Grass Roots JULY 25

JULY 2025 ISSUE 33

This Months Content CSL Partnership

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Goalkeeper Corner

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Team Message

Kit Aid

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As preparations for the new season begin, many of us are busy getting our squads in shape — welcoming new players, fine-tuning tactics, and taking part in friendlies and summer tournaments.

Grassroots Overseas

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We recently had the pleasure of attending two outstanding weekend tournaments hosted by Broomfield FC. It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying the game, and full credit must go to everyone who worked so hard behind the scenes to make both events such a resounding success.

Adult Leagues

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Youth Leagues

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Essex FA

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DT38

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Football Fitness

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With grassroots football currently on pause, our attention has naturally turned to the international stage. Many of us have been eagerly awaiting the return of England’s Women as they begin their defence of the European title.

Meanwhile, the Club World Cup has also drawn plenty of interest. While debates continue around the selection of participating teams, it’s been refreshing to see clubs from less familiar parts of the world showcasing their talent on the global stage.

Be sure to check out our regular feature, Grassroots Oversea, where we explore how grassroots football is structured and supported in different countries. It’s always a fascinating and inspiring read.

Finally, everyone at Grassroots Magazine was deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of footballers Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva following a car accident in Spain. Our heartfelt condolences go out to their family, friends, and all who knew them during this incredibly difficult time.

Thanks The Grassroots Team

DIOGO JOTA 1996-2025

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grassroots magazine Proud to Support Local Football – Sponsoring the Chelmsford Sunday League for a Second Season We are delighted to announce our continued sponsorship of the Chelmsford Sunday League for the 2025/26 season.

As one of Essex’s longest-running grassroots competitions, the Chelmsford Sunday League has been a cornerstone of the local football community since 1962, providing opportunities for thousands of players to enjoy the game, build friendships, and compete with passion.

We’re honoured to follow in the footsteps of former long-standing sponsor Pope & Smith, and we aim to build a partnership that’s just as impactful and enduring.

Our commitment goes beyond sponsorship – it’s about supporting the heartbeat of local football and investing in the community that brings the game to life every Sunday.

Here’s to another great season of teamwork, sportsmanship, and unforgettable moments on the pitch!

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https://www.chelmsfordsundayleague.org.uk/Csltables.html

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Goalkeeper Corner

by Andy Corton. Head Senior Keeper Coach at the Carl Pentney Keeper Academy (CPKA) in Colchester.

This article will be the 5th article I have written for Grassroots and I’m grateful for the opportunity to put forward some further views on goalkeeping and coaching goalkeepers.

My daytime activity is now fully focused on the work I do with keepers. A 40 year career working in the City has come and gone.

What does a day / week look like for me now?

Monday is preparation for The Carl Pentney Keeper Academy sessions in Colchester in the evening.

We have a junior session and a senior session. Session plans must be written and detailed. I never have the session plan on a phone, if you look at your phone during a training session, I always think it looks like you are not concentrating on the session. What will a session plan look like?

Warm-up and a stretch. Warm-up can include some fun movement and passing games.

Technical basics and fundamentals. Drills we do week in week out.

Topic based segment. We’ve split goalkeeping up into segments and we will run sessions for 3 or 4 weeks on a specific area, it may be high balls, 1v1’s. We do this in the junior and senior sessions.

As I have said before, goalkeepers come to us, train with us and then go back to their teams for weekend matches. We give our goalkeepers technical and tactical information and knowledge, but what happens if the manager of the team they play for doesn’t have the same level of keeper knowledge? I’ll come back to that!

Tuesday is preparing for 1-2-1 sessions, checking past notes regarding the keepers and what they need to work on and continuing to be able to guide them with their game and keeper skills.

Tuesday is also pre-pre season and will shortly be pre-season proper coaching and then we’ll move into daily and weekly training, league and cup fixtures.

Wednesday and Thursday is preparation for daily 1-2-1’s. As is Friday but Friday also means weekend preparation for Saturday training and game warm-ups.

