Summertown Stars Girls U10 & U12s

Summertown Stars Girls Teams are now well established and registered with the Oxford Girls Footabll Leaague. There are two seven a side teams - U10 and U12.  This is a very friendly league and any newcommers that would like to come along to a training session on Saturday are very welcome. Please give Jo Kalies or Paul Chamberlain a call!!

Girls Teams: Our Values and Objectives

Overview

Football is fun and is for everyone. Being a member of a team is about much more than just kicking a ball around a field. The aim of the girls U10 team is to help develop the player and the person. Football is a team sport, and being a member of the team encourages the player to develop many life skills. Players learn to take responsibility by playing in a team, as a team. Players are responsible for their own kit and time-keeping skills are developed because players need to be at training and at matches on time. Friendships develop within a team and are an essential part of building team spirit. Players at the club are encouraged to use football to develop community and social awareness – there are programmes within the club to support local children’s charities and links with a primary school in South Africa.

What are our values?

All players who register to play for Summertown Stars A.F.C will play football irrespective of their ability. The less skilful players will be encouraged to improve their game through training and by playing along side the more skilful players. The coaches will encourage the players irrespective of the result of a match by emphasizing the positives from the match. All players and parents have signed up to the club’s code of conduct, and fair play is important. Players and parents must always respect the opposition (players, parents and officials); they must respect the referee and respect each other. On the pitch, the team should always hold their heads up high, and wear the red and whites stripes with pride. Good sporting behaviour is encouraged at all times.

Coaches

Summertown Stars A.F.C is an FA Charter Standard Development Club which means that the club adheres to the highest standards of football coaching and child protection. At least one coach connected to each team, will be F.A. Level 1 qualified. This qualification includes courses on child protection and emergency aid. All coaches have been CRB checked.

Who gets selected to play?

The girls U10 team play 7 a-side football, and a maximum of 12 players can be selected to play in any one match. Currently, there are 15 players registered to play in the team, and there will be occasions when some players who are available to play, will unfortunately not get selected to play. The players that attend training sessions regularly will generally be the first players selected to play and the players that get left out will be selected to play in the next match. The 12 players that are selected to play in a match, will usually get to play for at least one half of a game (20 minutes), but (hopefully) not less than 10 minutes. However, this is not always possible, and if a game is finely balanced, then sometimes no changes will be made. However if a player has missed out in a match by not playing for very long, then they will usually play for longer in the next game. Players will be rotated and their playing positions will change. All players should be prepared to play in any position on the field that they are asked to play in.

Captains

The captain is selected on the day of the match, and each player should get a chance to be team captain during the course of the season.

How can my daughter improve?

There are many ways that players can improve their football skills. Simply by watching better players and by watching football on television, players will get a better understanding of what is required from them. Players should always pay attention to the coaches and try and do their best in training sessions and in matches. It is important that players practise – kicking a football against a wall will help to develop kicking skills, learn to trap the ball, and will improve a players’ reaction. Players should try and practise using a size 4 football – this is the size that is used in U10 matches.

What do I do if I have a complaint?

All feedback, whether it is positive or negative is welcome. It is important that any complaints are fed back to the coaches. Please discuss the matter privately if possible, and the coach will try and resolve the issue. It is important to remember that the coaching staff at the club are all volunteers, and whilst every effort will be made to keep everyone happy, mistakes will occasionally be made, and it is important that these issues are identified and rectified for the future. If, following discussing any issue with the coach, you are still not happy, and then you should contact either the Clubs Child Protection officer, or the Chairman. Their details can be found on the clubs web-site www.summertownstars.org.co.uk

Summary

The girls U10 players will, hopefully, get a lot out of being part of the team. During the season, we hope to win a few games - of course winning isn’t everything (but it does help!), and provided the girls enjoy playing, then our objectives have been achieved. Remember, football is fun, and playing for the Stars is about much more than just kicking a ball around a field.