QuoteHang on, he really is down there in their Saturday morning Academy. He's in the Academy photo on the website. http://www.wolfetoneyouthclub.com And yeah, you should go back, we need all the help we can get. Interested?Originally Posted by tarzan1
Ah sure i know that... Saturdays, ye he is quite good.... I should go back there?? ye right....Wolfe Tone, Saturday mornings. I've seen him in action, all that practice down the Carlisle is paying off! You should go back there, help is always needed. How would be fixed for reffing?
Harry and Liam, Harry and Liam, Harry and Liam, Harry and Liam.
Hang on, he really is down there in their Saturday morning Academy. He's in the Academy photo on the website. http://www.wolfetoneyouthclub.com And yeah, you should go back, we need all the help we can get. Interested?
All you zombies tweet tweet tweet.
I'd love to, but unfortunately i don't have the time... Whoever SEAGULL is!!!!! The club is not what it used to be, is it???And yeah, you should go back, we need all the help we can get. Interested?
Harry and Liam, Harry and Liam, Harry and Liam, Harry and Liam.
With the odd exception, the Orchard poach and steal players from all their neighbouring clubs who have coached and moulded these players from the age of 6 or 7. The Orchard come along and poach them when they are 13 or 14, keep them for a year or so and then sell them across the water.
The Orchard have no pitch of their own and have no clubhouse (apart from a dingy bar).
I think clubs like Home Farm and Joeys lead the way in Dublin with what they plough back into their club for their players and mentors.
st. pauls artane,my old club.play at the top of my road. have a good set up,training pitches and a nice clubhouse with a nice bar tooThe problem in picking a best club is how do you decide on what is the correct way to run a club.
Take the big clubs which I don't want to name but they know who they are.
They will sign a mountain of players, play the best and forget the rest. This can be an unfortunate way to deal with the kids as the kids who do not "make it" can have a dent put into there confidence.
Then you have the smaller clubs who are caught in between the community based football and the "A" rated football. This is a good way to be but it can cause problems within clubs because some want to win at all costs and some want to have fun.
Then there is the small clubs who take whoever thay can and play in any league that will let them in. The problem here can be the lack of ambition and that can be almost as bad as too much ambition.
All that said I think the best way to judge and this is probably mostly aimed at younger kids say from 5/6 upto maybe 12/13 is to look at how much they enjoy the game of football. If they are smiling after every game win, lose or draw, safe environment where they can build friendships and improve confidence levels. If you see any of those things in a club then something is going right and you maybe looking at one of the best clubs in the land.
When you get into the older age groups it gets more serious, the fun part seems to be less and less important, winning is the important fact. If you see away for the kids to show there talents and the get exposure to maybe a career in football then you maybe looking at one of the best clubs in the land.
Anyway I think St Pauls Artane FC based on Dublin's Northside is a club that contains the elements that I have outlined. They would be I think one the clubs who fall into the medium sized clubs that would have ambitions to become a big club. They have not had many players who went onto the professional game but the do produce happy kids who enjoy football.
Derek.
Not where your schoolboys play mate.
Its down beside the stream. Pitch on both sides, shocking pitches with slopes. Have to get changed on the side of the road outside peoples houses. This was only a couple of months ago (this season).
You are perhaps talking about the senior side which is not the title of this thread my friend.
Posted by Derek
They have not had many players who went onto the professional game but the do produce happy kids who enjoy football
Absolutley the best criteria! And happy kids do less anti social behviour, resulting in less crime etc. The good food message can be pushed too, to make players better!
Thats the secret! And the point of this thread! if a one man operation in the sticks can produce happy kids who enjoy football,job done!!
Forgive the spelling!!
The state of the pitches is down to to corpo who have problems maintaining the basics. The changing rooms are about a 4/5 minute walk from the pitch.
If you had asked for somewhere to change we would have obliged(complete with showers) as we have four changing rooms currently. If you noticed the Pauls players did not change on the side of the road.
visit St Pauls Artane FC at www.StPaulsArtaneFC.com
Last edited by Derek; 05/03/2005 at 8:00 PM. Reason: Added my club website is search engines can find
youre splitting hairs but yeah youre right. the schoolboys play on the old st. anthonys pitch beside gardini lane and also ,i think, on the old gardenville pitch on the other side of the harmonstown road.though the senior pitch is basically at the top of my road and the others are just round the corner from the bottom of my road
Just read in the Sunday Times that Home Farm have secured a one million euro sponsorship deal, with Renault, Dept of Sport and Sir Tony O'R putting in the cash!!
And I thought my fundraising table quiz on Friday Night in Mooneys Bar (Opposite the Showgrounds, home of Sligo Rovers) raised a tidy sum
Good Luck to them!!
Here here. Likewise this is exactly as I measure success. At underage level the satisfaction lies in seeing happy kids, boys and girls who enjoy the game. Obviously for our club the survival of the club depend's in no small part on the numbers participating. The kids are well looked after, always encouraged. Kids appreciate that and they come back where they know they are made to feel welcome.Posted by Derek
They have not had many players who went onto the professional game but the do produce happy kids who enjoy football
Absolutley the best criteria! And happy kids do less anti social behviour, resulting in less crime etc. The good food message can be pushed too, to make players better!
Thats the secret! And the point of this thread! if a one man operation in the sticks can produce happy kids who enjoy football,
Forgive the spelling!!
Keep up the good work. Since your only down the road Merville if you would like a friendly game sometime.
