Transfer Window

The Premiership transfer window has been quiet apart from Newcastle’s new arrival but up & down the country there is a lot of dirty tactics being used with players being captured and lured.  Not by professional clubs in professional leagues, but my junior clubs in the youth leagues!

Is your child playing for a football team yet?  How have they been treated this season?  Do they play the same amount of football as others?  Are they receiving a good education?  Is the training good?

Watching a number of clubs I continually see poor training methods, so called favourites playing every game while the same children sit out, over excited adults cheering and jeering.  But what comes as a real shock to many parents is after a long hard year the so called coach looks to replace your child!

Trials

Youth football has a busier transfer window than the Premiership now!

It’s that time of the season again when you see posters popping up all over the place from clubs offering trials.  Some clubs go that bit further from the dodgy looking posters of, ‘Like football? Join Us!’, to features on their websites.

Some go as far as writing letters to current players and parents letting them know that their child’s place is not guaranteed next season.  How do parents feel receiving letters like this after a season of insuring their child arrives to every training schedule and match programme.  Some maybe going further and offering lifts to other children, washing the kit and of course paying their subs!

It makes me laugh.  When I see a poster about trials it makes me think that the club doesn’t have a good enough development programme in place.  Thus the players aren’t developing at the level they hope for.  How do they solve the problem?  They threaten to get rid of some of the players and replace them with more developed players from another club.  Many coming from a club that has in place a good technical development programme and coaches that can work with young players.

Short term the club may see some improvement from poaching these new players.  Long term the promising players that have arrived don’t continue to develop as players and like the children from the previous season will be replaced.  The funny thing is some of the disregarded players are being invited back in.  The sad thing about it is that many children are leaving the game in their droves.

I believe in trials at the end of the season, but instead of it being for players why not have it for coaches?  The ones I’m talking about are the ones who shout at kids, make gestures like Jose and swagger up the touch line in their tracksuit with their initials printed on their top.  ‘But hey, you can’t replace me, I’ve just done my Level 1 and I’m qualified!’  Give us a break…

Let me have your feedback.  Remember for those wanting to access additional, high quality coaching you can register your interest with me for the TWAcademy.Org.  Children involved with me over the past year have been coached to a very high standard along with receiving opportunities to be coached by SL Benfica & PSV Eindhoven.  In fact I will be taking my academy to West Bromwich Albion in May for a match, training and to see the final Premiership game of the season against Arsenal!  Last August we flew to London and played Fulham and the North Kent Academy.  The year before we were in Holland and played PSV Eindhoven!

For more info about the programme or if you need advice on training methods contact me by email.

2011 Review

Happy New Year!  Now 2012 has arrived I thought I would review 2011 at the TWSports.Org Group.  From travelling to SC Braga to visiting the fantastic Watford Academy it has been another action packed year.  I published my second book in June, celebrated 6 years of operating TWSports.Org in July and took my Academy over to London to play Fulham!

Of course I couldn’t do this without your fantastic level of support and friendship.  I continue to re-invest to help continue to make our product the most innovative around along with offering the latest in technology with our websites, social media my blog to help communicate and make ourselves available to you.

January – TWAcademy.Org announced a tour to London for August 2011.  Tour highlights included a game against Fulham FC and North Kent Academy, a stadium tour and tickets for Reading FC.  Players involved in the Academy come together from Irish League sides and boys clubs.  Currently we have players from Glentoran, Cliftonville, Loughgall, Dungoyne, Ridgeway, Carryduff Colts and Newry.

The Academy is open to all elite players that want access to additional elite training that focuses on technical training and game understanding.  To get your child involved contact myself by email or by phone, 07740120788.

February – The TWSports.Org Group increase their presence on the social media sites of Facebook, Twitter and You Tube.  Simply search for ‘twsportsgroup’ or click on the logos at the top of our web page and follow us for the latest news.  We have also made it easy to share pages from our websites by clicking the link button at the bottom of each page!

March – During March Tim Wareing & a couple of his 1-on-1 students enjoyed some media training by featuring on UTV’s 7.30 Show.  The team from the show filmed Tim, Luke & Tom during a 1-on-1 session.  The 7.30 Show then aired later in the week.

