Windsor Youth Under 13s

[Don't Blame Me]

Congratulations to our Under 13s for reaching the Berks & Bucks Cup Final. This will be held on Sunday March 18th. More details to follow.

[Geggy]

Congrats to all involved and good luck!

[Don't Blame Me]

There will be a full page article in tonight's programme regarding this cup final. Suggest you buy a copy to get all the info!

[Don't Blame Me]

As promised, some more information:

 

18th March at Aylesbury Town FC. Kick off 2.00pm

 

A coach has been laid on and will leave Stag Meadow at 12.30. Spaces are available and the cost is £5 for adults. If anyone is interested, please contact Phil Stacey at pgstacey@aol.com.

 

I think it would be wonderful for the youngsters to have the chance to play in front of as many of our supporters as possible. After all, what is the alternative? Do you really want to go to Auntie Maud's for tea?

[Rother]

My son has played with this group of players (although he's not in the team that has made the final) and I can confirm that they are a very good bunch of young footballers, winning almost every league, cup and tournament they have entered during the last few years.

 

It would be brilliant if they could graduate to represent the full Windsor FC 1st team in due course although one or 2 might prove to be better than CCL (assuming that's where we find ourselves in a few years time!)

 

I really hope the links between the 1st Team and the Youth set up can be strengthened in order that we can make the idea of staying within the club as attractive as possible to these young players.

 

A good coach full might help in some small way towards that aim.

 

Come on You Blues!

[Geggy]

Totally agree Rother. In recent weeks I would go as far as to say that it's the local lads that have stood out for me. Both Gouldy and Lazza have shown real promise and have been full of commitment, really hope they get a run in the side now. Would also like to see Ben Harris recalled from his loan spell at Bracknell, he looked like he had real potential when he played in the county cup game a few months ago. If there's more like these three lads in the those youth teams the future is very promising and definitely the way forward for us as a club. There is talent in the town and kids that want to play for their local club.

[Rother]

I'm not an "insider" so wont be aware of everything going on behind the scenes but it seems to me that a lot more could / should be done to encourage / build the link between the club and the Youth set up.

 

Talking to various people over the course of the season who are involved with the U13s there is a lot of negativity towards Windsor FC - the perception I have gained is that people feel the organisation has been poor and some promises undelivered.

 

I have some questions myself which are my own and not related to the above concerns:

 

Why have there not been more days like the one where the U9s came along? It looked and felt like a real success to me and surely could have been repeated with other age groups. If Windsor FC is serious about becoming a community club (which I know it is) these should surely be a regular feature...

 

Secondly, it surely would not be above the call of duty to invite a player or 2 to hold a coaching session with a Youth team or 2? I'm sure this was mentioned as an aim when the new club was formed yet, to my knowledge, nothing of the sort has materialised which is a shame, and an opportunity lost.

 

If the players meet the youngsters and hold an enjoyable session it would leave everyone with a very positive vibe and surely add to our home gates at some stage?

 

I know players have their own lives to lead and coaching may not be there thing but guessing there are maybe 400 kids / lads / youths across all age groups, most with at least one parent and one sibling interested in football, surely there is something that could be done on this front to get positive publicity and more supporters?

 

(Didn't realise where I was going when I started this post - maybe it should have been a new thread...)

 

 

[Don't Blame Me]

In reply to Rother - official hat well and truly lodged on my head, we were going to have the Under 8s at the postponed Wembley game. Sadly, the weather saw to that. The visit that was planned has been rescheduled for the game against Cove this Saturday so be prepared for high pitched voices!

 

We have a committee meeting tomorrow and I am sure that PG will be aware of your comments and suggestions.

 

We will get there!

[Paul G]

Evening Rother, If there is negativity towards Windsor within the u/13 age group I am certainly unaware of it so could somebody please contact me and list the complaints. All the u/13 coaches know who I am and have my contact details (I have written to the coaches re a number of matters on several occasions).

