DISBANDMENT OF THE UNDER 15s TEAM
Dear Under 15 players and parents-carers,
I am very sorry to have to inform you that the club has decided that it has no option but to disband the under 15 year group with immediate effect.
This decision has been taken with great regret and only after many efforts have been made to find ways to keep the team going. However, the decision should not come as a surprise to anyone: I have made numerous appeals for parents-carers to get actively involved with organising and managing the boys on match days, and have been warning for several months that if more parents-carers did not step forward to help manage the team on match days (with all that involves) it would not be possible for the team to continue.
I am very grateful to Luke’s mum and Charles’ mum who both offered to volunteer to help with various administrative tasks; and to George’s mum who has often gone out of her way to give boys lifts to and from matches and training. I am also grateful for the offer of sponsorship which was made by one of the boys’ dads. All of these offers were valued but, unfortunately, as I have explained several times in the past, what we could not continue without were parents-carers prepared to attend matches and actively manage the boys (including arranging the completion of relevant paperwork, etc).
I would also like to particularly highlight my thanks to James Dixon, who was prepared to invest many hours of his own time to plan and conduct training sessions for the boys during the last year. As James did not have any children of his own in the under15s squad, this was a very generous, selfless thing to do.
I feel very sad that it has become necessary to disband the team, as I too have invested a lot of my own time in recruitment, planning, managing and coaching activities in support of the under 15s. I feel particularly sad because I have to come to know and like the boys, and all I have wanted to do (with James’ fantastic help) was to help the boys play and enjoy football.
However, as I said in the last notice I posted on the website, all year groups’ teams ultimately depend for their continuation on the preparedness of the boys’ own parents-carers to get involved in coaching-managing, as well as administration. While teams, can for a while, depend on volunteers who do not themselves have any of their own children in the team – as has been the case with the under 15s with James and me – it is unrealistic and unreasonable to expect this situation to carry on indefinitely.
For my own part, I have two sons, who play in Larkhall teams at under 13 and under 17, and the time I have spent coaching the under 15s, has meant that I have had to sacrifice being able to coach and watch my own sons. I have been willing to do that up to now, but now want to be able to spend more time supporting my own sons’ football activities. I am sure you will therefore understand why I feel unable myself to take on managing the boys for their weekend matches.
Looking to the future, I would like to say thank you to all the boys for their enthusiasm and efforts and to wish them all the very best with whatever they do – hopefully they may be able to find opportunities to play with other teams.
Refund of subscriptions
In the circumstances, after relevant deductions have been made to cover pitch and astro hire costs and League fees, it is appropriate that parents-carers receive a refund from membership subscriptions where they have already been paid the £90 which was due. The necessary sums have not yet been done, but I would imagine that a refund of around £50 would be due to those parents-carers who have paid the full £90 subscription. However, please note that this sum is subject to confirmation.
I will now arrange for the relevant information to be passed to Richard Stone, the Club Chairman, so he can arrange for refunds to be sent to parents-carers. We will endeavour to do this as soon as possible.
Should you want to contact Richard, he can be contacted via rich@teleios.co.uk.
Best wishes,
Tony Day
Posted: November 15th, 2009 under Under 15s News
by Tony Day.
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