If you missed the feature you can watch it by simply following this link.  Tim & the boys are shown approximately 16 minutes into the show.

You will see some of the great work the boys do.  You will also hear from them & Tim on some exciting opportunities coming their way in the very near future.

To get your child involved you can contact Tim direct by email or phone, 07740120788.

SC Braga visit via Porto

April – Director of TWSports.Org, Tim Wareing, travelled to Braga to meet up with his good friend, Hugo Vicente, at SC Braga.  Coach Frank & Coach Andrew joined Tim on a 4 day Club visit of a top Portuguese club who would later secure a place in the final of this year’s Europa League.

The Ryanair flight arrived into Porto all on time.  With Hugo busy taking training sessions it offered an opportunity to see around the city.  What a beautiful city Porto is.  The team had a look around the stadium before making their way to the river to meet Hugo & have some lunch.

After lunch the team transferred to Braga to get settled in & freshened up for the evening session.  The U13′s, U12′s, U11′s & U10′s all trained on a full size 3G pitch spread over a 2 hour period.  All the sessions involved the ball & fun activities for a warm up before possession type games & small sided games after.  The Braga Academy has some of the best goalkeeping coaches in the country.

As Tim remembered during his last visit in November about the well mannered kids from the Academy it was evident still to this day.  On arrival players from the age of 7 automatically greet their coaches (& us visitors!) with a hello & hand shake.  They are confident children that behave & represent the club to such a high standard.  What is also refreshing is the relaxed friendly environment.  Although this doesn’t stop the coaches demanding the players to work hard but it proves children respond better in an enjoyable setting.

We also enjoyed a second day at the old stadium which is now the base for the U19′s & an athletics club.  We saw Hugo work with a small group of players on a technical basis.  Very interesting that it was the goalkeepers.  The hour was based around working with their feet as the modern day keeper is seen as a sweeper too.

We enjoyed another evening session with the younger boys of the Academy.  A real bonus was for us to eat with one of the U13 players who lives in Braga with a club ‘nanny’.  To be away from his family at such a young age & carry out such a busy daily schedule was amazing to hear.  Although the club look after Pedro so well.  I share more information on Pedro’s schedule on my blog by clicking here!

On the Thursday Braga were away playing their quarter final first leg game in the Europa League.  The Club President has a rule that all teams don’t train so they can watch the first team.  This gave us the opportunity to watch a typical grassroots club in Portugal train.  It is always interesting comparing the professional game to grassroots from country to country.

The Amateur Club had a very impressive set up.  From a full size grass pitch & a full size 3G pitch with floodlights, an impressive new stand & club house to an indoor 3G pitch for when the weather is poor (in north Portugal it gets very cold in the winter)

We enjoyed dinner along with watching Braga achieve a great result.  A great night was enjoyed along with a relaxing Friday before our return home.

This proved to be another great fact finding trip.  TWSports.Org would like to thank Hugo & Braga for their hospitality.  4 days of being looked after by a wonderful club & players was truly amazing.  We enjoyed great friendship, football, weather & food.  We now look forward to welcoming Hugo back to Northern Ireland.

May – ‘Toddler Soccer the Essential Guide’ book by Tim Wareing has now sold in over 20 different countries!  This stretches from the UK and Ireland, across Europe to USA and Canada, the Far East and Australia!

You can order the paperback version or the e-book by clicking here!  You can listen to the BBC Radio Ulster interview on Tim’s new book by following this link.

Tim Wareing's second published book; '1-on-1 Coaching The Secrets To Improve ALL Football Players - GUARANTEED!'

June – Tim Wareing released his second book through his publisher titled, ’1-on-1 Coaching The Secrets To Improve ALL Players – GUARANTEED!’  Copies are available in paperback or e-book!  You can order online by clicking here.

July – What a special month!  TWSports.Org celebrated its 6th birthday!  Our Summer Camps offered over 10 venues across Northern Ireland and open to all boys and girls aged 2-13.  Along with this Director of the TWSports.Org Group, Tim Wareing, was interviewed by BetterFootball.net about the release of his new book; ’1-on-1 Coaching The Secrets To Improve ALL Football Players – GUARANTEED!’

Head of BetterFootball.net, Pavl Williams, is a Development Coach at the Manchester United Academy.  An experienced coach that has travelled the world along with being an author himself.

