erdington schools primary and saltley fa...this idea was taken from bath and wiltshire primary...
TRANSCRIPT
Erdington Primary Schools
and Saltley FA
One District: 46 Primary Schools
Three Teams
Hard Work - Integrity - Fun
Jersey 2017
Jersey 2017: Key Information
During the Easter holidays, we intend on participating in the English Schools’ FA Jersey Festival.
This national festival was established over 40 years ago and Erdington and Saltley participated
for the first time in 2016. We had such an amazing time that we would love to return this season!
A read of our Jersey 2016 Diary will give you a glimpse of the sensational time that we had. None
of the boys who attended will forget the experience for the rest of their lives!
Although the exact details of the 2017 edition of the festival haven't been released yet, I am
sharing this information with you now to ensure that you have as much notice as possible.
The key information is:
When: Easter holidays 2017; Saturday 8th April
- Saturday 15th April
Where: St. Helier, Jersey
Duration: 7 nights
Accommodation:
Mayfair Hotel, St. Saviours Road, St. Helier, Jer-
sey, E2 4LJA
http://www.modernhotels.com/
All inclusive
Total Cost: £472 (based on the 2016 price)
Squad size: the maximum size of the squad is 14 players
Adults: Myself, Tonn and Lamar will be attending and will supervise the boys at all times.
Parents are welcome to attend for all or part of the week, as a number of parents did last year.
However, for safeguarding reasons, all parents who wish to attend must make their own accom-
modation arrangements as the Mayfair Hotel is exclusively for all of the school associations. All
teams and players taking part stay at the same hotel and spend the week living alongside each
other and socialising from morning until night!
Fundraising: In 2016 we raised enough money to subsidise the trip so that all players paid
£250, as opposed to the actual cost of £472. This involved a great deal of hard work and we had
to rely on the support of all of the parents and their families, although it was very much a worth
while effort and one that we intend to repeat this year!
Academy players: Last year all academy lads attended and were fully supported by their
club.
What now? There will be a meeting for all of the boys and their parents at the start of the
new school year, when we will discuss this trip of a lifetime in greater detail. Until then, check out
our experiences from 2016 for a flavour of the amazing time that we had!
Jersey 2017: Fundraising Although the 2017 price has not been revealed yet, based on the 2016 price of £472 per player,
our aim is to raise £250 per player, therefore reducing the cost to £272 per family.
Our fundraising will take three main forms:
1. Collective fundraising as a whole squad
2. Individual player fundraising challenge
3. Team sponsorship from private businesses
Collective fundraising as a whole squad
Throughout the season we will hold a number of events, possibly including the following:
Sponsored events e.g. penalty shootout, bike ride etc - in November 2015 our sponsored
penalty shootout raised over £1000 towards the Jersey fund
Bag packing at a local supermarket - we did this at Tesco in 2016 and raised over £500
Family quiz night/disco
Football tournament to involve local teams
Sale of refreshments, raffle tickets and programmes at each home game
Individual player fundraising challenge
As a district we pride ourselves on our three key values - hard work, integrity and fun. Using all
three of these values, we are setting all members of the u10s and u11s the challenge of raising
£50 between now and the end of February. Over a six month period each player is asked to
reach their target in any way that they desire. The more creative the better! However there is a
catch - the £50 target cannot be reached via a hand out from a generous family member or
friend. The boys must work for their money!
This idea was taken from Bath and Wiltshire Primary Schools’ District. Over the past few years
their players have reached their target by washing cars, completing house chores, sponsored
events and so much more.
Team sponsorship from private businesses
Throughout the season I will be contacting local businesses the length and breadth of Birming-
ham with a view of sponsoring the team for a donation of £250. More detailed information is in-
cluded in this booklet. If you know anyone who might be interested in supporting the lads, please
send them my way. If you know anyone who might not be interested in supporting the lads,
please send them my way and I will try my best to convince them of the merits of this special
cause!
