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).

3

Contents

Grassroot Media ContactsTwitter @grassrootmedia Facebook.com/grassrootmedia

LinkedIn search for Matthew Court

Office telephone number 0800 8 20 21 22 or 01992 27 44 27

Mathew Court’s email address mcourt@grassrootmedia.com

33 Gary Goals

A world exclusive interview with Gary Goals. You’ve

seen his advert, now read his words from his first

ever media interview.

36 Cricket Coaching with Andrew Beaven

A review of the Ashes and how it can help your club

plan for the 2014 season

39 The Grassroot Print Shop

The Grassroot Media Print Shop is a new service to

our clubs giving you the chance to make money

through designing and producing club merchandise

42 Grassroot Teamwear

If your cricket club is looking for new playing shirts

you probably won’t be able to find them this cheap

anywhere else

44 VS Cricket

A great new cricketing social media tool for clubs,

players, members and fans

46 Colin Smith

Colin is back to give you details on some interesting

loopholes/ideas – this time he’s brought David

Beckham along for the ride!

49 Twitter Directory

See which clubs are where on Twitter – if you’d like

to be added talk to Mat

50 easyfundraising.org

Easy & cost-free way to raise club funds

52 The Secret Non-League Footballer

This month the Secret Non-League Footballer talks

about TV coverage of non-league teams, or lack of

55 An article from Mat Court on some of the issues

facing grassroots football

Does what it says on the tin

60 Michael’s Trophies

Great offers on trophies from Michael’s

4 MD’s Letter

5 JMN Sports

Exclusive football deals for member clubs

6 Environmental Sustainability For Clubs

Andy Carmichael from www.sustainablecricket.com

writes about how being sustainable can benefit clubs

in more ways than one

10 The Grassroot Cricket Groundsman

Ian Avery talks us through what can be done on the

square this month

12 Football Club Corner

Simon Jasinski from Bosham FC

17 ESU Scoreboards

Scoreboard offers for member clubs

18 Player Fitness with Isaiah Barratt

Isaiah looks at fat burning post-Christmas

22 Meadons Insurance

Cricket club insurance from Meadons Insurance -

peace of mind guaranteed

24 Sports Psychology with David Harrison

Get some tips to change the way you think about the

game

26 Hard Lines Productions – ‘Sunday League’ film

chat with Daniel Colbourne

The founder of Hard Lines Productions talks to us

about his latest film ‘Sunday Football’, a film about

grassroots football.

32 Match Minutes FC

A great (and free) app that helps you tweet live

updates on your club’s games.

Hello and welcome to January’s magazine. And what a whopper it is, by

far the biggest we’ve ever done. I hope you like it and find the content

useful and/or interesting. And we’ve got a world exclusive! Yes, little old

Grassroot Magazine has a world exclusive. It’s with Gary Goals. Some of

you may have read about him in the papers or on the internet over the

past week or so and he chose the Grassroot Magazine to break his silence

about him and his goals.

Along with all of our great regulars we’ve got an interview with Daniel

Colbourne from Hard Lines Productions about his thoughts on the game

and his new project, a film all about grassroots football called ‘Sunday

League’.Well worth a read, and your clubs can get involved too!

The HealthExpress.co.uk campaign in our changing room posters is

going well and we’re working as hard ever for you, our clubs, to make you

as much as we can. But, if you have a read of the Environmental

Sustainability feature you can see some ideas on how to save money too.

Last, but by no means least, check out the piece on VS Cricket, a brand

new cricketing social network, for cricket by cricket. It also offers a way

for clubs to make money too, similar to how we operate with our changing

room posters for you.

Happy reading,

Mat Court - MD4

The MD’s

Letter

Environmental

Sustainability As A

Benefit To Clubs

Telling you that you should only cut

your pitches in circular patterns is

not going to save the planet. Nor is

showing you photographs of polar

bears on ever shrinking icebergs

likely to make you reconsider your

use of fertiliser. That's no black

mark on your conscience, altruism

is not a major factor in

environmental decision making

and there are many different

pressures on people involved in

running sports clubs, simply

continuing to survive is the

uppermost thought of many. That is

why highlighting how greater

sustainability can save you money

and increase the prospect of club

success is much more likely to

encourage change for the benefit

of both you and the environment.

The priority of any sports decision

makers has to be the continuation,

and if possible expansion, of play

at the club. If we simply wanted to

ease the pressure on the natural

world then disbanding would be

the most obvious solution. That

would help no-one, not least of

whom the people dealing with

health issues, social mobility and

community engagement - areas in

which sport can be a very positive

force.

By reducing unnecessary resource

use, however, you are not only

avoiding waste but lowering costs

and reducing the need to come up

with ever more inventive ways of

generating income. Barbecues are

great but they are at the mercy of

our weather, bonfire nights a much

enjoyed success but leave the field

looking like an army has camped

on it. These also put additional

pressure on already stretched club

and committee staff, yet most clubs

would probably admit that the

revenue purely from play

(memberships, match fees, etc) will

never cover the costs of running

the club. By making small but

Andy Carmichael from www.sustainablecricket.com gives us an introduction to

being a bit more environmentally sustainable, while actually benefitting the clubs

6

7

bought, when and how much might

be left in the shed. If you do this for

a period of around two years to

compensate for any fluctuations in

climate/circumstances then you

have a set of data that gives you a

picture of what the club is doing.

“...only 20% of clubs

knew their annual

water consumption...”

The number of clubs who do not

know this information is quite

surprising. When I was

undertaking the ECB/Cranfield

University Report into

Environmental Sustainability at

Cricket Clubs, surveys of

participants revealed only 20%

knew their annual grounds

consumption of water, 45% did not

know how much electricity they

used and 27% did not know how

much fertiliser they applied in a

year.

