After a wonderful break over Christmas, grassroots football is very much back, with games getting going all across the country in the last couple of weeks. However, as we look forward to the coming weeks, we have one last YFS Coach of the Month award to announce for the end of last year.
The YFS Coaches of the Month for December are Paul Manson and Ross Grant from Leith Athletic U13 Colts.
Both Ross and Paul were praised for going above and beyond for their players to ensure their teams have had plenty of chances to bond with each other and build relationships both on and off the pitch. The coaches went out of their way to organise a fantastic Christmas get-together and get the boys’ Christmas presents, which went down a treat.
We asked Ross about the fundraising efforts. He said: “We fundraised by giving the boys all a football scratch card to sell. With the money we gathered from the football cards, we managed to book a private room in a pool hall so the boys could all get games of pool, darts and table tennis together, plus a buffet for them.
“We also managed to get the boys their Christmas present, which was their new kit bags with their number on it and a selection box each too.”
Paul added, “The Christmas get-together was an idea to get the team in a different environment from football. We thought it was a good idea for team building.”
Paul spoke of his pride in having coached the boys for so many years. He said: “Ross and I have taken the team from sevens into nines and now 11-a-side. It’s been a real pleasure to be part of the team’s progress. I am very proud to see what we do in training taken onto the pitch on game days.”
Ross added: “I am so proud of these boys, most of our squad we have had in the team for eight years, when they first started at fun fours. Other lads have come in over the last couple of years, but seeing the lads turn into confident young men is amazing to see. The bond that the boys have on and off the field is fantastic.”
And the bonding seems to be working. Despite a difficult start to the season, results are getting better, as Ross explained: “We didn’t get off to a great start to the season, results and injuries didn’t go our way, but over the past few weeks we have seen a massive confidence boost within the squad and performances and results are showing now.
“One of our games a few weeks back, we were 2-0 down to Edinburgh South just before half-time and managed to get back into the game and go on to win 4-3, which is a highlight for me.”
Paul added, “We still have a League Cup to play for and around seven league games to play, so looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season goes for us!” Ross, however, didn’t hide his ambitions for the coming years. “We will look to stay at division two for next season, after that the natural progression would be division one… We will see what happens.”
Most importantly, though, the coaches are keen to keep up the fundraising efforts to get some more great experiences for the team. Paul said, “We are looking to have a race night early this year. The money raised would be used to attend a tournament like the Blackpool or Ayr Cup.”
Everyone at YFS congratulates Ross and Paul on having such an impact on the team and wishes them and Leith Athletic U13 Colts all the best for the rest of the season.
