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Contents
Grassroot Media Contacts Twitter @grassrootmedia Facebook.com/grassrootmedia
Office telephone number 0800 8 20 21 22 or 01992 27 44 27
Mathew Court’s email address [email protected]
No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted without permission.
5 MD’s Letter
7 Vodafone Rural Open Sure Signal
Rural
An idea if you haven’t got a mobile
phone signal at your club and want
to get more involved with the local
community
11 Market Your Club
A new service from a friend of
Grassroot
16 Sports First Aid
First Aid advice – part one
20 Cricket Coaching With Andrew
Beaven
Ringers, going slow, more ringers
and spirits – sounds like a nice
weekend!
24 Colin Smith
Colin enters the big time with an
appearance at Wembley (although
he wasn’t the main event this time)
29 Sports Psychology with David
Harrison
David talks about ‘awareness’ vital
if we are to fulfil our potential
32 The Secret Non-League
Footballer
Early days in the Conference
36 Club Security
Security while playing
38 Twitter Directory
39 Blockshop
40 Sponsor A Local Club
42 Sports Therapy with Square One
This month: concussion
46 Our Game & Non-League Day
A way for your players, members
and fans to save money while
supporting the club
48 Grassroot Photos
A new feature showcasing some of
your pic’s from the month
Hello and welcome to September’s magazine.
And so that’s it for another cricket season. I know some of you are still
playing (some of you keep going until October!) but I’m guessing most of
your leagues are nearly done and dusted. I hope the season went well
enough but in sport there always has to be a winner and loser. But it’s all
about winning and losing in the right way that concerns me, and that’s
why I like Andrew Beaven’s piece this month (see page 20) as it really
struck a chord with me having been “ringered” (?!?) at the weekend in
our last league match of the year.
On the football side I hope pre-season went well, and the hard work
you’ve put in over the summer has paid off. Some of our member clubs
already have four or five league games under their belt, which is great as
I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another very wet winter - and you’ve
got to make space in your fixture lists for all the cups you’re going to win
eh? I do hope you all have a great season, we’re lucky to have such great
members in terms of proactivity off the pitch and I always try to keep an
eye on Twitter at the weekends to see how you’re all doing on it.
One last thing before I go, if you’re from a small village without a
Vodafone mobile signal check out the Vodafone feature on the next page.
I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine.
Mat Court
5
The MD’s
Letter
Rural Club? You can
be the centre of the
mobile community...
I was driving home from Grassroot
HQ the other day (yes, I no longer
cycle thanks to East Herts District
Council’s poor road-side
vegetation maintenance policy)
something on the radio made my
ears prick - an advert for
Vodafone’s new Rural Open Sure
Signal. Now, obviously the advert
would have been better on a poster
in our changing rooms, but like
East Herts lack of interest in sorting
out over hanging branches, that’s a
discussion for another day.
However, what it said to me made
me think I should get the old grey
matter going and see if it could be
useful to our clubs.
At the time I wasn’t sure how it
could help and then I remembered
the Wi-Fi/mobile data research we
ran a few months ago (featured in
the magazine a couple of issues
back) and that’s when I worked out
how it could help a few of you, so I
got in touch with Vodafone to find
out a bit more about what it is and
whether my idea might work.
Essentially Sure Signal is a magic
box that does a good impression of
a big mobile phone mast, just with
a smaller coverage radius. OK, it’s
probably not real magic, but it’s
pretty clever; I had one of
Vodafone’s original boxes in our
previous house so I could get a
mobile signal when Grassroot
Media HQ was in the basement
(with no mobile signal reaching
underground), so I know it works.
The new Open Sure Signal is a
more powerful version, and unlike
my unit, is an ‘open’ system which
means anyone with a Vodafone 3G
mobile can make and receive calls
within its coverage area.
Vodafone’s strategy with it is to get
6
these units, which cover about a
500 metre radius, installed in
places that could cover a rural
village which I guess is too small or
remote to be served by a big mast),
but equally has enough people
within to make it worth providing
some kind of mobile signal to.
You can see a video from Vodafone
about it here:
http://youtu.be/TPWdguOCGoc
which explains it a lot better than I
am doing.
“...my idea is your club
could host the mobile
phone signal for your
village...”
My idea is that if you’re a club that
doesn’t have a good mobile signal,
the club could be the host in your
community to provide a probably
much wanted service.
If you have a strategy of getting
your club more involved with the
village, this could be a nice little
part of it. Yes you and the players
will get a good signal out of it, but I
think the bigger win is that it shows
the community that the club is
trying to do something to improve
the amenities that you all share.
And you never know, you might
end up with some residents coming
down to the ground just to make a
call that would never normally have
come your way.
There are a few things you need to
do (or have) to get on board, but
rather than bang on about them
here I’ll just direct you to the page
on the Vodafone website here. And
you can read their Open Sure
Signal blog here.
There is an application process,
and you have to have broadband as
a minimum to be considered for a
box, but if you want to apply to get
a 3G Vodafone signal in your
community, hosted by your club,
click here to be taken through to
the application form.
If any of you go for it, and I know
the vast majority of you already
have a good signal from the
research we did, please let me
know. If nothing else I’m interested
in techie stuff, community stuff and
grassroots sports stuff, and this
kind of ticks all the boxes for me.
Disclaimer: Grassroot Media is not
receiving anything for this article;
we’re telling you about it simply
because we found out about it and
thought you might want to know.
7
One of the first people I spoke to when I launched GM was Castlecroft Rangers’s
David Brook. He’s a man with a lot of grassroots football marketing experience...