Added to this is working with a local National League team and helping their GK coach.

Summertime means holiday camps and these also take up a lot of planning time too.

Coming back to the coach of your team having little keeper knowledge. Many managers are volunteers and doing everything they can to help their players, whilst others stand and watch. It’s not an easy task managing a team at grassroots level, 10 on field players to organise and the instruction to the keeper may well be “just save it.”

Recently a parent explained to me how confused their goalkeeper child was with different coaches, from the same pro level club, giving different instructions to the keeper across different games!! If the club doesn’t have a philosophy on how they want keepers to play, the coaches won’t be able to pass that on and here is where keeper confusion starts.

Teams should have a way they want to play and variations around it for different stages of the game, slow the play down, speed the play up, go long, play from the back. If there is no clear philosophy, ask the question, why and if the goalkeeper is confused, say something, otherwise the confusion will lead down a path of uncertainty!

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Young keepers need work on their fundamentals, something I discussed in a previous article.

Teenage keepers need work on fundamentals, tactical, technical elements of being a keeper and much work on positive thinking and error management.

Senior keepers know much more about what they need and I will often let them tell me what they want and add to that, elements of what I think they need, based on previous games and upcoming matches and my own knowledge.

Understanding the keepers you work with is key, understanding that a demonstration is worth a thousand words. Picking the right moment to speak or stay silent and let the keeper work it out.

Providing the right feedback to ensure keepers go home happy and in a positive frame of mind after training. It’s a tough one to balance!

Rejection in football is something we all need to deal with, be it as a coach, a player or a parent. If we agree that the goalkeeper’s position is the toughest one then a positive mindset is key.

I see many grassroots teams asking us for goalkeepers and we always try to help. I see many adverts asking for goalkeepers. When young goalkeepers go to trials for clubs or development centres, they go with hope and expectation and it is vital that coaches lay out exactly what the process is. It can be a crushing experience to be invited to trials and then be rejected or not contacted or basically messed around. This can lead to players actually considering giving up. Be open and honest throughout the trial stages.

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Another area that creates challenges for the keeper coach is - “who am I working with today and where?” At the CPKA, we know well what to do and how to plan sessions, we’ve been doing this for almost 15 years. Moving onto sessions with teenage goalkeepers and young goalkeepers at local education academies, means a different approach. I always ask the keepers before a session - “Have you eaten something before training.” Having had one keeper taken unwell during a tough session, you have to ask, safety is paramount.

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For young keepers 17,18, 19, stepping into senior adult football is tough. I’ve seen a number of keepers badly set back by rejection. A young talented keeper going into adult football needs to be able to deal with a different changing room environment, language, aggression and, I hate to use this word, “Banter” which can just be another name for bullying. Can the keeper at 17, 18, be brave enough to dig out the 30-year-old center half, will he/she tell them exactly what to do when dealing with a corner? Not easy. And when the team suffers 4 or 5 defeats in their first 5 games, what does the Chairman say to the manager? And what does the manager do, change the goalkeeper.

For the senior keepers I work with who are being paid and, in some case, considerable amounts, consistency is key, preparation is key and there has to be a strong bond between the keeper and the keeper coach and you have to hope the manager is experienced enough to support the keeper through any tough periods, not easy if the managers job is on the line.

Goalkeepers have to, in my opinion, deal with more stress than outfield players, you may disagree, it’s just my view. I will keep working with my goalkeepers of all ages and levels and keep them focused on a positive mindset and maintaining the joy of being a goalkeeper and when the inevitable rejection comes along, we will pick them up and help them to believe again.

Thanks Andy Facebook Grey Icon Logo PNG vector in SVG, PDF, AI, CDR format

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KITAID CORNER The national charity KitAid takes your unwanted kit & equipment and gives it a new home in parts of the world where the game of football is loved, but participation is held back by lack of access to resources.

We have reached some significant milestones in the last couple of years.