In this podcast you will hear Pavl & Tim talk about youth development, Tim’s philosophy, club visits along with his new book & the success of his Toddler Soccer programme.

You can hear the interview by clicking this link.  You can also add your thoughts by adding your comments at the bottom of the interview page.

You can order Tim’s new book by clicking here.  The book has already sold in over 20 different countries!

TW Academy, Luke Fisher, exchanges pennants with the Fulham captain before kick off

August –TWAcademy.Org travelled to London with games set up against North Kent Academy & Fulham.  How fate works – 10 years to the day I took my grassroots side, Castlereagh Colts, to London to also play…Fulham!

The Academy enjoyed an action packed weekend with friendly very entertaining games against North Kent Academy & Fulham.  Two of our players were highlighted by the Fulham scouts.

The boys also enjoyed the experience of a tour around Reading FC along with walking onto the pitch!  The package included tickets for their Championship game against Barnsley.

September – We kicked off another new season – our biggest yet!  From offering 8 great products that cater for children aged 2 years +; to our web based products that have coaches registered from all over the world!

Along with the likes of Toddler Soccer, Mini Soccer & elite training through TW Academy we also offer other great packages to!  From 1-on-1 coaching and organising birthday parties to coaching in schools and at local clubs we offer the most inclusive and innovative product around!

October – Tim Wareing’s two books are now available online from Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith & SoccerTutor.com.  They have each sold in over 20 different countries along with being purchased by top pro clubs in England, Germany & Portugal.

Tim Wareing assisted Academy Director of SC Braga, Hugo Vicente, in operating a Portuguese style session at St. Francis football club.  The pair traveled to Dublin and spent the weekend with DB Sports to operate the clinic.  Well over 60 Irish kids enjoyed the clinic & sessions.

A successful Halloween Camp is held which offers affordable day care solution for parents while children are off school.  Helping children get active, have fun and learn new skills from only £2 per hour!  A party is held for all children and parents at the end of the week.

We base all our Fun Camps on a normal school day from 10am-3pm with an early drop off service available from 9am.  For more information contact me by email or phone, 07740120788.

November – UEFA A Licence coach & Director of TWSports.Org, Tim Wareing, was invited to Watford FC to view their wonderful Academy.

‘I arrived on the Monday evening & was collected by Watford coach, Dave Godley.  I was welcomed on board onto Dave’s narrow boat which provided a relaxing stay in London.  Tuesday morning we attended the Harefield Academy (the school).  Watford have about 40 of their Academy players attending the school.

The presentation offered an insight into how Watford have taken a successful Dutch academy set up but personalise it to suit their own needs.  Other clubs in attendance included Tottenham Hotspur, Reading, Southampton, Derby County & the Scottish FA.

After our tour of the school we listened to the presentation & success stories.  We then got the opportunity to watch the training.  The boys receive two sessions daily & up to 15 hours coaching a week without losing out on their education.

Later in the day we got to watch the 7′s & 8′s train before heading down to Vicarage Road to watch the first team play Bristol City.  A very eventful game with Watford going 2-0 up only to end the game drawing 2-2.

I flew home from Luton on Wednesday after enjoying lunch with Dave & a look around Watford town centre.  I was so impressed with the set up.‘

December – A fun month with a number of coaching clinics by UEFA A Licence Coach & Director of TWSports.Org, Tim Wareing.  Open to all children the clinics were perfect to develop children in a relaxed environment.  Tim also organised fun Christmas Eve events for all the children across the programme including the toddlers, while Santa dropped in with some presents!

Thanks for the support in 2011.  Good just got better for 2012 & we look forward to sharing it with you all!

Fun Christmas Coaching Session

The kids are getting very excited at this time of year that attend my weekly football centres with Christmas & Santa!  So I developed some fun games that encourage dribbling, passing accuracy, shooting, vision, creativity & freedom!  These games are perfect for Toddler Soccer & even the younger children in Mini Soccer.  They keep to the Christmas theme but you can also easily change them to suit other holiday periods like Easter or Halloween!  Have fun & drop me an email to let us know how you get on with the games!

Holiday Season Games

Emphasis

These games are great for holiday time & can easily be adapted to serve Christmas, Easter or Halloween.