‘Market Your Club’ A
New Service From A
Friend Of Grassroots
You may be aware of one of the
more successful footballing Twitter
feeds out there: @CastlecroftRngr
and how they use social media as
the core part of their marketing
strategy to increase the profile of
the club and generate sponsorship
and other income.
You know already I like Twitter but
I’ve never really looked in to much
detail how it can help you as clubs.
Now I don’t have to as David Brook,
Chairman of Castlecroft Rangers,
and the man behind their Twitter
account has done it for us.
For sake of transparency, there’s
nothing in this for me or Grassroot
Media, I just saw what Dave was
doing and thought you should
know about it...
11
Market Your Club...
No you silly lot, not that kind of market...
Mat Court: Can you tell us a little
bit about 'Market Your Club'?
David Brook: It was a suggestion
from a few friends one Friday night
over a pint or two. We were talking
about what I had done at
Castlecroft and one of them
working in the Sport Industry
suggested that other clubs might
be interested in hiring my skills.
From there we talked some more
and they recommended I set
something up, my wife was
supportive too; it’s the type of thing
that needs family support.
I had been thinking about it for a
while, with the greatest respect to
everyone out there I see lots of
teams making a really bad job of
social media and asking the wrong
questions to the wrong people.
These are all good people who
want to do well and be successful
but do not know how to access the
funding. There are lots of sharks out
there too who expect the earth for
very little return; I want to help
people avoid them.
It's a predominantly football-based
service but can cricket clubs get
involved too?
Obviously my background is
football but the concepts can be
picked up by any sports club. I
think grassroots cricket tend to
have better commercial
relationships than football. For one
they tend to be bigger
organisations with clubhouses etc.
that gives sponsors a little more
back; It can be hard to market a
football team, playing in someone
else's kit on a borrowed pitch!
I am interested in sport generally
and am willing to help anyone from
an Olympic Show Jumper in
Carlisle to a Stock Car Racer in
Lowestoft.
What's your experience in this
field?
Completely self-taught, I have
about eight years experience in
grassroots football administration. I
dropped down to amateur football
about four years ago to a team that
was penniless and owing money to
the type of people you probably
wouldn't want to owe money too.
“...four years ago the
team was penniless and
owing money people
you didn’t want to owe
money to...”
In my first month were came within
two weeks of being forced to fold
twice. I brought with me a sizeable
12
twitter following from my old club
and that was all I had to save us.
“...I turned to social
media as a revenue
stream...”
Four years later we have two senior
teams costing around £4,500 a
season, at least £3,000 we fund with
our interaction with businesses and
individuals on social media.
I have learnt what to do, what not to
do, who to interact with and who to
avoid through simple trial and
error, all very much on a first hand
basis.
Why do you think the ‘Market Your
Club’ service is needed?
Football is expensive and the
opportunity to access funding can
be challenging. Sponsors are few
and far between if you ask the
wrong questions but the money is
out there. It’s just about asking for
the right amount, at the right time
and from the right people.
The service provides guidance, its
not free, it will cost them a one off
fee of £50, but I hope it will provide
them with a new approach both to
fundraising in general and using
social media.
What do you think clubs will get
out of it?
Ultimately the answer to that
question has to be sponsorship. I
cannot promise success, some of
my best ideas are those that never
really take off but what I can do is
get you asking the right questions
and increasing your chances of
success when you go looking for
sponsorship.
Is this not something that county
FA's & cricket boards should be
doing?
I don’t think so. They should
provide some guidance and maybe
access to services like this but we
cannot expect NGB's to help us
secure sponsorship, it’s too fraught
with issues. For example if they
access a sponsor how do they
decide which club to work with.
Of course a good relationship with
your NGB is appealing to a sponsor
but it is very much a club's
responsibility to find the income.
“...a good relationship
with your NGB is
appealing to a
sponsor...”
13
What are your top five tips for
clubs?
1. Don't ask for the world. Would
your employer/business hand
over £1000, probably not, so
why should they. Be creative,
break it up and make it
manageable.
2. Always offer something back:
what do they get from their
investment? Have some facts
and figures up your sleeve to
help with that too.
3. Have an up to date website that
looks like its being used; a
potential sponsor is likely to
being their homework on you
too.
4. Use your social media outlets to
interact with local businesses-
use your local #hour to meet
businesses in your area.
5. When interacting with
businesses and local people
build up a relationship first
don't just cut to asking for cash-
let them see the benefits of your
club and that you have a human
side. Having said that, don't let
your feed get too human and
too opinionated!!!
How do clubs get involved?
They can contact us on twitter
@marketyourclub or
@castlecroftrngr email via
[email protected] or by
phone 07972 926686.
Looking for:
TROPHIES
AWARDS
MEDALS
SHIELDS
SALVERS And want 30-40% off RRP?
And free engraving?
And free centre caps?
Go to grassroottrophies.com
Or email Mat at Grassroot Media
Sports
First Aid
Basic First Aid Advice Part
One: The Dr’s ABC In the first part of our series of
articles on basic first aid advice
we’re going to cover the primary
survey of a casualty. Please note
that this advice is no substitute for
first aid training and courses are
widely available.
The primary survey is the first
steps you should take if you come
across someone who appears
unconscious. There are a number of
handy acronyms you will learn if
you take a first aid training course
and the one commonly used for
dealing with this situation is
DRsABC.
The DRsABC is a great way to help
you remember what to do to
complete the primary survey, so
read on to find out what it stands
for:
D - Danger. Your priority when you
are trying to help someone in this
situation should always be to
remain safe and avoid causing any
injury to yourself or others. Look
and listen for signs of potential
risks before you start to treat the
unconscious person. If the area isn’t
safe, move away from the danger
and call 999.