This is not a criticism of

respondents (their assistance and

honesty were vital to the project)

more that different people take

responsibility for different areas of

club management, monetary

values tend to be prioritised in

reports and information falls

through the gaps. Once you have

the missing details, however, you

significant changes based on a

greater flow of information you can

reduce this pressure.

“...it is in your power

to alter these main

expenses within a

club...”

Consider the main expenses within

a club. Discounting personnel

changes, as presumably you want

to maintain a healthy playing and

social side to the club, the other

typically large outgoings are

energy, water, fuel and turf

products (fertiliser, seed, top

dressing, etc). It is in your power to

alter these.

First, ask how much of each you

use. Not how much the bill is, but

how many units you consume. The

prices of all these things fluctuate,

often on a monthly basis, so

comparison of spending over time

is flawed. You need to do an audit of

all the resources you use and

establish a baseline. This is not as

labour intensive as it may sound,

for utilities simply look at your last

few bills and instead of reading the

figure in pounds look at the usage

(usually in columns in the middle

of the bill with a start and end

date). For turf supplies it's just a

matter of looking at what you

8

you will be able to see the impact

of purchasing a £2 timer switch that

activates them for the 12 hours they

are actually needed.

One club I visited was in this

position, using fridges during

winter when the building was

unheated and unused. It is simply

wasting money that has to be

earned by other means. An

additional benefit of having such

information is removing the need

for estimated bills, a scenario that

can store up trouble if the estimates

are consistently short of the actual

use and one that potentially

deprives you of interest on funds if

you are paying out too much.

“...water leaves you

no room for price

negotiation...be as

interventionist as

possible...”

Water leaves you no room for price

negotiation so you should be as

interventionist as possible. There

are rebates available from some

water authorities for surface water

drainage but they may require

meter installation and registration

as a CASC. Usage figures allow

calculation of the merit of this.

can make decisions based on

awareness of need and not what

the local supplier is doing or what

bill may drop through the door.

First of these may be reducing your

energy spending. Seeking a new

and better tariff is an option,

brokers can be very useful as this

is still an incredibly complex field.

A complimentary strategy would

be to look at changing fixtures

within any buildings; timer

switches, low energy bulbs,

heating controls, appliances. These

changes may require an initial

outlay, not often very much but

sufficient for you to need to know

what the returns may be. Again

greater awareness of consumption

is the key.

Does the fridge need to be switched

on 24/7?

For example, if you have drinks

coolers or fridges that remain on

24 hours a day, 365 days of the year

7

Similarly they would show if there

are leaks. You can also identify flow

rates of particular taps or showers

identifying how much fitting

efficiency devices will save - my

local water company gives these

away freely. They are keen to help

as they have targets of their own to

meet. Watering turf surfaces should

be done as effectively as possible,

any situation where the volume of

water applied exceeds the

infiltration rate is water lost.

Ultimately you will pay for this.

Fertiliser requirements can be

calculated with free, or low cost,

soil testing. Adjusting mowing

patterns or heights of cut will

reduce fuel expenditure. There are

many things that can be done if you

are able to do a quick audit of

consumption. This information can

be shared with members and goals

produced to get everyone thinking

of how to help the club. Knowledge

is most definitely power with

sustainability.

You can find more at

www.sustainablecricket.com where

Andy is keen to share information

and swap case studies. Virtually all

of the work, findings and

recommendations are appropriate

to all turf sports.

If you know of a cricket

or football club that you

think could host our

panels, please feel free

to tell them about us and

what we do.

We are also on the look

out for leagues that want

to spread the word of

Grassroot Media so

again, if you know any

then please ask them to

get in touch, the more

clubs we have on board,

the easier it is to sell to

advertisers and the more

money we can make for

each club.

www.grassrootmedia.com

Tel: 0800 8 20 21 22

Mob: 07795 49 59 69

Email:

info@grassrootmedia.com

The

Grassroot Cricket

Groundsman

Happy New Year to you all. In this

new column I wanted to start with

just a few thoughts each month

looking at what can be done.

Machinery

If it has not been before now check

over the machinery. Cleaning any

mud off and drain petrol tanks. If

funds allow change the engine oil

and spark plugs this helps avoid

breakdowns during the growing

season.

The Square

If the weather allows a gentle

topping of the square will help

thicken the sward. Cut no lower

than 50mm, a well maintained

rotary is good for this task however

only do this if the new grass has

taken well. There is no guarantee

when this can be done and must be

a matter of judgement, you know

your grounds. If you are new to this

wait for three days after any rain

and take a look.

Also avoid doing this if frost is

forecast.

“...if the grass is

turning yellow it may

be hungry...”

When looking at your square, look

out for any problems. If the grass is

turning yellow it may be hungry.

With the amount of rain we have

had the goodness in the soil will

have leached out. If you can afford

it a fertiliser application will help

however don’t be too keen on a

high nitrogen level as this is only a

short term remedy. Use a fertiliser

in the range of 3:10:15 normally

called an autumn/winter fertiliser.

This will help root growth and

strengthen the plant.

Moss?

If moss is a problem autumn

fertilisers can be found with iron

In a new feature, Ian Avery, Head of Grounds at Sutton Valence School talks you

through what can be done in January for the 2014 season

10

11

which pitches will be used for each

game. Simply draw a plan of your

square. The first strip numbered 1,

miss one then that’s number 2.

Again miss one and the next is

number 3 etc. This avoids bowlers

running off the pitch and damaging

the one you were preparing for the

next match.

“...when looking at the

fixture list highlight the

more important games

and work out the better

wickets...”

When looking at the fixture list

highlight the more important

games and work out the better

wickets, usually the middle ones.

