For and on behalf of Maidenbower Colts Football Club.
- Matthew Couch (Chairman) (mcouch@mcfc1998.com)
The Under 18s have reached their League Cup Final following the 5-2 victory against Eastbourne Borough Youth in the semi final on Sunday at Seaford. They will play Peacehaven Youth on Wednesday 21st March 2012 at........Peacehaven FC! Come along and support our boys!
As we enter November, and what is usually the period of the season where the eleven-a-side teams start to watch the weather forecasts with a bit more interest, the news from Maidenbower Colts is that all the teams have made an impressive start to the season. The small sided teams are holding their own in their friendly fixtures (U7s and U8s) and the U9s and U10s are progressing nicely in their leagues too. Don't forget at this age it is not all about winning, it is about developing the players' ability to play in a team and this is what is happening here. The eleven-a-side teams have started the season very well and although it is far too early to be thinking about trophies all the teams have laid the foundations to push on as the season continues. Let us hope that the winter this year allows some football to be played on grass over the next few months and that it is not bottled into just a few weeks in March. Keep up the good work and help build the footballing reputation the club is developing.
31st October 2011.
The eleven-a-side season kicks off this weekend and the small sided teams get underway next.
This is just to wish the coaches and players the best of luck for 2011/12. Enjoy the football in whatever the weather and be strong of mind for yourself and Maidenbower Colts Football Club. Do not allow your principles, and the club's for that matter, on how football should be played be compromised by verbal blasts from all and sundry. Play with a smile and with confidence; it really upsets the opposition!
Let us hope we another successful season like the last one, but if it is not, it is not for the lack of trying.
One final word; a big thank you to Sally Malthouse for her endeavours to get the players registered for the new season, a massive task but one nearly completed!
Good Luck and come on the Colts!
The update of the website is almost completed; please click on the various teams to get the latest news.
Over the next few weeks we will have to update the content of the website ready for the new season, with the teams put in their appropriate age groups. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this will cause but it should be ready to go by September, when the 2011/12 begins.
As addressed in the Funday Programme of a few weeks back, the club has had another super year on the pitch with all the teams developing throughout the season and with some reaping their justly rewards while others fell a little short, but not for the want of trying. I take great pleasure in watching the events unfold as the season progresses, not without pain I have to say with my own team this season, but the club is making giant strides in producing successful football teams that are developed in the way we have stressed from the outset; competitive without being exclusive, learning without being obsessive and in an environment of being friendly but progressive.
This will continue into the new season as well. We have a group of new coaches who are enthusiastic and want to not only develop their own techniques in coaching but are mindful of how the club operates, as mentioned above. These are the people we want at the club who give up their spare time to invest in the development of young footballers as a football team and not be on a sole crusade for themselves. I am greatly encouraged by the conversations I have had with the new guys coming in who are of that same belief and therefore we can look forward to 2011/12 with great anticipation.
Unfortunately, I do have to report that the Under 10s Reds will not be progressing any further with the club. The two coaches have decided to call it a day and through a breakdown in communication between them and the club, and the club will take a certain amount of responsibility for that happening, the squad of players has moved to another team for the new season.
One of the reasons for this happening was how the club communicate through the coaches to the players’ parents. Last year the club thought that the website was the best way to publicize what was going on at the club, especially as the website had been updated in the summer. However, not all coaches took the website on board as it was meant to be and so the club relied on the coaches to pass on any relevant information to the parents. This did not always happen. And so a void of information was created and before we could retrieve it, the team had made a decision before the club could do anything about it.
Therefore from next season, the club will re-introduce the occasional Newsletter and will send it directly to the players’ parents. This gives the busy coaches one less thing to do and it gives the parents the option of reading it or not but at least they will receive the news deemed relevant to the club.