“...the Dr’s ABC is a
great way to help you
remember what to do to
complete the primary
survey...”
Sophie Hoskins from Physical Sports First Aid continues her column on Sports First
Aid. See more at www.physical-sports.co.uk
16
R - Response. You now need to
assess how responsive the casualty
is and if they are conscious. The
first step in this stage is to loudly
ask a simple question, such as
“Hello, can you hear me?” If they
answer clearly, then they are alert
and you can move straight on to the
last stage of the survey
(Circulation).
“...The first step in this
stage is to loudly ask a
simple question, such as
“can you hear me?”...”
If they don’t respond verbally, try
asking another question in a loud
voice close to their ear, such as
"Can you open your eyes?" If there
isn’t any movement of the eyelids,
then give them a firm pinch on
both shoulders. If the casualty isn’t
alert, this is generally indicates that
the person needs immediate
medical attention, so an ambulance
should be called.
If the casualty is unresponsive to
your voice, or a firm pat or a pinch
on the shoulder, then they are
unconscious and you need to…
S - Shout for help. If there are other
people present, tell one of them to
ring for an ambulance. If there isn’t
anyone to help you, shout for
assistance as loud as you can! If
possible, you should also send
someone to get an automated
external defibrillator (AED), so that
you can use it if necessary.
A - Airway. In order for the
casualty to breathe, they need to
have a clear airway. If they are
unconscious, the tongue can
become floppy and fall to the back
of the throat, blocking the airway.
“...If they are
unconscious, the tongue
can become floppy and
fall to the back of the
throat, blocking the
airway...”
The airway can be opened by
placing two fingers under their
chin and your other hand on their
forehead. You then gently tilt the
head back and lift the chin. While
the casualty’s head is in this tilted
position, their tongue will be away
from the back of their throat. The
head will need to be held in this
position, so keep your hands on the
forehead and the chin, or enlist a
bystander to help.
17
B - Breathing. Once the airway is
clear you need to establish if your
casualty is breathing normally.
The easiest way to check this is to
lower your head to the level of their
face and look down their body,
from their head to their feet. In this
position you will be able to see if
their chest is rising and falling,
while listening for breathing and
seeing if you can feel the
movement of their breath on your
cheek.
“...The easiest way to
check breathing is to
lower your head to the
level of their face and
look down their body...”
You should hold this position for no
more than ten seconds.
If your casualty is unconscious, but
breathing normally, you can move
on to the final step of the survey -
circulation.
If the casualty is unconscious and
not breathing you should
immediately start CPR (this will be
covered in more detail in part two
of this series). It’s important to only
move on to the next stage when you
are sure that the casualty is
breathing normally.
No time should be wasted in
starting CPR.
C - Circulation. Once you have
checked that the casualty’s airway
is clear and they are breathing
normally you need to look for signs
of major blood loss.
If there is any external bleeding,
apply pressure to the area and if
the bleeding is from a limb, raise
the affected arm or leg above the
level of the heart.
Injuries or conditions that result in
severe bleeding, internally or
externally, can be life threatening
because of the risk of shock.
It’s possible that the casualty may
have internal bleeding, so the
casualty should be monitored signs
of shock.
More information on recognising
and treating clinical shock will be
provided in part three of this
series.
If the unconscious person is
breathing normally and is showing
no signs of severe bleeding or
shock, then all you need to do is
keep their airway open by placing
them in the recovery position,
which will be covered in part four.
18
This month Andrew Beaven, Coach at Oakfield Parkonians Cricket Club in
Barkingside, Essex gives us his thoughts on over rates!
Andrew
Beaven League Cricket, and the spirit of
the game
August has been a tough month for
the team I play for, the 4th XI of a
middling Club in metropolitan
Essex. Always on the fringes of the
promotion places, never quite able
to put together a series of wins that
could out us into contention for one
of the top slots, when the season
ends in early September.
Ringer
The month started with a defeat to
a promotion rival. A promotion
rival who just happened to have a
player with nine 1st XI
appearances in 2014, who scored a
ton against us, but, for one week
only, who was playing 4th XI
cricket.
Nothing wrong about this
according to the match regulations
of the League.
Go Slow
A win in our next match was
followed by a bore draw. And I
mean BORE. "Chasing" 219 to win,
in 50 overs, our opponents scored
just 75 for the loss of 5 wickets.
Subtract the 24 sundry extras, and
they scored just 51 runs from the
bat. In 50 overs, with close fields
and a mixture of bowlers.
Nothing in the rules about playing
for the draw...maybe not from the
2nd ball of the innings, though.
20
Their logic was sound - by not
losing, our opponents stopped us
from taking 15 more points (the
difference between 25 points for
winning we might have had, and
the 10 bonus points we actually
took home), at a cost to themselves
of just 4 (the maximum batting
points they could have scored if
they had got to 200 and still lost).
And they ended up only 8 points
behind us in the League table, with
two games to play, instead of 20 or
more if we had won.
Ringer (revisited)
In our penultimate League game,
we faced a side struggling near the
foot of the table. When we batted
(and struggled), it was obvious that
one player stood out in the field,
being more competent and more
athletic than we normally see in the
lower XIs.
As he opened the batting and
recorded a match winning 70, it
transpired that he had been
playing regularly this season for an
XI three tiers higher than our
opposition on the day.
Nothing against the match rules.
League positions
It's League cricket. Who cares
about the spirit of the game?
Congratulations to every side that
has own promotion this season, and
commiserations to those who have
been relegated. But please, do
remember your commitment to the
Spirit of the Game. Do League
positions really matter that much?