2015/2016 Highlights
ESFA Jersey Festival
Jersey 2016: Day One
Saturday 2nd April 2016
Socks? Check. Pants? Check. Football boots? Check? Toothbrush and toothpaste? Check. Seg-
way? What?! Seg what?! Two hours to get through departures. Two long and tiring hours. Mainly
because of Rio’s Segway! As I write this blog entry we are now on day four and I still can’t figure
out why he wanted to bring one in the first place! However thanks to the very understanding staff
at Birmingham International Airport and a dash back to the airport from Rio’s dad, all was sorted.
Off we went to Jersey…or New Jersey
as Blessing believed…or England as
Oakley thought we were still in.
After arriving safe and sound in Jersey
we went and explored the island. A fif-
teen minute walk later and we found a
beach to throw stones and climb rocks.
Soon it was time for dinner back at the
Hotel. Confused. Puzzled. Dumb-
struck. The boys couldn’t work out the
answers to the following questions:
1. Why can’t we use our phones at
the dinner table?
2. Why are you being so mean by not
letting us use our phones at the dinner
table?
3. Why are you violating our human
rights by not letting us to use our
phones at the dinner table?
4. When can we use our phones at
the dinner table?
5. Do we have to eat our dinner at the
dinner table?
The boys would have you believe that that first meal was like something from a Dickens novel.
Alas, they eventually got over such harsh conditions and quickly discovered the art of conversa-
tion!
During the evening we (the staff) made our first mistake of the week…we allowed them to go into
each others room! Bang! Clash! Rattle! The boys went into each other’s room, although they did-
n’t stay there for long! After constantly running in and out of rooms, the boys eventually got bored
Jersey 2016: Day Two
Sunday 3rd April 2016
Sleep. Today was possibly the first time that the boys had come to realise the true
value and beauty of sleep. As the whistle signalled the start of our first match, the
tired and jet lagged boys found themselves in a whole new world. A world far away
from Birmingham Primary Schools football.
The energetic, committed and highly talented Jersey team were too hot for our tired
boys to handle (although that is no excuse – they were simply better than us on the
day). Shortly into the second half we were 4-0 down and it was the least we de-
served. Eventually we woke up but it was too late as the damage had already been
done. A consolation goal from Troy SMIDLE James (as the local newspaper report-
ed the following day) was not enough to undo the damage from the night before. Ah
well. Lesson learned…hopefully!
We picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves down. After a phone free lunch we
went to the beach and rediscovered our mojo. Frowns and grunts were exchanged
for smiles and laughs as the boys spent four hours frolicking on the golden sands
of St. Brelade. It was just what the doctor ordered! We were back in the game! A
definite turning put we hoped!
On the evening we went swimming, before playing pool and table tennis. Surely
Jersey 2016: Day Three
Monday 4th April 2016
A good night’s sleep in the bag and the boys were back on their A-game. Despite falling one goal
down to a quality St. Alban’s A, they bounced back and won 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Troy, a
fourth from Cameron P and some quality defending from the boys at the back. Today was also
the day when our team spirit returned to it’s previously brilliant levels. With Robbo feeling sick,
Pharrelle volunteered to play between the sticks and despite giving me a heart-attack as he drib-
bled out of his box, beat two players and darted for the half way line, he managed to do Robbo
proud, conceding only the one goal.
Back at the hotel the boys were greeted by a few copies of the local Rag – The Jersey Gazette.
They’d made the back page! Ohhhh…now they knew the feeling of bad press! Two pages were
dedicated to their efforts the previous day against the national team. Two pages highlighting the
fact that they’d lost 4-1. Two pages of crystal clear photos to prove it too! Then to rub salt in the
wound, the reporter spelt Troy’s name wrong and in doing so, deprived him of his moment of glo-
ry!
As the sun was shining once again we decided to hit the beach. Cricket and paddling entertained
most of the boys, whilst a couple of them took a shine to teasing Lamar. For Troy, Kane, Phar-
relle, myself and Tonn, we decided to build a castle. I say castle, but I don’t mean a sand castle. I
mean a castle. It was like something from the Channel Four show, Grand Designs. I’ve since
learned that the local estate agent has been showing prospective families around it. It was a thing
of beauty!
Before we knew it it was 6:30pm and we needed to get back home for dinner. Phone-free dinner
too! By the time was had polished off our pudding (and Blessing had finished his 12th bottle of
ketchup) it was almost bed time.