I have based my games below on a Christmas theme but you can change them to the Easter Bunny or Casper the Friendly Ghost!

Set-Up

Every player has a ball inside a 20 x 20 yard grid.  Set up mini games as instructed below.

Objectives

At Christmas at Toddler Soccer we play loads of fun themed games…

1. Warm up planting Christmas Trees. Get the toddlers to place a number of pop up orange cones around the coaching area.  They then run around them.  You can then ask them to decorate them by giving them small disc cones to place on the top.  Now introduce the ball for them to dribble around the trees.  You can add another fun game by having them try to knock down the trees why you fix them.
2. Deliver the presents. All the balls (presents) are placed in the middle of the grid.  On the whistle the toddlers become ‘Santa’ & have to dribble (deliver) the presents to the children’s homes (the goals)
3. Knock the head off the Snowman. Using the large dome cones (snowman’s body) balance a ball on top (the head).  Set up a number of them & then have the toddlers pass their footballs (snow balls) to try & knock the snowman’s head off!
4. Find the snow. Hide 10 white cones (snow) under other colour cones, i.e. yellow snow (cones!) & red cones (chimney!)  Ask the toddlers to close their eyes while you hide 10 or so white cones.  Hide them under other coloured cones or maybe on someone’s head!  They simply have to find the snow.  When they find snow (a white cone) they bring it into you!
5. Snow ball fight. For a bit of fun at the end you can have a snow ball fight.  Let the toddlers throw snow balls (the ball) at you.  Make sure you make funny noises, fall funny – simply increase the fun by acting like a clown!

Progressions

1. Vary what part of the foot you use, i.e. outside of the foot, laces, etc.
2. Have a competition between the toddlers, i.e. time them on the above games.
3. Increase distance for accuracy games.

Coaching

• Dribbling & skills.
• Accuracy of pass.
• Weight of pass.
• Standing foot pointing at target.
• Head up.
• Use of both feet.

If you work with children under 6 or simply are a parent you’ll love my Toddler Soccer book!  I share my philosophy & games from my award winning programme in my book.  It has sold in over 20 different countries & has been bought by parents, nursery school assistants & teachers to coaches, teams & pro clubs to use in their community programmes!

Want more info?  You can buy my Toddler Soccer book by clicking here!  Follow me on Facebook, Twitter or You Tube.

Watford Academy

When you think of Watford FC you think about the previous club owner & famous musician, Elton John & the successful periods they enjoyed under former England Manager, Graham Taylor.  Taylor enjoyed a successful 10 year management spell between 1977-1987.  During this period Watford went from the old fourth division to the old first division.  They finished 2nd in the first division in 1983, competed in the UEFA Cup during 1983/1984 & reached the FA Cup Final in 1984.  Graham Taylor then took Watford to the Premiership during his second spell.  They also produced some terrific players like John Barnes & David James.

I had the pleasure of spending 3 days at the Watford Academy based at Harefield Academy.  I write about them briefly in my new book, ‘1-on-1 Coaching The Secrets To Improve ALL Football Players – GUARANTEED!‘, so was very excited to travel over & see the great work the club is doing.

Dave on his long boat

I flew from Belfast International to London Luton.  My good friend, Dave Godley, is Watford’s Youth Development Officer.  He very kindly collected me from the airport & offered me accommodation on his long boat.  Although we were in London we could have been a million miles away as the piece & tranquility on board Dave’s boat was so relaxing.  Sitting on the boat in front of the fire talking football has a real European feel to it.  Something which I always loved when I was in Holland & Portugal.

Talking about Holland this is where I met Dave.  He played for Dutch second division side OJC Rosmalen.  I love his way of life.  Being away from the hustle & bustle of city life, my 90 hour working week, my laptop, mobile (sort of!) & no television offered a real refreshing couple of days to charge the batteries.  Dave is a talented singer & guitar player to.

So after a night talking football & catching up over a beer, while wearing some house slippers in front of the fire, it was time for bed.  I’m glad I don’t sleep walk as I can’t swim but enjoyed my first night on the boat!

