SFAI finals on this weekend and nothing about it on their website. No information about any of the finalists, the clubs, the history. Nothing about the fixtures, the times, the location, not one thing! How can the Football Association of Ireland allow these people run the schoolboy game. I know there are some great people working within the SFAI but as an organisation they rarely do anything with commitment. Ironically they will be quick enough to get their blazers on and walk around Jackson Park this weekend as if they have achieved something.
Do we really have to continue to accept this abysmal standard of organisation? Really, feel for all the finalist, they aren’t taken serious enough and deserve a lot more respect for the work they do and being finalists in the All-Ireland Cup competitions. Let’s not take away from the fact that this weekend is a very big one for Schoolboy Football in Ireland and congratulations to all the finalists.
Scottish Cup Finals
All week I have been watching highlights from the finals in Scotland. Each final has it’s own build up, with player and coaching staff interviews, they took in the history of the clubs and how much it means to each team to be in a final. All the finals were played in Stadiums. A full football final experience for all the kids involved. For some of these kids this might be the first and last final they ever play, so why not make it a memorable experience for all, why not give them the best possible experience?? We could be and should be doing a lot more for these finals and it wouldn’t take very much to make them feel special.
I also don’t want to take away from the great job Wayside Celtic do organising the entire finals by themselves. They have never let the kids down and in no way is this post disrespecting them, I just feel the kids deserve better. I’d like to thank (Wayside) them for clarifying fixtures for this coming weekend:
SFAI Cups 2014
SATURDAY
u12s – Corduff FC (NDSL) v St Josephs boys FC (DDSL) : Time: 11am
u13s – St Kevins Boys (DDSL) v Crumlin United (DDSL) : Time 1pm
u15s – Belvedere FC (DDSL) v St.Kevins (DDSL) : Time 3pm
SUNDAY
u14s – Mervue United A.F.C (GalwayDL) v St. Francis (DDSL) : Time 2pm
u16s – St. Kevins Boys (DDSL) v St Brendans Park FC (KerryDL) : Time 4pm
Some Key Things To Remember For Every Game
Make sure your child/players enjoy the finals, playing with a smile is one way of making sure of that! This could be the first and last time, so make it a good experience. Last week at the league cup finals many adults were encroaching (even with linesmen) on the pitches thus preventing the ball going down that side on many occasions. Refs should be more in control of the game and prevent this from happening. These coaches were also continually giving instruction on what to do, which was confusing for the players. We know this prevents the child from leaning the game their way and also stops them from thinking in the moment. By doing this you also take control of their decisions and their game. Encourage and Praise. Don’t pass on what you think they should do, because what they see and what you see is a completely different picture.
“Youth Sports build characters and traits like Self confidence, Resilience, Teamwork, Mental Toughness, SelfControl and Respect for others. Playing sports provides an incredible infrastructure for teaching character to the nations kids but only if coaches and parents recognise and seize these teachable moments. Coaches should focus on the process whilst teaching life’s lesson through sport. Parents should focus on teaching life skills and leave the competing to the players & coaches, this in turn would create a much more positive environment for everyone involved”
Try this sometime: The six-second rule is so called because 6 seconds is the time it takes to capture the flight or fight response (ie: avoid the emotional hijacking). When someone has said or done something that triggers your hot button (gets you angry), take a deep breath and count 1..2..3..4..5..6 seconds before you respond. You will find that what you were about to say no longer has any meaning. It works!!!
Best of luck to all involved!
-End
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