Paul’s Blog
 
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
FA Charter Standard
 
Longhoughton Rangers awarded Northumberland Charter Standard Club of the Year 2007 – sounds good doesn’t it?! This award is a massive achievement and it is a huge honour to be recognised by the Football Association for all the hard work we have put in to ensure that our Club is a District Centre of Footballing Excellence. It is great to be recognised for not only making a real and significant contribution to Football Development in the County but for also making a very positive contribution to the local community. It really does put the icing on the cake for what has been a great Season. I hope you liked the article in the Gazette which was great publicity for the Club. BTW, congratulations to our great friend, Bill Blyth (Chairman of Lowick), for being named County Coach of the Year. So where did last Season go? I can’t believe I’m sat here in June planning for the forthcoming Season with all the ups and down of last season already becoming a fading memory. And what a Season it was, with a record 9 Longhoughton Teams allowing nearly 100 players to play competitive football in the Glendale League. It was good to see John Stevenson’s outstanding Eagles win the U-10’s Double whilst my own U-12 Hurricanes won the League only to be beaten in the Cup final on penalties against our great friends and rivals Lowick. More importantly, it’s been a real joy to see so many kids of all abilities enjoying their football under the Longhoughton Rangers banner which has become a byword for the delivery of quality football in the County. As ever, we have not stood still and the success of the girls section is the latest area where we really are making a huge difference. It has been inspiring to see so many girls enjoying their football in a district which offers so few opportunities for them to play beyond age 11. As I’ve mentioned before, our 3 year ‘Longhoughton Rangers 2010’ development plan was to have 3 girls teams established by 2010 and we achieved it in 3 months - great stuff! I’ve seen a few of the girls matches in the Rural Fives and been impressed with the standard; the girls are now looking forward to the next tournament which kicks off at Lowick on Saturday, 16 June for 5 weeks – good luck to all! Many thanks to Kerby for running the teams and also to Nighean and Becky for all their hard work at training. A special mention to local Football Development Officers Katy Taylor and Nicola Hepworth for their efforts in helping to get us up and running. Also helping to further the girls cause have been myself and Rod who have delivered 8 girls football sessions in Thomas Percy and Lindisfarne Schools. About 90% of the girls who came along are now players at the Club which hopefully means they enjoyed it, even if Rod and I had no idea what the young ladies were on about for most of the time! The Club will be providing 4 girls sessions in Dukes in June and I’m sure that will be as big a success. Following on from the older teams’ great day out at Newcastle United, the U-8s had an equally successful training session with NUFC rounded off with lunch and a tour of St James’ Park. Another great social occasion though I understand the tour of the trophy room didn’t take long! The other big excitement is the U-15s and U-11s preparing for Longhoughton’s first foray into 11 a-side in the NABC which is a vitally important stage in the Club’s development. Both teams have some friendlies lined-up before the summer break to ensure we are fully prepared. Personally, I can’t wait to see 11s return to the village in a highly competitive league. Of course, whilst we are having new goals installed and the pitch marked, changing facilities and toilets remain a huge concern. Rod is working very hard with the Longhoughton Village Development Trust (LVDT) and the Parish Council to ensure our views are fully represented as the village moves closer towards a community venue and a proposed astro-turf, all weather sports facility. All of our local Councillors and the LVDT are very supportive of the scheme (and our Club in general) and progress is being made. A number of hurdles remain to be overcome, many of which are linked to the detailed plans for the school. However, I remain optimistic that Longhoughton will get the facilities we deserve which will fully support the Club’s development in future years. Another area that has seen frenetic activity has been Coaches education (and I don’t mean counting and stuff though I know it’s a challenge for a few of us!). In May and June we have another 7 coaches working towards their Level 1 whilst 5 of us have just spent a full week at the FA continuing our Level 2 qualification. Also in May, 9 of us gained our FA Coaching Disability Football qualification and we plan to make our debut in this highly rewarding area during a disability sports day later this month. As ever, I believe that this level of voluntary commitment by our coaches is absolutely outstanding and has underpinned the success of the Club. As ever, we are always looking forward and we have many exciting plans for next year including the possibility of trips / tournaments further afield. We now have the awards and BBQ looming on Sunday 24 June and I will issue a letter over the next few days with the detail. Meanwhile, enjoy the last few weeks of football before the summer break at your Club, the FA’s Northumberland Charter Standard Club of the Year!