Harefield Academy

The next morning we travelled up to Harefield Academy, or ‘The School’ as many people refer to it.  Pat Cottis, Head of the school, gave us an insight into school life & a tour of the fabulous Academy.  I was very impressed.  She was passionate & driven to achieve success.  Watford Academy used the school as a training facility up until 2005/2006.  At this time it is probably fair to say the school was failing & facilities were not great.  But exciting plans of a brand new building & a relationship between Watford FC & the Harefield Academy were on the horizon.

The relationship began in September 2007 with about 35-40 boys, aged 12-16, from Watford’s Academy signing up.  This would be approximately 50% of the boys attending from Watford’s Academy.  There is always a lot of thought from both the football club & school as to who attends.  Players that have maybe only just started at the club, settled at other schools or maybe it’s not right for them would not attend.  Another factor early on was convincing parents to take their child out of their current school where they were settled, performing well & had their friends there.  Harefield Academy is open to all boys & girls – not solely Watford FC.

The School

'The School', Harefield Academy

‘The School’ is built over 3 floors & is open plan so is very modern, bright & the Head always has a good view of her pupils!  It has a real welcoming feel & offers everything for the pupils.  Pat explained to us about this unique school commenting, ‘take the school as a jig saw puzzle & put it together.’  Along with the normal lessons that children everywhere receive they also offer students 45 minutes in the middle of the day to progress in their dream, whether that be sport or music.

Children buy into it, it’s like a package deal.  For example, some attend horse riding for the day while others are based at Crystal Palace (athletics) for 2 days.  Their education is always closely monitored to insure no one falls behind.

I love this philosophy.  We all perform better & put more effort into something we enjoy, that we are passionate about.  It makes perfect sense to offer it to students.  Children also have full use of I.T. with over 30 computer stations set up.  This is positioned on arrival at the school.  A real open, bright area with positive messages draped over flags coming down from the ceiling.  There is also the ‘wall of fame’ positioned here of previous students from the school that have developed well in their chosen profession.  This is a mix from footballers to athletics, including a young man who is being tipped to feature in team GB’s next Olympic team for the 200 metres.

The school also operates a no cash policy.  Instead it is replaced by students using their finger print to purchase food & monitor what they are eating & drinking.  This is especially useful for those training on a daily basis to insure each individual is hydrated & eating the right things.

Generally 6 or 7 players from each age group at Watford’s Academy will be invited into the school from a squad of 20.  The club assess players at the ages of 10 & 11 for entry into the school.  Then the school interview them based around the educational side.  Both parties are always looking long term – will this 11 year old be here at the age of 16?  It is very rare for a player to be released mid term, the club is always looking at long term assessment.  Players are assessed on a monthly basis with goals being set.  They are assessed twice a year on their technical, tactical, physical & psychological performance & given a grade of 1, 2 or 3.  1 being on track, 2 meaning work required & 3 being concerned.

Watford Academy

Indoor 3G Facility at Harefield Academy

Nick Cox is the Watford Academy Director.  It is very interesting listening to Nick & seeing the thought process & the importance of everyone at the club to the school backing the concept.  The typical English Academy system will have boys going to school as normal then returning home to start homework, eat dinner & then to be transported by a parent to training.  This adds a busy schedule to each individual boy & adds pressure to the family life.  It is not uncommon for a father to return home from work early & to eat on the way to take his son to training.  Nor is it uncommon for that child to be up at 7.30am on the morning & on the go all day to 9.30-11pm at night.

Watford made many visits to European Academies to see what suited them best to move forward as a club.  The Dutch Academy set up was one of choice, especially a club called Willem II.  They have a similar set up in terms of stadium size, club structure, fan base, etc.  The big difference in the Academy structure was the club would work in partnership with a school.  This is what Watford FC based their concept on.  Although it was not copying the Dutch club they would simply set up an academy to best suit Watford FC & their Academy players.

Here is some videos on Harefield; video 1, video 2, video 3 & video 4.

The main positives for club, school & player include;

• Increased contact time for training with the boys.  From an average of 3,500 hours to 9,000 hours (approx 10-12 hours per week but up to 15 hours available)
• Greater Academic support & discipline – less conflict between school & club.
• Prime time training – day light & on grass (indoor 3G dome available too)
• Better home lifestyle – more family time with less inpact, i.e. transport & finance.
• Professional lifestyle – more training, less late nights, regular meals, less hectic.
• Better relationship with players – get to know them better.
• Optimum time for education & sport.