The Spirit of Cricket
"To play it [the game of cricket]
keenly, honourably, generously, self-
sacrificingly, is a moral lesson in
itself and the classroom is God's air
and sunshine.
Foster it, my brothers, so that it may
attract all who can find the time to
play it; protect it from anything that
would sully it, so that it be in favour
with all men."
Lord Harris - Letter to The Times
2nd February 1931
I can't believe that many players
will be attracted to play the game
by our experience of League
cricket this August.
Is it any wonder that Clubs struggle
to keep young players in the game?
“... Is it any wonder that
Clubs struggle to keep
young players in the
game?”
21
Colin Smith from Elvington & Tilmanstone Colliery Welfare Cricket Club
continues his monthly column with more tips for our clubs.
Colin Smith
My knees go all
Trembly at Wemberly,
Wemberly...
As previously reported, one of my
great pleasures in life is to
nominate worthy people for
awards. It gives me great pleasure
when somebody, often an unsung
hero, receives an award for
something that they would
otherwise have taken to the grave
unrewarded.
This year alone I have successfully
nominated three people for
awards. Two of these nominations
have resulted in National Honours
and one resulted in a County
Football award. Here I will tell you
about two of them.
One of my good friends, Tony
Condon, will receive the recently
reintroduced British Empire Medal
which he was awarded in the
Queen’s Birthday Honours list in
June. This will involve Tony
24
attending a dinner and receiving
the medal from the Lord Lieutenant
of Kent. In addition Tony will be
invited to a Queen’s Garden Party.
These will be two days that Tony
will never forget – once in a
lifetime experiences or in this case
twice in a lifetime. This is always
my aim when I nominate somebody
for an award. The VIP experience
really lives in the memory.
“...the VIP experience
really lives in the
memory...”
This brings me onto my second
successful nomination. In case
you’re wondering this can also
count as fundraising as it also
involved a £1,000 cash prize for the
club. It is also very close to home
as it was for my wife Jackie,
Eythorne Rovers Club Secretary
and Welfare Officer.
The nomination criteria, which you
must always bear in mind, was for a
moment in time that demonstrated
the upmost Respect and Fair Play.
The National Honour that Jackie
won was part of the FA Respect and
Fair Play Awards and specifically
the People’s Award. As I said the
criteria is the key to all good
nominations – make sure you have
the right category for the act or
actions of the nominee or you are
wasting your time.
“...always bear in mind
the nomination
criteria...”
I nominated Jackie for this National
award as she prevented a stabbing
incident at a youth football match
last season. This included
confronting a gang of thugs who
not only threatened her with a
knife, but our players, the referee
and the Police. Needless to say
when Jackie called the Police and
the gang heard the sirens they ran
away. The match was then
abandoned. However this was a
very scary incident and the gang
were grown men about 25 years
old. They were not children. On the
day Jackie’s first thoughts were for
the safety of others and she
showed the upmost bravery, and I
am very proud of her. In hindsight I
think the award should be renamed
the People’s Champion. I found out
on the day the award was
presented, as naturally I was
Jackie’s plus one, that she had beat
off some 600 nominations to win
and the judges were very
impressed with my nomination.
That’s me very happy.
25
Talking of the presentation this
provided Jackie with a once in a
lifetime day. The award was
presented at Wembley Stadium on
Community Shield day and
involved the missus and I dining in
the VIP Wembley Suite with the
other winners from the other nine
categories and the past giants of
the game.
Above: Colin & Jackie at Wembley
Below: Jackie receiving her award
The award itself was presented by
FA Chairman Greg Dyke and I have
to say what a fantastic man he is. He
was very chatty, nothing was too
much trouble and he is the most
popular boss the FA staff have ever
had. I know, I asked several of
them.
The day included champagne,
lobster, lamb and a fantastic cut
glass trophy. I managed to get lots
of autographs including Stuart
Hayton – what do you mean who?
The Secretary of Liverpool FC of
course.
I can’t quite believe I am writing
this but we had seats in the Royal
Box and have got some fantastic
photos of the day. Autographs from
Pat Rice, David O’Leary, Francis
Lee, Mike Summerbee, Tony Book –
it just went on. This VIP experience
is just something that will live in the
memory forever. I am not ashamed
to say I was crying when Jackie
went up for her trophy – a bit like
Delboy from only fools and horses
when Casandra lost the baby when
Del was telling Rodney to be strong
before they visited her, then
Delboy burst into tears as soon as
they saw Casandra – well that was
me -Delboy that is. That brings me
onto a very nice man called Steve
Perryman Spurs legend and now
Director of Football at Exeter City.
“... I am not ashamed to
say I cried when Jackie
received her trophy...”
26
As we came back to our seats after
the trophy presentation Steve not
only congratulated Jackie on her
award he could see I was a bit
emotional and he actually put out a
consoling hand to me. Now this is a
Spurs legend and it really touched
me that somebody of his stature in
the game would care anything
about a nobody like me. Well not
quite a complete nobody I write for
this fantastic magazine – thanks
Mat Court. Thank you Steve
Perryman I really appreciated your
gesture you’re a true gent.
As I said the prize also involved a
£1,000 cash donation that Jackie
has put towards taking 40 children
back to Wembley Stadium for a VIP
guided behind the scenes tour of
the facilities. I will tell you all about
this next month. Having previously
been on the tour six years ago I
know how brilliant it is and
inspirational for our 12 year old
footballers. In fact our under 18s
who did the tour six years ago went
onto to win 9 major honours in their
time at our club. I think the tour
may have had a part in this as there
is no better aspirational day for a
young footballer than a day at
Wembley.
Getting back to our day it was very
interesting to hear Greg Dyke’s
views on English players in the
Premier League, or lack of
opportunities for them to play.
Especially as the game was
between Arsenal and Man City –
two of the biggest offenders for not
providing chances for English
players. Despite the audience Mr
Dyke did not pull his punches and I
respect him for that. I know he is
also a realist and money talks but
something has to change to allow
the young English players to come
through.
“...This award shows
how you can turn a
really bad incident into
something really
positive...Who is the
Daddy now Mr Stabby...”
This particular nomination just
shows how you can turn a really
bad incident into something really
positive. Who is the Daddy now Mr
Stabby!!
If anybody needs advice or help
with a nomination please let me
know as you can also provide a
deserving person with a once in a
lifetime experience. The missus
and I can thoroughly recommend
it.
Colin Smith
27
The Match Minutes FC app helps insert hashtags, match time, score and
player names.
Fast, professional-looking match commentary during
the game, clean records for writing match reports
after the game.
Struggling to tweet live match updates
from a mobile phone?
Available at http://matchminutesfc.com/the-app.html
David Harrison from Pinnacle Performance (www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk and
@PinPerform looks at what we can learn & apply from Sports Psychology.
Sports
psychology
I am a BASES Accredited Sport
Scientist in sport psychology based
in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and
my company is Pinnacle
Performance
www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk.
This month we revisit arguably the
most important mental quality:
Awareness.
Awareness is imperative if you
intend to be successful so I am
coming back to awareness because
it is so important. Its importance
was reinforced when I met and
talked with an ex-professional
footballer is now working
extensively with Sporting Chance
and a sprint coach who himself has
competed nationally (both were
ex-students of mine!) about
performance.
Awareness is important in any
endeavour but we as athletes need
to be fully aware of our own
strengths and areas of
development.
“...we need to be aware
of our own strengths
and areas of
development...”
This will allow us to concentrate on
our strengths during competition,
when it matters, to give ourselves
the greatest opportunity to be
successful and get the win. We
need to be well versed in our
strengths so that we can do them
without thinking; we can just play.
So in training we need work on all
aspects of our game so that this can
Awareness
29
be achieved but also time needs to
be spent on our areas of
development to get them to a point
where they can no longer be called
weaknesses. This is hard work
which takes determination and
dedication.
The mentality to have here is to
concentrate solely on the things
within your control and ignore
everything else.
Focus on perfecting the skill
(Perfection can never be achieved
as there are always improvement
that can be made but should be
aspired to), to master the skill so it
can be completed effortlessly and
without thinking during
competition.
To enhance awareness keep a
journal where you can reflect on
your training and competitions.
Within this journal also look at your
sport to identify what exactly is
required for you to be successful
and win. Be very specific to get as
much information as you can. If
passing is important in your sport
then what type of passes are
needed?
Being fully aware also allows you to
be ‘play to win’. This is because
you know what is required to win
but you also understand how your
strengths will allow you to do this.
Playing to win brings the focus
onto you as an athlete and your
awareness because you are
concentrating on your strengths
during competition but are aware
of others competing in the same
environment and the things they
are good at. A lack of awareness
leads to a mentality of playing not
to lose. This is because you are not
fully aware of what is needed so
can’t fully commitment to your
strengths to be successful.
Both the sprint coach and ex pro
reinforced this message of
awareness being so important to
performance which is pleasing as
awareness is a major part of a book
I’ve written called the Journey on
what is needed to be successful.
The Journey will be out at the end
of September and information can
be found on my website
(http://www.pinnacleperformance.
co.uk/books-by-pinnacle-
performance.php).
The Journey has been written so
that it appeals to athletes and
coaches alike giving them practical
suggestions to improve that are
supported by real life examples. If
you require any information on the
Journey or have any sport
psychology questions please get in
touch.
30
The Secret
Non-League
Footballer
Key Signings Can Boost
Gateshead Promotion Push
Each month we print an article from the excellent Secret Footballer
website – you can see more at www.thesecretfootballer.com
It’s still very much early days in the
Vanarama Conference, a name
which I’m still taking time to get
used to. I can only think of a “white
van man” when this name pops up.
Nevertheless, the company has
invested a lot of money in the
league, which is a great coup.
After five matches for each team so
far this season, it has demonstrated
that most are very much trying to
get into the groove.
It’s a case of finding the perfect XI,
which the manager will chop and
change on numerous occasions
until he discovers the requirements
that will benefit him and the team.
Consistency is key at this time of
the season. Good teams get into
good habits of winning and it then
becomes natural. Regardless of
them playing well, they can still
take all three points.
Conversely, some teams can start
off badly, which puts them on the
wrong foot for the rest of the
campaign.
32
Alfreton Town have disappointed
the most after a succesful season
last term. Other teams I fear for are
Dartford, Chester, Welling United
and Nuneaton Town.
Nuneaton will probably struggle
the most this time after losing their
manager Kevin Wilkin, who
produced miracles last term with
such a small budget.
It won’t help that he took their two
best players, Wes York and Louis
Moult, to Wrexham.
I also believe Dartford may really
struggle. They had a turbulent time
last term after shocking many
people the season before when
they were newly promoted from the
Conference South and finished in
the top ten.
However, after being reinstated in
the summer due to Salisbury City
being demoted for not paying their
creditors, they are lucky to be in
the Conference.
Monday’s 4-0 defeat at Barnet may
well have knocked the players’
confidence but, with a home game
against AFC Telford United
tomorrow, it could be a good time
to bounce back and go three points
ahead of their opponents.
Chester are another team who will
be down there at the end of the
season.
Manager Steve Burr didn’t quite do
enough last season. Chester were
relegated but, like Dartford, were
reinstated due to Hereford United
being demoted for unpaid bills.