Lesson two…don’t give the lads Coke, sweets and junk before sending them to bed. Big mistake!
Ah well, you live and learn.
Jersey 2016: Day Four
Tuesday 5th April 2016
Confidence was high following the 4-1 win over St. Alban’s. So high in fact that we forgot to turn
up this morning. These things happen! Luckily our inability to pass the ball and shoot didn’t stop
us from winning as we did remember how to dive in front of fast-moving balls, throw our body on
the line and how to score deflected shots! If all else fails, a good old last-minute deflected shot
will always do the trick. Some people would have you believe that the good old-fashioned last-
minute deflected shot is not in vogue these days, but they would be wrong.
Another win in the bag and it was on to Creepy Valley where we climbed high into the trees,
jumped from platform to platform and fell
from great heights in spectacular style!
Think Superman with concussion. Great
fun! Brilliant!
This was one of the best moments of the
week for me as it was great to see the lads
push themselves out of their comfort
zones. Nervous and weary of the great
heights, a number of the lads were far
from excited by the thought of putting their
life in the hands of the tree gods. However
despite trembling with fear, they puffed out
their chest and conquered their fear, even
if it was with closed eyes!
The night was topped off with a quiz. The
night was topped off with the realisation
that no matter how good our boys are at
football, their geographical skills leave
something to be desired! Examples in-
clude:
Question: What is the capital city of
Spain?
Child One: Real Madrid.
Child Two: No that’s wrong! What about
Athletico?!
Question: Name the Scottish Loch where
a mythical creature is said to live.
Jersey 2016: Day Five
Wednesday 6th April 2016
Late kick-offs and an old black and white kit clearly suit our boys, because just like
Monday when we had both of these things, the boys put on a show today and
picked up a great 6-0 win against St. Paul’s. A stunning show of passing football
(the polar opposite of yesterday) saw Tion and Rio grab a brace each, whilst Troy
and Kane bagged a goal apiece too. It was arguably the best we have played all
week!
Today’s afternoon activity saw the boys venture to Aqua Splash where Blessing and
Pharrelle caught the attention of some local girls. Such is the life of a pair of inter-
national footballing superstars.
After three long hours and with my eyes feeling like I had poured vinegar in them,
we headed back to the hotel to eat dinner (still no sign of the phones) and shoot
some pool. Despite playing pool since the start of the week, I’m afraid to say that
none of the boys will be challenging Ronnie O’Sullivan for any titles in the near (or
far) future just yet!
Oh and have I mentioned room inspections? Well the trio of Rio, Pharrelle and
Oakley have devised an ingenious way of tidying their room. It involves piling every
last item, including the kitchen sink, into a cupboard and forcing it closed, before
wedging the sideboard up against it to prevent it from spilling open. In fact, since
discovering their cunning plan yesterday we haven’t actually seen Pharrelle. Alt-
Jersey 2016: Day Six
Thursday 7th April 2016
Just like the very best teams, we’ve got better and better as the week has gone on.
Today’s game against Plymouth was something to admire and be proud of, particu-
larly the first half.
It is worth remembering that we are little old Erdington and Saltley. Birmingham
does not have a district football team. We are but one 7th of the second city. Yet we
are able to match and beat districts the size of Plymouth. For me that is something
to be incredibly proud of!
After racing into a three goal lead
during the first half, we added a
fourth shortly after the start of the
second half. Now in a commanding
position, we took our foot off the gas
and conceded two sloppy goals. Fair
play to Plymouth, as they refused to
give up. However the first thing that
the boys did following the final whis-
tle was to question their own second
half performance. They were happy
with the win but not with the score-
line. We said nothing to them to
stimulate this discussion and it was
one of those moments where you
just sit back and enjoy. The boys,
who at the start of the week lacked
focus, were now deconstructing their
own performance and demanding
more. Brilliant!
Later that day we went bowling and
my word was this another eye-
opening moment! Some of the lads
mistakenly believed that the aim of
the game was to throw the ball down
the gutter, whilst others clearly
Jersey 2016: Day Seven
Friday 8th April 2016
The final match day had arrived. After playing some stunning football throughout the week, we
were determined to end on a high against our good friends from Gloucester.
