Welcome - from the Chairman

Welcome back for the 2007/08 season.

As a Junior community football club we are obligated to accommodate all parties wishing to participate in our programme regardless of sex, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion or disability, We also have an obligation to treat all players equally regardless of ability, where we as a club strive to be a successful club on and off the pitch; we cannot afford to have the attitude of “win-at-all-costs”. It is imperative that the well being of the child is always put first before winning “The game is not the most important thing… The child is”, Coaching is certainly more than textbook instruction. Our approach to coaching is more than just teaching skills and techniques – It is about teaching children life skills such as how to win, how to lose, respect for oneself, one’s team and one’s opponents and we must at all times maintain a professional attitude and appearance when representing Broad Oak & Horam Junior Football Club.

Yours in Football

Sean Stidder (Chairman)

PICKING TEAMS

When we pick teams in the playground,
Whatever the game may be,
There’s always somebody left till last
And usually it’s me.
 
I stand there looking hopeful
And tapping myself on the chest,
But the captains pick the others first,
Starting, of course, with the best.
 
Maybe if teams were sometimes picked
Starting with the worst,
Once in his life a boy like me
Could end up being first !!
 

This account of early childhood experiences of sport at school illustrates the impact a poor coaching session can have on a child’s confidence and self-esteem. Children need constant praise and encouragement as well as constructive criticism and should never be made to feel worthless.  In our opinion, at its most basic, coaching is the art of positive motivation and management. The influence that a coach has on an impressionable young athlete is enormous and we believe that a coach can use their influence to motivate their players to do their best. However, this must be used carefully and scrupulously with an eye more on the student than on the scoreboard. It is important for coaches to develop good habits such as sportsmanship and dignity in losing as well as improving performance and to this end we maintain that as coaches there are many roles to fulfill such as counselor, advisor and educator. We realise that there are good coaches who have bad seasons and poor coaches that have fantastic seasons but we also know that results and statistics do not always tell the whole story. We maintain that it is pride, integrity and perseverance that are more important that winning trophies and that as coaches we are not just teaching children about soccer but also life skills: How to win, how to lose and that the referee is always right even when he’s wrong.

The most important thing to remember is that The game is not the most important thing - the child is !!!
Sean Stidder