[Football] Sussex youth coaches - Russell Martin Academy

[Half Time Pies]

Sounds like great fun
The team we played were EDC (Elite Development Coaching). Sounds identical to the Eastbourne set up, professional coaches, kids train 3/4 times a week, it’s a fully paid up service, they’ve got kids on Fulham and Palace’s books. Quite snide attitudes as well, calling our players trash ands telling them that our club is trash too. They’re 6 and 7 year olds. Bit grim tbh.

To be fair to the Eastbourne All Stars they are a very well mannered bunch, it just seems very serious and they don't seem to be having much fun!

Sad that 6 and 7 year olds would be behaving like that and doesn't bode well for their future development, the coaches should be stamping that sort of behaviour out. Theres something about youth teams from Crawley, having watched both my sons play youth football against various Crawley based teams, theres definitely a bit of a theme with the kids, parents and sometimes coaches being rude and often quite aggressive.

 

[Jackthelad]

Sounds like great fun
The team we played were EDC (Elite Development Coaching). Sounds identical to the Eastbourne set up, professional coaches, kids train 3/4 times a week, it’s a fully paid up service, they’ve got kids on Fulham and Palace’s books. Quite snide attitudes as well, calling our players trash ands telling them that our club is trash too. They’re 6 and 7 year olds. Bit grim tbh.

My son who is only 7 played a team like that from Eastbourne area they were calling our players worthless and swearing and making threats. They've learned this culture it's been taught to them. At only 7 as well.

 

[tstanbur]

My son who is only 7 played a team like that from Eastbourne area they were calling our players worthless and swearing and making threats. They've learned this culture it's been taught to them. At only 7 as well.

Disgusting.

My boy is five and not part of a team but enjoys going to Little Kickers.

Stories like this and others on this thread make my heart sink as expect he’ll want to join a team and will have to deal with similar scenarios.

Merry Christmas!

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Disgusting.

My boy is five and not part of a team but enjoys going to Little Kickers.

Stories like this and others on this thread make my heart sink as expect he’ll want to join a team and will have to deal with similar scenarios.

Merry Christmas!

My boy is playing his first season at u7s and I can honestly say we’ve had zero trouble from any of the regular local teams. Don’t let the odd bad story put you off.

 

[tstanbur]

My boy is playing his first season at u7s and I can honestly say we’ve had zero trouble from any of the regular local teams. Don’t let the odd bad story put you off.

Cheers, glad it’s isolated incidents. I think it was the two stories back to back that got me!

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

To be fair to the Eastbourne All Stars they are a very well mannered bunch, it just seems very serious and they don't seem to be having much fun!

Sad that 6 and 7 year olds would be behaving like that and doesn't bode well for their future development, the coaches should be stamping that sort of behaviour out. Theres something about youth teams from Crawley, having watched both my sons play youth football against various Crawley based teams, theres definitely a bit of a theme with the kids, parents and sometimes coaches being rude and often quite aggressive.

I don’t think it necessarily stops with the youth teams. Mrs DFP plays hockey for Southwick, they recently had a match against top of the table Crawley, they were exactly as you’d imagine, the ’grown up’ version of the mouthy kids, Southwick got the better of them and they all turned on each other.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Cheers, glad it’s isolated incidents. I think it was the two stories back to back that got me!

Yeah, I can see that. My little lad getting into football has been amazing, it’s awesome having a passion to share with him, and it’s wonderful watching him develop, definitely something to encourage.

 

[tstanbur]

Yeah, I can see that. My little lad getting into football has been amazing, it’s awesome having a passion to share with him, and it’s wonderful watching him develop, definitely something to encourage.

Love this. Mine has been at Little Kickers since he was two and really enjoys it and constantly pestering me to play in the garden etc. it’s a great feeling.

He’ll no doubt want to join a team in a couple of years.

I’m heavily involved in Grassroots football through work and see so many positive but also so many negative stories. Need to pay less attention to the negative!

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

We've come across Storrington a lot over the years at this age group. The coach is a top man and a massive Albion fan and his lad is a very talented player who's at the BHA academy so he may have roped in some 'help'!

I'm guessing this was a 6 or 7 a side tournament as they have a very good base but there are better sides around in their league, namely East Grinstead and one of the Southwater teams.

Yeah it was 7 aside.

This makes total sense. They didn’t play like an elite team who pass it well like we’re used too, but a side of physically strong individuals.

We all commented on it at the time. They had 3 players who really stood out who I guess are academy players and then some solid but not brilliant players. The coach was a nice guy.

It explains a lot as I’ve worked with elite teams in Hampshire for nearly 10 years and there’s usually nothing between the best of Hampshire and Sussex grassroots teams so the results did surprise me at the time.