ESFA Newsletter - 12 September 2008
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Chairman Stuart Inger
I hope you all enjoyed this dismal summer and are well rested for the start of what we hope will be an eventful and enjoyable season. Already district teams will be preparing for the challenges of the trophy and school fixtures have already begun in earnest and I expect county team managers are planning for county trials before half term. It certainly doesn’t seem like we have only been back at school for two and a bit weeks.
Rather disappointingly I have already faced the now hackneyed comment that ‘no-one is doing any football in schools nowadays, it isn’t like when I was a lad’, and although I countered it with the fact that there were more teams than ever playing in our competitions, I’m sure it just fell on deaf ears. All of us in schools football meet comments like this regularly and it is important we do not give them houseroom – please could I ask all of us to let the moaners know that we have more than 4000 teams in our national inter-school competitions with many more to add when we bring in district and county competitions. Schools football is very much alive and kicking.
Competition numbers keep going up every year and we must congratulate Mike Spinks and his team for tremendous efforts in the competitions department. Ed Mitchell has joined the department since the last newsletter and I would like to wish him a long and successful journey with the ESFA.
Mike’s team and our superb office staff have had little break during the summer (they might be grateful for this of course this year!) as they have serviced summer courses and strived to get our two weighty handbooks out on time. These two really comprehensive books are something we as an association should be justifiably proud.
I suppose my year as chairman really began with the U-18 summer course at Keele in the middle of August. The weather was kind enough, pouring at nights and mostly dry or drizzling during the day, allowing our superb team of coaches and staff to put on an exceptional course. The players were a delight to be with during the week and they joined in every activity and talk with genuine enthusiasm and enjoyment. Comments from Keele staff that this is the best behaved and most charming group they have all year is not unexpected at ESFA, but is something that needs reporting. Despite the emphasis of the course being on coaching not selection, I’m sure the performance of several players will have not escaped the watchful eye of Phil Nardiello, as he begins his first season in charge of the U-18 national team. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Phil and his new assistant, Andy Williams, the very best of luck for the coming international campaign.
The first council weekend of the year was a very rare event – for the first time since I joined this illustrious body 14 years ago we have a full council. I was delighted to welcome Neil Pont, John Appleby, Terry Pollard and Dave Walker to the council, all of whom contributed to lively debate, and I’m sure they will bring a new enthusiasm to the work of council. Having also brought the average age of council down a might I wish each of them a long and happy time with the ESFA.
Last weekend your vice-chairman, Paul Rickard, and I joined John Read at the SAFIB AGM in Glasgow and I was pleasantly surprised at the real enthusiasm for schools football right across Europe. This is a market we would really be welcomed into if we could be sure of sufficient funds.
Of course we were not the only ESFA council members present at SAFIB. Dave Woollaston was introduced as the chairman of SAFIB for the coming season and he really did ESFA proud as he handled the meeting and his other speeches with such dignity and charm. I am sure Dave will be a very popular and effective chairman of this prestigious body, and I wish him well.
We all know that there will be many challenges ahead during this season such as our links with PDMs and SSCs, the FA and discipline, and finding the finance for our expanding portfolio of activities. I believe we should take every opportunity to let the nation know that we are doing a good job in schools football, and I take great heart from Newbury Secondary Secretary, Doug Cook, who has been interviewed now twice on Radio 5 as a result of the international success of Newbury boy Theo Walcott. Thanks, Doug, for being really positive about the contributions the ESFA, its counties and districts have made to Theo’s, and thousands of others, player development.
May I wish you all an enjoyable and, if possible, a fruitful season ahead.
Stuart Inger.
Chairman
Chief Executive’s Update
The beginning of the school year is always a busy time for Council and the staff in Stafford. Handbooks have to be prepared, schools need to be notified of the various draws and competition rules and regulations need to be distributed. We also have the first Council Meeting of the season in Stafford and the Chairman, vice Chairman and myself attend the AGM of the Schools’ Association Football International Board [SAFIB]. This year hosted by the Scottish Schools’ F.A. in Glasgow. Dave Woollaston our Council Member from Area G has the honour of Chairing SAFIB this season.
I am now pleased to report that we are at full complement with the election of Neil Pont to take over from Dennis Fulton in Area A, John Appleby to replace Martin Duffield in Area C, Terry Pollard to replace Steve Abson in Area D and David Walker to take over the vacant position in Area H.
