In October 2008 a team of four full time FA Skills Coaches were appointed by The Football Association to assist Berks & Bucks FA in developing young children aged 5-11.
The far reaching programme is delivered in Schools, Charter Standard Clubs, Skills Centres and holiday courses. The practical sessions are planned and correlate strongly with the four stands of the National Curriculum and the Long Term Player Development Model. Strong emphasis is placed on developing the young child’s technical, physical, social and psychological aspects of their game. The coaches are skilled in ensuring that right environment is created for the young children to experiment and feel relaxed when participating in sessions.
The Skills Programme has been in full operation since January 2009 and over 15000 children have benefited from the sessions. The Programme is strategically co-ordinated through School Sports Partnerships offering children of all abilities appropriate exit to routes to enhance their football skills.
School Sports Partnerships being supported:
Slough and Wexham – Team Leader, Balvinder Singh Shekhon
West Berkshire / Newbury – Lead Coach, Mark Potter
Aylesbury Vale / Stoke Mandeville – Lead Coach, Adam Burrows
Milton Keynes South – Lead Coach, Daniel Saunders
For more information on the Skills Team, please contact the Team Leader - Balvinder.Shekhon@thefa.com
Charter Standard Club Support
Charter Standard and Community clubs are an integral part of this programme. The achievement of this status demonstrates the clubs commitment to provide safe learning environments for young children to enjoy the game they love. The Skills Programme now gives the opportunity to really develop the technical aspect of the club, supporting the coaches by sharing new ideas and helping them plan fun and engaging practices for their teams.
We would like to thank the following clubs for allowing the Skills Coaches to support their player development programme:
Taplow Utd, Golden Eagles, Burnham Juniors, Aylesbury Town, Bucks CC, Brook End Colts, Thatcham Tornados, Great Linford FC and MK Wanderers.
A large number of clubs who are working towards charter status have also been supported by the skills coaches. These clubs have recognised the importance of player and coach development to ensure relevant and appropriate practice is implemented. On completion of the award these clubs will have access to the skills programme on a regular basis.
If you would like to become a charter standard club please contact the County FA office on 01367 242505 (option 1) or email development@berks-bucksfa.com