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New Manager’s Guidelines to help run a Successful Age Group.

 

 

1.      Background to the Club, it’s History, members, links etc

 

Established c41 years ago and affiliated to the Berks and Bucks FA, the club has been part of the community for many years and draws children from a wide area.

Cumnor Minors FC was awarded FA Charter status in 2005 which is a fantastic achievement and firmly cements our reputation as a well organised and managed club.  

 

2.      Structure

 

The club is set up with the following officers (May 2009):

 

 

These positions are reviewed on an annual basis with officers being elected  at the AGM – held in May each year.

 

Committee Meetings: The committee meets once a month (venue usually the Cumnor Cricket Club) and each age group is expected to send a representative at each meeting.

 

2.1 Teams

There are currently 9 different age groups playing in Cumnor Minors. The youngest being U7s, and the oldest U16s. The U7s and U8s ages group are not members of competitive leagues and only play friendly matches. The U8s, U9s, U10s and U11s all play on Saturday mornings and the older age groups play on Sunday afternoons. (Please note you can vary the times and even dates of your kick offs but this has to be agreed with the opposition, the relevant league [if a different day] and other managers if it is a home tie and clashes are to be avoided).

3.      Facilities

The clubs uses The Closes, Appleton Road, Cumnor for all it’s home games and will use the Cumnor School pitch for the U7s.

 

Each age group is equipped with a set of footballs, a first aid kit, cones, marker discs, a pump and adaptor, tactics folder, whistle, training tops (12 No yellow and 12 No red or similar) and holdall. Currently individual age groups provide their own kits through sponsorship or donations, but as children won’t stay in a particular kit for more than 2 years it is possible that kits can be handed down to younger age groups from time to time.  

 

 

3.1 Keys

 

As a new coach you will need a set of keys to provide you with access to the Closes. These include keys for the car park gate, the pavilion and changing rooms, the garage (X2) and can be copied from another manager.

 

3.2 The Club House

 

Location of power and water isolation points: In gents toilet Stop cock LHS of toilet seat and circuit board on wall opposite.

 

Turn off all power, water supplies and the water boiler at the end of each game.

 

If you notice things are not working let one of the committee members know or fix it yourself – take responsibility!

 

Annual Club House Clean up . This takes place during the close season (May – August) when volunteers come in scrub the walls and floors and generally spruce the place up.  At the same time the goals are removed from the pitches and stored in the club house to allow for pitch remedials.

  

4.      Training

 

Takes place at the Closes during the autumn and Spring period on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (the terms of the lease only allow the use of these evenings during the week.

 

In the winter period the various age groups run their own activities and these tend to centre around Tilsley Park in the main.

   

5.      Club website

 

This can be found at:  http://www.cumnorfc.co.uk/

The site is administered by Mark Sayers.

 

 

 

6.      Coaching

 

Both the Oxford Mail Boys League and the Witney and District League rules require that new managers attend the FA Level One coaching course within 2 years of their appointment. Managers and coaches should contact the Oxfordshire FA for dates of upcoming courses. The course currently consists of 2 practice sessions and an assessment day, plus first aid and child protection theory sessions.

 

6.1 Soccer Parent

Cumnor Minors encourages all parents to do the FA Soccer Parent CBT course, run by the Football Association and available at:

 

http://www.thefa.com/GetIntoFootball/FALearning/SoccerParent.aspx

 

 

TheFA.com

 

 

This course provides in good insight into running a club, coaching, child protection and what sort of support parents can provide  

 

6.2 Coaching Manuals

 

Managers and coaches attending the FA Level 1 coaching course will be provided with training routines that they can use during their sessions but for new managers joining the club the following information is available to help develop new training routines that will quickly advance children individually and collectively. The internet has numerous sites devoted to this as well.

 

7.      Communication with Parents

 

It is a good idea to quickly draw up a list of players names, parents addresses, phone and mobile numbers and e mail addresses to establish regular communication with the parents. This can be done by other e mail, the club’s internet site or by text and we know that frequent updates from managers and coaches is appreciated by parents and allows them to plan and accommodate for both training and matches. This is especially important for communicating details and venues for away matches and meeting points etc.

