Steve and I have been beavering away working on the plan for next season. Here it is...
Under 9s and Under 10s
We are going to enter two teams into the Stockport Metro League. This league includes local teams like New Mills, Chinley and Whaley Bridge but also includes teams from as far away as Rose Hill and Droylsden.
We'll be entering an Under 10s team for those starting in Year 5 in the next school year (from September) and an Under 9s team for those starting in Years 4 and 3. It is likely that some Year 4 players may be asked to play for the U10s as we don't quite have enough numbers at present.
We're entering our teams as mixed teams so girls will be as welcome as boys to come along and have a go.
League games will be played on Saturday mornings.
Under 11s
The rules regarding Under 11s (school Year 6) football prevent us from entering a mixed-age team. We have a low attendance in this age group and as such we are unable to put out an Under 11 team next season. We would encourage all those wanting to play matches to contact other local clubs. We know that Whaley, Chinley and New Mills all run U11 teams and are always looking for players. Get in touch with us and we can give you contact details.
We are hoping to boost U10 numbers this season so that for season 2010/2011 we can enter a U11 team into the league.
Training
Training will continue and will be open to everyone who wants to come along regardless of whether they want to play league games or not. We believe that our skills and fitness training benefit all children regardless of their ability or their desire to score a hat-trick against New Mills!
However, for the next season we have to set a maximum age on those attending training to 11 years. Because of "staff" numbers we can only carry out mixed-age training and it's not appropriate for children older than 11 to be training with those who are 8 or 9 years old.
Because we'll be playing games on a Saturday morning we will move training to mid-week. Our wives won't let us spend all weekend playing football! As daylight permits we'll stay in Hayfield but we will have to move to facilities in Chapel or New Mills when the nights start to draw in.
Mini-Kids Soccer School
From September (possibly sooner) we'll be starting a mini-kids soccer school for children ages 6 and 7 on Sunday mornings. At an appropriate time the children will be encouraged to move up to join in with the "full" mid-week junior training. If you have a child who might be interested in this let us know and we’ll add their name to the list.
How You Can Help Us
First of all we need a measure of commitment from parents. For parents of next season's U10 and U9 players there will be a lot of running around on Saturdays and also during the week when we relocate training. We need to know that at least 7 children, preferably 10 or 11, will be able to turn up week-in, week-out for each team. Otherwise we will forfeit our place in the league and will lose our registration fees.
Email us and let us know if you want your child to play league games.
We also want a parent helper for each team. An enthusiastic mum or dad, who will come and help out at training and on match-days. All helpers will be CRB checked and will be required to attend the FA Safeguarding Children course (only three hours). The CRB process can take six or eight weeks so if you want to help out let us know so we can get the paperwork to you.
We're also looking for a coach who can be trained to look after a team - likely to be the Under 9s. The club will pay for the coach to attain the FA Level 1 Coaching Certificate so it’s a great opportunity for anyone who wants to get involved. As with helpers a CRB check will be required as will attendance on the safeguarding children course.
Please speak to us if you would like to be a helper or a coach or if you need any more information about next season.
Steve & Carl
