Contents

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5 MD’s Letter

7 Vodafone Rural Open Sure Signal

Rural

An idea if you haven’t got a mobile

phone signal at your club and want

to get more involved with the local

community

11 Market Your Club

A new service from a friend of

Grassroot

16 Sports First Aid

First Aid advice – part one

20 Cricket Coaching With Andrew

Beaven

Ringers, going slow, more ringers

and spirits – sounds like a nice

weekend!

24 Colin Smith

Colin enters the big time with an

appearance at Wembley (although

he wasn’t the main event this time)

29 Sports Psychology with David

Harrison

David talks about ‘awareness’ vital

if we are to fulfil our potential

32 The Secret Non-League

Footballer

Early days in the Conference

36 Club Security

Security while playing

38 Twitter Directory

39 Blockshop

40 Sponsor A Local Club

42 Sports Therapy with Square One

This month: concussion

46 Our Game & Non-League Day

A way for your players, members

and fans to save money while

supporting the club

48 Grassroot Photos

A new feature showcasing some of

your pic’s from the month

Hello and welcome to September’s magazine.

And so that’s it for another cricket season. I know some of you are still

playing (some of you keep going until October!) but I’m guessing most of

your leagues are nearly done and dusted. I hope the season went well

enough but in sport there always has to be a winner and loser. But it’s all

about winning and losing in the right way that concerns me, and that’s

why I like Andrew Beaven’s piece this month (see page 20) as it really

struck a chord with me having been “ringered” (?!?) at the weekend in

our last league match of the year.

On the football side I hope pre-season went well, and the hard work

you’ve put in over the summer has paid off. Some of our member clubs

already have four or five league games under their belt, which is great as

I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another very wet winter - and you’ve

got to make space in your fixture lists for all the cups you’re going to win

eh? I do hope you all have a great season, we’re lucky to have such great

members in terms of proactivity off the pitch and I always try to keep an

eye on Twitter at the weekends to see how you’re all doing on it.

One last thing before I go, if you’re from a small village without a

Vodafone mobile signal check out the Vodafone feature on the next page.

I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine.

Mat Court

5

The MD’s

Letter

Rural Club? You can

be the centre of the

mobile community...

I was driving home from Grassroot

HQ the other day (yes, I no longer

cycle thanks to East Herts District

Council’s poor road-side

vegetation maintenance policy)

something on the radio made my

ears prick - an advert for

Vodafone’s new Rural Open Sure

Signal. Now, obviously the advert

would have been better on a poster

in our changing rooms, but like

East Herts lack of interest in sorting

out over hanging branches, that’s a

discussion for another day.

However, what it said to me made

me think I should get the old grey

matter going and see if it could be

useful to our clubs.

At the time I wasn’t sure how it

could help and then I remembered

the Wi-Fi/mobile data research we

ran a few months ago (featured in

the magazine a couple of issues

back) and that’s when I worked out

how it could help a few of you, so I

got in touch with Vodafone to find

out a bit more about what it is and

whether my idea might work.

Essentially Sure Signal is a magic

box that does a good impression of

a big mobile phone mast, just with

a smaller coverage radius. OK, it’s

probably not real magic, but it’s

pretty clever; I had one of

Vodafone’s original boxes in our

previous house so I could get a

mobile signal when Grassroot

Media HQ was in the basement

(with no mobile signal reaching

underground), so I know it works.

The new Open Sure Signal is a

more powerful version, and unlike

my unit, is an ‘open’ system which

means anyone with a Vodafone 3G

mobile can make and receive calls

within its coverage area.

Vodafone’s strategy with it is to get

6

these units, which cover about a

500 metre radius, installed in

places that could cover a rural

village which I guess is too small or

remote to be served by a big mast),

but equally has enough people

within to make it worth providing

some kind of mobile signal to.

You can see a video from Vodafone

about it here:

http://youtu.be/TPWdguOCGoc

which explains it a lot better than I

am doing.

“...my idea is your club

could host the mobile

phone signal for your

village...”

My idea is that if you’re a club that

doesn’t have a good mobile signal,

the club could be the host in your

community to provide a probably

much wanted service.

If you have a strategy of getting

your club more involved with the

village, this could be a nice little

part of it. Yes you and the players

will get a good signal out of it, but I

think the bigger win is that it shows

the community that the club is

trying to do something to improve

the amenities that you all share.

And you never know, you might

end up with some residents coming

down to the ground just to make a

call that would never normally have

come your way.

There are a few things you need to

do (or have) to get on board, but

rather than bang on about them

here I’ll just direct you to the page

on the Vodafone website here. And

you can read their Open Sure

Signal blog here.

There is an application process,

and you have to have broadband as

a minimum to be considered for a

box, but if you want to apply to get

a 3G Vodafone signal in your

community, hosted by your club,

click here to be taken through to

the application form.

If any of you go for it, and I know

the vast majority of you already

have a good signal from the

research we did, please let me

know. If nothing else I’m interested

in techie stuff, community stuff and

grassroots sports stuff, and this

kind of ticks all the boxes for me.

Disclaimer: Grassroot Media is not

receiving anything for this article;

we’re telling you about it simply

because we found out about it and

thought you might want to know.

7

One of the first people I spoke to when I launched GM was Castlecroft Rangers’s

David Brook. He’s a man with a lot of grassroots football marketing experience...

‘Market Your Club’ A

New Service From A

Friend Of Grassroots

You may be aware of one of the

more successful footballing Twitter

feeds out there: @CastlecroftRngr

and how they use social media as

the core part of their marketing

strategy to increase the profile of

the club and generate sponsorship

and other income.

You know already I like Twitter but

I’ve never really looked in to much

detail how it can help you as clubs.