 

Regarding the age group days, we have set up two so far under 9's and under 7's. Under 8's are due this week and hopefully the under 10's to follow. This ideas is relatively new and we can only schedule the dates when the age groups are available.

 

There are many other initiatives ongoing which will become more obvious during the next few months.

[Rother]

Thank you gents. It's good to hear that things are in the pipeline.

 

To be honest, when the negativity has shown itself I have not asked questions to establish details. Whether anyone will be prepared to make positive contact to discuss the issues I don't know but I will take it upon myself to dig deeper and report back in due course.

 

I look forward to having my ears pierced on Saturday! (Or something!!)

[Windsor_Sec]

The only real negative comments I've heard relate to the fact that we wouldn't permit penalty shootouts to take place on the pitch at halftime. The simple fact is we have a good pitch and wish to keep it that way and having twenty people in a goalmouth for 15 minutes is going to undo all the good work that's been done with the pitch this season ! We are however looking at alternate measures to enable a halftime penalty shoot out to take place so it may well happen with future visits.

With regards to coaching I'm not aware of any of our players holding coaching qualifcations which are vital nowadays in kids football plus the obligatory CRB checks. We've only just linked up this season and is something for the long-term as opposed to immediate future. If there is a problem it's one of 'I want it and I want it now' syndrome which we will overcome with experience and time but I've certainly heard no complaints from the 3 or 4 teams using the training area on Saturdays and Tuesdays or the teams that use the training pitch for their small-sided games on a Sunday !

[Rother]

Guess it must be the other teams then!!

 

Look, we all know you can't please all of the people all of the time and I have spent a fair bit of time talking to doubters amongst the parents this season about the squad structure ("why are there not more local lads...?" etc.) which is understandable I suppose, but I don't think is an area that is much of our business really. (By "our" I mean us supporters.)

 

Grumbles about the general link-up (founded or unfounded) are worth talking about and addressing though as whatever their validity, to the people who have aired them, they are presumably very real. Whether they'll go public is, as always the case, another matter!

 

Anyway, message received - as I said I will try to find out what the grumbles were about and report back.

[Paul G]

And if you choose to report back, can I ask that you do it directly to a member of the committee please instead of posting 'grumbles' on an open forum where people can very likely get the wrong impression of what we are about.....

 

Thanks, Paul G

[Big J R]

Nothing like a good 'grumble' on an open forum....

 

(dons well-worn tin-hat !)

[Geggy]

For what's it worth, from my perspective the link up with the youth team is the best initiative our new club has done. My sister's friend's son plays for one of the teams, not sure which age range, and the feedback has been nothing but huge gratitude. Keep up the great work Paul.

[Rother]

Hmmph! Just spent half an hour crafting a reply with the feedback as promised only for my laptop to close itself down to do a Windows update without warning, so lost it...

 

Suffice to say, having asked the right questions, it appears the grumble about organisation and feedback IS NOT with Windsor FC, but in another direction. (I will address those privately to the committee.)

 

Apologies for any wrong impression given in my earlier post but all I'm doing is passing on what I have gleaned from comments made during the season - I should probably have obtained more info before posting and / or been more thoughtful about the impact the comment would have but, budget apart (!), I think a healthy degree of openness is exactly "what we are about".

 

There are other (perhaps interesting, hopefully constructive) observations that I shall pass on, probably via telephone to committee member as I really can't be arsed to type it out again!

[Don't Blame Me]

I have no problem with anyone posting anything on forums, just as long as it is not to do with the playing budget. What else is a forum for? If it helps bring issues into the open then I am all in favour of that. For example, the reason we did not win on Monday night had nothing to do with the 3 goals conceded by us rather more to do with the fact that I did not have a pre-match pie!

[Big J R]

Sorry to upset you, ProgEd, but budgets have ALWAYS been a subject for discussion on FF, rightly or wrongly.

 

Anyway, it all adds to the spice of forum-banter.

[Rother]

Windsor lost the final to Penn & Tyler Green 2-0 AET.

 

Described by the oppo's brief report as "a very difficult pitch".