Depending on the size of your

ground you may need to avoid the

strips closest to edge of the

squares for league matches and

save these for junior matches.

Once this has been done it gives

you a plan to work with. This is of

course not written in stone.

Weather and cancellations can

change things. However, it gives

you a base and allows best use.

See you next month!

included. Not only will this control

moss but give a good colour to the

grass plant. Again, be careful when

applying the fertiliser only when

no frost is forecast and the grass

leaf is dry. This should be watered

in after three days if no rain falls

(not likely I Know).

Most fertilisers have a spreading

rate on the bag however a good

starting point is 35g/m3. For a ten

strip square a bag and a half is

enough. Anything that can be done

in the next few months will help

greatly when the warmer weather

begins.

Spike

If you are lucky enough to have a

spiker January and February is a

good time to get some air into the

squares. However, as with the

above tasks the ground conditions

must be right and it’s up to the

individuals to gauge when to do

the work or to leave it.

Talk to your Fixture Secretary

Hopefully the fixture secretary’s

will be close to finishing the fixture

list and with this you can plan

Simon Jasinski, Commercial Manager at Bosham Football Club in

Bosham, West Sussex

12

Football

Club CornerTell us a bit about your club... what

do you do, where are you, which

leagues, how many members etc...

Bosham is a charming village

situated three miles west of

Chichester on the South Coast in

West Sussex. The football club

plays a pivotal role in the local

community – widely renowned for

providing the friendliest of

welcomes, with a distinguished

history that dates back to 1901. We

are represented by two Senior

teams in the West Sussex League

(Step 8), with plans to reintroduce

our youth set-up from 2014/15. The

club on the up through the efforts

and contributions of its loyal

volunteers, and having finished

third in the Premier Division last

season, Bosham FC has ambitions

to return to the Sussex County

Football League, where we were

founder members of Division 3 in

1983/84 - alongside current

Conference South side, Eastbourne

Borough (then Langney Sports) –

who we actually finished above!

Have you had any famous players

pull on the shirt?

To my knowledge we've not had

any famous players, although

former Plymouth Argyle and

Portsmouth player, Richie

Reynolds, managed Bosham in the

mid-1990’s when in Division 2 of

the Sussex County League. The

village is also steeped in history,

with ties to King Canute, and a

memorial in Bosham Church

dedicated to his eight year-old

daughter. Bosham also has mention

in the Bayeux Tapestry referring to

the 1064 meeting of Harold and

Edward the Confessor on the way

to meet William of Normandy to

discuss who would succeed

Edward to the throne. The football

club itself goes back to 1901.

13

Tell us something interesting about

your club...

We believe that we're the first club

at our level (Step 8) to provide live

match commentary for all our

home games, which can be found

via Mixlr.com/robins_radio, and

was the end result of setting up Wi-

Fi in the clubhouse, bringing us up

to modern era! We've also recently

set-up a club shop on our website -

again not many clubs at our level

have that - selling a range of Nike

merchandise which carries our

club logo, and generates the club a

small commission every time a

purchase is made. I would

recommend this to any club who

has a Pitchero club site, as it's very

straight forward to do and looks

very professional. This

compliments the mugs and badges

we have for purchase inside the

clubhouse, which are the staple for

non-league 'groundhoppers'. We

also have an account with

easyFundraising which I found out

about courtesy of Grassroot Media,

which again, should be a 'no-

brainer' for non-league clubs, as

consumers are going to purchase

an item anyway - they may as well

make your club some money while

they're doing it.

Who does what at the club to do

with revenue

generation/sponsorship?

The club is run by a small

voluntary committee, with the bulk

of sponsorship responsibility with

Simon Jasinski, the Commercial

Manager, who has taken over much

of the brilliant work that Treasurer

Gerry Doncaster has put in over

many years in simply keeping the

club afloat.

“...with large

projects, more heads

are better than one...”

A number of new, exciting

initiatives have been set-up to

move Bosham forward and ensure a

sustainable future. Club President

Bob Probee oversaw our biggest

step to date - applying for a Sport

England facilities grant. With large

projects like this, more heads are

always better than one. Through

this very magazine, we've also

sought extensive consultation from

contributor, Colin Smith of

Elvington and Tilmanstone Cricket

Club, who has a wealth of

experience and success in

grassroots funding, and has

subsequently recommended us for

Football Trust grants for new Youth

Teams, increasing participation

amongst local youngsters, and

working towards Community

Amateur Sports Club (CASC) status

via HMRC so we can claim on away

14

match petrol expenses and

donations, and make savings on

our electricity through a scheme

via UtilityMatters.com. Sometimes

it’s not all about generating new

sponsorship, but seeing what you

can do to maximise efficiencies in-

house. We are also looking to

secure our Charter Standard status

before the end of the season. We

have a lot to thank Grassroot Media

for, as through inquiring about

dressing room posters - which we

now have - we were not only able

to open up a new revenue stream,

but also gain valuable input on

other projects too.

The Sun’s Bosham feature

Have you got any advice for other

clubs in our network looking to be

more successful when it comes to

generating funds?

I know it's a bit of a cliche, but the

saying of 'aiming for the moon' I

think is fairly apt. The initiatives

we've put in place this season has

seen steady revenues come into

the club, not just at the start of the

season when clubs commonly get

one lump sum from a sponsor. One

thing I would recommend is to

create on-going dialogue with

sponsors and making it a two-way

conversation - what can the club do

to help them in return - is

something that companies will

really value and give them reason

to reinvest at the end of the season.

