Issue 17 - April 2012 News from League Football Education Touchline Inside: Create Your Legacy Club Focus : Barnet | Feature : Matt Holland Matt’s Message Words of Wisdom to Apprentices Across the Nation LFE was established by The Football League and the Professional Footballers Association WEB PERSON BLOG In happier WEB @LFEonline TWITTER times Burnley celebrate at NEWS WEB Fulham www.lfe.org.uk VIDEOPERSON EMAIL news blog.lfe.org.uk PERSONBLOG PHONE BLOGTWITTER “ It means the world HOME VIDEO to me and brings You Said: TWITTER FACEBOOKEMAIL confidence and VIDEO desire to achieve more in the game.” We Did EMAILPHONE Gael Bigirimana HOME Feedback from the Sporting PHONE Chance visits to Clubs and NVQ Standardisation Meetings has HOMEFACEBOOK hailed both as ‘Outstanding’. The lifestyle awareness and FACEBOOK educational programme delivered by Sporting Chance, which is now Gael Bigirimana Jordan Cousins in its third full year, took in 37 clubs Burnley’s Burnley’s covering almost 600 young players. FA Youth Cup Apprentices up and down the land dreams were shattered at gave the sessions a big thumbs-up, Youth Cup the penultimate hurdle as they commenting on the poignancy and fell to a 3-1 semi-final defeat to Nick Powell powerful nature of the 90 minute Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers. workshop before grading it as Challenge Youth Team Coach Terry Pashley had hoped to emulate the ‘Outstanding’ across all areas. success of the club’s famous youth cup winning side of 1968 but The NVQ Standardisation Meetings despite their best efforts to overcome a 1-0 first leg deficit, the Clarets were similarly well received slid to a 2-1 home reverse in front of over 10,000 spectators. Football League Awards with the majority of scores to A remarkable journey saw Burnley dispose of Boston United, Ipswich Town, questions sitting in the ‘Good’ or West Bromwich Albion and Fulham scoring 16 goals along the way and giving Coventry City’s Gael Bigirimana, to achieve his educational targets, having ‘Outstanding’ category. Pashley’s men a lot to reflect on. Charlton Athletic’s Jordan Cousins undertaken additional sessions because of his first Midfield man Steven Hewitt, tweeted; “I would like to thank all of the fans team commitments. and Crewe Alexandra’s Nick Powell that came out & supported us!! You were great!! Never stopped singing!! Bigirimana said: “It means the world to me and #greatsupport” were crowned as ‘Apprentice of the brings confidence and desire to achieve more in Irish forward Shay McCartan, added: “Thanks for all the support everyone, Year’ for their respective divisions the game. the fans were brilliant, although we got beat it’s an experience I will at last month’s Football League “I need to thank the Academy staff at Coventry never forget.” Awards. and my team-mates for making me the player To see a full summary WEB Blackburn will now face Chelsea or last year’s winners Manchester Bigirimana took the Championship title ahead that I am today.” of these reports and United in the final of youth football’s most prestigious of Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace) and Jordan Cousins pipped Matt Crooks (Huddersfield Town) results from previous competition. Chelsea will take a 2-1 advantage to PERSON Obita (Reading). and Doyle Middleton (Preston North End) to questionnaires please Stamford Bridge on 13 April after winning the the League One award. In League Two Crewe visit: first-leg at Old Trafford last month. The midfielder who made his first-team debut in BLOG August has become a cult figure for fans at the Alexandra’s hot property Nick Powell fended off www.lfe.org.uk/ Ricoh Arena and has made over 20 appearances the challenge of Miles Storey (Swindon Town) apprentice-info/you- TWITTER for the Sky Blues. Off the pitch he is on track and Daniel Banister (Northampton Town). said-we-did Images courtesy of PA 2 VIDEO 3 EMAIL PHONE HOME FACEBOOK WEB PERSON BLOG TWITTER VIDEO Got a story?EMAIL Want to share news with other NEWS news LFE partners? email: [email protected] PHONE Dan wins the Mike HOME Johnson FACEBOOK Leonardo Update Award Pre-season preparations for The winner of this year’s Cheltenham Town, Derby County and Oldham Athletic will include Mike Johnson Memorial a trip to Holland courtesy of LFE. Award is former Darlington Apprentices will get the chance Apprentice Dan Burn. to sample a different football philosophy in the two week tour Burn who made the switch to Fulham last which should broaden personal and summer on a three-year deal made 14 first- professional horizons. team appearances for ‘Darlo’ during two-years As well as playing