Goodbye City Youth

[The Caretaker]

For those not aware or those who might be interested, the association between St Albans City FC and St Albans City Youth FC will end at the close of this season.

 

For a long time now City Youth have provided players to represent the club in the FA Youth Cup, have played in various midweek leagues in Citys name and have had a fair bit of success, particularly over the past 2/3 years. This set up has also provide players of a reasonable standard, Simon Martin, Craig Mackail Smith, Greg Deacon, Chris Seeby, Mat Jones, Ricky Perks and Jake to name a few.

 

This role will now be fulfilled by the "Accademy" team under the guidance of Steve Castle who I am lead to believe has agreed with The Chairman that these boys need to play on a more regular basis and in a possibly stronger league (now that sounds familiar) so they will hopefully join a midweek league as well as their own "Accademy" league.

 

I would like to thank all those people who have supported us over this time both physically and financially. I hope that we have entertained you in some small way and that your association with St Albans City Youth FC will continue if possible.

[Mark (Flag) Braintree]

Caretaker, is your academy joining the Conference Youth League, Navigators U19's League?

 

Do you know?

[The Caretaker]

Mark

 

The Academy team is nothing to do with me I am only involved with St Albans City Youth FC which is a completely seperate club.

 

The Academy is under the control of our former manager Steve Castle so it will be his decision as to which league they play in, but maybe this has already been decided so some one from the club may well respond in answer to your question.

[Mark (Flag) Braintree]

Ok, cheers Caretaker. Flag.

[Laz]

Quote:

The Caretaker said:
This set up has also provide players of a reasonable standard, Simon Martin, Craig Mackail Smith, Greg Deacon, Chris Seeby, Mat Jones, Ricky Perks and Jake to name a few.

I'm sure Thurrock, Dagenham and Redbridge, Chesham United and co will be disappointed too.

CASTLE OUT!

[AFF]

This is dreadful, but not entirely unexpected news Caretaker.

 

I prefer the oval-shaped ball at youth level so my knowledge of St Albans City Yoof FC is rather limited but your summary of the players who have come through that club to wear the yellow & blue at Clarence Park is far too modest. I believe that Yoof FC has over 400 members aged from 7 to 17, all from the City & District, run by a well organised and committed group of volunteers. Quite apart from their organisational skills, they have shown their ability to raise very significant funds over the years.

 

At a time when the average attendance at Clarence Park has fallen through the floor successively in each of the last two seasons, when the number of volunteers prepared to help to put a game on at the Park is at it's lowest in memory, and the level of management of various elements of the club can best be described as 'crisis', I would have thought that that The Mighty Saints should be looking to develop and enhance its relationship with Yoof F.C. rather than to sever it.

 

But then, what do I know about anything?

 

I know nothing of the PASE set-up. However, Steve Castle's reference to playing in a stronger League rings bells with me, too, Caretaker. I hope that next season has a happier outcome than the fiasco over the Reserves this season.

 

I well recall the comments at the end of last season that 'nothing has been decided' and that 'we are going to sit down and discuss these things' etc. I hope that on this occasion good sense will prevail but I'm not holding my breath.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

CASTLE OUT!!!!!!!!

 

We almost forgot the greatest and most sucessful player to come from the yoof .... Martin Gurney!

[The Caretaker]

AFF

 

I think dreadful is a bit strong .......and as you suggest later it would have been nice to have been consulted before the decision was taken but you are right in that this was always going to happen once the club set up its own form of youth system so we have been aware of this posibility for the past two years.

 

However the knock on effect has started already with one quite respected local coach who was hoping to be involved with us next year already stating that he will not be down the park next season and his players who are only 16 at this moment are, and will continue to be, one of the best sides in Hertfordshire. They have all been lost to both us and City. It is now a concern that the best of local talent will no longer see City Youth as a chance to progress into senior football and that they will seek this opportunity elsewhere.

 

It does seem that if you are a reasonably inteligent boy who stays on at school past 16 to further your education you are penalised when it comes to playing football at this level. Now maybe this is an area of research that should be undertaken as it seems to indicate why we very rarely see the brainiest of people connected to senior football .....any names please ? ... I'll start with Steve Coppell and Steve Highway ..

 

I know this feeling of frustration also applies to one or two others who attend matches so it is a shame the situation has not been managed very well but the club has made its decision which I respect and I would ask others to do the same.

 

Things move on and trust me there are far more important things in life than football ....not many but a few <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

 

Oh ... and just for your information AFF we run a Saturday morning soccer session that starts as young as 5, although these boys and girls do not play "matches" until they reach the age of 7. This session is all about the enjoyment of the game and encouraging local youngsters to be involved in regular excercise. They then play "friendly matches" up to the age of 10 when they join organised leagues playing "small sided" football. This is seven a side games on smaller pitches with smaller goals. They then progress to the 11 a side game that we all know and love eventually leaving us at 18. The rest of it you have spot on !!

[AFF]

Sorry Caretaker, but I struggle to 'respect' this decision. The reality of the situation is that decisions are made by those who run the club and, presumably, they choose whether or not to seek support for those decisions. I will accept it, of course. There is no choice. In the legal and literal sense, it's their club and they will do what they want with it. Good luck to them.

 

A small picture came into my mind on the way into the office this morning.

 

The PASE scheme will be in its third season next year and I imagine that there will be 40 or more students on the course. I have no idea whether there are any plans for a Reserve side next year but, on numbers alone, the PASE people could field some kind of mid-week Youth side as well as a Reserve team. According to the Chairman's programme notes, the PASE set-up is run by Steve Castle assisted by Chris Zoricich.

 

Changing the subject altogether, does anyone recall whether there was any announcement at the time of Colin Lippiatt's appointment concerning the length of his contract? Webbo is usually a good source apart, of course, from the notorious occasion when he broke the news that Richard Goddard had signed and committed his future to The Saints.

 

I am sure that everything will be allright.

[Webbo MFI]

I've had a cracking idea AFF

 

why not give The Caretaker a ring - will save alot of time typing on your computer!

[The Caretaker]

AFF its all a matter of opinions anyway ... but some count for more than others <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

 

I can enlighten you a little on the reserve situation. I was asked if it would be possible to find someone willing to run the reserves next season. I believe the club have resigned from the Capital League so I assume they would put the resrves in a Saturday league again. I also assume that someone at the club will have decided this already as applications should be in to leagues quite soon.

 

The criteria to operate the team remains the same as before, they are to be totally self funding but this time around they will not be allowed to train at Clarence Park during the week therefore adding considerably to the running costs and of course there is no access to a working tea bar so this will have to sourced seperately.

 

It also seems to make no sense that the team will play on Saturdays, train completely seperate to the first team so no one will ever know if players coming through are of the right standard or not unless the first team manager / Chairman has complete faith in those running the side and respects their opinions.........that word again ....... but as you say the "Academy" side could well provide players for this team so maybe there is a ready made management team in place.

 

I think with all this to contend with it will take a lot of doing to find someone to work under these contraints. Despite my best efforts the interest to date has been nil but I will keep trying to assist if possible.

[AFF]

Seems reasonable enough, CT. That's one to respect.

 

What's the salary range?

 

[The playing record of O.A.J.R.F.C. U 14s this season is:

P8, W8, D0, L0, Pts F: 346, Pts A: 85.

 

Football management is a little different, of course. Having selected the side and decided upon the strategy and tactics, is it obligatory to stand in the technical area and shout & swear a lot? Or could one follow Colin Lippiatt's example?]