Brendan
In that case I'd have nominate WFTA (West Finglas Tenants Association).A club in a very tough area that have managed to produced some good schoolboy sides.Remember one of there teams shocked everyone when they got to the All Ireland final one year from playing in one of the lowest leagues.Cherry Orchards influence in Ballyfermot also deserves recognition,and if I had to pick,I'd say they are probably the most esteemed underage club in the country.Posted by Derek
They have not had many players who went onto the professional game but the do produce happy kids who enjoy football
Absolutley the best criteria! And happy kids do less anti social behviour, resulting in less crime etc. The good food message can be pushed too, to make players better!
<insert witty remark>
F.A.O Merville Utd. Thanks very much for the response.
Brendan
couldnt agree more-my own club Willow Park Boys in Athlone cater for every age and standard of player,girls and boys.Posted by Derek
They have not had many players who went onto the professional game but the do produce happy kids who enjoy football
Absolutley the best criteria! And happy kids do less anti social behviour, resulting in less crime etc. The good food message can be pushed too, to make players better!
Thats the secret! And the point of this thread! if a one man operation in the sticks can produce happy kids who enjoy football,
Forgive the spelling!!
emphasis is on enjoyment but the serious minded are also looked after-we have an under 14 side playing in the SFAI cup last 16 this weekend.
I have to say the best clubs ive visited in the last 14 years in terms of facilities,making one feel welcome etc etc are Manulla in Mayo and Keadue rovers in Donegal.it was a pleasure visiting both clubs and our players/mentors will never forget it.
a club should be judged on how they develop players from age 6 on-not how many players they poach and flog across the water.
I particularly admire Home Farm-the cream of the crop and up there with the top schoolboy clubs in the world.
"tight? he's the kinda guy that eats baked beans on tuesday so's he can have a bubble bath on wednesday"!
Foot.ie gives kids football!!!
Just thought i would let all know
Here in the north west it is difficult to get games for this level, so if any club within range of Sligo wish to get in touch, send me a message.
Its for the kids you know!! And my thanks to HarpsBear!!
See you Sunday!!
Does your post mean you got some sponsorship and are now looking for games?Just thought i would let all know
Here in the north west it is difficult to get games for this level, so if any club within range of Sligo wish to get in touch, send me a message.
Its for the kids you know!! And my thanks to HarpsBear!!
See you Sunday!!
I coach a good U8 team in the big smoke and maybe we could organise a day out to play you lot, we have teams at every age group so maybe we could fix up a few games.
I was just about to post the details of this fixture. With thanks to the wonderful footballing outlet that is foot.ie a fixture has indeed been arranged between Donegal League outfit Drumbar United and Merville United in the actual shadow of the Sligo Showground's. I think Merville might have a little more than home advantage in that they may have a few extra participant's but we can work around that. I'm gathering my U-8's and U-10's for the relatively short trip down the road to Sligo. Anybody with a bit of spare time on sunday might be interested in turning up to this one. Our U-10's participate in the South Donegal Schoolboy's league we are involved in alot of competition which more often than not is what its all about for some clubs. The meeting on sunday is a reward for our work this season and I think our kids are looking forward to this.Just thought i would let all know
Here in the north west it is difficult to get games for this level, so if any club within range of Sligo wish to get in touch, send me a message.
Its for the kids you know!! And my thanks to HarpsBear!!
See you Sunday!!
Unless there's a mass brawl or abandonment of the fixture there will be return fixture in the future.
A big thank you to Merville United. Here's hoping things go according to plan.
Brendan
Good stuff parnell. I've found it particularly encouraging regarding the number of respondents to this thread of the same footballing ethos as myself which is all about enjoyment.
Nice to see the mention for Keadue Rovers which would be a particularly good club within the Donegal League.
The great thing is there are so many individuals out there willing to make underage soccer a success by getting involved with underage club's out there. It would be an idea to get a list of clubs and contact's so as Merville United says fixtures may be organised where an organised league structure doesn't exist. While I had heard of Merville United I wouldn't have known about the underage structure and its similarity to ours. Thanks to the outlet that is foot.ie.
Brendan
Thanking Foot.ie!
Just to say thanking Brendan and his club for coming down to Sligo Today for the challenge: Drumbar United and Merville United
Played in sticky conditions, both sides are to be applauded for what were bruising, but fair contests. Today, over 50 children enjoyed football, that simply would not have happened without forum such as this
However, I am looking forward to the return, when I get to do a bit of coaching, without the pressures of parental stress!!
Derek: I will be in touch shortly about your offer! Looking forward to it
The question originally and thankfully posed related to the best kids club in Ireland. No such acclaim can be afforded any one club as was evident to everybody who turned up at Merville Utd today. An enjoyable fair on what can kindly be described as 'sticky condition's' (heavy aul Sligo soil
I'm greatful for having found this thread and I'm particularly delighted at having been able to give back to the game in same measure as I seek from it. A return fixture will be organised on the somewhat drier Donegal turf in the coming months.
What Merville Utd failed to mention was the results of the games and so I'll say no more on thatI think there were a few rendition's of 'We are the Champion's' on the way home but that was not what the occasion was about.
I'll be back one of the days to clean up the dressing rooms.
For anybody who would like to find out a wee bit more about our club I can be contacted by PM through this forum.
Brendan Grufferty,PRO
Drumbar Utd,
Donegal Town.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks