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Post by scfcwebby on Sept 16, 2023 8:43:05 GMT
Just wondered how many other folks on here dedicate, or have dedicated, their weekends to the amazing experience that is grassroots football? I help out with my lad's team and it's such a great laugh- there's honestly no better feeling than when you see something 'click' with young players and you can see them growing in confidence. It can be frustrating as hell too sometimes, but that's kids for you! I honestly don't know what I'd do without it on Sundays. (Although perhaps check in with me again in January when it's freezing, pissing it down, and I'm trying to get about a gallon of mud out of a goalkeeper's kit.😂) PS If anyone is after a team for their kid (under 10s, so Year 5 at school) then drop me a message. High level team, Sunday mornings...signing-on fee, a packet of Haribos.👍 I think it was your post on Twitter (I don't care if it is now called "X") that I commented on. I coach my lads U15 Betley team. Had them from U8's. I stopped for 18 months when I moved up to North Manchester but I hated being away from it so now it's 106 mile round trip every Thursday for training and Sunday games (when work hours allow). The parents we have now are superb but it hasn't always been the case and I wish some would realise the time and effort the coaches etc put in so that the lads can rock up and enjoy playing football. We played the team last week (1st game of the season) that walked the league last season without losing and beat us 7-1 and 9-2. We beat them 4-1 on their home pitch and the lads were absolutely buzzing and that's why we do it. All of the motorway miles and late nights all become worth it. My lad has started to play in goal, always loved it but was (selfishly) one of the best CB's in the league so we always stopped it. We decided to let him try a couple of games at the end of last season, he has just had trials at Crewe (still waiting to hear 🤞🏼) and the team we beat on Sunday told him that he was the best keeper in the league and tried to poach him... not happening 😂 Long and short of it, it can be stressful, it can be time consuming, it can be infuriating... BUT... if you can change 1 of the boys lives, or just to see the ecstasy when they win, makes it all worth while
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Post by elystokie on Sept 16, 2023 8:48:40 GMT
Our team lost 3-2 there in the Ladsandads Area Cup Final to Duggie Browns team in the early 70s, absolutely gutted, he wasn't playing haha but his lad (Martin? Good player anyway) was. Think it was only a few seasons earlier my Dad had helped Duggie set up the Ladsandads scheme. Is it all houses now? Don't think I've been back since. There was a request on Radio Stoke a while back for Ladsandads memoribilia for some sort of display I think, can't remember where tho, I came across a bag of Ladsandads stuff in the loft a few months later too 😐 Nah Trubshaw is a fab venue nowadays, they took ownership of the land from the council and they are some of the finest pitches around - they do a great job Meanwhile on our council pitches we are still avoiding dog shit, holes dug in the box and incorrect markings as the outsource folk the council use are a bit dim... Cheers 🙂 I'll make the effort to take a look, keep meaning to have another wander around Tunstall Market anyway.
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Post by noustie on Sept 16, 2023 11:05:16 GMT
Love watching wee lass play u10s and might end up involved in the coaching as they need split at end of year but fuck me I'll end up in trouble.
Winning 2-0 at half time and they bring on a lass who could play prop forward for Samoa and a lad. The lad was wank but the tank at the back freaked out our 2 up top so essentially they hid.
At the end coach said he'd kept most of them down last year so they can all go up together meaning the majority of the team are 11 already against the rules, probably would fuck the insurance, yet nobody moans or does fuck all about it. I'd be fucking amazed if the tank was even 11 and wouldn't be surprised if she was a bouncer at The Fort bar.
Played DUSC who took subs off the u12s game at the adjacent pitch because we were winning. Played Arbroath who asked in a friendly if a 12 year old keeper could play when she'd been in goal the previous twice we'd played them and hadn't asked - she was the fourth tallest on their team.
Offered a Dundee team a game v our reserves as we spanked their first team 15-0. They kept their girls down in the u8s to spank 6 year olds so got absolutely destroyed coming up. Luckily knew they were shitebags so got the coach to take 3 of the first team and we ended up playing half their u12s only losing 7-5 yet they were smug as fuck about it.
Most of ours are 8-9 so they'll take the absolute piss out of most teams next year.
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Post by noustie on Sept 23, 2023 22:35:42 GMT
Played probably the second best side in the region who're all 10-11 whereas ours are 8-10 on a pitch placed on the north face of everest without substitutes.
4-1 down in ten minutes mine proper shouts louder than either coach 'why have you stopped- fight!' Got to 6-3 with 15 minutes left and she's kicked and shouldered everything that's moved. Finishes 9-3 as the others are knackered but she's genuinely stopped it being 15-20. Youngest/slightest (muscles as fuck though) player on the pitch and she's fucking filthy at centre back- put one of their's into next week with a shoulder and their girl with elbows basically got absolutely twatted with an angelic smile.
Their coach comes over at the end and I'm expecting meither because she fought like a wounded tiger- their team gave her player of the game.
Excuse me a moment 😆
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Post by misterj on Sept 24, 2023 8:04:52 GMT
As various people have said watching kids/grandkids is much more exciting/fun/enjoyable than the primadonnas being paid stupid money at the top. One or two friends agree with me: if there’s one company we’d love to go bust it’s Sky Sports, the millions of ££(billions?) lost to the premier league meaning all the poseurs then leaving UK in search of Europe’s next big league and so our game can return to bring something resembling what we grew up with, but the purists would argue “Yes but we’d get spanked in Euro competitions and internationals” Frankly, I wouldn’t give a damn!
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Post by canadianpotter on Sept 24, 2023 8:52:48 GMT
Thanks for the memory reminder about Carmount side. Played there in early 70’s with mates from Berryhill High School. Jimmy Proctor’s dad and uncle coached the side. Windy hill lots of throw ins on the lower side and you needed rubber boots to dodge the cow shit.. Remember scoring a great headed goal from a corner after a horrific fall by one of our players Eddie Wooliscoft snapped his arm. Gary Basford, Stewart Pepper are other names I remember. Fun times great memories.
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Post by noustie on Nov 28, 2023 12:21:53 GMT
I've helped out coaching for three weeks because ours is away and nobody else was daft enough to do it. Following that I'd defo say appreciate the folk who're giving up their time to do this, because even if you think they're an absolute bell end, they've likely got 10-12 parents to deal with and more than the odd one will be bell ends too.
Absolute fucking thankless task but genuinely tempted to carry it on as the kids are mint.
Christ the 80/90s were different - if you weren't getting a game it was because you were shit and needed try harder or hope for flu season to make the bench. Otherwise you went for goalkeeper and hoped you were the least shit spekky and/or fat kid after the position.
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Post by noustie on May 22, 2024 14:52:30 GMT
Reading some of the stories above is sad, I dont think thats the common experience There are 'clubs' and parents out there who are all about the wins - cherry picking/poaching kids from other teams and sadly with that comes entitlement/unhappiness as coaches drop or dont play little Johnny for the next big thing I lost 2 of my best players at u14, poached away with promises and it caused some personal friendship challenges - but looking back they all regret leaving, but it was what it was. The best experiences (IMO) is where bunches of schoolmates are allowed to play together, have a crack, laugh about it at school on Mon, and enjoy what they are doing - have no time for 'super teams' made up of mercenaries. We have our local derby on Sunday - 14 of them have played in the school team together tonight but are on opposite teams on Sun! I ended up having to step up as the last coach chucked it when his grand daughter pulled out but then hung about in the team below causing all sorts of political bullshit. Managed to get up and running for the second block of games and have 7 kids at the same school and/or activities. They were 2 down at the weekend in 5 minutes in only their 5th game and thought they were on for a cricket score - something just clicked and scrapped and fought for a 4-4 where they came off at the end beaming. They knew they'd earned it and it was absolutely ace. The 9 aside team basically gave us their castoffs and new players to bulk up our numbers but now that one of them is absolutely ripping it up they're pulling political bullshit to get her back. Kid is happy, parents are happy and she'd end up moving up anyway later in the year if we don't get to tier 1 as she'd be too good. So frustrating and if they let it just happen naturally the striker for the u10s is better anyway so we should be getting her towards the end of the year. Difference is I'm not a dick about it and will wait until she's ready of her own volition.
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Post by Robo10 on May 22, 2024 15:02:31 GMT
This is my second time around - ran my eldests to U16 (as manager, coach, kitman, treasurer, chairman, kit washer lol), started again with youngest at u7s but only as a parent....(which became welfare officer, chairman, running the line every week ha ha) - they have just finished their u14s season, one last one left before we call it quits.
So all in all I started in LadsadDads as a kid in 1986, started playing adults aged 16 in 1990 until 2007, became a kids manager a week after I retired (Mrs went batshit), and have done 17 years of that so served my time :-D
Will still be involved but more from an admin view - was voted in as chair of our town football planning group in Dec working with the council on better facilities
Between football and cricket, I dread to think how many hours I've spent, and thats with Stoke on top! My wife either likes to see me happy or enjoys the peace when I'm not in haha
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Post by foxysgloves on May 22, 2024 15:14:15 GMT
Coaching sons u14 team (had them since u11) and assistant coach with same clubs mens team.
Was player coach till last season but have unofficially retired.
Enjoy both but would still prefer playing. If my knees agreed.
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