In a follow up to our first FA skills day held in April the Essex FA's press & publicity officer Chris Evans has written an article about the event which will be appearing on the EFA's website. The article is reproduced below:
LIFE’S A PITCH FOR FA SKILLS YOUNGSTERS
By Chris Evans
Soccer starlets aged nine and ten were introduced to eleven-a-side football for the very first time as part of an FA Tesco Skills Day at Barking Football Club’s Mayesbrook Park venue in Lodge Avenue to help them in their transition from the mini-soccer format in preparation for season 2009/10.
Rob O’Brien and Andy Edmunds from the Skills Team joined forces with Barking F.C. Secretary John Faherty, to train the Under 10s from local FA Charter Standard Community clubs Dagenham United and Upminster Park Rovers in the fundamentals of the full-sized game recently in readiness for when they step up an age group next year in the Echo Junior League. The FA Tesco Skills Programme was launched to raise standards in coaching for players aged 6-11 as part of the FA Strategy for 2008-2012.
O’Brien, a weathered footballer himself around the West Essex scene, was only too pleased to pass on the benefits of his knowledge, claiming: “It was a very enjoyable day and there was a great deal of positive feedback from the coaches involved. The children took a lot away from the coaching as eleven-a-side is a big challenge after playing mini-soccer and making the change doesn’t happen overnight. Players need to learn about the extra space and time on the ball they will get, as well as the need for enhanced team work. The good news is there are plenty of experienced coaches to help them out!”
The players met in the dressing rooms at Mayesbrook Park before taking part in a ‘white board session’ to help them visualise basic eleven-a-side positioning ideas and concepts, including the offside law, followed by a question and answer session. Training on the main pitch preceded a warm-up where movement, passing and supporting team mates were the subjects, moving on to the small-sided games they were more used to. In addition, there were practicals based around shooting, to acclimatise the youngsters to the different heights of the goalposts at Under 11s level.
A full-sized match took place in the afternoon in three twenty-minute periods prior to a de-brief from the coaches about what they had learned. Rob added: “Barking F.C. got involved when we learned that they wanted to reach out to their community and create a pathway for players in their youth section, which they hope to grown by 200%. They intend to raise awareness that they’re more than just an adult senior club by applying for FA Charter Standard status and John Faherty was pleased to see the players from Dagenham and Upminster enjoying themselves.”
The players who took part were treated to free Barking F.C. season tickets and future Skills days are also planned, although fixed dates are yet to be confirmed. To learn more about the FA Tesco Skills Team or Barking F.C. contact Rob O’Brien on (07943) 862303 or E-Mail rob.obrien@thefa.com. Details can also be found at www.essexfa.com, www.thefa.com/skills or www.barking-fc.co.uk. |