You may also find you can get spin-

off products from them - for

example, we have also received

some very useful Christmas raffle

prizes from local restaurants and

shops, largely because we send

them regular match programmes

showcasing their advert, and latest

fixtures to encourage attendance at

games, maintaining interest. I

would advise any club from

whatever sport to ensure that their

website is kept up to date. You can

guarantee that this is going to be a

first port of call for any prospective

advertiser to get a snapshot of your

club, so having relevant and latest

information on there is paramount.

So many times I visit local sporting

websites to see them out of date –

putting them on the back foot

before they’ve even begun, yet it's

something very straight forward to

fix.

Bosham featured

in the Football

Focus magazine

15

What do you find is the best

approach to getting advertisers

and sponsors in and around the

club?

We set up a commercial pack on

our website, which is an area I have

experience in through my day job

in advertising - a document which

in itself gave a good statement of

intent and showed that despite

being a small village football club,

we have a professional outlook. Of

course not all clubs will be able to

call on this type of experience, but

you can look to what you do have -

perhaps it's a fantastic pro-active

and passionate committee, a

thriving youth section or proud

history. I sought local business e-

mail addresses from websites, put

together a spreadsheet and simply

worked through it. For every ten

negatives, you will get someone

who bites. In some cases I did face-

to-face visits off the cuff with a few

slides about the club on my iPad.

Investing the time really does pay

dividends. Local businesses who

have a vested interest to increase

their share of voice locally will be

primary, however there's no harm

in contacting national companies

who want to be visible in helping

the grassroots of the game. For

example, through the efforts of our

captain, Ben Blanshard, we were

fortunate enough to win a

competition two years ago in The

Sun, which resulted in a make over

for one of the dressing rooms, and

a sponsored kit for the season.

Bosham FC’s matchday programme

and the editor, Simon Jasinski

Have you had particular success in

selling to particular markets?

We have had a fairly broad range

of sponsors which I think helps.

Getting the club's name out there

through the local newspaper,

Village Magazine and more

increasingly - via our Twitter

account (@BoshamFC - which has

increased in followers three-fold

since the start of the season) - has

helped create a mini buzz in the

club which everyone thrives off -

players have been keen to come

forward and tell me about sponsors

they have for their kit to go in the

match programme, as they're

buying into an increased optimism.

They can see first-hand the work

that goes into the running of the

club, and making it somewhere

they want to be part of - which is

possibly the biggest compliment I

can be given. Every time I go to the

club, I try and do something that

makes a difference - however

16

small, and am always looking to

develop things off the pitch as best

I can. Money that we've raised has

helped fund things such as new

broadband in the clubhouse, new

shower heads in a dressing room,

and new signage in the car park

promoting games to passers-by,

which if it increases our gate by

even a couple of people on a match

day, has done its job.

Which brand would be your

perfect sponsor and why?

I'm not sure we have any one

perfect sponsor, instead, have tried

to tailor packages that appeal to

specific markets that make them

immediately worthwhile for the

sponsor, playing to the company

strengths while fulfilling a need for

the club. For example, this season a

local garden centre has become

our 'Pitch Sponsor', ensuring

funding is in place for regular

cutting and rolling of the pitch. The

net result of this has produced one

of the best playing surfaces in the

League, which has led to an

application for Groundsman of the

Year award via our local FA.

Similarly, a local printers has come

forward and sponsored our match

programme, so all we have to

worry about is the content. With the

programme having a massive

overhaul, we are also looking to

submit it into an awards at the end

of the season - additional

recognition all helps.

Are you involved in any other

sports? Is there anything our clubs

can learn from clubs outside of

cricket and football?

We're not currently involved with

other sports, however we have a

three year plan to gradually

incorporate other community

groups to utilise a fully refurbished

facility - a Sport England grant of

which is currently pending - and

are keeping everything crossed! In

addition we have increased

dialogue with local businesses

significantly this season, who have

been happy to promote our games

via match day posters, with local

pubs and shops also selling

surplus match programmes which

is really useful in increasing

awareness of the club amongst the

local community.

Have you got a Twitter page our

other clubs can make contact with

you on?

Yes, you can follow us here:

www.Twitter.com/BoshamFC and

visit our website:

www.BoshamFC.co.uk

Email: simon@boshamfc.co.uk

In his player fitness column this month, Isaiah Barratt looks at Christmas and how

you can minimise its impact on your fitness levels

Player Fitness

Isaiah Barratt

This month I am going to talk about

'fat burning‘: what are the best

foods to eat, and what exercises to

do to achieve fat burning. These

small tips will help shift the

Christmas weight you may have

put on over the holidays.

“...what foods can we

eat that help burn

fat...”So first of all what foods can we eat

that will help burn fat? As strange

as it sounds there are actually

certain foods that can help spike

your metabolism which triggers

the hormones to release fat and

eliminate toxins that the body may

find otherwise hard to shed weight.

That said, these foods must be

eaten as part of a clean diet so

don’t think you can eat as much

junk as you want then just eat these

fat burning foods to keep the

weight off!

Broccoli Rabe

This helps by stimulating an

enzyme that tells your fat cells to

burn fat.

Avocados

This triple fat burning food is a

definite if you want to burn some

quick fat this month. It has

Monounsaturated fat which plumps

up cell membranes enabling the

cells to better chat with fat burning

hormones. As well as this it

switches off your bodies fat storage

hormones which in addition boost

your metabolism by protecting the

energy producing part cells from

free radical damage.

Brazil nuts

These nuts boost your metabolism

by converting the thyroid hormone

to its active form, also great for

tackling cellulite.

18

19

These are just a few that you can

choose to eat that help to burn fat,

try them out within your daily

healthy eating and see if it helps.

“...January is always

the hardest month for

motivation...”

January is always the hardest

month when trying to get the

motivation to get back into physical

activity, so over the page are a few

exercises that can be done at

home, in the gym or on a field

doing your chosen sport.