friendlies against there as an Apprentice. During that time he continental opposition, some of excelled educationally particularly on his NVQ. Holland’s top coaches will lend their His receipt of the Award, to acknowledge the nous to training sessions at state-of best Apprentice NVQ portfolio, coincided with the-art facilities. Darlington’s well publicised financial problems Youth Alliance & Academy Round up Mainland Europe is coming to a head. And the youngster, who is already a temporary now living in a trendy area of West London, With the end of the season closing in Hull In Academy League A Southampton and YOUTH ALLIANCE home for seven former was so dismayed by the plight of his former City have opened up a six point lead over West Ham United still have a way to go to Apprentices on LFE’s club that he made an undisclosed donation to second placed Hartlepool United in the reach Arsenal who have a four point lead. Team P W GD PTS YA NW 1 Preston North End 20 15 29 47 player placement the ‘Darlo Uncovered Fighting Fund’. 2 Burnley 18 15 23 45 North East Conference. Leicester City, Reading and Coventry City are 3 Walsall 19 13 36 44 programme. Thomas “It’s been horrible to see what’s happened at In the South West Conference it’s a much currently heading up Academy League B, YA NE 1 Hull City 19 15 32 46 Lang (Torquay United), Darlo,” said Burn. “Obviously I’ve got a lot of 2 Hartlepool United 20 12 20 40 tighter affair with Exeter City, Swindon while Crewe Alexandra’s U18’s have had it 3 Darlington 20 12 8 39 Jack Davies (Lincoln City), friends there so I’ve kept in touch with what’s YA SW 1 Exeter City 17 9 27 33 James Brown (Gillingham), been happening. I felt it was right to pass on Town and Plymouth Argyle all on 33 points. tough in League C. 2 Swindon Town 17 10 16 33 3 Plymouth Argyle 16 10 15 33 Connor Roberts this money knowing that it will go towards Elsewhere, Preston North End are heading up Finally Leeds United will have their work cut (Tranmere Rovers) and helping some of those players.” YA SE 1 Southend United 23 12 18 41 the North West Conference league. However, out to chase down a Newcastle Utd side 2 Barnet 21 13 22 40 Dan Bolwell (Brighton & 3 Brighton & Hove Albion 19 12 25 39 local rivals Burnley trail just two points with a six point advantage in League D. Hove Albion) are enjoying ACADEMY LEAGUE behind them with two games in hand. Bradley Dack (Gillingham) is holding the a 19 week taste of Spanish Team P W GD PTS football at Xerez CD and Racing Meanwhile in the South East, Barnet, leading goal scorer title so far with 16 goals ACAD A 1 Arsenal 26 15 17 48 2 Southampton 25 12 23 44 Club Portuense. Brighton & Hove Albion, Southend United, in the Youth Alliance and Dominic Samuel 3 West Ham United 26 13 10 43 Across in Sweden, Jamie Hopcutt QPR and Millwall are all vying for first (Reading) is still top of the Academy League ACAD B 1 Leicester City 24 15 22 50 2 Reading 23 14 30 48 (ex-York City) has been offered a place. With just three points separating scorers with 17 goals. 3 Coventry City 23 14 18 47 professional deal after impressing in the top five there could be a dramatic ACAD C 1 Manchester City 24 16 23 51 2 Blackburn Rovers 24 14 13 46 a similar arrangement at Ostersund climax to the season. 3 Liverpool 24 13 15 45 FK. He heads to Scandinavia on a ACAD D 1 Newcastle United 22 14 20 46 2 Leeds United 22 12 17 40 full-time basis later this month. 3 Derby County 25 11 12 38 4 5 (All information correct at time of writing.) COACHING DEVELOPMENT FUND DEVELOPMENT The lads were brilliant, they took in all Coaching Success at Charlton the information and were genuinely On a cold Wednesday Once first-team veteran Jason Euell Newcombe was happy with Osbourne’s PFA Regional Coach, Phil Church, who interested in what they heard. They were morning at their New had been put through his paces taking efforts and passed him. Midfielder worked at West Ham Utd before taking a credit to their Club, its supporters and charge of a finishing practice (which he Bradley Jordan was up next and as up his role at the players union, added: the League. Phil Stant Eltham training ground, The Football League passed) it was over to centre-back Harry he got started, Osbourne spoke about “Clubs do the coaching award in different Charlton Athletic’s Osbourne to lead the group through a his success. degrees but the ones that schedule The four day trip saw County’s “The boys behaved impeccably devastated by the loss of their Apprentices spent a defensive drill focussed on delaying and “It went okay - better than I thought it sessions with their academies or centres of jockeying attackers.