ESFA Newsletter - Monday 8th December 2008
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Chairman Stuart Inger
With the season now in full swing and the office very busy indeed it is good to welcome back our CEO John Read after his knee replacement surgery. To be back at work three weeks ahead of schedule is pretty impressive going. I would like to thank all the office staff and council members who have knuckled down to the task superbly during John’s absence and kept the association running with usual efficiency. John returns to the challenge of trying to set up a Wembley fixture for June, and whilst we as a body are totally committed to it, getting confirmation from our partners is difficult to say the least. Kevin Wilbur and his Wembley committee have done all the groundwork superbly and we now have to hope that the final pieces of the jigsaw can be put in place.
Sadly I have to report the death of Tony French, Life Member, Chairman of the ESFA 1986-87, and representative of North Kent Schools FA. Tony was a highly regarded member of the ESFA and very well known and respected throughout the South East of England. David and Rita Lailey and I were able to attend Tony’s funeral on the 18th November in Eltham, and afterwards at his beloved Charlton Athletic FC where he and June, and most of his family, were season ticket holders. Kent Schools FA, Kent FA and London Schools FA were well represented among the mourners.
Our national competitions now are in full swing and keeping the competitions department very busy indeed. With many round deadlines coming just before the Christmas break, Mike and his team are hoping to have everything on schedule for the start of the New Year. The only disappointment for me in this is when I hear that some games have had to be decided by the wholly unsatisfactory toss of a coin. This is usually because one or both teams do not make contact with each other before deadlines or do not make every effort to play before deadlines. I cannot understand people who enter national competitions and are then either so inept or incapable that they do not fulfil their commitments.
I have spent four full weekends since the last newsletter following the U-18 international trials, and would like to congratulate council members who organised regional trials and matches so expertly, and thank coaches who gave up valuable time once again to look after teams. With the regional matches seeing the North beating the Midlands, the South East beating the South West and then the Midlands putting paid to the South East, the team management and selectors had an outrageously difficult job to put together a group for the first Lilleshall weekend. After much thought and deliberation a group did emerge at Lilleshall last weekend and all did themselves, their counties and regions proud, but of course the real tests come in January when our trialists will play the RAF, and the Navy.
The RAF football training clinics were an outstanding success again this year, being held in the North of England at RAF Leeming, RAF Linton-on-Ouse and RAF Waddington. The three Andys: Blight, Costello and Williams, looked after the coaching and Kevin Wilbur represented the ESFA. It is also rumoured that Mike Spinks was seen in a tracksuit helping with one of the sessions. This is an important link with one of our major sponsors and I would like to thank all who worked hard to make it run so smoothly.
I have also represented the ESFA at all the Victory Shield U-16 games, in Northern Ireland where England won 6-0, in Wales where they won 1-0, and then at Lincoln City where they beat Scotland 2-0 and once again secured the trophy, which was presented by our very own David Woollaston, the current Chairman of SAFIB. There are some very talented boys in that England squad, some of whom will surely represent the full England team in future years. I feel that I have made some extremely constructive links with the FA through this venture and regret that next year we will have a new representative while the FA Chairman of the Youth Committee stays for a 3-year term.
When I started my year in the chair past chairmen told me that it was an easy ride until Christmas and then things started ‘hotting up’. With only three weekends at home since September I am beginning to wonder how hot it can get.
May I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a fruitful New Year.
Stuart Inger.
Chairman
Chief Executive’s Update
As the Chairman has mentioned I am now back at work after a successful left knee replacement operation. The new knee is now 10 weeks old and is beginning to operate better than it has for many years. I am still relying on a daily dose of pain killers but that is probably due to the headaches of the job rather than the knee!
Future Development of ESFA
Just before Christmas should be a time of good will to all men [and ladies], but I am afraid that I have a rather hard hitting message to get out to you all.
You will recall that over the past 4 years we have been round the country 3 times explaining the changes in the overall school sports administration and the effects that this has had on ESFA, it’s Counties and Districts. Not only do we have the Schools Sports Partnerships with their dedicated School Sports Coordinators, Partnership Development Managers and Competition Managers, but we also have the enormous increase in Youth football as delivered by clubs through the County FAs. The County FAs have been supported by the FA and all have full time Football Development Officers, many of them remitted to work in the County schools.
To the great credit of ESFA, the Schools’ County and District Associations have flourished during this period of change, especially in the delivery of individual schools competitions. However, the representative bedrock of schools football at District level has been sorely tested by the advent of professional academies and youth football centres. Everyone wants the same players!
ESFA must continue to move with the times and ensure that the product that we are delivering is well managed, professional and maintains the ethos of schools’ football. All our partners in delivering school sport and football specifically are moving to the County based administration and to that end we must improve our County administration to keep in line, We are the only deliverers who remain volunteers and without funding except from our partners such as the FA.