I am going to repeat a section I used in last year’s Chairman’ Report that bangs the drum again for better communication;
‘The structure set in place is meant to empower the coaches to work within the framework of how the club’s constitution has been written. Requests by coaches for permission to do something different are heard by the committee on a case by case basis. The committee will try and support the request were it thinks it is a viable proposition. If they believe it is not in the interests of the club they will give that reasoning back to the coach. This is how a club works. There have been cases where coaches are still working very much on their own. Knowing full well that what they do might not be approved by the committee, they go ahead and do it anyway. This only weakens the structure of the club. If there is one thing I want to see improve next season is for the coaches to be more forthcoming and open in how they run their teams. There are no personal issues. It is simply that the Maidenbower Colts Football Club comes first and foremost and all decisions are based on that.’
This is just to re-iterate the administrative workings of the club and that each team is a part of the club.
We are also in desperate need of a coach for next season’s Under 14s following Leigh Mase’s decision to have to give the role up due to work pressures. If you know of a coach who is looking to set up with a good bunch of lads please let us know as soon as possible.
From a financial prospective, as Michael will explain, the decision last year to raise the subscriptions was the correct one. We are on a firmer footing financially and one that has enabled the club to provide last season’s teams with a resplendent yellow training kit. More of such items will be forthcoming as a result of the financial set up but I will let Michael tell you more about that in his Treasurer’s Report.
Sally Malthouse is in the process of ensuring our players are registered correctly for the new season. The idea of registering players at a discount at the Fun Day was not only well received by families but by Sally herself. This has given her a head start on last year for sure and has enabled some of the parents to meet her as well which is always nice to put a face on the name. Sally continues to work extremely hard behind the scenes and assists the coaches in any way she can to get things to run smoothly so a big thank you to her although she is absent tonight.
I mentioned earlier about the website. I have to admit that I am disappointed that the teams’ pages are not updated on a regular basis. Admittedly, it takes a little time to upload the data but from there on in, it is not that time consuming. Obviously the pages will be updated for the new season and new passwords granted where required but a plea to the coaches or the administrators: Please update your team’s website page!
Without wishing to pre-empt the election process later for the committee I would like to thank the committee members who are stepping down now for their excellent input to the club over the past 12 months and more, your creativity will be missed. However I am aware of a few brave souls who are ready to step into the breach for 2011/12 season so I am sure we can continue the good work put in over the past three years. Along with the remainder of the hard working committee who are hanging around at least for another year, the club will benefit greatly from their work.
On top of this, we are in the process of developing a ‘social’ arm to the club. This has been thought of before but it failed miserably to get off the ground. However, we cannot let the good work put in by Teresa Norman and her team for the Fun Day organisation go to waste so we are looking to put together another function so watch the website for further details.
It has been an impressive year for the club but we cannot rest on those laurels. We are creating a niche in the community for being one of the best clubs around for introducing youngsters to football. We want to continue with that theme and help them develop as footballers with Maidenbower Colts Football Club, not at another club. We have a lot of work still to do but thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of the club over the past year.
Matthew Couch. Monday 27th June 2010.
We chose the day on which the drought ended to hold our Fun Day but despite the weather, our young players and their families enjoyed a great day at Maidenbower Junior School on Sunday 5th June. With full activities going ahead in rather wetter conditions than usual and with a BBQ sizzling away under the canopy our youngsters burnt off their energy ahead of the presentation ceremonies later in the day.
Thanks to everyone for supporting the day and to all who helped in putting the event together.
The Club’s AGM and Managers’ Meeting takes place on Monday 27th June 2011 at Oriel High School, starting at 7.30pm. The Club has taken great strides over the past few years on an administrative level and this has been down to the hard work of the committee. As is the case with a voluntary organisation, spare time becomes a premium and because of this two of our committee members are stepping down at the AGM. For the club to continue to strengthen we are seeking new members for the committee who can add value to the football club. One of those roles is as Club Treasurer, a vital position in any set up but extremely important in a youth football club. If you have an interest in helping the Club more please let me know and we can discuss further. If you are interested and have experience of being a Club Treasurer all the better but more importantly we want volunteers who can genuinely take the club forward. We have an excellent team on the committee and newcomers are always welcome.