I have covered most of these

exercises over the previous months

as they are the best fat burning

exercises/routines you can do

these days but they are so

important and useful that I’m going

to do a bit or a re-cap..

So remember if doing them,

perform (depending on how many

exercises you choose to string

together) between 30-60secs per

exercise with no rest between

exercises.

Repeat for three to five circuits with

30 seconds to two minutes rest

between finished circuits.

Try and enjoy!

Chai seeds

Packed with omega-3 which is what

the body needs (can also be found

in oily fish e.g.Wild salmon).

These tiny little seeds help

suppress the appetite and fire up

the metabolism and turns on

glucagon, one of the body’s fat

burning hormones.

Oysters

Are the richest dietary of zinc

which basically helps to decrease

your appetite.

Coconut oil

Packed with Medium Chained

triglycerides (MCTs) which your

body use as energy and leaves less

chance of it being stored as fat.

Cinnamon

This spice helps move the glucose

which you consume into the cells

faster so our fat hormone, insulin

hangs around a lot less. You should

really consume at least quarter of a

teaspoon to reap the fat burning

benefits.

Coffee

Stimulates adrenaline by sending a

message to your fat stores to burn

fat, so when about to go for a

workout, have a coffee 20 minutes

before as it acts as an ergogenic

aid enabling you to train more

intensely. Make sure you make it

caffeinated and black as milk

reduces its fat burning potential.

20

Knife jack crunches

Lunges with reverse leg raise

Jumping squats

Push ups

Burpees

Jumping lunges

Pilate’s Leg Pulls

• Next, sprint to half-court, touch,

and then sprint back to start.

Then, sprint all the way down

across the court, touch the end

line, and sprint back to the finish

(under the basket).

• That's one Death Valley.

(Note: Do these on an open running

space such as a basketball court,

tennis court or driveway. Grass

may be slippery so be careful).

Death Valley’s are great for sports

that require the ability to

accelerate and decelerate quickly,

such as football, and running

between the cricket wickets while

batting, and of course your fielding.

Alternating Step Ups

• Perform this on any type of step

approximately six inches high or

evening higher to increase the

intensity.

• Alternate stepping up & down on

the step as fast as you can for 30

seconds, increasing the time to

60 secs per set as you progress.

• Switch your lead foot halfway

through repeat each set then

repeat for three to five times.

This will help to improve your

agility, cardio, speed and mobility

definitely what you need when

playing cricket or football.

As always, thank you for reading

and I look forward to talking to you

again next month.

Isaiah Barratt

Personal Trainer 21

Jumping Jacks

Mountain climbers

Here are two drills I think you

might like. They’ll give you a sweat

and increase your overall fitness,

speed, agility, balance,

coordination, strength and

endurance. Challenge a friend and

see who can do the best time or the

most reps/sets, have fun with it

while increasing your fitness...

Death Valleys (also called Suicides)

What you need to do:

• Allocate or mark out a start line,

plus a first sprint line, a second

sprint line, and a third and

longest sprint line.

• Each sprint will be twice as long

as the last. For example, on a

basketball court, start under the

basket, sprint to the first foul

line, touch, and then sprint back

to the start.

Concentrate now, this month David Harrison from Pinnacle Performance talks

about your players concentration and focus.

Sports

psychology

Concentration and

Focus

This month we will look at one of

the most important mental skills an

athlete can possess. This is

Concentration and the ability to

focus on the task at hand is one of

the most important skills an athlete

or business person can have. The

ability to concentration separates

good athletes from great ones. My

name is David Harrison and I am a

BASES Accredited Sport Scientist in

Sport Psychology based in

Sheffield, South Yorkshire. My

company, Pinnacle Performance

(www.pinnaclperformance.co.uk)

works with teams, athletes and

coaches from a range of sports to

help maximise potential and

performance and concentration is

something that comes up time and

time again when working with

athletes.

Some people are born with better

natural levels of focus and

concentration but the good news is

that you can improve it with

practice. It is some referred to in

the literature as attention

(Summers and Ford, 1995) and has

been defined as the ability to focus

attention on task in hand and not

be disturbed by irrelevant external

and internal stimuli (Schmid and

Pepper, 1986) or the ability to

maintain focus on relevant

environmental cues (Weinberg and

Gould, 1999).

“...you can improve

focus and

concentration with

practice...”

There are an infinite number

(perhaps even more in the modern

world!!) of stimuli in the

environment and we have to

24

25

that matters.

Non-judgemental thinking. Get

in the present and forget about the

past (it's gone) and the future (it

hasn't happened yet!) and don't

judge yourself, develop a clear

mind.

Establish routines and Develop

competition plans to really focus

on your preparations (things you

can control) and the things that

matter.

Next month we will continue

looking at sport psychology and

how we can develop it. If you have

any comments about the article

then I would be happy to hear

them. Contact me via email at

pinnacleperform@gmail.com and

visit my website

www.pinnacleperformance.co.uk

for more information on sport

psychology.

concentrate on the most relevant

ones to complete the task at hand

and disregard all the others. Once

an athlete is distracted by one of

these irrelevant stimuli the loss in

concentration and focus can cause

the performance needed to

complete the task to spiral out of

control and prevent the task from

being successfully completed.

“...concentration is a

learned skill...”

Athletes need to develop selective

attention and disregard irrelevant

cues from their environment.

Concentration is a learned skill of

passively not reacting to or being

distracted by irrelevant stimuli

(Schmid and Pepper, 1986). Learn

to Control the Controllables, i.e.

control your focus on the relevant

cues and everything doesn't

matter.

How do we achieve this?

Use simulations. Practice being in

the environment by simulating

what will happen. Try to replicate

as closely as possible the

environment the competition in

training so you are familiar with the

stimuli present and can focus on

the relevant.