Typical Day

Below you will find a typical schedule for a Watford Academy player attending Harefield Academy.  Classes are mixed, i.e. not exclusive to all WFC players.

• 6.45am – Pick Up
• 8.15am – Lesson 1
• 9.15am – Football Training with WFC Academy Coaches
• 11am – Lesson 2
• 12pm – Lunch
• 12.30pm – Lesson 3
• 1.30pm – Lesson 4
• 2.30pm – Normal day ends
• 2.50pm – Study (home work / support)
• 4.20pm – Day ends
• 4.45pm – Football Training with WFC Academy Coaches

Success Stories

Over the years Watford have produced players like John Barnes, David James & Ashley Young.  But most recently other players have broken into the first team including Marvin Sordell, Lee Hodson, Ross Jenkins & Matt Whichelow.  Other recent first team graduates from Harefield include Tommie Hoban & Sean Murray.

The benefits of players coming through Harefield help to keep a normal school life.  The old cliche of footballers being stupid has been thrown out the window as 100% of junior scholars have achieved grades A*-C at GCSE.  This includes 88% achieving A*-C in English & Maths.  The average is 10 GCSE’s per junior scholar!

Ex Liverpool player, Ronnie Rosenthal, with Coach Tim. Ronnie's son, Tom, attends Harefield

Harefield is entering its 5th year with the oldest graduate still only 18 including Ronnie Rosenthal’s son, Tom.  So far there has been 36 graduates, 7 internationals, 6 pro contracts signed, 22 scholars at Watford FC while 10 have signed for other clubs.  3 have played for the first team.

In 12 years 50 Academy players have made their debut in first team.  43% of all starts came from the Academy graduates.  20 Academy players featured in first team last season.  Last year there was 5 new debuts & 13 international players.  Genuine home grown players.  The average is 12 miles from Vicarage Road (Watford’s ground) with the closest only 100 yards away!

• Better People
• Better Players
• Better Grades

Key Issues

The average spend from clubs on their Academy set up is 2-3% of turnover, Watford spend 10%.  The intial focus was on the start up.  As mentioned already it was convincing parents to come to a school that had a poor level of results & old building.  Watford also had to be very selective of the players & also when it came to the release of players – U16 decision time.

They set up a talent ID for enrolling new students.  It is a demanding schedule when they enter into the school (the novelty factor can were off!)  The club has greater responsibility for player behaviour.  It is essential there is a ‘whole club approach’.  It really does require the right people that ‘want to do it’ v ‘have to do it’.

It was a very informative day.  There was representatives (invite only) from Tottenham Hotspur, Reading, Derby County, Southampton & the Scottish FA along with myself (TWAcademy.Org)  I personally believe that this is the best way forward to encourage a better education for potential players & to help develop better technical & tactical players through increased contact time.

Vicarage Road

Vicarage Road, home of Watford FC

After the presentation I had opportunity to walk around the town centre.  Watford is a lovely town & I found the people very friendly.  I then went back to the school to see the U7 & U8 development squads train.  Refreshing to hear Dave talk about them being one of the most important age groups.  Getting the ‘right’ coaches to work with them is essential to help develop them.

After the session we transferred to Vicarage Road to watch the first team play Bristol City.  It was great to see Watford old boy, David James, return to the ground as Bristol City goalkeeper.  It was a very entertaining game with Watford going 2-0 up before City pulled a goal back just before half time.

After giving away a goal at an awful time – just before half time – Watford then gave away a soft goal straight after the interval to level the score.  That is how the game ended, 2-2.  I was very impressed by the stadium.  We sat in the Rookery Stand.  This is positioned behind the goal & Dave tells me offers the best atmosphere.  As an added bonus it was great to read a 2 page spread on Dave in the programme!

After a very enjoyable day it was back to the boat to talk football.  How I would love to work at a professional Academy like Watford!  My final day in Watford was relaxing & after some lunch with Dave I had a final walk round the town before making my way back to Luton for my return flight home to Belfast.

I was returning home full of energy after an enjoyable 3 day visit to the school.  Not only was it a terrific experience to see Watford’s Academy but enjoyable to sample Dave’s way of life & his wonderful hospitality.