Now I don’t have to as David Brook,

Chairman of Castlecroft Rangers,

and the man behind their Twitter

account has done it for us.

For sake of transparency, there’s

nothing in this for me or Grassroot

Media, I just saw what Dave was

doing and thought you should

know about it...

11

Market Your Club...

No you silly lot, not that kind of market...

Mat Court: Can you tell us a little

bit about 'Market Your Club'?

David Brook: It was a suggestion

from a few friends one Friday night

over a pint or two. We were talking

about what I had done at

Castlecroft and one of them

working in the Sport Industry

suggested that other clubs might

be interested in hiring my skills.

From there we talked some more

and they recommended I set

something up, my wife was

supportive too; it’s the type of thing

that needs family support.

I had been thinking about it for a

while, with the greatest respect to

everyone out there I see lots of

teams making a really bad job of

social media and asking the wrong

questions to the wrong people.

These are all good people who

want to do well and be successful

but do not know how to access the

funding. There are lots of sharks out

there too who expect the earth for

very little return; I want to help

people avoid them.

It's a predominantly football-based

service but can cricket clubs get

involved too?

Obviously my background is

football but the concepts can be

picked up by any sports club. I

think grassroots cricket tend to

have better commercial

relationships than football. For one

they tend to be bigger

organisations with clubhouses etc.

that gives sponsors a little more

back; It can be hard to market a

football team, playing in someone

else's kit on a borrowed pitch!

I am interested in sport generally

and am willing to help anyone from

an Olympic Show Jumper in

Carlisle to a Stock Car Racer in

Lowestoft.

What's your experience in this

field?

Completely self-taught, I have

about eight years experience in

grassroots football administration. I

dropped down to amateur football

about four years ago to a team that

was penniless and owing money to

the type of people you probably

wouldn't want to owe money too.

“...four years ago the

team was penniless and

owing money people

you didn’t want to owe

money to...”

In my first month were came within

two weeks of being forced to fold

twice. I brought with me a sizeable

12

twitter following from my old club

and that was all I had to save us.

“...I turned to social

media as a revenue

stream...”

Four years later we have two senior

teams costing around £4,500 a

season, at least £3,000 we fund with

our interaction with businesses and

individuals on social media.

I have learnt what to do, what not to

do, who to interact with and who to

avoid through simple trial and

error, all very much on a first hand

basis.

Why do you think the ‘Market Your

Club’ service is needed?

Football is expensive and the

opportunity to access funding can

be challenging. Sponsors are few

and far between if you ask the

wrong questions but the money is

out there. It’s just about asking for

the right amount, at the right time

and from the right people.

The service provides guidance, its

not free, it will cost them a one off

fee of £50, but I hope it will provide

them with a new approach both to

fundraising in general and using

social media.

What do you think clubs will get

out of it?

Ultimately the answer to that

question has to be sponsorship. I

cannot promise success, some of

my best ideas are those that never

really take off but what I can do is

get you asking the right questions

and increasing your chances of

success when you go looking for

sponsorship.

Is this not something that county

FA's & cricket boards should be

doing?

I don’t think so. They should

provide some guidance and maybe

access to services like this but we

cannot expect NGB's to help us

secure sponsorship, it’s too fraught

with issues. For example if they

access a sponsor how do they

decide which club to work with.

Of course a good relationship with

your NGB is appealing to a sponsor

but it is very much a club's

responsibility to find the income.

“...a good relationship

with your NGB is

appealing to a

sponsor...”

13

What are your top five tips for

clubs?

1. Don't ask for the world. Would

your employer/business hand

over £1000, probably not, so

why should they. Be creative,

break it up and make it

manageable.

2. Always offer something back:

what do they get from their

investment? Have some facts

and figures up your sleeve to

help with that too.

3. Have an up to date website that

looks like its being used; a

potential sponsor is likely to

being their homework on you

too.

4. Use your social media outlets to

interact with local businesses-

use your local #hour to meet

businesses in your area.

5. When interacting with

businesses and local people

build up a relationship first

don't just cut to asking for cash-

let them see the benefits of your

club and that you have a human

side. Having said that, don't let

your feed get too human and

too opinionated!!!

How do clubs get involved?

They can contact us on twitter

@marketyourclub or

@castlecroftrngr email via

marketyourclub@gmail.com or by

phone 07972 926686.

Looking for:

TROPHIES

AWARDS

MEDALS

SHIELDS

SALVERS And want 30-40% off RRP?

And free engraving?

And free centre caps?

Go to grassroottrophies.com

Or email Mat at Grassroot Media

on mcourt@grassrootmedia.com

http://www.owzat-insure.co.uk/

Sports

First Aid

Basic First Aid Advice Part

One: The Dr’s ABC In the first part of our series of

articles on basic first aid advice

we’re going to cover the primary

survey of a casualty. Please note

that this advice is no substitute for

first aid training and courses are

widely available.

The primary survey is the first

steps you should take if you come

across someone who appears

unconscious. There are a number of

handy acronyms you will learn if

you take a first aid training course

and the one commonly used for

dealing with this situation is

DRsABC.

The DRsABC is a great way to help

you remember what to do to

complete the primary survey, so

read on to find out what it stands

for:

D - Danger. Your priority when you

are trying to help someone in this

situation should always be to

remain safe and avoid causing any

injury to yourself or others. Look

and listen for signs of potential

risks before you start to treat the

unconscious person. If the area isn’t

safe, move away from the danger

and call 999.

“...the Dr’s ABC is a

great way to help you

remember what to do to

complete the primary

survey...”