Once again we welcome you along to Maidenbower Colts Football Club’s Presentation and Fun Day for 2011.
You will see from the Manager’s Comments section that this past season has been the club’s most successful yet. With another role of the dice we could have ended up with a few more trophies but it still proved that the club, despite competing with the so-called ‘bigger’ local football teams, is able to hold its own in managing a programme of development for its young players that is successful.
Behind that success lies a team of dedicated volunteers; the committee has once again worked extremely hard to ensure it battles its way through the bureaucratic web weaved by the local leagues that the club’s teams are affiliated to, and of course, the regional FA. A lot of time is wasted in dealing with people who have assumed a role in these organisations who then deem it necessary to act with more power than they are actually empowered with. It can be extremely frustrating at times but the committee gets the job done eventually!
On the footballing side that band of volunteers extends to the managers, coaches and team administrators. Here, we have been able to oversee a strategy that seems to give our teams a head start from the youngest age. With Michael Brown laying the foundations in his ‘Starter Year’ it enables the young players to acclimatise to developing their technical skills, working in a team group and above all, having fun. We, as a club, do not put pressure on the players; they find their feet in their own time, some quicker than others but the important part is that they do develop. By the time they move on to playing under 7s football they are at a higher level than most other teams. This stands them in good stead as they move through the mini sided age groups. The outstanding achievements of both of our under 10s teams this season proves this beyond doubt.
Where we must try to improve is to ensure that the standards remain as high when our teams move to eleven-a-side football. We are certainly moving in the right direction when you see the results of our under 11s this year but we must work hard to ensure the learning curve is maintained, and that our players want to stay with our club and not be tempted by others.
Please take the time to read the brief messages from our managers just to see how well we have done this season. The committee is extremely proud of everyone’s achievements for 2010/11.
I cannot have your full attention and not mention the club’s continued belief that success can be achieved in a football match without having to resort to foul play or abusive language, either on the pitch or off it. To reiterate our message, we will continue to ensure our players enjoy their football and learn to play the game in the correct manner. We will not tolerate unsporting behaviour by the players or parents and as long as they come off the pitch at the end of the game, having given 100 per cent, there will be no complaints. On a personal note, whilst managing the under 18s this season, I have seen a dramatic drop in sportsmanship on the pitch of our opponents and unruly behaviour off of it by their spectators. It is extremely disappointing to witness but the club will not drop to these standards.
BEFORE today’s presentation, we would like to take the opportunity to get a few photographs with ALL of the club’s players involved. This will take place at approximately 3.45pm. Please feel free to take your own photos!
Personally, I would like to thank Michael Brown for his hard work and effort he has put in over the last few years. Michael is stepping down this summer from his role as Club Treasurer and he will be a hard act follow. He has provided nothing but support since I took over as Chairman and he will be missed from the committee. Also, Leigh Mase will be stepping aside from the committee and his valued contribution will be missed too. Thank you to both for the work you have done for Maidenbower Colts. The time consumed by running the club increases as we continue to grow, so thank you to all of the committee members, managers, coaches, team administrators, our two Child Welfare Officers and our website designer for their time and effort. The club will always be run by volunteers so thank you, it really is appreciated.
Last but not least, on behalf of the committee, I would like to thank you, the parents and families of our players, for your support, not only this afternoon but also for being there during the course of the season. The encouragement you provide in supporting our club and its teams is what makes Maidenbower Colts Football Club special. THANK YOU!
The gates will open at midday at Maidenbower Junior School. We have organized a schedule of activities for all of the teams during the course of the afternoon. They will start at 12.20pm sharp! The timetable will appear in the numbered programme that you will be able to buy at the gate for just £5.00 per family, which will also double as a raffle ticket. Once inside the gates all the scheduled activities are free, as are the ‘inflatables’ which are available to everyone.