The problem I see with Burr’s team
is that the recruitment of half a
dozen players was completed
when the club was expecting to be
playing in the Conference North
next season.
Burr had signed these players only
for the club to be reinstated in the
Conference.
His recruitment would have
changed but, unfortunately for him,
he had committed to these players
by signing them and used up a
chunk of his budget.
For me, Welling will be relegated.
Manager Jamie Day has worked
wonders at the club over the years
and is a real prospect to go on and
manage higher up the football
pyramid when the time is right.
But with a small squad and losing
some key players to other clubs in
Web: thesecretfootballer.com Twitter: @tsfnonleague
Facebook: /TSFootballer
the summer, I think they may well
suffer relegation.
With the league table starting to
take shape, there is still a long way
to go before we see one team pull
away at the top. It may well be
Christmas before one team hits
solid form and runs away with it.
I predicted Gateshead and Forest
Green Rovers to be title contenders
so it’s no suprise that they are
where they are. Gateshead have
been playing some splendid
football, football you don’t often
see at this level. But they really
surprised me when they suffered a
heavy defeat at home to Grimsby
Town, losing 6-1. This result
shocked a lot of people but what a
great way to bounce back, when
they went away to Altrincham,
which is never easy, and beat them
1-0. I’m sure manager Gary Mills
would have been livid with his
players after the Grimsby game
but they showed a great reaction
by winning and getting a
cleansheet.
Forest Green are the big-hitters this
term with the good players that
manager Ady Pennock has brought
in.
They haven’t set the league alight
yet but I still fancy them. With their
squad so strong in depth, this will
serve them well when winter
comes and there are injuries.
My dark horses were FC Halifax
Town. Halifax sit top, the only team
with a 100 per cent record of five
games played and 15 points.
Whether they can maintain this fine
form, I’m not sure. There is a long
way to go and, hopefully, they
haven’t peaked too early. But they
will be there or thereabouts come
April.
The stand-out player so far has
been Gateshead striker Marcus
Maddison, who has just joined
Peterborough United for an
undisclosed fee on a four-year
deal.
Not a bad move for the 20-year-old,
who was released by Newcastle
United only a year ago.
It shows great ability for a young
player to be released by a Premier
League club, enter non-league and
then is given an opportunity to play
first-team football.
Maddison has grabbed the chance
with both hands and performed
well, which has warranted a move
to a League 1 club. He had scored
four goals in five games for
Gateshead this season.
Web: thesecretfootballer.com Twitter: @tsfnonleague
Facebook: /TSFootballer
After searching for a while I’ve found a company that offers not too expensive safes
- the idea is that safes inside changing rooms could prevent a lot of thefts.
Club Security
Players know they should take as
much care of their valuables as
possible, but sometimes people
forget leaving wallets and car keys
in trouser pockets, not locking the
changing room door, or leaving the
valuables bag near the pitch within
easy reach of passers by.
“...I’ve played in a few
games where things
have gone missing from
changing rooms...”
I've played in at least a few games
where people have had things
stolen from inside the changing
room and I reckon it's a common
occurrence across the country.
I've even read stories during 2014's
cricket pre-season of players
turning up for a trial, claiming to
have to leave early and then
making off with a player's car and
several wallets. While we can't do
much about that form of crime from
here at Grassroot Towers, we think
we have come up with something
that could help with the issue of
opportunistic thieves going in to
changing rooms while the game is
on looking for something that isn't
theirs... Safes...
“I’ve never seen a safe
at a club I’ve played at
and I wondered why...”
Has Your Club Been Victim Of
Valuables Theft?
36
I've played at many football and
cricket clubs and never seen a safe
and I'm not sure why as it seems a
relatively simple thing to install to
prevent crime.
“...Maybe it's because
keys get lost, maybe it's
because it's expensive,
as I said I don't know. ...”
Maybe it's because keys get lost,
maybe it's because it's expensive,
as I said I don't know.
But, if it's the latter then I've found a
company that is willing to help
reduce the cost of small safes for
clubs to put up in their changing
rooms: Simply Safes (you've
guessed it, they specialise in safes).
They've got together a special deal
to get more safes inside club
changing rooms - and by the way
we aren't making any money out of
this, we're promoting them because
it's a good idea and I think it’s a
good deal that we have negotiated
for you.
Each month we'll be running an ad
for them, this month’s is on the next
page, so don't worry about keeping
hold of this so that you've got their
details.
From the research I've done it
seems as though the price is good
on what they are offering.
“...As with everything,
shop around, perhaps
on your local high
street, to compare
prices...”
But of course it’s always a good
idea to shop around, perhaps on
your local high street, to compare
prices.
They come with everything you
need to put them on the wall, the
only thing you'll have to worry
about is making sure the keys are
kept safe! (Although if you lose
them Simply Safes can supply
replacements on models).
Keep Safe...
Actually while I’ve got you, if you
are thinking of getting some safes
but don’t like these ones
advertised, whatever you do don’t
get a digital hotel-style safe, they
are incredibly easy to break in to;
I’ve done it. Ask me no questions
and I’ll tell you no lies...