Sophie Hoskins from Physical Sports First Aid continues her column on Sports First

Aid. See more at www.physical-sports.co.uk

16

R - Response. You now need to

assess how responsive the casualty

is and if they are conscious. The

first step in this stage is to loudly

ask a simple question, such as

“Hello, can you hear me?” If they

answer clearly, then they are alert

and you can move straight on to the

last stage of the survey

(Circulation).

“...The first step in this

stage is to loudly ask a

simple question, such as

“can you hear me?”...”

If they don’t respond verbally, try

asking another question in a loud

voice close to their ear, such as

"Can you open your eyes?" If there

isn’t any movement of the eyelids,

then give them a firm pinch on

both shoulders. If the casualty isn’t

alert, this is generally indicates that

the person needs immediate

medical attention, so an ambulance

should be called.

If the casualty is unresponsive to

your voice, or a firm pat or a pinch

on the shoulder, then they are

unconscious and you need to…

S - Shout for help. If there are other

people present, tell one of them to

ring for an ambulance. If there isn’t

anyone to help you, shout for

assistance as loud as you can! If

possible, you should also send

someone to get an automated

external defibrillator (AED), so that

you can use it if necessary.

A - Airway. In order for the

casualty to breathe, they need to

have a clear airway. If they are

unconscious, the tongue can

become floppy and fall to the back

of the throat, blocking the airway.

“...If they are

unconscious, the tongue

can become floppy and

fall to the back of the

throat, blocking the

airway...”

The airway can be opened by

placing two fingers under their

chin and your other hand on their

forehead. You then gently tilt the

head back and lift the chin. While

the casualty’s head is in this tilted

position, their tongue will be away

from the back of their throat. The

head will need to be held in this

position, so keep your hands on the

forehead and the chin, or enlist a

bystander to help.

17

B - Breathing. Once the airway is

clear you need to establish if your

casualty is breathing normally.

The easiest way to check this is to

lower your head to the level of their

face and look down their body,

from their head to their feet. In this

position you will be able to see if

their chest is rising and falling,

while listening for breathing and

seeing if you can feel the

movement of their breath on your

cheek.

“...The easiest way to

check breathing is to

lower your head to the

level of their face and

look down their body...”

You should hold this position for no

more than ten seconds.

If your casualty is unconscious, but

breathing normally, you can move

on to the final step of the survey -

circulation.

If the casualty is unconscious and

not breathing you should

immediately start CPR (this will be

covered in more detail in part two

of this series). It’s important to only

move on to the next stage when you

are sure that the casualty is

breathing normally.

No time should be wasted in

starting CPR.

C - Circulation. Once you have

checked that the casualty’s airway

is clear and they are breathing

normally you need to look for signs

of major blood loss.

If there is any external bleeding,

apply pressure to the area and if

the bleeding is from a limb, raise

the affected arm or leg above the

level of the heart.

Injuries or conditions that result in

severe bleeding, internally or

externally, can be life threatening

because of the risk of shock.

It’s possible that the casualty may

have internal bleeding, so the

casualty should be monitored signs

of shock.

More information on recognising

and treating clinical shock will be

provided in part three of this

series.

If the unconscious person is

breathing normally and is showing

no signs of severe bleeding or

shock, then all you need to do is

keep their airway open by placing

them in the recovery position,

which will be covered in part four.

18

This month Andrew Beaven, Coach at Oakfield Parkonians Cricket Club in

Barkingside, Essex gives us his thoughts on over rates!

Andrew

Beaven League Cricket, and the spirit of

the game

August has been a tough month for

the team I play for, the 4th XI of a

middling Club in metropolitan

Essex. Always on the fringes of the

promotion places, never quite able

to put together a series of wins that

could out us into contention for one

of the top slots, when the season

ends in early September.

Ringer

The month started with a defeat to

a promotion rival. A promotion

rival who just happened to have a

player with nine 1st XI

appearances in 2014, who scored a

ton against us, but, for one week

only, who was playing 4th XI

cricket.

Nothing wrong about this

according to the match regulations

of the League.

Go Slow

A win in our next match was

followed by a bore draw. And I

mean BORE. "Chasing" 219 to win,

in 50 overs, our opponents scored

just 75 for the loss of 5 wickets.

Subtract the 24 sundry extras, and

they scored just 51 runs from the

bat. In 50 overs, with close fields

and a mixture of bowlers.

Nothing in the rules about playing

for the draw...maybe not from the

2nd ball of the innings, though.

20

Their logic was sound - by not

losing, our opponents stopped us

from taking 15 more points (the

difference between 25 points for

winning we might have had, and

the 10 bonus points we actually

took home), at a cost to themselves

of just 4 (the maximum batting

points they could have scored if

they had got to 200 and still lost).

And they ended up only 8 points

behind us in the League table, with

two games to play, instead of 20 or

more if we had won.

Ringer (revisited)

In our penultimate League game,

we faced a side struggling near the

foot of the table. When we batted

(and struggled), it was obvious that

one player stood out in the field,

being more competent and more

athletic than we normally see in the

lower XIs.

As he opened the batting and

recorded a match winning 70, it

transpired that he had been

playing regularly this season for an

XI three tiers higher than our

opposition on the day.

Nothing against the match rules.

League positions

It's League cricket. Who cares

about the spirit of the game?

Congratulations to every side that

has own promotion this season, and

commiserations to those who have

been relegated. But please, do

remember your commitment to the

Spirit of the Game. Do League

positions really matter that much?

The Spirit of Cricket

"To play it [the game of cricket]

keenly, honourably, generously, self-

sacrificingly, is a moral lesson in

itself and the classroom is God's air

and sunshine.

Foster it, my brothers, so that it may

attract all who can find the time to

play it; protect it from anything that

would sully it, so that it be in favour

with all men."