There will be a BBQ set up for the afternoon as well as cold drinks although we have decided against selling alcohol on the day. Prices will be very reasonable I can assure you. It is not too late to volunteer to help on the day, even if only for an hour or so, so please make yourself known to your team manager if you fancy helping out.
If anyone wishes to provide a cake for the cake-stall that will be set up on the day, all contributions will be welcome, homemade or shop bought!
We will be gathering all of the players at around 3.45pm for a group photograph opportunity so please feel free to snap away. The presentation will take place after this.
We will be taking Club Registrations for next season as well so get those forms filled in as quickly as possible.
There will be a stand with Maidenbower Colts merchandise that will be available to buy. We will also have a bring and buy stall for all surplus and unused football equipment (including old boots and football kit) that if left over at the end of the day, will be sent to a charity in Africa that is run by Yemi Adams, one of the coaches at our club.
We hope you will support the day and look forward to seeing you there.
Club Registration Discount if you register at the Fun Day!
In order to get the club registration process under way for next season, our Club Secretary Sally Malthouse will be on hand in the Drama Studio at the Fun Day to take the completed forms from you. Those of you who have to the pay the Registration Fee (eleven-a-side teams) will get a 25% discount if registration is completed on day, reducing the fee from £40.00 to £30.00! If you haven't heard from your team's coach/team administrator yet, get in contact with them and ask for the registration forms so you can hand them back at the Fun Day.
IT TAKES PLACE ON SUNDAY 5TH JUNE 2011 AT MAIDENBOWER JUNIOR SCHOOL STARTING AT MIDDAY.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW BUT PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP THE DATE FREE FOR AN AFTERNOON OF FUN FILLED ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS THE PRESENTATION TO OUR WONDERFUL TEAMS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR BEST SEASON EVER IN THE CLUB'S SHORT HISTORY.
In this Crawley League Invitation Cup Final a superb effort by the under 9s Reds saw them narrowly go down to Wealden by 1-0 despite throwing everything at the Wealden defence. Needless to say, it was the opponents who scored the only goal but it was a great performance and one that can the team can be proud of.
Both the under 10s teams managed to win their cup finals on Sunday which means BOTH teams completed their own league and cup double in the Crawley League. The under 10s Blues won 2-0 against MSB at Broadfield 3G and their success was followed shortly afterwards by the under 10s Reds who beat Oakwood Youth 1-0. A wonderful achievement by both teams and they can now both look forward to playing eleven-a-side football next season.
The under 10s Reds completed the double for Maidenbower Colts in this age group as, following in the footsteps of the Blues, they won their Crawley league title by beating Horley Town Blues 2-0. A superb effort by the players who have not conceded a goal in any competition since September. A sweep of the trophies could be on the cards as both the Reds and Blues play in their respective Cup Finals next weekend at Broadfield 3G. A great achievement by all involved with the age group.
11th April 2011.
Disappointment for the under 11 Reds as they went down 5-1 to Oakwood Youth in their Mid Sussex Youth League Cup Final at Crawley Down. All the goals came in the first half as the Colts were swept aside by a confident Oakwood team but they restored their pride with a battling second half performance so well done to all the players for showing strength of character by refusing to give up the game.
This year's Fun Day/Presentation Day will be held at Maidenbower Junior School once again, on Sunday 5th June 2011. Hopefully the weather will stay kind to us and we will be able to provide a whole host of activities for our young players and their siblings. Further details to follow but please put the date in your diary.
4th April 2011.
We are delighted to announce that three teams from Maidenbower Colts will be contesting League Cup Finals over the next few weeks. Firstly, congratulations to Nick Walker's Under 11s Reds who will meet Oakwood in the final of the Mid Sussex League U11s Cup Final on Sunday 10th April 2011, KO 10am, at Crawley Down FC.
Following this, both of the club's Under 10s teams have reached their respective finals in the Crawley League. Gary Henstock's U10 Blues will play MSB for the chance to secure a league and cup double while the Mark's U10s Reds will take on Oakwood in their League Cup Final. Both of these matches will take place at Broadfield on Sunday 17th April 2011. Kick off times to follow.