During KitAid's 25th Anniversary year, 2023, the Charity passed 1 million items of kit donated and shared worldwide. In 2024, the 26th Year, the total passed 1,100,000 million. Now in 2025, the 27th year, the total had by the end of June reached passed 1,175,046. June was an exceptional month with over 16,000 items donated. Reaching the grand total of 1,200,000 by year end is now a very real possibility.

Your own preseason preparations are probably well underway, and you may even have your new season kits arriving soon. If you find your Club with unwanted kit, then please do consider extending its life with a kit donation to others, through KitAid, spreading smiles for the love of the game.

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Your donation of kit can make a huge impact in some of the poorest and some of the most troubled parts of the world. The projects with whom we work are committed to improve health, supporting education & skills development to increase employability, promoting inclusivity for those who are otherwise excluded in society and working to keep young & older people safe, be they orphans, street children or women facing abuse. It is why we say of our work, "It's more than just a shirt ... "

Super kit donations have in last month come in from Chelmer Wanderers FC, Colchester Villa YFC and Prittlewell FC.

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Kit Donations

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Valley Green YFC Kit Donation

Boxing Up

USA

14th June 2025 Boxing Up - 14th June 2025

At Boxing Up, KitAid volunteers get together to box up kit & equipment donations for shipping out. Over 6,200 items were processed through this latest Boxing Up event. Here are just a couple of those kit donations that came in recently and now on their way out to support others, spreading smiles for the love of the game.

Former Boreham FC

Old Pegasonians FC

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Boxed up kit from 14th June is now on its way to projects in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somaliland and Zimbabwe.

Emerson & Upminster kit

Partnerships in Action Important to the KitAid cause are those organisations who share our ambition for bringing relief and joy through sharing kit with those facing the most difficult of circumstances. Each month in GM we are providing examples of those Partner projects with whom we work. This month we profile FAFALI. The Ghanaian Charity, Fafali serves children from some of the most vulnerable communities in the world, in the areas of the Greater Accra and Volta Regions. Their work is not just about meeting young peoples most immediate needs for relief, but also about creating sustainable change brought about by empowering children through education, community engagement and collaborative initiatives.

Co-founded in 2021 by Raymond Amezado, Rhoda Amezado and Senyo Sosu, the Charity's vision is: "To create a future where every underserved child in Ghana has access to quality education, opportunities for personal growth, and the tools to uplift their communities, breaking the cycle of poverty."

The Charity provides a wide range of programmes of support. The principal programmes cover: Education, Environment & Sanitation, Girls Empowerment, Sports and Entrepreneurship. Please take the opportunity to read on for more information on the work of this inspiring charity at https://fafaliorganization.com Sport is an important programme building good health, confidence and trust to attract the attention of children and parents allowing the Charity to do its work on the more complex issues that their communities face. The Fafali Soccer Project is know as the 'Ball Brain Project.' The Ball part allows children to enjoy their passion for the game (for some aspiring too to become professionals) and the Brain part helps participants with their education. They also develop coaching skills and run soccer clinics. Other sports are supported too including athletics and golf (see Grassroots Magazine, Issue 23, Sept. 2024 page 14 and the inspiring story of Afi, a young woman golfing sensation).

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KitAid are proud to be partners with the inspirational Fafali and their hardworking team who are committed to nothing less than transforming and empowering vulnerable young peoples lives. Such partnerships go to underline that for KitAid, "It's more than just a shirt ... " and be sure your kit donations are making a real difference in the world, please keep those kit donations coming in.

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How you can help here in Essex in 2025 If you can please look to:

o Donate unwanted kit & equipment – email KitAid at kitaidcharity@gmail.com or locally barrie.2014@yahoo.co.uk o Consider advertising KitAid at your ground, in your programme or on social media o Share skills (promotion, marketing or design), experience (accessing relevant grant aid) or provide access to resources (storage, transport or venues for sorting kit & equipment)

Appeal for Your Help - Kit Collectors, Storage & Transport Urgently Needed Essex is so invested in spreading smiles for the love of the game, we urgently need more help here to collect and store kits locally before being transferred to Hatfield or Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire for boxing up. You will join a great national KitAid team - but we need your hands on help in Essex. We are all volunteers and commit as much time as we feel able to, but know what we do matters ... "It's more than just a shirt ..."