Lord Harris - Letter to The Times

2nd February 1931

I can't believe that many players

will be attracted to play the game

by our experience of League

cricket this August.

Is it any wonder that Clubs struggle

to keep young players in the game?

“... Is it any wonder that

Clubs struggle to keep

young players in the

game?”

21

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/grassrootmedia

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/grassrootmedia

Colin Smith from Elvington & Tilmanstone Colliery Welfare Cricket Club

continues his monthly column with more tips for our clubs.

Colin Smith

My knees go all

Trembly at Wemberly,

Wemberly...

As previously reported, one of my

great pleasures in life is to

nominate worthy people for

awards. It gives me great pleasure

when somebody, often an unsung

hero, receives an award for

something that they would

otherwise have taken to the grave

unrewarded.

This year alone I have successfully

nominated three people for

awards. Two of these nominations

have resulted in National Honours

and one resulted in a County

Football award. Here I will tell you

about two of them.

One of my good friends, Tony

Condon, will receive the recently

reintroduced British Empire Medal

which he was awarded in the

Queen’s Birthday Honours list in

June. This will involve Tony

24

attending a dinner and receiving

the medal from the Lord Lieutenant

of Kent. In addition Tony will be

invited to a Queen’s Garden Party.

These will be two days that Tony

will never forget – once in a

lifetime experiences or in this case

twice in a lifetime. This is always

my aim when I nominate somebody

for an award. The VIP experience

really lives in the memory.

“...the VIP experience

really lives in the

memory...”

This brings me onto my second

successful nomination. In case

you’re wondering this can also

count as fundraising as it also

involved a £1,000 cash prize for the

club. It is also very close to home

as it was for my wife Jackie,

Eythorne Rovers Club Secretary

and Welfare Officer.

The nomination criteria, which you

must always bear in mind, was for a

moment in time that demonstrated

the upmost Respect and Fair Play.

The National Honour that Jackie

won was part of the FA Respect and

Fair Play Awards and specifically

the People’s Award. As I said the

criteria is the key to all good

nominations – make sure you have

the right category for the act or

actions of the nominee or you are

wasting your time.

“...always bear in mind

the nomination

criteria...”

I nominated Jackie for this National

award as she prevented a stabbing

incident at a youth football match

last season. This included

confronting a gang of thugs who

not only threatened her with a

knife, but our players, the referee

and the Police. Needless to say

when Jackie called the Police and

the gang heard the sirens they ran

away. The match was then

abandoned. However this was a

very scary incident and the gang

were grown men about 25 years

old. They were not children. On the

day Jackie’s first thoughts were for

the safety of others and she

showed the upmost bravery, and I

am very proud of her. In hindsight I

think the award should be renamed

the People’s Champion. I found out

on the day the award was

presented, as naturally I was

Jackie’s plus one, that she had beat

off some 600 nominations to win

and the judges were very

impressed with my nomination.

That’s me very happy.

25

Talking of the presentation this

provided Jackie with a once in a

lifetime day. The award was

presented at Wembley Stadium on

Community Shield day and

involved the missus and I dining in

the VIP Wembley Suite with the

other winners from the other nine

categories and the past giants of

the game.

Above: Colin & Jackie at Wembley

Below: Jackie receiving her award

The award itself was presented by

FA Chairman Greg Dyke and I have

to say what a fantastic man he is. He

was very chatty, nothing was too

much trouble and he is the most

popular boss the FA staff have ever

had. I know, I asked several of

them.

The day included champagne,

lobster, lamb and a fantastic cut

glass trophy. I managed to get lots

of autographs including Stuart

Hayton – what do you mean who?

The Secretary of Liverpool FC of

course.

I can’t quite believe I am writing

this but we had seats in the Royal

Box and have got some fantastic

photos of the day. Autographs from

Pat Rice, David O’Leary, Francis

Lee, Mike Summerbee, Tony Book –

it just went on. This VIP experience

is just something that will live in the

memory forever. I am not ashamed

to say I was crying when Jackie

went up for her trophy – a bit like

Delboy from only fools and horses

when Casandra lost the baby when

Del was telling Rodney to be strong

before they visited her, then

Delboy burst into tears as soon as

they saw Casandra – well that was

me -Delboy that is. That brings me

onto a very nice man called Steve

Perryman Spurs legend and now

Director of Football at Exeter City.

“... I am not ashamed to

say I cried when Jackie

received her trophy...”

26

As we came back to our seats after

the trophy presentation Steve not

only congratulated Jackie on her

award he could see I was a bit

emotional and he actually put out a

consoling hand to me. Now this is a

Spurs legend and it really touched

me that somebody of his stature in

the game would care anything

about a nobody like me. Well not

quite a complete nobody I write for

this fantastic magazine – thanks

Mat Court. Thank you Steve

Perryman I really appreciated your

gesture you’re a true gent.

As I said the prize also involved a

£1,000 cash donation that Jackie

has put towards taking 40 children

back to Wembley Stadium for a VIP

guided behind the scenes tour of

the facilities. I will tell you all about

this next month. Having previously

been on the tour six years ago I

know how brilliant it is and

inspirational for our 12 year old

footballers. In fact our under 18s

who did the tour six years ago went

onto to win 9 major honours in their

time at our club. I think the tour

may have had a part in this as there

is no better aspirational day for a

young footballer than a day at

Wembley.

Getting back to our day it was very

interesting to hear Greg Dyke’s

views on English players in the

Premier League, or lack of

opportunities for them to play.

Especially as the game was

between Arsenal and Man City –

two of the biggest offenders for not

providing chances for English

players. Despite the audience Mr

Dyke did not pull his punches and I

respect him for that. I know he is

also a realist and money talks but

something has to change to allow

the young English players to come

through.