Use cue words. Develop cue words

you can use to regain focus and

allow you to focus on the stimuli

Daniel Colbourne is the man behind Hard Lines Productions which last year

released Punk Football – the story of FC United. This year it’s all about grassroots...

Hard Lines Productions -

A chat with founder

Daniel Colbourne

By Matthew Court

I found out about Hard Lines

Productions through Twitter and

when I saw they’d done a film on

FC United I was immediately

curious. This is a club that stood up

to the corporate side of football

and was (and still is) a huge story.

But it was a story I felt I didn’t know

enough about. I’d recommend you

have a watch of it – half an hour

very well spent.

Hard Lines’ new project is called

“Sunday League” and is all about

grassroots football in the UK. I took

the chance to catch up with the

man who runs the show – Daniel

Colbourne...

What's your sporting &

professional background?

Throughout my twenties I was the

eternal office temp, going through

various positions and offices across

the country, until I reached 27 and

got thoroughly fed up of doing all

these different jobs, none of which I

enjoyed, so I decided to follow my

dream of becoming a film maker

and went to university. During my

three years I got really into

documentary filmmaking and I set

up my own production company

called Hard Lines Productions as

soon as I finished. It’s still very

early days and I’ve had to go back

to office temping to support it, but I

think it’s a worthwhile endeavour

and hopefully one day I’ll be able

to take it full time.

As far as my sporting background

goes, it’s been a pretty fruitless

journey for me. I’ve always been

mad on football, but at school I was

cursed with two left feet and

despite my enthusiasm for the

game, I couldn’t get a place on the

worst of teams where I grew up, so I

was resigned to playing heads and

volleys on the park with the rest of

26

my friends who couldn’t get a

game. These days I’ve got a pretty

decent right foot, but I’m also

tragically unfit. I played a few

games up front for a Sunday team

at the beginning of the season as

research for the Sunday League

film, and I was pretty terrible. 0

goals and 1 assist in 3 games I

think it was. I think I’m better off

filming the action than taking part

in it.

Hard Lines Productions, set up by

Daniel during his days at University.

What is the idea behind 'Sunday

League'? Why do you think it

needed to be made?

I’ve got mates who’ve been playing

park football for years, and I was

always amazed by the commitment

that they’ve shown to the game.

Come rain or shine, they get

themselves up every week and

play football, for no other reason

than because they love it. So I had

the idea to go across the country

and meet people who play every

week and find out why they do it.

It’s not so much about the football,

but the people, and the country,

really. It’s about the least

glamorous thing you can do with

your weekend, and that’s what

makes it great. I also think it’s

amazing how many thousands of

people across the country play it

every week, and yet apart from a

few local papers, it barely gets a

mention in the media. I think that’s

a shame. I bet there’s tens of

thousands of interesting people out

there with great stories to tell, and

I’m hoping to meet as many of

them as I can.

How can our clubs get involved?

Get in touch. Tell us about your

team and your players and tell us

why you’d like to be featured. As I

said, we’re looking for people who

love the game, and have interesting

things to say about Saturday and

Sunday football. We’d also like the

film to look as nice as possible, so

it’d be great to meet a few teams

who play in interesting locations.

We’re open to ideas. We’ll put our

contact details at the bottom of the

interview.

'Punk Football' was your first

release, why did you decide to

make it?

It was made as part of my final year

project at university. They basically

said ‘make anything you want’. I

knew I wanted to make a

27

documentary, but I wasn’t sure

what on. I initially thought about

making one on FC St Pauli, over in

Hamburg. I just think they’re a

really fascinating club. They’re the

true rock n’ roll football team and I

thought they’d make a great

subject for a documentary.

Realistically though, I wasn’t going

to be able to get over to Hamburg

enough to make a documentary on

them (although I did manage to go

and film there for a day for Punk

Football, but didn’t end up using it),

so I ended up looking a little closer

to home.

Why choose FC United of

Manchester?

A friend of mine was a season

ticket holder at FC United, and he’d

asked me if I wanted to come along

to a game. I knew a little about

them from when they first started,

because they were all over the

media back then, but I hadn’t heard

a lot about them since. So I started

researching them; reading articles,

books and anything else I could

get my hands on, and I really liked

what they were doing. I’ve been

involved in DIY punk for many

years, which basically involved

people putting on their own gigs,

making their own flyers, records

and starting their own record

labels, and this was the footballing

equivalent. I was sold on the idea

straight away, so I started going to

matches, and it was unlike any

footballing experience I’ve ever

had. There was so much passion

and freedom. It was a load of

people making a football club in

the way that they wanted to, free

from exploitation by greedy

businessmen. I fell in love with the

club straight away.

‘Sunday League’ is Daniel’s current

project.

How much work goes in to making

such a film?

Lots. It started off with trying to get

permission from the club to make

the film. They were a bit wary of an

outsider coming in and pointing a

camera around at first, but once

they learned that I was serious and

committed to the project, they gave

me access to the whole club, which

was really great of them. Once I

was in, it involved lots of long days

of shooting. Because I live in Leeds,

it meant a lot of very early

28

mornings and train journeys over

to Manchester, then to Bury. Once I

was there, I spent most of my time

filming or running around trying to

arrange more interviews. Then I’d

film the games, which was great,

but I think I probably filmed about

30 hours worth of football but only

actually used about a minutes

worth of footage on the film! Then

after the game I’d often stick

around and get some more

interviews. Then back on the train

home. They were long days. It was

difficult as well because I was

shooting video and recording

sound by myself, so it was hard

work, but I’m proud of the final

product, and I think that the FC fans

liked it too, which is the most

important thing.