If you want to know more about joining the team of volunteers, contact KitAid Founder Derrick Williams MBE at kitaidcharity@gmail.com

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At this time, we most urgently need volunteers for our Boxing Up sessions held every few months in Hatfield, Hertfordshire - next one is scheduled for Saturday, 14th June.

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Grassroots Grassroots Football in India: Building the Future of the Beautiful Game In a country where cricket often dominates the sports headlines, football is slowly but surely carving out its own identity — not just on TV screens but on dusty fields, school grounds, and community pitches.

Grassroots football in India, though still developing, holds the promise of nurturing the next generation of stars and transforming the sporting landscape of the nation.

Why Grassroots Football Matters Grassroots football refers to the development of the sport at its most fundamental level — among children, schools, local clubs, and community-based initiatives. It is where dreams take root, where the love for the game begins, and where foundational skills are instilled. For a country like India, with a population of over 1.4 billion, tapping into this vast potential is both a challenge and an opportunity.

Building strong grassroots systems is essential for: •

Talent identification and development

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Promoting fitness and social inclusion

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Creating a sustainable football culture

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Feeding talent into professional leagues and the national team

Current Landscape: Initiatives and Programs The All India Football Federation (AIFF), in collaboration with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), has been working to establish structured grassroots initiatives across the country. Some of the most notable programs include: AIFF’s Blue Cubs Programme Launched in 2023, this initiative targets children aged 4 to 12. It emphasizes fun, inclusive football sessions and aims to reach thousands of kids annually across India.

Baby Leagues Started under the AIFF's guidelines, these community-run leagues provide regular, age-group-based competition for kids as young as 6. The idea is simple but powerful: give kids a place to play competitively — often the missing link in Indian youth development.

Football Academies and Schools

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Private clubs and organizations like Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Reliance Foundation Young Champs, and Tata Football Academy run grassroots programs with growing success. International football academies — such as Barça Academy and PSG Academy — have also entered the Indian market, offering global best practices in youth training.

Organizations like Just for Kicks, Slum Soccer, and Dream a Dream use football as a tool for education, empowerment, and social change, especially among underprivileged children.

Challenges on the Ground Despite growing interest, grassroots football in India faces several hurdles:

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Inadequate Infrastructure: Many schools and localities lack basic playing fields or equipment.

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Shortage of Qualified Coaches: Grassroots coaching is underdeveloped, with few trainers certified at the foundational level.

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Irregular Funding: Many programs struggle with inconsistent support and sustainability.

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Social Pressure: Parents often prioritize academics or cricket over football, fearing limited career prospects.

The Road Ahead: Opportunities for Growth India's potential lies in its youth. With over 50% of the population under 25, the country is ripe for a football revolution — provided there is a long-term vision.

Some of the key growth areas include: •

Government Support through Khelo India: Promoting football as a core sport in schools and universities.

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Women’s Grassroots Football: Encouraging girls to take up the sport through inclusive programs.

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Digital Platforms and Scouting: Leveraging technology for talent discovery and training (e.g., ScoutMe, Kickoff).

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Corporate Involvement: Encouraging CSR initiatives to fund coaching, infrastructure, and community outreach.

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NGO and School-Based Programs

Conclusion Grassroots football in India is no longer an afterthought — it is slowly becoming the heart of the nation’s footballing aspirations.

With increased awareness, structured programs, and collaboration between stakeholders, India can dream not just of hosting a World Cup one day, but of competing in it with a team built from the ground up.

The beautiful game is growing in India's backyards, and with the right nurturing, it could soon thrive on the world stage.

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Grassroots Magazine is committed to giving back to grassroots football and we are excited to sponsor a talented young player Kaci Crook & an equally talented youth team in Broomfield Lions U13’s for this season.

