Youth Football at our club

[Eastside Urchin]

I have a dream,a vision,ok its just an idea.

I would like to see a proper youth team at the bridge,a club called AFC Hornchurch youth

,ranging from all ages to youth and reserves.

Other clubs have succesful youth teams such as Thurrock,Stortford,Ricay,even Romford pay more attention to youth than we do.

I know some people dont think the youth teams are always worth the aggrevation,but i completely disagree.

Nowadays you get all sorts of grants/help from footballs governing bodies,especially as i am led to believe the FA and Blue square Conference.

But the pluses for me far outweigh the negatives,yes it is time consuming and those currently running the club probably don't have time but there are always people willing to get involved in youth football.

I would like to see junior teams progressing up through the ranks until they get to under 16,17's,18's,reserves and eventually first team.

How good would it be to see your kid,progressing through the ranks to the first team and maybe even leaving the club to go on to greater things at a league club,yes,i know this only happens once in a blue moon for some clubs but is it not worth trying.

The one thing that is given in football is that kids will turn into men and play football.I feel that we should do everything possible to encourage,bring through players,into our first team from our youth team,it would be a fantastic achievement for the club.

The youth players could gain free entry to our games,take an active part in the club by supporting the first team,also bringing their parents,friends along.

Lets not just look at this season or the next,a football club should have a legacy and that should be thinking 10/15 years down the line,not just the short term.

We have an area of land up the top,known as the plateau,its a mess currently but has floodlights,with hard work it could be made much better and used by some youth sides.

I also think that if this was to be operable,we should have a reserve side,playing saturday games when our first team are away.Maybe kicking games off at 2pm to avoid using floodlights in winter.So the older youth players could get used to playing "mens" football.Trialists could also be involved.

We used to do it years ago,with a few people turning up to watch,albeit many from the bar.

Lets make this a real community club,where those youth players are proud to put on the shirt and grow up at Hornchurch,not just turn up and play without too much thought of any progression which is what is in reality happening at the moment.Yes,it will be hard work but there are enough football people in this area that already give their time to youth football and i am sure fans would welcome this/get involved

 

 

THE FUTURE IS RED AND WHITE

[DiamondGeezer]

I think it's a great idea and would love to be involved. I'm looking to do my level one coaching course in october so maybe I could in the future. Also talking to a Bromley friend of mine on Tuesday night he said his 4 year old son had just started playing for Bromley. They have teams ranging from u4 to u19. So it definatly something we should e looking at!

[theboybuzzer]

Well said Rob. Rather than start from scratch, perhaps invite a local youth team to come in and compete under the AFC Hornchurch banner? That might start the ball rolling.

[Fat Tom Daley]

I have always been a fan of youth football from Non league clubs. By investing in youth it also can raise the profile of the football club within the community therefore bringing a positive opinion of the club.

[Seaney The Sheep]

i would like to see this at hornchurch too

[colin mcbride]

From youth football to the first team is a massive jump which most players are not good enough to make, or not patient enough to wait and learn. We have won the youth league 4 times since I have been at the club and only one player came through. Years ago, all clubs had reserve teams, not now. The reason is too big a gap between 1st and 2nd teams, but a full youth section would be an asset to any club, more for money than football reasons. You name clubs with thriving youth sections Rob, but very few players progress into first teams, but to run a section with a dozen teams is an undertaking I have not got the time for and, in truth, the inclination to do, but perhaps something for the future.

[Eastside Urchin]

I would personally start it from scratch,although any current sides attatched to the club obviously keep but try to progress any that are worth it.

There wasn't too much on show last night but a couple looked ok but being 3 down so early on may of dampned a few of them.

I believe we have an under 16 + 17 side,one of which won a tournament in italy recently.

For me,if you are going to do something like this,it needs everyone pulling in the right direction,all levels need to be coached to the same end result.Our first team likes to play the ball on the floor,so do the same with the youths,it sounds silly but like teams like barca + arsenal do,just at non league level.At a young age,results are not the be all and end all of the world,the end result would be producing players to ultimately progress to the first team if possible

[Eastside Urchin]

Adding to this

If a youth section with the appropriate training was set up,it SHOULD attract the best players who do not get picked by pro clubs or ones they miss,and they do miss them.

[Eastside Urchin]

Ello Mr Chairman.

I Agree with your comments about time.

It couldn't be done by the people running the club,ie you 3 amigos(you have too much to do already) but I think more by others maybe who were prepared to get involved in such a scheme.

For me,it is just as much about the commercial interests as bringing players through,if not possibly a bit more

[Coffin Ender]

Interesting. We have a similar problem at Margate. The few youngsters who do get into our first team all end up going to the likes of Ramsgate, Whitstable, Deal, etc. This week Curtis Robinson left for Ramsgate. So, in effect, our youth set-up just produces players for other clubs. I know it's seen as progressive to have a youth set-up but I do wonder if all the effort is worth it.

 

"Years ago, all clubs had reserve teams, not now. The reason is too big a gap between 1st and 2nd teams."

 

Same here in Kent. Our reserves are in Kent League Division One, which is light years from Ryman Premier standard. The ideal would be to enter the Suburban League, but our geography would make that difficult, especially for midweek games.

[Eastside Urchin]

The chances are that the majority of players would go to lesser or other clubs,the whole idea is bringing the cream through,if one a year goes onto the first team it should be deemed a success,if one is sold for a small fee every 15 years the same but if z1 in 5 kids bring their parents to first team games and that adult ends up spending £200 a season in the bar and another £150 through the turnstyle then surely that's worth it.

 

The bigger picture is a club that the community can be proud of,not a club that exists within a community

[Hornchurch "O"]

Braintree reserves play in Eastern Counties League.

We used to have various teams, but always thought they were run independant of the club.

League tables and results were often well behind as well.

[ProgEd]

To be fair to the team that played in the FA Youth Cup last week, eight of them (I think) were only 16 and the average age must have been at least a year younger than Brentwood. On the more general point, I went to a Conference meeting a couple of weeks ago specifically about grants for community schemes: youth football, women, girls, disability etc. The money is there to run them but at the moment we simply don't have the personnel available to do it. I was told, anyway, that it was virtually impossible for a first-year Conference team to start such a scheme because they had enough on their plate already. Dartford have just started something by employing one part-time coach. Maybe somewhere down the line - even in partnership with the athletics club?? For the moment, we'll have to settle for having a member of England's LD World Cup winning squad in our first team.

[kimbles left foot]

To be fair to the team that played in the FA Youth Cup last week, eight of them (I think) were only 16 and the average age must have been at least a year younger than Brentwood. On the more general point, I went to a Conference meeting a couple of weeks ago specifically about grants for community schemes: youth football, women, girls, disability etc. The money is there to run them but at the moment we simply don't have the personnel available to do it. I was told, anyway, that it was virtually impossible for a first-year Conference team to start such a scheme because they had enough on their plate already. Dartford have just started something by employing one part-time coach. Maybe somewhere down the line - even in partnership with the athletics club?? For the moment, we'll have to settle for having a member of England's LD World Cup winning squad in our first team.

 

Who would this be?

[Eastside Urchin]

FC

[whatzzzzuuuuup]

Eastie This cider from the old forum.I can and would be interested in setting up a proper Academy for the club.I have the coaching/teaching quals to do it and have coached,taught and led them for 5 years.I am looking for a club in the area to set up.

Let me know.

[Eastside Urchin]

hello cider mate,hows things.

I know that Colin Mcbride does read this forum and this thread,obviously its up to the club rather than us fans but am sure they will look into something,will get in touch on here.