28th March 2011.
Commiserations to the under 18s who were eight minutes away from securing the title in their first season in the league. Keep your chins up and be proud of your efforts this season and look forward to next year, trying to go one better.
Well done to Gary Henstock's under 10s Blues who clinched their league title today. Needing only a draw they secured the point they required to achieve the Champion status and so win the league whilst remaining undefeated. A fantastic achievement to all the players and coaches involved.
Held once a month, if you would like a topic raised please contact one of the committee members at their email address and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
The club is delighted to announce its inaugural golf day and it will be held at Cottesmore G & CC, Pease Pottage on Friday 20th May 2011. We have now extended the invitation to parents of players.
The first tee off time is set for 8.30am; we will have a bacon roll and coffee before we play the 18 hole Griffin course and return to the clubhouse for lunch, after which we will have a small presentation of prizes to winners of the various competitions. Further details of the format will follow.
The cost is £50.00 per person and this includes all of the above so as to cover the cost of trophies etc. As we have 24 places booked, should you wish to play in the tournament please respond to Richard O'Neill at richard.oneill@thomson.co.uk as soon as possible. This will be on a first come first served basis. All fees will be collected BEFORE the 20th May 2011.
The club is continually looking at ways of improving the environment the teams play their football in. One of those ways is by finding sponsors for our teams, which reduces the running costs to the club. This enables us to concentrate on providing the players with better equipment and facilities.We are currently looking for sponsors for some of our teams, if you think you could help us, please contact Michael Brown on 01293 889276.
Team sponsorship is paramount to the successful running of any children’s/youth football club, ours is no different. If you are aware of any local or national business for that matter, seeking to provide sponsorship to a football team, we would be happy to hear from them.
Our Fun Day is fast approaching which will be held on SUNDAY 13th JUNE 2010 at Maidenbower Junior School from Noon. We will have activities going on all afternoon for the teams and for young siblings too so please try and arrive early. We are still looking for quality raffle prizes for the day so please contact your respective team manager with any donations. Helpers for the day should kindly make themselves known as well to their team manager as volunteers are priceless!
The club’s AGM will be held on Thursday 24th June 2010 at Oriel High School. You are most welcome to attend, start time to be advised in due course.
The summer tournaments should be underway soon. Please remember that you are representing Maidenbower Colts Football Club at these events and although things can get exciting as the teams progress through the day try to keep calm for the sake of our young players. If you can help your team coach by ensuring the tournament fees are collected before the day it will enable him to concentrate on football matters.
As mentioned earlier, the Registration Forms will be handed out over the next month or so and as photographic identification is required by the club and the leagues it might be an idea to start digging around for some passport size photos. It is better to get them taken early than leaving it to the last minute.
Finally, thank you for your continued support this year and despite the weather’s best efforts to curtail the football season, Maidenbower Colts Football Club continues to thrive on the local football scene. Let us ensure that our club maintains the high standard of respect it offers to other team’s players, officials and supporters and at the same time if we do fail on the football pitch, it is because we have reached too far, not because we have settled for too little.
The one piece of silverware this season was provided by our Under 9s REDS team who reached the Crawley League cup final and thrillingly beat Maidenbower United 1-0 to lift the trophy! Congratulations to the two Marks (Sait and Burbidge) for guiding the youngsters to success. To be fair to all of our small-sided teams, the club has an extremely strong base here that bodes well for the future. We have a group of enthusiastic and gifted coaches, who are bringing the young players along a steep learning curve and everyone, coaches and players alike, are developing rather well.
This season’s league and organized football has formally ended. The club’s teams have had another impressive year with progress being made in all age groups. The training programme implemented last year for the coaches to receive the FA coaching course level 1 continues to reap reward as the quality of the football played by Maidenbower Colts gets better and better.