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ESSEX FA TIGERS FC DISCOVER SOCIAL VALUE USING NEW ESSEX COUNTY FA ‘ESTIMATOR’ Havering Club’s Value to Their Local Community Totals £2,827,100

Tigers FC have learned the social value to their local community equates to £2,827,100 per year, having become one of the first grassroots clubs to have engaged with the Essex County FA’s brand-new, cutting edge ‘Social Value Estimator’ facility.

The County FA, alongside respected consultants, State of Life, recently launched the estimator, which enables clubs to quickly obtain a figure representing their social impact. The report demonstrates that Tigers are not just a football club, they’re building a community as key contributors. They generate a £10.20p return for every £1 invested and their net value is £2,550,500 based on an annual return of £2,827,100, and an investment of £276,600.

Tigers are a thriving, three-star England Football Accredited community club, with full male, female and disability playing pathways. They utilised the newly-developed and innovative estimator, accessible via www.essexfa.com, which produces automated reports to highlight and quantify volunteer-run clubs’ defined social, health and economic benefits.

The club operate Wildcats and Comets disability football programmes, as well as their own ‘Cubs’ and ‘Futures’ schemes, plus Squad Girls. Wildcats is non-competitive football for girls who want to give it a go for the first time or want to play with other girls their own age. Chairperson, Keith Di Palma oversees Tigers’ Wildcats sessions himself every Saturday morning from 9:00-10:15am at Bretons Outdoor Recreation Centre in Rainham.

The general coaching content includes basic ball skills and training drills, as well as active smallsided games. Tigers have been running Wildcats for nearly four years but, prior to this, they had their own very popular Girls Development Centre.

Comets is all about bringing fun and friendship to life in a safe, recreational football environment, and Tony Atkinson is Tigers’ Comets lead coach. This has a different scope of activities for players to participate in depending on their varied abilities, and Tigers’ main aim is to keep them active and mix with other children in a fun environment, without making them feel isolated.

Brittons Academy’s 3G Pitch in Rainham is the home for these sessions on Tuesdays from 5:306:30pm. Chair Keith explains that Wildcats and Comets form key parts of the club’s wide range of activities, explaining: “Our Wildcats sessions incorporate football technique but, most importantly, we push the ‘fun factor’ to the front of everything.”

“With one of the largest girls’ section in the south-east, it is important for us to maintain our numbers and increase every season. Wildcats gives us a base to start teams at the youngest possible age, which keeps the high numbers at the club. Also, it gives girls who just want to play football and have fun, and not be involved in teams or the matchday environment, an opportunity to get exercise and meet new friends.”

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“Our many volunteer Comets coaches give players time to adapt and literally give them a free role to express themselves. We have always wanted to put disability training on within the club, but a lack of facilities previously held us back until we had use of the multi-surface venue.”

‘Tigers Cubs’ is an introduction for boys to get involved in grassroots football, where they can join at school reception or year one age, learning basic skills and football in general. Tigers retain them at the club until they’re ready to go into teams at Under 7s. Wayne Freeman and Dan Mills are lead coaches, and the sessions also take place at Bretons on Saturday mornings, with year ones from 9:00-10:00am and the reception age group from 10:30-11:30am.

Alongside his wife, Lisa, Keith also offers a ‘Tigers Futures’ opportunity to support coaching across their programmes. The 30 ‘Futures’ help out at Tigers’ Summer Tournament as well as refereeing and assisting at the club’s presentation weekend. As a reward for their efforts, Tigers put these volunteers onto referee and training courses, all subsidised by the club.

Keith continued: “Tigers Cubs is important for the growth of the club. We have managed to enter at least four new teams every year from this section of the club and it has been more popular than ever recently with the possibility of five, maybe six new teams playing under the Tigers FC banner.”

“In the last five years, virtually every Tigers home game has been refereed by a qualified official and, of those games, 75% were taken by Tigers Futures Volunteers. Futures is our way of giving back to players who have played for the club and are coming to the end of their youth playing pathway, but want to stay involved.”

