look at the guy that built his own toll road charging £2 a time I think to avoid a massive detour? He's got his initial investment back already.

If I had £45k to spare Dawg, I'd definitely do it...but I don't.

As a football club, we don't make any money whatsoever. I set the fees per season for all age groups so it was accessible to all.

Out U9/10's pay £65 for the whole season. That includes new kits (sponsor pays for it), a membership to Sport Tattenhall which costs £20 (includes the use of all the facilities - squash, gym, tennis etc), all ref fees, league fees etc.

My U17/18 team is £72. And that includes all of the above.

The team we played last week charges £135...and they still have to pay the manager £2 per game for the ref (£24).

Luckily, the U9/10 teams attract lots of parental support for games, so the Managers wives serve bacon/sausage baps, tea/coffee etc and made a few hundred extra last season.

With my lads, I'm lucky if 3 parents turn to watch...and trying to get one of them to do the line is almost an impossible task. They take the flag and tuck it under their arm!

It's a real shame, as the whole club has over 800 members...but mainly for Cricket/Tennis....as it's only been 3 years since I re-introduced football back there.

After this season, my U17/18's will probably stop playing for us and either leave football altogether or join local 'pub' teams....so I'll either stop, or introduce an U16 team that my youngest will play for (even though he currently is in net for our 17/18's at 14!)

It's a real shame...you get NO support whatsoever from local authorities, Leagues or governing bodies...it's a joke. And yet we are trying to get the youth into football and support our National team?? Yeah right.

I'll be honest with you though...I'm not sure the kids are that interested these days.

An example:

I have 2 lads who have joined my team this season - they both live in a place called Farndon, about 6 miles away from Tattenhall.

The other week they couldn't get a lift to training so I dropped my lads off with the equipment, then drove to pick them up and then dropped them off. The next day we were playing a match at home, we had 2 players missing through injury - out of 16, so down to 14 players.

At 13:50, 10 mins to KO, these two lads don't show. I call one of them and he say "ahh, we couldn't get a lift"

I said "have you got a bike?" He says "yes". I said "get on your fucking bike and pedal down here then"....his reply "what? It's miles away"

When I was 12 I played a couple of seasons for Poynton Boys. That would have been at least 15 miles+ away from where I lived in Woodhouse Park.

Every Sunday morning I had to walk to Heald Green where the Manager lived (6+ miles) so I could get a lift - and the bastard dropped me back off at his house...and I had to walk back.

One day, the Manager was ill so his friend was running the team, but I had no lift. At 12, I had to ride to Poynton on my bike, just so I could play, then ride back again, as long as my bike didn't get nicked!

Kids today don't want to do that...they're disinterested unless you ferry them back and forth....

It's opened my eyes to the whole 'attitude and apathy' of some kids today when it comes to football or sport in general.

And THAT, worries more than anything.

blueboy wrote:At 13:50, 10 mins to KO, these two lads don't show. I call one of them and he say "ahh, we couldn't get a lift"

I used to get this shit all the time.  It was fair enough in some instances, when we had lads from Middleton who had to hack over to Hattersley - it's three buses, or two trains and a walk across town, or a long bike ride through some rough areas.  But then we'd get others pulling the same nonsense.  I'd have three who would regularly use that excuse even though they lived on the bus route.  I had another one who lived walking distance away.  I even had one who said, "Sorry, I've only just got up."  We're going in 15 minutes, you live a 2 minute walk away, just get dressed and run over!!  But no.

Oh, and the other brilliant one - night before a match, some would go out and get pissed.  At fourteen!  Christ 

My lad, who loves football and runs as well, asked me for a lift the other day.  To a practice session at a nearby high school.  A ten minute walk at most, and he wants me to drive him there!  So when I say no and he throws a sulk and doesn't go, I just remind him he's only punishing himself, because it saves me having to move, burn diesel, and three quid in subs.

I don't do the management thing any more, it was just too much of a ballache trying to motivate a team of sixteen year old boys who were more interested in getting pissed and hanging around with girls on a Saturday night to bother getting up for 9am on a Sunday to play football.

You know what Leo....I wouldn't mind if the lads on my team went out and got pissed on a Fri/Sat night, but they aren't like that. Most come from a privileged background, study, do the D of E awards etc....they live in areas that are completely different to where I grew up, or what you are talking about with your lads.

They're just fucking lazy...and that's what pisses me off.

I have one lad who isn't from a good background. Even though he lives in Tattenhall, his mum doesn't work and he looks after his 3 siblings.

In the first year, he said he couldn't afford to play, so I paid it for him. The same the second and the same this year...but you know what, every year, he buys my wife a bunch of flowers for Xmas out of his money he earns for his part-time job, and he NEVER misses a training session or match. I have to drive him to away matches as his mum doesn't work...he's not the best player, but IF the rest gave anywhere near 50% of what he does, that'd do for me....but they don't. They don't even bother to tell me they can't come to training or matches....I turn up and I'm just hopeful we have 13, otherwise it's a £20 fine...so far this season we have played 4 games with 11, 12, 11 and 13 players....and who will end up paying the fine?

They won't. We don't have money in a kitty to pay it and if I charge them, they just won't bother turning up.

I'm still chasing 3 players who left last season who are yet to return £140 worth of kit each.

It fucks me off no end that kids can be so lazy, ungrateful and spoilt. My 2 lads have to clean boots, pump up balls, sort out equipment etc....I won;t let them play (even though my lad is thre Captain and the other is our only keeper)...they just don't play and I feel bad that they do all that but others just take the piss!

When I was at uni we had to walk at least 30 minutes to play on a shite pitch with either no water or freezing cold water, no ref on a Sunday morning for a 10am kick off. Some of us did it every week no matter how little sleep we had on the Saturday night. It was murder, but we just loved our footy. Kids today don't know how lucky they are.

Kids today don't care Dawg....as simple as that.

I teach French kids and they are just as bad as English kids. Little respect and don't give two shits.