What's the best thing about

grassroots football in your opinion?

That it’s played by real people.

We’re living in hard times, and

people need to have things in their

life that they can get excited about.

There’s no feeling in the world like

scoring a goal, even if it’s in a

muddy field in front of 4 people. It’s

also important for football in this

country because everyone can see

that the English national team is

going nowhere fast, and it’s

because there’s so little investment

in grassroots football. You only

have to look at what they’ve been

doing in Germany to understand

how to build the sport from the

ground up, by investing in it. The

FA have this attitude that because

we invented the sport and because

the they’ve been around for so

long, that anything they do is

automatically the right way to do it,

but absolutely anyone with half a

brain when it comes to sport knows

that it fucking well isn’t!

“...the FA think that

anything they do is

automatically the

right way to do it...”

People in this country need heroes,

and sporting heroes are great

because you can realistically

dream of becoming one of them

one day. If we carry on with this

idea of buying abroad for all of our

talent instead of investing in the

youth, then the national team will

be a joke forever and the sport

could die a death in this country.

What's your take on the current

money situation in domestic

football?

It’s terrible. Every time the new

bids are put in for the TV deals, the

price gets higher and higher. Sky

paid £2.3 billion in the last round of

29

bidding, which is absolute insanity.

They have these ridiculous bidding

wars every time the TV rights are

up for grabs, and they put forward

these unbelievably high bids in

order to secure the rights, and it’s

us that gets it in the neck because

of it. People have to pay a lot of

money for Sky Sports now, which

will only get higher and higher so

that they can cover their costs.

Some pubs pay in excess of ten’s of

thousands of pounds a year for the

rights to show Premiership games.

If they don’t have them, people

don’t drink in their pub. It’s putting

a stranglehold on pub landlords

and the public in general. It’s going

to have a detrimental effect on

crowds at matches too. We’re living

in hard financial times; who can

afford to have Sky and go to watch

matches at 30-90 quid a pop? Not

me. I think there’s a good chance

that if things carry on the way they

are now, the whole thing could

collapse on itself and Sky and the

big money teams could find

themselves in a lot of trouble.

“...Go and shout and

sing and make new

friends at small

grounds across the

country...”

What can we do to bring football

back to the 'people'?

Go and find a non-league team

near you and give them your price

of admission instead of the big

team. They need it. They’ll be

grateful for it. Go and shout and

sing and make new friends at small

grounds across the country. Get

your mates, have a beer and go

and stand at a ground and cheer on

some lads that work a real job, just

like you. Start a revolution in your

town.

If you could change one thing in

football what would it be?

There’s so much that needs

changing, but I’d want to make

players aware of how their greed

affects the people paying in to

watch a game of football. They

employ these agents, who employ

dirty tactics to squeeze more

money out of a club, and it’s the

fans who end up paying for it. It

makes me sick to think of these

agents who often take multi-million

pound signing on fees from

transfers. They’re the reason you

can’t afford a season ticket

anymore. They’re the reason you

can’t afford to take your kids to a

game. Apparently when Ian

Wright’s contract was due, he just

used to go into the office and sign

the contract.We need more players

30

with that attitude. You have the best

job in the world, and you’re going

to be paid well for it, why do you

need to be the richest man on the

planet too?

What do you think is the biggest

challenge facing football in the

next ten years?

Surviving the next round of

bidding for TV rights.

What have you learned from your

work that could be useful for our

clubs to know?

That you don’t have to accept

what’s presented to you purely out

of habit. If you’re unhappy with the

way that your football club is run,

then change it. The internet has

enabled football fans across the

world to talk, organise and protest.

If you try and change your club and

you fail, look elsewhere.

Find a small team and give them

your full support. You’re not a

traitor if you look into other

options, but you’re a fool if you

continue to be mistreated and keep

coming back for more. In this day

and age, more than ever, you have

to fight complacency and make

stand.

If more people do that, then

eventually we’ll get our sport back.

“...you don’t have to

accept what’s

presented to you

purely out of habit,

you can change it...”

Final question for you Daniel…

What's the best fact-based sports

film ever made? Surely Rocky IV?

Ha, I wasn’t aware that Rocky IV

was based on a true story (it

wasn’t? – Editor). Even the bit with

the robot? Obviously doing what I

do, I watch a lot of sports

documentaries. The Two Escobars

is great, as is Hoop Dreams,

Touching the Void, Senna.. But the

best one for me has to be ‘Orient -

Club for a fiver’. It’s a documentary

about John Sitton’s troubled time as

Leyton Orient manager in the 90‘s.

It’s a funny yet tragic view inside a

club who are struggling

desperately to keep their head

above water. It also features the

most poetically foul-mouthed team

talks you’re ever likely to hear. It’s

on YouTube (split into 6 parts

unfortunately) and it’s wonderful.

More info on Sunday League - The

Documentary can be found on

www.hardlinesproductions.co.uk

@hardlinesuk or contact

daniel@hardlinesproductions.co.uk

31

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

A world-exclusive first interview with Gary Goals. What

he thinks and feels are here in the next three pages.

An Interview

With

Gary Goals

Once, maybe twice a generation a

player comes along who makes you

feel you are witnessing something

special. I believe this is one such

moment. Since Gary Goals burst on

to the scene he’s been featured

heavily on Twitter and other social

media, on football websites of all

types, and in the national press. But

he’s not spoken to anyone. Not

about what he does, and more

importantly not about who he is.

Until now.

Gary has been gracious enough to

grant us at Grassroot Magazine his

first ever interview, and what you

are about to read is the full account

of when Grassroot met Gary...Gary

who scores the goals.

How many goals do you think

you've scored in your career?

Like I said on my poster, I've scored

in every game I've ever played in.