“We have seen over 75 Futures join the scheme, and a lot of these have gone on to university and scholarships, improving their opportunities in life by expressing themselves and gaining confidence. Of all the things Tigers FC have done in our community, Tigers Futures has to be the proudest scheme that we have put on.”

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“Our Comets training sessions have grown, with over 20 children taking part. We have had old Tigers Coaches who had retired from grassroots football returning to the club to assist, and they’ve said that Comets is the best thing they have ever been involved in within their grassroots time.”

Social value reports and resources are quickly and simply generated via the new estimator by entering key club inputs, including player and volunteer numbers and annual expenditure. The report then highlights annual social, health and economic benefits, and drafts are verified by the County FA so they can be utilised to articulate a club’s community value, supporting funding applications and updating stakeholders and local authorities. The resources include: o o o

A full report of the club’s impact, expressed both in monetary and theoretical terms, highlighting their social investment and the benefits to their community Key data on a club’s social value, including the life satisfaction gained, volunteer time and wellbeing value, health system benefits and total social return A media pack, containing a press release, some frequently asked questions, key messages and social media content suggestions

State of Life are named advisors on the HM Treasury’s ‘Green Book’ wellbeing guidance. They have always had the aim of democratising social value to help organisations, big and small, to produce clear, transparent reporting. The new estimator provides a key tool to support the Essex County FA’s #MovingForward 2028 Strategy aim of: “Creating a united #EssexFootball environment that tackles inequalities, delivers inspirational football opportunities and improves health for all.”

Reports are transparent about the values and how these are estimated, ensuring they’re open and credible. Putting this tool in the hands of grassroots clubs means they can now talk to the councils who might run their grounds and facilities. They can also talk to potential sponsors.

Essex’s thriving grassroots clubs are at the heart of their local communities, and the estimator provides a platform accessible to every club. Whether they have a single-team, or they’re a club with a 60+ teams, the reports show the value and impact they have locally.

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The new social value estimator can be accessed at www.essexfa.com, and you can also interact with the Essex County FA on social media.

Squad Girls: Additionally, Tigers run a Squad Girls element of their club, which is a great way for 12–14-year-old girls to stay healthy, be active, make friends and build confidence. Provision is organised adjacent to the Wildcats sessions at Bretons from 9:00-10:15am on Saturdays.

They’re fun, enjoyable sessions, aiming to provide girls with the eventual opportunity to move into teams, or just to offer recreational football. There is a consistent attendance of 10+ players, and ten have already moved into established Tigers teams.

“The club are so proud to give older girls the opportunity to be involved at Tigers FC, and it’s a bonus having Rob Tratt, an experienced coach who has coached a female team, at the club for last seven years,” Keith added. “We also have the progression to move our older girls at Wildcats into Squad to learn more advanced drills.”

IS YOUR TEAM READY FOR ESSEX COUNTY CUP GLORY IN 2025/26?

Enter Via ‘Club Portal’ When Affiliating Online for New Campaign

The teams, the goals, the champions. Don’t miss your chance to compete for Essex County Cup glory this season alongside your team mates, with entries now live online in the ‘Club Portal’ via the Essex County FA’s website until Thursday 31st July.

Applications to participate are being received in their numbers ahead of the new season, featuring new Under 14s Trophy and Under 15s Girls Cup competitions for 2025/26. The entry deadline is Thursday 31st July 2025. Club affiliation and re-affiliation is also live, and teams are required to be affiliated before participating in any fixture.

Thanks to advances in FA technology over recent years, it has never been easier or quicker for clubs to affiliate their teams and enter the County Cups. Greg Hart, Essex County FA Head of Football Services, explained: “For 2025/26, we’re building on the success of establishing a secondary Under 13s competition by introducing a similar competition for Under 14s teams, whilst a new Essex Under 15s Girls Cup completes the pathway from Under 12s to Under 18s in the female game.”

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ESSEX FA

County Cup finals are special occasions each season, and the 2025 finals were attended by a total of 7,665 spectators, only bettered once in the last 15 years. Hart added: “With over 1,650 entries last season, our County Cups continue to go from strength-to-strength, offering participants in youth, open-age and veterans football the opportunity to play in one of 26 showpiece finals.”