“...This award shows

how you can turn a

really bad incident into

something really

positive...Who is the

Daddy now Mr Stabby...”

This particular nomination just

shows how you can turn a really

bad incident into something really

positive. Who is the Daddy now Mr

Stabby!!

If anybody needs advice or help

with a nomination please let me

know as you can also provide a

deserving person with a once in a

lifetime experience. The missus

and I can thoroughly recommend

it.

Colin Smith

27

The Match Minutes FC app helps insert hashtags, match time, score and

player names.

Fast, professional-looking match commentary during

the game, clean records for writing match reports

after the game.

Struggling to tweet live match updates

from a mobile phone?

Available at http://matchminutesfc.com/the-app.html

David Harrison from Pinnacle Performance (www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk and

@PinPerform looks at what we can learn & apply from Sports Psychology.

Sports

psychology

I am a BASES Accredited Sport

Scientist in sport psychology based

in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and

my company is Pinnacle

Performance

www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk.

This month we revisit arguably the

most important mental quality:

Awareness.

Awareness is imperative if you

intend to be successful so I am

coming back to awareness because

it is so important. Its importance

was reinforced when I met and

talked with an ex-professional

footballer is now working

extensively with Sporting Chance

and a sprint coach who himself has

competed nationally (both were

ex-students of mine!) about

performance.

Awareness is important in any

endeavour but we as athletes need

to be fully aware of our own

strengths and areas of

development.

“...we need to be aware

of our own strengths

and areas of

development...”

This will allow us to concentrate on

our strengths during competition,

when it matters, to give ourselves

the greatest opportunity to be

successful and get the win. We

need to be well versed in our

strengths so that we can do them

without thinking; we can just play.

So in training we need work on all

aspects of our game so that this can

Awareness

29

be achieved but also time needs to

be spent on our areas of

development to get them to a point

where they can no longer be called

weaknesses. This is hard work

which takes determination and

dedication.

The mentality to have here is to

concentrate solely on the things

within your control and ignore

everything else.

Focus on perfecting the skill

(Perfection can never be achieved

as there are always improvement

that can be made but should be

aspired to), to master the skill so it

can be completed effortlessly and

without thinking during

competition.

To enhance awareness keep a

journal where you can reflect on

your training and competitions.

Within this journal also look at your

sport to identify what exactly is

required for you to be successful

and win. Be very specific to get as

much information as you can. If

passing is important in your sport

then what type of passes are

needed?

Being fully aware also allows you to

be ‘play to win’. This is because

you know what is required to win

but you also understand how your

strengths will allow you to do this.

Playing to win brings the focus

onto you as an athlete and your

awareness because you are

concentrating on your strengths

during competition but are aware

of others competing in the same

environment and the things they

are good at. A lack of awareness

leads to a mentality of playing not

to lose. This is because you are not

fully aware of what is needed so

can’t fully commitment to your

strengths to be successful.

Both the sprint coach and ex pro

reinforced this message of

awareness being so important to

performance which is pleasing as

awareness is a major part of a book

I’ve written called the Journey on

what is needed to be successful.

The Journey will be out at the end

of September and information can

be found on my website

(http://www.pinnacleperformance.

co.uk/books-by-pinnacle-

performance.php).

The Journey has been written so

that it appeals to athletes and

coaches alike giving them practical

suggestions to improve that are

supported by real life examples. If

you require any information on the

Journey or have any sport

psychology questions please get in

touch.

30

http://www.blockshop.co.uk/

The Secret

Non-League

Footballer

Key Signings Can Boost

Gateshead Promotion Push

Each month we print an article from the excellent Secret Footballer

website – you can see more at www.thesecretfootballer.com

It’s still very much early days in the

Vanarama Conference, a name

which I’m still taking time to get

used to. I can only think of a “white

van man” when this name pops up.

Nevertheless, the company has

invested a lot of money in the

league, which is a great coup.

After five matches for each team so

far this season, it has demonstrated

that most are very much trying to

get into the groove.

It’s a case of finding the perfect XI,

which the manager will chop and

change on numerous occasions

until he discovers the requirements

that will benefit him and the team.

Consistency is key at this time of

the season. Good teams get into

good habits of winning and it then

becomes natural. Regardless of

them playing well, they can still

take all three points.

Conversely, some teams can start

off badly, which puts them on the

wrong foot for the rest of the

campaign.

32

Alfreton Town have disappointed

the most after a succesful season

last term. Other teams I fear for are

Dartford, Chester, Welling United

and Nuneaton Town.

Nuneaton will probably struggle

the most this time after losing their

manager Kevin Wilkin, who

produced miracles last term with

such a small budget.

It won’t help that he took their two

best players, Wes York and Louis

Moult, to Wrexham.

I also believe Dartford may really

struggle. They had a turbulent time

last term after shocking many

people the season before when

they were newly promoted from the

Conference South and finished in

the top ten.

However, after being reinstated in

the summer due to Salisbury City

being demoted for not paying their

creditors, they are lucky to be in

the Conference.

Monday’s 4-0 defeat at Barnet may

well have knocked the players’

confidence but, with a home game

against AFC Telford United

tomorrow, it could be a good time

to bounce back and go three points

ahead of their opponents.

Chester are another team who will

be down there at the end of the

season.

Manager Steve Burr didn’t quite do

enough last season. Chester were

relegated but, like Dartford, were

reinstated due to Hereford United

being demoted for unpaid bills.

The problem I see with Burr’s team

is that the recruitment of half a

dozen players was completed

when the club was expecting to be

playing in the Conference North

next season.