Over the past few years we have played many great games against Gloucester B, but today was
our first encounter with Gloucester A. After ending the group stage unbeaten, we knew our oppo-
nents were going to be a tough nut to crack.
The first half saw us have the majority of the ball and deservedly take a three goal lead. Despite
failing to add a fourth during the second half, we dominated play and passed the ball around in a
way that I’ve never seen the boys do before. Their play was so mature and intelligent that the
lack of further goals was not an issue.
More importantly the boys, along with the Gloucester boys, played the game with a great sporting
attitude and it was a superb advert for Jersey 2016 and district football in general. We can’t wait
for our away trip to Gloucester in two weeks!
After stuffing their faces with pizza and ice-cream at Pizza Hut, the boys wanted to spend the af-
ternoon doing something that they’ve become fairly decent at…playing football! St. Brelade’s
beach was the venue and a mammoth two hour game capped off a stunning week.
Lesson four…shirts and ties are needed for the end of week dinner!
Erd
in
gto
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nd
Saltle
y
Prim
ary S
ch
oo
ls FA
Jers
ey T
our 2
017
Fu
ndra
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osa
l
Erd
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Sa
ltle
y
Co
nta
ct u
s:
Website
- ww
w.e
sp
sfa
.co
m
Tw
itter - @
esp
sfa
Insta
gra
m - @
esp
sfa
Ph
one
- 07
985
13
368
6
Ab
ou
t u
s
The
Erd
ingto
n a
nd
Sa
ltley P
rima
ry S
ch
oo
ls’
Fo
otb
all A
sso
cia
tion
facilita
tes fo
otb
allin
g
op
po
rtun
ities fo
r the
46 p
rima
ry s
ch
oo
ls
situ
ate
d w
ithin
ou
r dis
trict.
Erd
ingto
n a
nd
Sa
ltley h
as a
lon
g a
nd
rich
his
tory
at b
oth
se
co
nda
ry s
ch
oo
l leve
l an
d
prim
ary
sch
oo
l leve
l. Th
e E
rdin
gto
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Sa
ltley
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oo
tba
ll Associa
tion
wa
s fo
rme
d in
19
64
, me
rgin
g th
e o
ld s
ep
ara
te a
sso
cia
tion
s
of S
altle
y a
nd
Erd
ingto
n, w
ho
se
orig
ins g
o
ba
ck m
an
y y
ea
rs.
Ea
ch
sch
oo
l ye
ar th
e v
ery
be
st fo
otb
alle
rs
are
pic
ked
to fo
rm o
ne
of th
ree
rep
rese
nta
tive
foo
tba
ll tea
ms fo
llow
ing a
rob
ust s
ele
ctio
n
pro
ce
ss. T
he
team
s a
re:
Un
de
r 11
s B
oys
Und
er 1
1s G
irls
Und
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oys
Ea
ch
team
co
mp
ete
s n
atio
na
lly a
ga
inst o
the
r
sch
oo
l asso
cia
tion
s, ta
kin
g o
n te
am
s th
e
len
gth
and
bre
adth
of th
e c
ou
ntry
, inclu
din
g
Le
ed
s, L
ive
rpo
ol, B
ath
, Glo
uce
ste
r,
Ply
mo
uth
, De
rby a
nd
Wolv
erh
am
pto
n.
Je
rse
y 2
01
7
Durin
g th
e 2
01
7 E
aste
r ho
lida
ys, th
e p
up
ils
pic
ked
to re
pre
se
nt th
e E
rdin
gto
n a
nd S
altle
y
un
de
r 11
s b
oys w
ill trave
l to J
ers
ey to
co
mpe
te in
the
En
glis
h S
ch
oo
ls’ F
A J
ers
ey
Fo
otb
all F
estiv
al.
Durin
g o
ur w
ee
k lo
ng s
tay o
n th
e is
land
, we
will c
om
pe
te a
ga
inst th
e v
ery
be
st s
ch
oo
l
asso
cia
tion
s fro
m a
ll fou
r co
rne
rs o
f Gre
at
Brita
in.