Previous final feedback from managers and coaches has highlighted an appreciation of being able to compete against different teams from outside their own league, in other parts of Essex, plus others view a County Cup as the highest accolade their squad can achieve. Creating “memories to last a lifetime” when your team’s name is etched onto the silverware is a special moment which brings a club, and a community, closer together.

Full details relating to the affiliation and County Cup entry process, as well as a link to the Club Portal, can be located at www.essexfa.com. Make sure your Club Secretary has entered your team… this could be your year! You can also interact with the Essex County FA on social media.

How to Enter Essex’s County Cups It’s never been easier to enter an Essex County FA competition, which can be achieved at the point of 2025/26 affiliation (or re-affiliation) through the ‘Club Portal’ online.

Even if your club has been particularly efficient and affiliated already, you can still return to the portal and add on a County Cup entry as follows: o o o o

Go to the Club Portal (https://clubs.thefa.com/) Click on ‘Teams’ in the left-hand menu Click ‘Update’ under the County Cups column next to each team Select the County Cup you wish to enter from the options presented and click ‘Confirm’

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The Feedback: County Cup Final Coach Reaction “I think any time you have an achievement, you sort of look at the hard work and what’s gone into it. I think this group of players have been fantastic.”

“And to know that we’ve had to travel all over and compete with all these different teams that have good standards, it feels really good. It’s very rewarding.”

“When you win the Essex Cup, it says that you’re the best team in Essex, so I’m delighted for the girls.

I’m so happy for them.”

“And the second goal, you see the reaction from all the players how much it means to everybody and what a team they are, and how they come together.”

“We said at the beginning of the season; we want to do well in this competition. It’s a competition with massive history and we wanted to do well and we wanted to put our name on that trophy today.”

“She ended up being the absolute hero, didn’t she? Absolutely unbelievable.”

“County Cups never come easy and I’m happy for him and the team as well. We’ve got some older heads in there who’ve been playing for a long time and never won anything.”

“You remember your wins at the end of your career. It’s great for the players and the club and the community.”

“Beyond my wildest dreams! I’ve played football for 30-odd years. I’ve never played in the County Cup Final. I can’t tell you how proud I am to be the manager of this side and to lead us to victory.”

“Absolutely elated, absolutely buzzing. The boys were brilliant tonight. Absolutely fantastic. To a man.

I’m so pleased for all of them: all our fans, all the management, really pleased.”

“You’ve just watched a club who we formed five, six years ago. We’re all mates. We’re brothers, cousins. We’re actually a family. The success is to everyone who’s played their part.”

“Memories to last a lifetime. Absolute lifetime. I’ll never forget this. Like I say to them: when they’re older, they’ll remember this day, believe me.”

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MEMENTOES PRESENTED TO LOCAL HEROES AT AWARDS EVENING Prestigious Ceremony Recognises Essex Grassroots Volunteers

Special guest and former England Manager, Peter Taylor, presented trophies when the Essex County FA recognised decades of service and dedication from local football volunteers at their annual Awards Evening on Friday (20th June).

Scores of deserving individuals enjoyed the prestigious event at Colchester United FC and took receipt of mementoes from the current Canvey Island FC Manager. Accolades such as the England Football Grassroots Awards and recognition for long service and community activities were handed out to valued volunteers, whose efforts keep the game alive at the lower levels.

The award winners were treated to fun activities, a meal and a special event supported by Hospital Radio Chelmsford to add to the prestige. The Essex County FA Youth Forum took to the stage to detail some of the development activities they’d recently been involved with as they attempt to give young volunteers a voice in grassroots football. Also in attendance was Steve Bolton, who provided a display and artefacts charting local female football history.