Burr had signed these players only

for the club to be reinstated in the

Conference.

His recruitment would have

changed but, unfortunately for him,

he had committed to these players

by signing them and used up a

chunk of his budget.

For me, Welling will be relegated.

Manager Jamie Day has worked

wonders at the club over the years

and is a real prospect to go on and

manage higher up the football

pyramid when the time is right.

But with a small squad and losing

some key players to other clubs in

Web: thesecretfootballer.com Twitter: @tsfnonleague

Facebook: /TSFootballer

the summer, I think they may well

suffer relegation.

With the league table starting to

take shape, there is still a long way

to go before we see one team pull

away at the top. It may well be

Christmas before one team hits

solid form and runs away with it.

I predicted Gateshead and Forest

Green Rovers to be title contenders

so it’s no suprise that they are

where they are. Gateshead have

been playing some splendid

football, football you don’t often

see at this level. But they really

surprised me when they suffered a

heavy defeat at home to Grimsby

Town, losing 6-1. This result

shocked a lot of people but what a

great way to bounce back, when

they went away to Altrincham,

which is never easy, and beat them

1-0. I’m sure manager Gary Mills

would have been livid with his

players after the Grimsby game

but they showed a great reaction

by winning and getting a

cleansheet.

Forest Green are the big-hitters this

term with the good players that

manager Ady Pennock has brought

in.

They haven’t set the league alight

yet but I still fancy them. With their

squad so strong in depth, this will

serve them well when winter

comes and there are injuries.

My dark horses were FC Halifax

Town. Halifax sit top, the only team

with a 100 per cent record of five

games played and 15 points.

Whether they can maintain this fine

form, I’m not sure. There is a long

way to go and, hopefully, they

haven’t peaked too early. But they

will be there or thereabouts come

April.

The stand-out player so far has

been Gateshead striker Marcus

Maddison, who has just joined

Peterborough United for an

undisclosed fee on a four-year

deal.

Not a bad move for the 20-year-old,

who was released by Newcastle

United only a year ago.

It shows great ability for a young

player to be released by a Premier

League club, enter non-league and

then is given an opportunity to play

first-team football.

Maddison has grabbed the chance

with both hands and performed

well, which has warranted a move

to a League 1 club. He had scored

four goals in five games for

Gateshead this season.

Web: thesecretfootballer.com Twitter: @tsfnonleague

Facebook: /TSFootballer

After searching for a while I’ve found a company that offers not too expensive safes

- the idea is that safes inside changing rooms could prevent a lot of thefts.

Club Security

Players know they should take as

much care of their valuables as

possible, but sometimes people

forget leaving wallets and car keys

in trouser pockets, not locking the

changing room door, or leaving the

valuables bag near the pitch within

easy reach of passers by.

“...I’ve played in a few

games where things

have gone missing from

changing rooms...”

I've played in at least a few games

where people have had things

stolen from inside the changing

room and I reckon it's a common

occurrence across the country.

I've even read stories during 2014's

cricket pre-season of players

turning up for a trial, claiming to

have to leave early and then

making off with a player's car and

several wallets. While we can't do

much about that form of crime from

here at Grassroot Towers, we think

we have come up with something

that could help with the issue of

opportunistic thieves going in to

changing rooms while the game is

on looking for something that isn't

theirs... Safes...

“I’ve never seen a safe

at a club I’ve played at

and I wondered why...”

Has Your Club Been Victim Of

Valuables Theft?

36

I've played at many football and

cricket clubs and never seen a safe

and I'm not sure why as it seems a

relatively simple thing to install to

prevent crime.

“...Maybe it's because

keys get lost, maybe it's

because it's expensive,

as I said I don't know. ...”

Maybe it's because keys get lost,

maybe it's because it's expensive,

as I said I don't know.

But, if it's the latter then I've found a

company that is willing to help

reduce the cost of small safes for

clubs to put up in their changing

rooms: Simply Safes (you've

guessed it, they specialise in safes).

They've got together a special deal

to get more safes inside club

changing rooms - and by the way

we aren't making any money out of

this, we're promoting them because

it's a good idea and I think it’s a

good deal that we have negotiated

for you.

Each month we'll be running an ad

for them, this month’s is on the next

page, so don't worry about keeping

hold of this so that you've got their

details.

From the research I've done it

seems as though the price is good

on what they are offering.

“...As with everything,

shop around, perhaps

on your local high

street, to compare

prices...”

But of course it’s always a good

idea to shop around, perhaps on

your local high street, to compare

prices.

They come with everything you

need to put them on the wall, the

only thing you'll have to worry

about is making sure the keys are

kept safe! (Although if you lose

them Simply Safes can supply

replacements on models).

Keep Safe...

Actually while I’ve got you, if you

are thinking of getting some safes

but don’t like these ones

advertised, whatever you do don’t

get a digital hotel-style safe, they

are incredibly easy to break in to;

I’ve done it. Ask me no questions

and I’ll tell you no lies...

