Pee Wee Academy Newsletter - Issue 6 – November  2000

Newsletter on the web

We intend to make the newsletter a regular feature next year, every two weeks at least. It will be on the club website also along with plenty of pics and info. We also hope to feature regular match reports from the academy teams so if your at a game and you can throw a few lines together along with a pic we will publish it on the web.

Child Protection

On the web is the clubs code of ethics, what's expected from players, coaches and parents. It's a very simple view of what's needed to help the kids develop and has plenty of good hints to make the experience a positive one for your children. We would encourage all parents to read this information as it's very important. The club child protection officer is Eddie Darcy, so if you have any concerns regarding your child's welfare, Eddie is available to discuss your concerns, see contact list for Eddie's number.

Mini league in the new year

This year the academy host a mini league starting in February08. Apart from adding an extras edge to the cold Friday evenings, we are hoping this new format will allow us assess the players progress with a view to forming next years teams at the start of the summer, before the players disappear on summer holidays etc. It will also give the new teams some time to train together as a team and play a few friendlies before the season starts.

The mini tournament will entail new teams being formed each week, and points will be awarded for taking part, and bonus points for players on winning teams. We will run it for about 6-8 weeks, finishing with a finals day in late April/early May, with medals/trophies and goddie bags etc for all. A league table of points accumulated will be on view weekly in the clubhouse on our new academy notice board. (just inside the double doors).

W e are hoping it will also encourage everyone to show up regurarly during the cold months, as regular attendance is important if the kids are to develop.

Presentation night

The club recently held it's annual presentation night in Wrights Café. The academy teams from last year were well represented, as all 5 teams won honours for the club, a great achievement by all. Press here to see some pics of the presentation night.

Winter Break & Christmas party

We will be stopping for a winter break on the 29^th November and the academy will resume on the 1^st February 2008. The last session we be just a bit of fun before we break up so do your best to get there. We hope to go straight into the mini tournament in the new year so get back early.

This years Christmas party is on at N Zone on the 9^th December at 5pm. If you don't have an invitation yet ask Carolyn, all are very welcome, and it's usually lots of fun.

Who's who?

For those of you who don't know who's who in the academy the following might help

Club Gear- Free Issue to academy members

All our new members will get free tee shirts during the year. As players join teams free shorts and socks will also be issued. Tracksuits and other club gear are available in the club shop.

TRACKSUITS FOR ACADEMY MEMBERS AND NEW TEAM MEMBERS

Club tracksuits are available in the club shop. Tracksuits need to be paid for in advance, and will be available about 3 weeks later.

Team News

This year the academy formed five teams, three under 7 and two under 6, all playing in various under 7 leagues. Our 7A and 7B teams will be leaving the academy at end of the year to make way for some more younger members, although they leave us in great shape. The 7B team are holding their own in the NDSL 7B league under the guidance of Mick Early. The 7A team have been playing at a very high standard and have crushed all teams in their paths. They will be moving to the highest league in Dublin after Christmas (DDSL7A) to follow in the footsteps of last years under 7A, who went on to win the league. As most of the players from both teams started out in the academy aged 5, we wish them every success in the future. The couple of years of hard work on the Friday nights has certainly paid off for these lads, so well done to all.

Our new teams have also been doing quite well so far also. The 7C team managed by Keith haven't managed to get their first win yet but they are getting closer each week. It's always hard for the 7C to get going as it normally consists of 10 new players who joined the academy late in the day and never played a match before, but this doesn't take long to put right. Having already progressed from some heavy defeats to a single goal defeat two weeks running, I'm sure the first of many wins won't be long coming.

The 6B managed by Paul and Eamon have had a remarkable start to their footballing days. Like the 7C, it's usually hard for the 6B to get going as they usually consist of the weakest of the 6 year olds. Not this team though, their latest 10 nil victory over Swords Manor shows they have talent in depth. Although with 3 girls on the team it's no wonder they are doing so well. With a large squad of players to choose from it's looking good for this years 6Bs.

The 6A team have also got off to a great start, and look like the team to watch over the coming years. Already promoted to the 7B1 league, the highest position ever for an under 6 Swords Celtic team, this team oozes talent. So much so that they are already making the headlines in the local papers. We have great ambitions for this team next season, hopefully they will become the 3^rd Swords Celtic team in a row to make it into the DDSL 7A league, something which makes us all involved in the academy very proud.

And of course it's not about winning at all, it's about taking part and having fun. Well I'm glad to say that apart from all the positive results on the pitch, things seem to be going great off the pitch also, with all the kids enjoying themselves on match day and at training. Keep it up guys, your all doing great.

Safety First

Don't forget shin guards must be worn by all members. Bring a drink and a rain jacket each week

New members

A big welcome to all our new members. Every year the numbers in the academy continues to grow and we hope all our new footballers are enjoying themselves each Friday. Should anybody have any questions about the coaching, team formation, getting involved etc we would be delighted to hear from you. Additional members are always welcome, so if you find the academy to be an enjoyable experience for your children, why not bring along a friend or two, the more members we get, the better the academy will become. It's the foundation of our schoolboy teams so every effort is being put into improving it on a continuous basis.

More members and coaches required

We are hoping to increase the number of teams formed next season from the academy. We are aiming for three under 6 teams and four under 7 teams, as well as an extra under 8 team. To do this we will need additional coaches, managers and players. If you would like to get involved please contact one of the academy team. There are lots of jobs to be done apart from the actual coaching so if you have some free time and would like to get involved we would be delighted with some extra help. Anybody wishing to get involved with the coaching will be sent on the official FAI coaching course ‘Kick Start 1' which is aimed at the younger players. Most of our current coaches and managers will be attending this course during the winter break so good luck to all of them.

Fisrt Aid

To date we haven't had any serious accidents to deal with at the academy, fingers crossed it stays this way. If any of the parents have first aid experience and are usually around on a Friday night, please let one of the academy staff know, as it would be useful to know should an incident ever occur. A first aid kit is provided at all sessions, but having a trained first aid person on hand would be even better.

Sponsorship

As most of you probably know the academy is sponsored by The Wright Group, and we are extremely grateful to them for their continued support. We are always looking for additional sponsors, and we will be launching wall mounted adverts in the all weather in the new year. Any sponsorship raised for the academy will stay in the academy, so if anybody is in a position to provide sponsorship, please contact Alan @ 086 2782534 or at the academy any Friday. The cost of the wall mounted adverts will be €500, and the adverts will remain in place for a minimum of 3 years