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ESSEX FA

After the event, Taylor explained why volunteers are crucial to grassroots football: “It’s been a great atmosphere, with lots of people that do fantastic work for nothing, and they just show their real commitment to football and to the sport and everything else. That’s what I love about the level is that you’ve got so many people that love the game and are willing to put their self out, not for personal gain, they just want to put their self out to improve the game.”

“They are so respected, and so needed. Everybody wants to play football, everybody wants to make sure there’s a referee, there’s corner flags, there’s football goals to be put up and so on, and there’s so many people there that just put their self out to make sure kids, ladies and men get the opportunity to play.”

To get involved in grassroots Essex football, please visit www.essexfa.com. Photos from the Awards Evening can be found by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook, and you can also interact with the @EssexCountyFA account, plus the #ECFAAwards25 hashtag, on X.9

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WHO WE ARE

The DT38 Foundation has been set up in memory of Dylan James Tombides. Dylan was an Australian International and West Ham United professional football player who passed away aged 20 in April 2014 after a 3-year battle with testicular cancer. The West Ham Family thought so highly of Dylan that they retired his number 38 and made DT38 one of their principal charities.

The charity has been formed as a result of Dylan being misdiagnosed.

Our vision is to change the way testicular cancer is diagnosed by implementing best practice diagnostic guidelines for patients who present with testicular symptoms.

We also aim to arm future generations of young men with the necessary knowledge about testicular cancer that will enable them to be confident when taking health matters into their own hands.

Our mission is to raise awareness and change the stigma associated with men’s health issues with a focus on testicular cancer. We aim to do this through educational programs and opportunities for the youth of our community, to help shape a generation of children who are selfaware about their health and wellbeing.

OUR MAIN GOALS ARE TO ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

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Drive the SELF-AWARENESS campaign for the early detection of testicular cancer Focus on youth EDUCATION through various teaching programmes aligned to national curriculum Partnering with the COMMUNITY to promote the changes needed for increased male awareness and openness towards discussing their health matters Collaborating with GOVERNING BODIES to foster a best practice mentality for the early detection of testicular cancer

The charity is based in both the United Kingdom and Australia. The charity was launched on the 28th February 2015 in the United Kingdom when West Ham United came up against Crystal Palace at Upton Park. At the 38th minute mark the spectators from both sides stood and clapped as a mark of respect. The charity officially launched in Australia on September 1st 2015 when Premier Colin Barnett and the Tombides family unveiled a bronze statue of Dylan outside NIB Stadium- Perth’s home of football. Both events were extremely momentous occasions and highlight the high regard in which Dylan was held both as a footballer and a person.

The charity has come about as a direct response too Dylan’s personal story and the current status of testicular cancer awareness in society. Testicular cancer affects younger men aged 15- 49. It is the second most common cancer in young men in Australia. There was 732 cases diagnosed in Australia in 2011 and 25 deaths. The rate of men diagnosed with testicular cancer has grown 50% in the past 30 years and the reason is unknown. The survival rate is 98%. There is currently no routine screening tests in place for testicular cancer. We at the DT38 Foundation believe that awareness is the key to addressing this illness. We know that our vision and mission clearly state the changes we plan to bring about in the future.

At the moment we have a small team of 4 directors and many volunteers in Perth, Western Australia. The foundation is growing at a rapid pace and so is the number of people becoming involved with DT38. We have found the need to have the Australian Company (DT38 Australia Pty Ltd) registered as a charity and the direction we are heading is very clear to us. We are now at the stage where we require funding to assist us in beginning various projects.

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OUR HISTORY

We at DT38 recognise the potential impact we can have on a large scale and are proud to be part of an organization like ours. We believe that we have the correct structures and procedures in place to assist us in developing our key milestones and we look forward to continuing to spread the DT38 message with the world.

To read about our latest developments head to our news page

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Tel: 07525786641 email: andytallis@yahoo.co.uk

There are lots of ways you can get involved from sponsorship opportunity’s, fan ownership, become a volunteer or if you just want to read more about our plan, please click the links below to find out more.

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We believe in transparency as a football club, by clicking here you can view our full business plan. As we grow as a club we will continue updating this document with more detial.

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