Is Football Coming Home?
This is the second of an occasional blog about our new kid's football club, FC Battersea (FCB).
My name is Jon and I started the club with a couple of Chelsea FC coaches in September last year. We are a 'grass roots' club that only began with the generous help of Douglas&Gordon (London's most innovative Estate Agent!) and we are proud to have D&G as our club sponsor. In truth, with the impact of Covid-19 we were worried that, in only our second season, the club would have to fold with no financial income. But D&G never hesitated, and it is fair to say that when they confirmed their ongoing support, we were more than a little grateful. We know of other local clubs that have not been so lucky. To have D&G 'step up' in difficult times says a lot about them - both as a business and as people.
To recap briefly from our last blog at the end of March: we were enjoying a decent first season, topping our division and reaching a cup final. We had played 24 games and scored 117 goals. And then the 'football clock' stopped on 23rd March. Lockdown. Boots were cleaned and stowed away and balls, cones, kits, everything, went into storage. And we all waited, desperate to get out on the pitch again and kick a ball around. There is only so much Xbox one can take when not 'home schooling'?!
And as I write some 142 days later, there is a glimmer of hope that football may be coming home? The club coaches have decided it is important we try and bring through a new age group, and so trials are soon to be held. Wandsworth Council has been great at helping us find a safe venue for the trials and D&G is funding us for another season.
So, we are getting busy and excited about what the coming season will bring. The club is founded on the idea of 'family' and in the absence of any great activity these last few months, I thought it would be interesting to ask some of our young U13 players what they thought of the club so far. Here are some of the replies ...
Player Quotes
"My teammates are always acting like one big family through thick and thin. When I put the FCB shirt on, my body fills up with pride and happiness." Josh.
“There are many reasons why I love FCB. The main reason is because of the environment it creates when all of us are together. The attitude to improving makes everyone better. The coaches are amazing, and they help you improve in every way possible." Oscar, U13 captain.
"FCB means the world to me. We are a football family. We stick together and we work our socks off. I enjoy playing for the club because we have very high standards and we are hungry for success. We play to win. Our club ethos, Total Football, adds great quality, on and off the pitch. We are talented and we try our hardest and will never give up. Our club has a professional feel and our coaches are 109% clear on what they expect from us. We are FC Battersea." Jack (109% is a club 'in joke' - nice one Jack!).
"Playing for FC Battersea in our first season has been an awesome experience. At first, I was nervous as all my teammates and the coaches were complete strangers but, already early in the season, we all felt like important members of a family. Most grass roots football teams train only once a week, but we were fortunate enough to train twice a week. We were also privileged to have Coach Anthony and Coach Babz at training sessions and matches. Our season was cut short due to the lockdown, but we were top of the table and scheduled to play in the final of the cup. During the lockdown, the coaches organised remote sessions to focus on our fitness and skills. We discussed important life skills and the quizzes made the sessions fun and exciting. It's been a privilege to be a part of this team and family and I can barely wait for the new season to commence." Razeen.
"I was ecstatic when my parents announced the good news, that I had gotten in to FCB, but it was a long wait until our first training session in September. Straight after the first training session I knew that this was serious, even more then I thought it was. But I mainly saw it as a massive opportunity and that this will make me better. Not only did I improve but I also made an incredible bond with my team-mates which I think played a key factor to our successful first season." JJ (so good they name him twice?).
"One of the main reasons I enjoy playing for FC Battersea is because of the high level of commitment and dedication that is expected of each of us from the coaches. There is zero room for excuses. We are expected to bring our A game to every practice and to have an A game performance at matches. The high level of expectations is the tone from the top and it is the air we as players breathe. We are not allowed to be anything less than the best and this kind of expectation pours into other areas of my life and makes me want to put a 110% in everything I do." Noah (giving that extra 1%).
Fivers in the post lads, well done. We love our 'football family' of which D&G is a central part and look forward to growing in the coming season. As Klopp said, "football is the most important of the least important things". We know the past few months have been super tough for a lot of people and many sacrifices have been made by many people.
But we also hope that slowly we can all get our lives back and the young kids who love the 'beautiful game' can lace up their boots again.
Dream big, stay humble, love football, stay safe.