37

Twitter

Directory

Birmingham County FA: @birminghamfa

Bosham FC: @boshamfc

Bronze CC: @bronzecc

Clifton CC: @cliftoncricket

Clifton CC ground: @cliftonccdevt

Crawley Down Gatwick Football Club: @officialcdgfc

Epping CC: @eppingcc

Gateshead Fell CC: @gatesheadfellcc

Hailsham Cricket Club: @hailshamcc

Lodway CC: @lodwaycc

Marsden CC: @cuckooscricket

Old Parkonians Association: @oldparks

Old Parkonians FC: @oldparksfc

Parkfield Amateur AFC: @parkfieldafc

Rotherfield FC: @rfc1983

South Loughton CC: @southloughtoncc

Southgate Compton CC: @sccricketclub

Stapleton CC: @stapletoncc

Steeple Langford CC: @steeplelangford

Sussex County FA: @sussexcountyfa

Thaxted CC: @thaxtedcc

Tynedale CC: @tynedalecc

Westinghouse CC: @westinghousecc

Whickham CC: @whickhamcc

Winterbourne CC: @winterbournecc

Woodnesborough FC: @woodiesfc

Worlington CC: @worlingtoncc

Worthing CC: @worthingcc

Worthing FC @worthing_fc

List your club’s Twitter account in here so everyone else can get following you. Only those clubs that are members of the network like yours are allowed on this list. To get listed just drop Mat a note at mcourt@grassrootmedia.com or on Twitter @grassrootmedia Grassroot Media recommends: @birminghamfa @fvhtweets @sussexcountyfa @meadonscricket @4grants @chance2shine @vscricketsn

38

We’ve found out about a new entrant to the sun block market, called Block Shop –

and they’re keen to be stocked in your clubs – and you can make money out of it

Help players look after

their skin while making

money for your club

I came across a company called

Block Shop on LinkedIn – if you’re

not on LinkedIn I’d recommend it,

especially if you’re involved on the

coaching side of things, yes there’s

a lot of rubbish but every now and

then you see something that’s

incredibly useful. But I digress. I

ended up having a chat with a new

company called Block Shop about

their zinc sun block and whether

we could get it stocked in some of

our clubs. Well James was already

ahead of me and had already got

the product in a few cricket clubs

and the model was working well.

So I’ve agreed to promote the

product to you, our clubs.

Being mostly blokes we are mostly

pretty rubbish at remembering to

buy things, especially products like

sun block so I think that clubs

stocking this is very much making

the right product available to the

right people at the right time.

We all know the damage the sun

can do to our and our kids’ skin,

and it should work well being

stocked behind your bars or

elsewhere in your clubhouse; I

remember constantly having to

borrow other people’s when I’d

forgotten to pick some up on the

way to a match.

The deal for you guys is quite

simple, if you want to stock the

product, you buy it at £2.50 per tub

and then sell it to your players at

the RRP of £5.95, or whatever other

price you want.

You can see a bit more detail on the

page advert we’ve put in towards

the front of the magazine, but you

can always take a look at their

website here:

www.blockshop.co.uk or drop

James an email on

james@blockshop.co.uk or give

him a call on 07900338863. They

are also on Twitter @blockshop01

39

A quick update on an idea I’ve had to help you sell sponsorship and advertising in

your clubs to local firms. I’ve imaginatively called it ‘Sponsor A Local Club’...

Use grassrootmedia.com to

showcase your sponsorship

opportunities

Just another quick reminder on the

“Sponsor A Local Club” page on

the website we launched last

month.

We’ve got a few opportunities up

on there but space for plenty more.

What we’re trying to do is build up

a portfolio of sponsorable

opportunities that businesses can

have a look through and hopefully

find something they want to buy.

I’ve no idea if it’s going to work but

it feels like a good idea. I don’t

want Grassroot Media to make

anything out of it and all we’ll do is

effectively put the idea in the shop

window and then market the shop

window. You guys will still need to

talk directly with the companies

that show an interest but my plan is

that if we can get plenty of ideas on

there I can go to organisations such

as the Federation of Small

Businesses, the Chamber of

Commerce and other small

business organisations and try to

get them spreading the word

among their members.

So if you want to get your club

listed up on there just drop me a

line with what you want (try to keep

it as short/punchy as possible) and

one or two images and we’ll get

you listed. We’ll never charge for it

and will never look to take a cut of

anything you end up selling off the

back of it - that’s not what this is

about. Instead it’s about promoting

the fact that small businesses can

really benefit from getting involved

commercially with the one of the

most important hubs of their local

community, their sports clubs.

If you’ve got any

questions/comments/concerns

please give me a shout in the usual

way, you can see the page itself

here:

http://www.grassrootmedia.com/s

ponsor-a-local-club

40

Call:

01727 809867

Follow:

@SquareOneInjury

Square One Therapy

Sports Injury Specialists

Highly qualified sports injury

professionals dedicated to injury

treatment and recovery

Our services include:

Injury Clinic

Sports Massage

Fitness Training

Sports Team Cover

www.squareonetherapy.co.uk

In a new regular feature, Daniel Foster from Hertfordshire-based sports

therapists ‘Square One’ looks at what you can learn about Sports Therapy

Sports

Therapy with

Square One

Concussion In Sport:

What Needs To Be Done? We are seeing more and more

cases of head trauma and

concussion not being treated

effectively, this can have dire

consequences. We are going to

provide you with all the information

you need know including signs and

symptoms, treatment advice and

aftercare.

I am sure many of you have seen

some of the serious cases of

missing concussion which have

been in the news recently. Andy

Hazell, the professional rugby

union player who recently retired

due to a number of concussions.

The saddest story of recent times

was the death of 14 year old Ben

Robinson who continued to play in

a rugby match after three blows to

the head during the game.

National governing bodies are

doing more and more to prevent

these injuries and give the correct

advice; we are going to give you a

step by step guide as to what you

need to do as a coach, first aider or

manager.

Below is a brief recap on your role

in treating head trauma I hope this

is helpful and again if you have any

questions please feel free to

contact us at

danielfoster@squareonetherapy.co

.uk

The RFU are at the forefront of the

assessment and treatment of head

42

injuries they work using the six R’S;

Recognise, Remove, Refer, Rest,

Recover and Return.

Recognise and Remove – Any

player suspected or recognised

with concussion must be removed

from training and playing and not

return to Rugby or other sport or

physical activity on the same day.