37
Directory
Birmingham County FA: @birminghamfa
Bosham FC: @boshamfc
Bronze CC: @bronzecc
Clifton CC: @cliftoncricket
Clifton CC ground: @cliftonccdevt
Crawley Down Gatwick Football Club: @officialcdgfc
Epping CC: @eppingcc
Gateshead Fell CC: @gatesheadfellcc
Hailsham Cricket Club: @hailshamcc
Lodway CC: @lodwaycc
Marsden CC: @cuckooscricket
Old Parkonians Association: @oldparks
Old Parkonians FC: @oldparksfc
Parkfield Amateur AFC: @parkfieldafc
Rotherfield FC: @rfc1983
South Loughton CC: @southloughtoncc
Southgate Compton CC: @sccricketclub
Stapleton CC: @stapletoncc
Steeple Langford CC: @steeplelangford
Sussex County FA: @sussexcountyfa
Thaxted CC: @thaxtedcc
Tynedale CC: @tynedalecc
Westinghouse CC: @westinghousecc
Whickham CC: @whickhamcc
Winterbourne CC: @winterbournecc
Woodnesborough FC: @woodiesfc
Worlington CC: @worlingtoncc
Worthing CC: @worthingcc
Worthing FC @worthing_fc
List your club’s Twitter account in here so everyone else can get following you. Only those clubs that are members of the network like yours are allowed on this list. To get listed just drop Mat a note at [email protected] or on Twitter @grassrootmedia Grassroot Media recommends: @birminghamfa @fvhtweets @sussexcountyfa @meadonscricket @4grants @chance2shine @vscricketsn
38
We’ve found out about a new entrant to the sun block market, called Block Shop –
and they’re keen to be stocked in your clubs – and you can make money out of it
Help players look after
their skin while making
money for your club
I came across a company called
Block Shop on LinkedIn – if you’re
not on LinkedIn I’d recommend it,
especially if you’re involved on the
coaching side of things, yes there’s
a lot of rubbish but every now and
then you see something that’s
incredibly useful. But I digress. I
ended up having a chat with a new
company called Block Shop about
their zinc sun block and whether
we could get it stocked in some of
our clubs. Well James was already
ahead of me and had already got
the product in a few cricket clubs
and the model was working well.
So I’ve agreed to promote the
product to you, our clubs.
Being mostly blokes we are mostly
pretty rubbish at remembering to
buy things, especially products like
sun block so I think that clubs
stocking this is very much making
the right product available to the
right people at the right time.
We all know the damage the sun
can do to our and our kids’ skin,
and it should work well being
stocked behind your bars or
elsewhere in your clubhouse; I
remember constantly having to
borrow other people’s when I’d
forgotten to pick some up on the
way to a match.
The deal for you guys is quite
simple, if you want to stock the
product, you buy it at £2.50 per tub
and then sell it to your players at
the RRP of £5.95, or whatever other
price you want.
You can see a bit more detail on the
page advert we’ve put in towards
the front of the magazine, but you
can always take a look at their
website here:
www.blockshop.co.uk or drop
James an email on
[email protected] or give
him a call on 07900338863. They
are also on Twitter @blockshop01
39
A quick update on an idea I’ve had to help you sell sponsorship and advertising in
your clubs to local firms. I’ve imaginatively called it ‘Sponsor A Local Club’...
Use grassrootmedia.com to
showcase your sponsorship
opportunities
Just another quick reminder on the
“Sponsor A Local Club” page on
the website we launched last
month.
We’ve got a few opportunities up
on there but space for plenty more.
What we’re trying to do is build up
a portfolio of sponsorable
opportunities that businesses can
have a look through and hopefully
find something they want to buy.
I’ve no idea if it’s going to work but
it feels like a good idea. I don’t
want Grassroot Media to make
anything out of it and all we’ll do is
effectively put the idea in the shop
window and then market the shop
window. You guys will still need to
talk directly with the companies
that show an interest but my plan is
that if we can get plenty of ideas on
there I can go to organisations such
as the Federation of Small
Businesses, the Chamber of
Commerce and other small
business organisations and try to
get them spreading the word
among their members.
So if you want to get your club
listed up on there just drop me a
line with what you want (try to keep
it as short/punchy as possible) and
one or two images and we’ll get
you listed. We’ll never charge for it
and will never look to take a cut of
anything you end up selling off the
back of it - that’s not what this is
about. Instead it’s about promoting
the fact that small businesses can
really benefit from getting involved
commercially with the one of the
most important hubs of their local
community, their sports clubs.
If you’ve got any
questions/comments/concerns
please give me a shout in the usual
way, you can see the page itself
here:
http://www.grassrootmedia.com/s
ponsor-a-local-club
40
Call:
01727 809867
Follow:
@SquareOneInjury
Square One Therapy
Sports Injury Specialists
Highly qualified sports injury
professionals dedicated to injury
treatment and recovery
Our services include:
Injury Clinic
Sports Massage
Fitness Training
Sports Team Cover
www.squareonetherapy.co.uk
In a new regular feature, Daniel Foster from Hertfordshire-based sports
therapists ‘Square One’ looks at what you can learn about Sports Therapy
Sports
Therapy with
Square One
Concussion In Sport:
What Needs To Be Done? We are seeing more and more
cases of head trauma and
concussion not being treated
effectively, this can have dire
consequences. We are going to
provide you with all the information
you need know including signs and
symptoms, treatment advice and
aftercare.
I am sure many of you have seen
some of the serious cases of
missing concussion which have
been in the news recently. Andy
Hazell, the professional rugby
union player who recently retired
due to a number of concussions.
The saddest story of recent times
was the death of 14 year old Ben
Robinson who continued to play in
a rugby match after three blows to
the head during the game.
National governing bodies are
doing more and more to prevent
these injuries and give the correct
advice; we are going to give you a
step by step guide as to what you
need to do as a coach, first aider or
manager.
Below is a brief recap on your role
in treating head trauma I hope this
is helpful and again if you have any
questions please feel free to
contact us at
.uk
The RFU are at the forefront of the
assessment and treatment of head
42
injuries they work using the six R’S;
Recognise, Remove, Refer, Rest,
Recover and Return.