 

8.      Pre match Preparation

Marking pitches

If you are playing at home you will need to mark the pitch prior to playing. There are two line markers in the garage which you can use. There should be bags of chalk material that needs to be mixed with water before applying. If the existing lines are not visible it may be necessary to completely re mark the pitch using the plan on the garage door, which gives dimensions of all key areas. You will need to use the ball of string and pegs to actually create the lines that you can then run the line marker on.

 

Grass cutting: the Council cut the grass but at irregular frequencies. It may be necessary for you to cut the grass yourself or get one of the parents to do it for you, using the club’s mower. This is located in the garage and please get advice from someone familiar with it before using it for the first time.

 

Nets

These are to be found in the garage and you should be aware that there are two types of net – one set for use for the U11s pitch. The nets should be fixed in place using the plastic pegs provided.

 

Risk Assessments

As the coach you should walk the pitch prior to kick off to look out for specific hazards

¨      Dogs mess should be removed

¨      Pot holes should be filled

¨      Litter removed

¨      Goals are secure and won’t fall down

 

Establish a safe area at the side of the pitch where you keep the kit, first aid equipment, spare equipment such as pumps, balls etc and provide a refuge area for dispersing children at the end of the game.

 

Respect Barriers – should be deployed along side the the pitch and these can be found in the clubhouse.

 

 

Volunteers

 

It is a good idea to involve other parents from an early stage to help out with activities and take some of the routine tasks from you. The soccer parent is a good way of reinforcing this point so encourage all parents to undertake this on line course.

You will need volunteers from within your age group and typically the roles include: assistant coaches, first aider, tuck shop assistants, referee, grass cutters, white line markers, kit washers.     

 

9.      The Match

 

For home games you’ll need a referee, it’s also a good idea to get people to run the line and also look after any subs and the players who are taking part in the second match, if there is one. 

 

Car parking at the Closes can be a real problem if there are several games being played at the same time so please liaise with other managers for advice.

 

 

10. Health and Safety

 

Undertaking a child protection course will help you understand the obligations placed on the coach prior to kick off, during a match and afterwards. Typically these include doing a risk assessment of the pitch and goals before kick off, making sure that each child is wearing shin pads, establishing a first aid point, stopping matches either prior to or during play due to inclement weather, unsafe conditions, no first aid equipment etc, ensuring that children are safe and accounted for by creating a register of who is playing, that they are accounted for when not involved in the game and also that they are safely collected by their parent or guardian at the end of the session.

 

Health and Safety policy

 

See club web site.

 

Risk Assessments

 

See club website

 

11.  Child Welfare

 

The club has a Child Protection Policy and all managers, coaches and referees have to be CRB checked. New volunteers should liaise with the club’s Child Welfare officer to arrange this.

 

http://www.cumnorfc.co.uk/CMFC%20and%20child%20protection.htm

 

12.  Respect Campaign

 

The FA are now promoting their Respect Campaign which aims to encourage appropriate behaviours at all levels within the game and also promotes positive examples that should be set. See the following link:

 

 http://www.thefa.com/respectguide/

 

13.  New Age Groups

 

It is established practice that the current U7s manager, with the help of his coaches and other CM managers organises as taster session for the next years’ new U7s team, at the end of the season. This is to ensure continuity and the long term viability of the club.

 

 

14.  Fund raising

 

In running a tuck shop for your age group you can raise funds for Christmas and end of season parties, for new kit and training tops and to buy other equipment. This is another example of why plenty of volunteers are needed!

Sponsorship – some parents may through their employer/ business pay sponsorship money – again for kit and entertainment etc.  

 

15. Girls in Cumnor Minors

Interest amongst young girls to play football is growing and they can play in any age group up to the age of 11 and the club will always encourage both sexes to participate.

 

 

16.  Miscellaneous

 

Summer Tournaments

 

From about March each year the club receives invitations for age groups to take part in tournaments and these are a good way to introduce players to more football but differently structured.  

 

Presentation Night

 

Takes place in May or June and each member of each age group is presented with a trophy to mark their participation. Additionally trophies are awarded to the best player and most improved player of each group. At the relevant time each manager is expected to give a short speech commenting on the season and award trophies. 

 

Fund raising

 

See separate work on sponsorship etc.

 

 

Summary

 

There is a lot to learn and follow when running a children’s football team but it is hugely rewarding and all of this will very quickly become second nature. Attending the club’s committee meetings enables new coaches to network with other coaches and managers and pick up useful tips and guidance to help along the way.