Refer – Any player suspected or

recognised with concussion must

see a medical doctor as soon as

possible.

Rest – Players diagnosed with

concussion must rest completely

until all signs and symptoms of

concussion have disappeared.

Recover – The concussed player

must first recover from all signs

and symptoms of concussion at rest

and return to activities of normal

daily living before starting

exercise.

Return – Players return to contact

training and games following the

‘Graduated Return to Play’

protocol.

Looking for:

TROPHIES

AWARDS

MEDALS

SHIELDS

SALVERS And want 30-40% off RRP?

And free engraving?

And free centre caps?

Go to grassroottrophies.com

Or email Mat at Grassroot Media

on mcourt@grassrootmedia.com

If you would like to find out more about what we do at

Grassroot Media:

Go to our website www.grassrootmedia.com

Call 0800 8 20 21 22 or 01992 27 44 27

Email info@grassrootmedia.com

Be part of the team...

We make money for football and cricket clubs

by putting frames up in changing rooms, selling

the space and then paying a rent for you letting

us do it.

It is easy, does not cost the clubs a penny and

all you have to do is take a photo each month

of the posters once you’ve changed them (we

send them out in the post to you).

http://www.electronicscoreboardunits.com/

Grassroots

News

‘Our Game’ Supports Non-

League Day By Francis Duku, Founder of ‘Our

Game’...

In light of being recognised for our

support to the non league football

and what we are trying to achieve

with 'Our Game', our founder

(Francis Duku) has been asked to

be an official ambassador of Non

League Day. We wanted to

celebrate this recognition and are

doing so by launching the Our

Game Fan membership.

This membership is open to

anyone who considers themselves

to be a fan of football at non league

and amateur levels, and is being

used to give fans the choice of a

number of benefits they otherwise

wouldn't have access to, while

creating a stronger and more

efficient fan's network and voice

than has ever existed before.

Membership of 'Our Game' is

unique in non league football

because each and every member

will be able to directly and

personally benefit from joining,

while also being able to help the

club they support progress with the

help of our network and

community.

Membership costs only £2.50 per

week (payable as £10 per month)

and in return for this, you not only

get access to all the exclusive 'Our

Game' benefits (as shown on

http://ourgamefootball.com/our-

game-services), it also allows you

as fans to earn the following

donations for your club:

46

• A full set of training kit for 16

players. This can be donated to

either the youth team or a senior

team. (Once 25 people have

signed up through your club.)

• Four season tickets for your club

or four pairs of tickets to the FA

Trophy or Vase final to be

distributed to your club's

registered 'Our Game' members

via a random draw. Each

member will only able to win

one of the allocated season

tickets. (Once 50 people have

signed up through your club.)

• A set of portable 9 a side goals

training goals able to be used

before matches (to protect the

goal mouth), in training for any

of your club's teams, or even for

supporters club games,

whatever you choose. (Once 100

people have signed up through

your club.)

• A set of portable floodlights able

to light up an area of 60m x 40m.

This can be used to make it

easier for your team to train

during the winter months when

training facilities become harder

to come by. (Once 200 people

have signed up through your

club.)

• If 10 clubs achieve the figure of

200 or more members, we will

also donate a brand new 16 seat

minibus to the club who has the

highest number of members as a

proportion of their average

attendance. The more 'Our

Game' is supported by your club,

the greater chance your club has

of winning the minibus! This

minibus can be donated to your

academy team, used by the first

team, fans or even your

community projects to lower

transport costs!

Sign up at

www.ourgamefootball.com/membershi

ps as an 'Our Game' Fan and start

benefiting from our services to reward

yourself and save money immediately

(the benefits from the Store alone,

shown at

http://ourgamefootball.com/our-game-

store-0, could be worth over £400 a year

to each and every one of you), while

also giving your club the best chance of

earning one of the 'Our Game' donations

and possibly winning a brand new

minibus!

All prizes will be allocated in July 2015

based on the membership numbers at

the end of the 2014-15 season, with each

club being entitled to the relevant prize

for the number of their fans who are still

'Our Game' members at the end of the

regular league season. 'Our Game'

membership and all its entitlements

though will begin immediately each

person completes their application.

Membership can only be granted to UK

residents and is available to all

networks and connections of any non

league and amateur football fan who

wants to help their chosen club while

also benefiting from being part of the

'Our Game' network.

47

Grassroot

Photos

Left: Burslem

CC’s new nets,

installed with

funding from

our friends at

Biffa Award.

48

A new feature showcasing the photo’s you’ve sent to us over the month.

And some nice pictures too! Thank you to all of those that sent photos in.

Above: The Stamford Bridge CC committee setting up the fund raising

tombola during a Yorkshire 2nd XI match there and (below) the ground

itself before the match

Above: Brody Robertson scoring Cleethorpes Town FC’s second in the FA

Cup this season, a 4-1 win over Borrowash Victoria in the Extra Prelim.

Round - the Owls’s first ever game in the competition. Photo by Craig

Kendall.

Right:

The winners

of Allenbury’s

Sports &

Social Club’s

intra-club T20

cricket

competition.

Above: Corse & Staunton Cricket Club held an ECB "Open Day" on 15

July which included an U-9 tournament between C & S, Aston Ingham,

Apperley and Dymock. Below: Colin Smith on the recent club tour of

Wembley, more to follow next month...

Do You, Your Club, Or Your Business

Need A Bookkeeper?

If so Liz Whymark, the self-employed bookkeeper we use

at Grassroot Media offers great rates, a great

bookkeeping service, and payroll & secretarial services.

Call Liz Whymark:

07984 427260