In order to devolve some funding down to our Associations I have had to agree with the FA that our County FAs would be funded directly from ESFA HQ and will include the appropriate funding for the District Associations within that County funding. District funding will still be distributed directly from ESFA HQ on request from the Districts as we do presently, but will be accounted for under the County Business Plan. For this season I shall be submitting a Business Plan to the FA on behalf of all the 44 County Schools’ FAs. The plans will be formulated from your returns on the annual request for funding. Early in the New Year I intend to hold a County FA meeting, probably on a Saturday in London, where we will discuss the County Business Plans for 2009-2010.
In the meantime, Mike Spinks’ role has been changed slightly to introduce a new commitment to work with the individual county Schools’ secretaries and help coordinate their business with the Competition Managers and County FDOs. Already Mike has visited one county and held a meeting with the three organisations and has another 8 planned before the end of the Easter school term. If you have examples of good practice within your associations of their work with the Football Development Officers and County Competition Managers, please let Mike know. Also, if you are having problems coordinating your programme with either the Football Development Officers or County Competition Managers, please keep Mike informed.
County Schools Football Associations are urged to contact their County Competition Manager and the County FA to organise a meeting without too much delay. I am currently compiling a data base of these contacts and will communicate them to you after Christmas, but in the meantime p[lease let me know if you have already started dialogue. You should take control of these meetings and manage the delivery of all football in your County schools to the rules and procedures of ESFA. If you or your District Associations cannot deliver any particular aspect of football, be it 11 a-side for girls, futsal or any other area of football welcome the help of the Competition Managers or the Football Development Officers. You might even be able to get some funding from them!
For ESFA and its County and District Associations to continue to be the prime deliverer of schools’ football we can no longer ignore the influences of the changes around us. Have no fears if we do not work with our partners they will not work with us and that would give them the upper hand as they have finance and manpower to spare! On my part I will continue to support schools football, as delivered by ESFA at all levels, within the FA and the Youth Sports Trust. I will work with our partners to ensure that the ethos of schools’ football is not forgotten in the desire to move forward and I will continue to badger the powers that be, and especially the Government, to financially support our association.
International Fixtures
We are still waiting for confirmation of our booking for 13th June at Wembley where it seems we will be playing a French under 18 team.
Attached to this Newsletter are adverts for the two home internationals against Wales and the Northern Irish. Please run these off and distribute them as widely as you can. If you would like me to send you some more copies please send me an email request.
- 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
2008-2009 has seen a further increase in the number of entrants in all our competitions except for the under 12 indoor 5-a-side competition where all their named entrants have not yet been received from the co-ordinators. Mike, Darren and Ed can be congratulated on this continued success, however, with schools shutting down or being amalgamated there will be a time when this increase is unsustainable.
There is now a comprehensive Competition Page on the website for your use www.esfa.co.uk/competitions
Coaching and Selection
The Chairman has outlined his tremendous support for the Coaching and Selection Committee. To follow up my plea from the last Newsletter, County Selectors are asked to ensure that when they make nominations to the National Coaching team that the nomination forms are completed correctly and in good time. This year, for example, we have had to spend many hours chasing players to find out which school / college they attend as this information has not been filled in on the nomination form.
Promotion & Development [Repeat]
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.
Rules & Referees [Repeat]
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.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship activities are at an all time low, but that is to be expected in this climate of ‘credit crunch’. Details of all our sponsors are to be found on the web site. Please support these commercial enterprises as much as you can.
Women’s and Girls FA Centres of Excellence [Repeat]
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.
Child Welfare
Martin Duffield, the Association Child Welfare Officer has produced the ESFA Child Welfare Policies using the Football Association guidelines. To obtain copies of this document please see www.esfa.co.uk/childwelfare.
The Government Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Act due to come into operation in September 2008 will now not have effect until September 2009. Therefore all ESFA Associations must have4 a nominated Child Welfare Officer nominated to this HQ by September 2009 and all those nominated must have undertaken the specific Child Welfare Course by September 2010.
In the meantime it is essential that ALL people working in schools' football have completed the appropriate CRB check. The FA has started to suspend coaches and referees who have not complied with this regulation. - be warned.
Relationship with FA Excellence Programme
Professional clubs wishing to gain Academy or Centre of Excellence status must follow the FA's Charter for the Excellence Programme. This includes the relationship between schools, parents, players and clubs.
The relevant regulations can be found in the FA Handbook 2008-2009. They are too long to include in this document but should any Association wish to have a copy please email the Chief Executive john.read@schoolsfa.com and request a copy.
John A Read
Chief Executive