An increase in subscriptions will happen from September 2010. We have tried to keep the rise to a minimum but as previously detailed, costs are rising and although the quality of coaching improves because of the courses they attend, they are not free. Therefore, the small-sided teams will see their monthly payments increase to £12.50 and the eleven-a-side teams will rise to £15.00. New standing order forms will be distributed with the registration forms over the next couple of weeks so there is no need to do anything with the existing standing orders for the time being. If you need to discuss this issue with me please do not hesitate in contacting me.
We are not too far away from the summer six-a-side tournaments beginning. Please ensure that payment for these events is made promptly to your respective team manager which avoids the hassle of collecting the fees on the day of the tournament, or in some cases, after the event! Hopefully the pitches would have dried out by then and this will throw up another hurdle for the players to negotiate having spent the winter training on Astroturf. Our players should be able to play on all surfaces and only practice on grass, Astroturf, 3G and concrete will help their technique and control.
A quick update on the website; we are looking at moving this on, with the help of Becky Hislop, and hope to have a new site in place for next season.
Sally Malthouse has taken over from Teresa Norman as our Club Registration Secretary, thanks once again to Teresa, and we welcome Sally to the committee. If anyone believes they have the time and commitment to help the club in any shape or form please feel free to contact me.
The consistency of our teams at all levels is no coincidence. At all age groups now, following further coach participation during the season, we have at least one coach who has taken the FA Level 1 coaching course. I’m sure as a parent you will notice the improvement in the level of the club’s coaching over the last few years. This will continue but please remember our players are children, our aim is to improve their individual technical level in a team environment. The emphasis on winning every game at small sided matches is not what is paramount. It is the development of the players during season that counts the most, not results, no matter who the opponents are.
Our other under 9s team, the BLUES, had the time of their lives recently when they were the ‘warm up’ match for a Crawley Town fixture at the Broadfield Stadium against Luton Town. Over 2,000 fans turned up for the match, many of which saw our boys take the lead against Maidenbower United only to pegged back to finish all square at 1-1. It was a wonderful occasion, one which our players can aspire to happening to them on a regular basis one day.
We are in the process of putting together our end of season Fun Day. This year it will be held on SUNDAY 13th JUNE 2010 at Maidenbower Junior School. With the World Cup having started two days earlier and England having played the evening before, there is a good chance it will have a World Cup theme! Please put the date in your diary and make sure you come along to celebrate our teams’ achievements. Anyone who is in a position to donate quality raffle prizes for the day please contact your respective team manager. Of course, we will require helpers on the day so if anyone who wishes to volunteer can let their team manager know as soon as possible, their help will not be turned down!
We have not had any fund raising events for eighteen months with last year’s Fun Day being the last club ‘get together’. We are very conscious of the current economic situation and have remained in the background but as a club we are still subject to price increases from equipment suppliers, training facilities, pitch bookings and referees fees.
As a result, we will have to increase the subscription fees for season 2010/11.This will be the first increase in subscriptions since the club was started in 1998 and something we can not hold back any longer. Further details on this will follow but be assured that we will endeavour to make it as painless as possible for you.
What a season for seasons! Everything possible has been the cause of match cancellations this winter with the obvious exception of it being too hot! Hence the reason for news, or the lack of it as there has been so few matches played especially at eleven-a-side level. Hopefully now, as we approach the end of March, we will be able complete our fixtures without too much disruption and without the need for too many ‘double-headers’ although this I’m afraid is probably inevitable.
Anyway, the main thing is our teams are playing football again. There are only so many training sessions a team can have without putting it to use in a match. Once again, when it gets to playing football, Maidenbower Colts does this rather well. Our teams are having an excellent season, pushing towards the top end of their respective leagues rather than the bottom. The weather has caused the Sussex County Cup to be abandoned for the season which has curtailed some cup competition but we do have a team in a cup final; our under 9s REDS team have reached the Crawley League cup final. This will be played on Sunday 2nd May 2010 at the 3G pitches, Broadfield and it is against…Maidenbower United! If you can get along to give our young team your support, it would be much appreciated.