All 4 new Council Members attended their first Council weekend earlier in the month and made an immediate impact aiding Council to make some important decisions.
International Fixtures
The programme of Centenary Shield matches has now been confirmed. Other invitation matches are still being planned including a fixture at Wembley on Saturday 6th June 2009. The Centenary Shield matches are:
- Thursday 5th March at Boston Utd v. Wales
- Friday 27th March at Macclesfield Town v. Northern Ireland
- Friday 17th April at St Mirren FC v. Scotland
- Friday 24th April at Kilkenny v. Rep of Ireland
Competitions Department
Your new Competitions Directory should either be with you already or enclosed with this General Newsletter. If you have not received your copy please contact the office. There is now a comprehensive Competition Page on the website for your use www.esfa.co.uk/competitions
Coaching and Selection
County secretaries are urged to make their nominations for their regional trials as quickly as possible after their County trials. May I also ask that County secretaries complete the relevant proformas as accurately as possible as these are used if the player progresses through the trials system.
Primary Schools Activities
Work continues with JETIX TV to provide sponsorship for our Primary Schools Festival programme. Money has been obtained from the CCPR Bingolotto towards this activity.
Members are reminded that children must have attained their 8th birthday on or before 31st August before they can play competitive matches. This means matches where leagues, points or winners are kept.
Only Year 6 pupils can still play 11 a-side football.
The highlight of the Primary season will, once again, be at Wembley for the National Finals at Wembley Stadium on 6th June 2009.
Promotion & Development
The award of Long Service Awards will be announced, as usual, after the March 2009 Council Meeting. All nominations for 10, 25, 40 and 50 Year awards must reach your Council Member by 31st December 2008 and Council Members must submit the checked nominations by 31st January 2009. Members are warned that there may be a scaling back of the level of hospitality that goes with the 40 and 50 Year Awards due to a number of budget cuts being enforced for this season. Notification of this will be given after the Trustees’ meeting in October.
I am discussing with the Football Association methods of ‘on-line’ affiliations and disciplinary procedures
Rules & Referees
Members are asked to inform the office if they have qualified referees on their lists who might like to be considered for National Finals or International matches. The Competitions Department will be compiling a new list for this season.
Discipline Procedures
Council has agreed to follow the recommendations of the FA in relation to fines for disciplinary cases as printed in the FA Handbook and ESFA Competitions Directory. Fines will only be administered by the ESFA office for national competitions in order to bring ESFA into line with County Youth Football and to “level the playing field”. County and District SFAs may also follow these guidelines but it is not mandatory at this time.
These fines are in addition to the administration charge (currently £8) which should continue to be paid at all levels. It should also be noted that the fines are to be paid by the School/District/County Associations of the player(s) depending on who he/she was playing for. In youth football it is the club that is responsible for the payment of fines and not the player. This also applies in schools football – it is the school that is responsible for any fines.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship activities are at an all time low, but that is to be expected in this climate of ‘credit crunch’. As mentioned last month we can welcome an extended sponsorship arrangement with the Premier League, a new sponsorship arrangement with MATCH magazine and a supporting arrangement with First Aid Warehouse. Details of all our sponsors are to be found on the web site. Please support these commercial enterprises as much as you can.
County Senior Competition Managers
I am grateful to those County secretaries who have already made contact with their County Competition Manager and urge those who haven’t to do so without delay. Mike Spinks, National Competition Manager has been given the task of coordinating the activities at a County level. Any problems experienced by ESFA Associations in their dealings with the County Competition Managers should be notified to Mike without delay so that he can investigate the problem. mike.spinks@schoolsfa.com or 01785 785970 (option 1)
Women’s and Girls FA Centres of Excellence
Whilst writing this I am aware that there is some confusion as to the status of school football for girls attending Centres of Excellence. The FA Women’s Committee originally decreed that school football would not be allowed and only County Schools’ competitions would be accepted. This decision was rescinded mid way through last season to allow girls to play for their school team (a right and proper decision taken after protest by myself). However, I see that this has not been reflected in the 2008-2009 FA Handbook. I am investigating this and will report back to membership.
John A Read
Chief Executive