In o
rde
r to re
mo
ve
all fin
an
cia
l ba
rriers
and
su
ppo
rt the
fam
ilies o
f ou
r pup
ils, w
e a
re
aim
ing to
su
bsid
ise th
e c
ost o
f this
we
ek lo
ng
ad
ve
ntu
re.
Ou
r aim
is to
rais
e 5
0%
of th
e c
ost p
er p
lay.
Th
is is
£2
50
.
Ou
r p
ro
po
sa
l
Yo
ur c
han
ce to
make
mem
orie
s fo
r life
The
co
st o
f pla
yin
g fo
otb
all a
t all le
ve
ls h
as
rise
n d
ram
atic
ally
ove
r rece
nt y
ea
rs a
nd
sch
oo
ls fo
otb
all is
no
diffe
ren
t.
As a
n a
sso
cia
tion
it is o
ur n
um
be
r on
e a
im to
en
su
re th
at n
o p
up
il is p
reve
nte
d fro
m p
layin
g
rep
rese
nta
tive
footb
all d
ue
to fin
an
cia
l
co
mm
itme
nts
. Fo
r this
rea
so
n w
e a
im to
co
ve
r as m
uch
of th
e c
ost a
s p
ossib
le v
ia
rele
ntle
ss fu
nd
rais
ing.
We
are
the
refo
re s
eek
ing
20 g
en
ero
us
sp
on
so
rs/d
on
ors
for th
e 2
016
/17
se
as
on
,
ea
ch
to c
om
mit £
25
0. In
retu
rn, E
rdin
gto
n
an
d S
altle
y P
rima
ry S
ch
oo
ls’ F
A w
ill
pro
mis
e th
e fo
llow
ing
:
Yo
ur c
om
pa
ny lo
go
prin
ted o
n th
e fro
nt
of th
e J
ers
ey 2
01
7 k
it. Th
is w
ill be
wo
rn
by a
ll of th
e la
ds w
hils
t we
co
mp
ete
in
the
we
ek lo
ng fe
stiv
al. It w
ill als
o b
e
use
d th
rou
gho
ut th
e s
ea
so
n b
y o
ur
un
de
r 10
s b
oys.
A fu
ll pa
ge
ad
ve
rt in o
ur m
atc
h d
ay
pro
gra
mm
e. T
his
is s
old
at a
ll of o
ur
ho
me
gam
es a
nd
als
o a
t all B
irmin
gh
am
Prim
ary
Sch
oo
ls’ F
A c
om
pe
tition
s. In
tota
l this
will a
mo
unt to
ap
pro
xim
ate
ly
15
pu
blic
atio
ns.
Pro
motio
n v
ia o
ur w
eb
site
wh
ich
rece
ive
s a
pp
roxim
ate
ly 1
000
vie
ws a
mo
nth
.
Exp
osu
re a
cro
ss o
ur s
ocia
l med
ia
pla
tform
s, in
clu
din
g T
witte
r and
Insta
gra
m.
A fra
me
d p
ictu
re o
f the b
oys fo
r dis
pla
y
at y
ou
r bu
sin
ess p
rem
ise
s o
r offic
e.
Ab
ove
all e
lse, a
wa
rm s
en
se o
f prid
e
kn
ow
ing y
ou
ha
d m
ade
it po
ssib
le fo
r
on
e o
f the
mo
st ta
len
ted
bo
ys in
ou
r
co
mm
un
ity tra
ve
l to J
ers
ey to
co
mp
ete
on
the
na
tion
al s
tage
.
If yo
u w
ou
ld lik
e to
lea
rn m
ore
ab
out th
is
wo
nd
erfu
lly re
wa
rdin
g o
ppo
rtun
ity, p
lea
se
do
no
t he
sita
te to
ge
t in to
uch
.
In th
e m
ean
time
, ple
ase
vis
it ou
r we
bsite
for
furth
er d
eta
ils o
f the
wo
rk th
at w
e d
o w
ith o
ur
tale
nte
d c
hild
ren
.
Now what?
A parent meeting for early September is currently being organised. The date, time
and venue will be shared with all parents ASAP.
Now simply pop the dates into your diary!