I would like to extend my thanks to Watford FC & the Harefield Academy for their wonderful hospitality.  It is refreshing to see a club open its doors to let other coaches view their set up.  Special thanks to my good friend & Watford coach, Dave Godley, for providing transport & accommodation for me.

Football Boots For Africa

If you’re wondering what to do with your spare or old footy boots then read the following request from the Craig Bellamy Academy & help support a worthy cause.  A good friend of mine, Coach Johnny, is from Northern Ireland & is the Technical Director for the Academy based in Sierra Leone.  Johnny will be back in Northern Ireland over Christmas & will be collecting any boots from me to take back out in the New Year.  Please RT / Re-post this on your social media sites & websites to offer as many children in Sierra Leone a pair of boots.  You can email me <click here> to organise drop off point…

About the Craig Bellamy Foundation

The Craig Bellamy Foundation is a charity that offers underprivileged children in Sierra Leone the chance to reach their true potential in life through sport and education, enabling them to build a better life for themselves, their families and their communities. We do this by running a non-profit-making residential football academy and international school, as well as operating a nationwide community development youth league, supported by UNICEF.

Since the leagues inception in 2009, over 3200 players have competed at u12 and u14 age brackets, and the Craig Bellamy Foundation has handed out an impressive 1720 academic scholarships to children who would have otherwise struggled to enter mainstream education.  This has resulted in a staggering rise in school attendance rates amongst the league participants – with CBF registering an average school attendance rate of 92%, in comparison to the national average for secondary school attendance of a concerning 21%.

The league’s impact doesn’t end there however.  Youth Exclusion and Health Awareness are some of the most pressing challenges facing Sierra Leone today, and the Craig Bellamy Foundation are intent on playing their part in tackling each of these issues.  To date the players and volunteers of the foundation have completed over 500 community projects across the nation, and effected in excess of 50’000 people through the delivery of positive health messages.

And it is not just the boys who are getting in on the act.  January 2012 will see the Craig Bellamy Foundation further challenge the issues of Gender Inequality within Sierra Leone by launching the country’s first national youth football league aimed at girls.  20 Female football clubs from Freetown, Makeni, Bo and Kenema will compete at u15/u19 age categories – mirroring their male colleagues by collecting points not only through their performances on the field, but also through school attendance, fair play, community involvement, and health awareness.

Over the coming 12 months, the Craig Bellamy Foundation aims to continue to increase its impact within Sierra Leone, expanding the number of players registered with the foundation from 1680 to over 2300, as well as offering academic scholarships to every child competing in both the boys and girls leagues.

How you can help…

Currently ranked 180, out of 187 countries in the United Nations Development Index, the challenges facing Sierra Leone are extensive, but through football, we at the Craig Bellamy Foundation believe we can motivate and empower the next generation of Sierra Leonean children to change their lives for the better, and create a better future for Sierra Leone.

By constantly improving our national development leagues, we are able to attract more children to play the game, and through doing so – increase their access to education, community involvement and health awareness.

One area that the league struggles in is our ability to source football boots for our children to wear when playing the game, with many of the young players in Sierra Leone playing bare foot on rough pitches.

This is where we believe that the participants of TW Sports can help.  As we all know, children grow out of shoes and football boots so quickly, and are constantly in need of ‘the next size up’.  We at the Craig Bellamy Foundation, and the children of Sierra Leone would be eternally grateful if you would allow us to provide a new home for those football boots that are no longer needed by your son or daughter.

If you feel that you would like to help support us in our quest to improve the lives of children in Sierra Leone through the donation of football boots, please drop your old boots off to Coach Tim at any of his coaching centres.  If he is unavailable then please tell the Head Coach to pass on to him.

For more information on the Craig Bellamy Foundation you can visit our website at www.craigbellamyfoundation.org

In addition to this you can see the work we are doing for yourself by viewing the recently aired documentary – “Craig Bellamy’s African Dream’, available online via the following links.

Episode 1 – http://www.itv.com/wales/craig-bellamys-african-dream30371/

Episode 2 – http://www.itv.com/sport/football/news/video-craig-bellamy-charity-football-work-sierra-leone-part-2-32534/