Recognise and Remove – Any
player suspected or recognised
with concussion must be removed
from training and playing and not
return to Rugby or other sport or
physical activity on the same day.
Refer – Any player suspected or
recognised with concussion must
see a medical doctor as soon as
possible.
Rest – Players diagnosed with
concussion must rest completely
until all signs and symptoms of
concussion have disappeared.
Recover – The concussed player
must first recover from all signs
and symptoms of concussion at rest
and return to activities of normal
daily living before starting
exercise.
Return – Players return to contact
training and games following the
‘Graduated Return to Play’
protocol.
Looking for:
TROPHIES
AWARDS
MEDALS
SHIELDS
SALVERS And want 30-40% off RRP?
And free engraving?
And free centre caps?
Go to grassroottrophies.com
Or email Mat at Grassroot Media
If you would like to find out more about what we do at
Grassroot Media:
Go to our website www.grassrootmedia.com
Call 0800 8 20 21 22 or 01992 27 44 27
Email [email protected]
Be part of the team...
We make money for football and cricket clubs
by putting frames up in changing rooms, selling
the space and then paying a rent for you letting
us do it.
It is easy, does not cost the clubs a penny and
all you have to do is take a photo each month
of the posters once you’ve changed them (we
send them out in the post to you).
Grassroots
News
‘Our Game’ Supports Non-
League Day By Francis Duku, Founder of ‘Our
Game’...
In light of being recognised for our
support to the non league football
and what we are trying to achieve
with 'Our Game', our founder
(Francis Duku) has been asked to
be an official ambassador of Non
League Day. We wanted to
celebrate this recognition and are
doing so by launching the Our
Game Fan membership.
This membership is open to
anyone who considers themselves
to be a fan of football at non league
and amateur levels, and is being
used to give fans the choice of a
number of benefits they otherwise
wouldn't have access to, while
creating a stronger and more
efficient fan's network and voice
than has ever existed before.
Membership of 'Our Game' is
unique in non league football
because each and every member
will be able to directly and
personally benefit from joining,
while also being able to help the
club they support progress with the
help of our network and
community.
Membership costs only £2.50 per
week (payable as £10 per month)
and in return for this, you not only
get access to all the exclusive 'Our
Game' benefits (as shown on
http://ourgamefootball.com/our-
game-services), it also allows you
as fans to earn the following
donations for your club:
46
• A full set of training kit for 16
players. This can be donated to
either the youth team or a senior
team. (Once 25 people have
signed up through your club.)
• Four season tickets for your club
or four pairs of tickets to the FA
Trophy or Vase final to be
distributed to your club's
registered 'Our Game' members
via a random draw. Each
member will only able to win
one of the allocated season
tickets. (Once 50 people have
signed up through your club.)
• A set of portable 9 a side goals
training goals able to be used
before matches (to protect the
goal mouth), in training for any
of your club's teams, or even for
supporters club games,
whatever you choose. (Once 100
people have signed up through
your club.)
• A set of portable floodlights able
to light up an area of 60m x 40m.
This can be used to make it
easier for your team to train
during the winter months when
training facilities become harder
to come by. (Once 200 people
have signed up through your
club.)
• If 10 clubs achieve the figure of
200 or more members, we will
also donate a brand new 16 seat
minibus to the club who has the
highest number of members as a
proportion of their average
attendance. The more 'Our
Game' is supported by your club,
the greater chance your club has
of winning the minibus! This
minibus can be donated to your
academy team, used by the first
team, fans or even your
community projects to lower
transport costs!
Sign up at
www.ourgamefootball.com/membershi
ps as an 'Our Game' Fan and start
benefiting from our services to reward
yourself and save money immediately
(the benefits from the Store alone,
shown at
http://ourgamefootball.com/our-game-
store-0, could be worth over £400 a year
to each and every one of you), while
also giving your club the best chance of
earning one of the 'Our Game' donations
and possibly winning a brand new
minibus!
All prizes will be allocated in July 2015
based on the membership numbers at
the end of the 2014-15 season, with each
club being entitled to the relevant prize
for the number of their fans who are still
'Our Game' members at the end of the
regular league season. 'Our Game'
membership and all its entitlements
though will begin immediately each
person completes their application.
Membership can only be granted to UK
residents and is available to all
networks and connections of any non
league and amateur football fan who
wants to help their chosen club while
also benefiting from being part of the
'Our Game' network.
47
Grassroot
Photos
Left: Burslem
CC’s new nets,
installed with
funding from
our friends at
Biffa Award.
48
A new feature showcasing the photo’s you’ve sent to us over the month.
And some nice pictures too! Thank you to all of those that sent photos in.
Above: The Stamford Bridge CC committee setting up the fund raising
tombola during a Yorkshire 2nd XI match there and (below) the ground
itself before the match
Above: Brody Robertson scoring Cleethorpes Town FC’s second in the FA
Cup this season, a 4-1 win over Borrowash Victoria in the Extra Prelim.
Round - the Owls’s first ever game in the competition. Photo by Craig
Kendall.
Right:
The winners
of Allenbury’s
Sports &
Social Club’s
intra-club T20
cricket
competition.
Above: Corse & Staunton Cricket Club held an ECB "Open Day" on 15
July which included an U-9 tournament between C & S, Aston Ingham,
Apperley and Dymock. Below: Colin Smith on the recent club tour of
Wembley, more to follow next month...
Do You, Your Club, Or Your Business
Need A Bookkeeper?
If so Liz Whymark, the self-employed bookkeeper we use
at Grassroot Media offers great rates, a great
bookkeeping service, and payroll & secretarial services.
Call Liz Whymark:
07984 427260