I’ve been playing for 20 years so

I'd guess in and around 10,000

goals. Probably more. Actually

definitely more.

Can you talk us through your

favourite ever goal?

Hit one with the back of my heel

once in a match in the rain and it

went straight in top corner.

“...my goals do the

talking...”.

WORLD

EXCLUSIVE

Who is the best goalkeeper in the

world and how would you score

past them?

Shay Given is the best goalie in the

world working right now. He is

unbeatable. I could beat him

though. But I wouldn't celebrate. I

have class like that.

Some people in football label you a

mercenary, a goal scoring gun for

hire, how do you counter that?

I just concentrate on scoring goals,.

my goals do the talking Matthew.

I've never really listened to my

critics.

What is the perfect goal?

Header onto left foot and then

volley in with right foot

“...Doncaster made a

big mistake not

signing me...”

Are there any clubs you wouldn't

play for?

Doncaster made a big mistake not

signing me. I don't like to hold

grudges though. Like I said my

proven goal scoring track record

speaks for itself. Who knows, if

Doncaster had held onto me they

might be chasing a champions

league spot now instead of being

in Division 4.

Who is better Ronaldo, Messi or

Carlton Cole?

All good players, but not the best.

Ronaldo doesn't score enough for

me. Lacks consistency. Messi is

good at winning high balls but a bit

of a one trick pony. Cole has

quality.

“...only pass if you’ve

already got a hat

trick...”

Who is your hero?

Roy Keane with Alan Shearers feet.

Can you offer any tips to kids

starting out in the goal scoring

game?

Only pass after you've got a hat-

trick.

How do you train?

I usually do a few star jumps before

each match. A bit of a ritual for me.

Who would be your ideal strike

partner?

I am a lone striker.

“...Manchester United

should show Rooney

the door and get me

in...”

34

Who should Manchester United

sign if Wayne Rooney leaves?

I think they should show Rooney

the door and get me in. I'd do it for

half the money and guarantee

double the goals. Add it up, it

works out as a good investment for

both the Glazers and the club.

Financially and in goals.

What do you do outside of football?

Or is football everything?

I work in a shop that sells TVs so

get to watch a lot of football. The

plan is to get paid to play football

soon.

“...as soon as I get an

agent I’ll make a

decision as to where

I’ll play...”

Do you have any dreams you'd like

to fulfil through scoring goals?

I moved to London about 3 months

ago to be nearer football. I have

had a lot of offers since my ad was

put on the internet so as soon as I

get an agent I'll make a decision.

Have you ever invented a new skill

or way of scoring goals? (Like the

bicycle kick, Cruyff turn, Ashley

Young dive)

That move I mentioned earlier is

my trademark goal. header the ball

onto the left foot, then pop it onto

the right foot and volley it into the

top corner. its called ‘The Gary

Goal'.

“...I invented the

‘Gary Goal’...”

Gary, this magazine is also read by

cricketers and clubs, do you know

any cricketers that are as good at

cricket as you are at football.

Perhaps ‘Robert Runs’ or ‘Willy

Wickets’?

I once broke the window of a

caravan in France with Graham

Gooch's son. That’s all I know about

cricket.

How can our clubs get in contact?

Somebody put my poster and

phone number on the internet and

since then my phone will not stop

ringing. I've had to turn it off. I cant

even listen to my voicemails

because there's over 500 of them.

And double that in texts. This email

address is best to contact me.

Moyes knows where to find me.

I suspect Gary will already have an

agent by the time this interview is

published, but if your club needs a

scorer of all types of goals then drop

Gary a line on

garygoalmachines@gmail.com

Grassroot Magazine wishes

defenders across the country the

best of luck in stopping Gary at his

next club. 35

Andrew

Beaven

Ashes review -

to plan, or not to

plan

The most intricately planned

Ashes campaign ever ends in

5-0 whitewash...so what's the

point of having a plan?

The 2013-14 Ashes series has been

a sobering experience for any fan

of the England cricket team. I don't

think anyone (not even Glenn

McGrath or Shane Warne)

predicted the 0-5 scoreline,

especially after England went to

Australia lauded as perhaps the

best prepared team ever to contest

the Ashes.

It is well worth listening to the BBC

interviews with Andy Flower and

David Saker (Project Ashes,

Monday 4 November - still

available on the iPlayer:

http://bbc.in/KJQUEu) - nothing

was to be left to chance.

And, in case this planning all

sounded a little bit regimented,

there was even provision for

downtime and for players to be

empowered "to grow as both

players and individuals.“

“... there was even

provision for

downtime and for

players to be

empowered “to grow

as both players and

individuals”....”

It is easy to ridicule the 85 pages

listing the team's dietary

requirements, but before the tour,

36

This month Andrew Beaven from The Twenty20 Cricket Company looks at the recent

Ashes series and what we as grassroots clubs can take from it.

the meticulous planning was held

up (in the English press) as the

modern route to success Down

Under.

Very easy to criticise...with

hindsight...

I am not going to try to dissect

England's Ashes plans in this

article. We all like to have an

opinion, myself included, but there

are plenty of people far better

qualified than me to carry out the

post mortem, with Andy Flower at

their head.

But I do want to speak up for the

value of making plans, for Clubs

and individuals.

And the dangers of following a

plan even when it is not working.

Why you really do need a plan

At Club level, you won't be able to

control the players' environment in

the way that England set out to do

in Australia, but you (the Club

Captain, or the Cricket Committee,

or the coach) can set appropriate

standards and parameters.

“...it’s a disaster for

selection when your

opener decides to

get married mid-

season, but you can

plan for this...”

How often players should practice.

What time they should turn up

before the game. Dress codes,

even (but if you want everyone to

wear the club shirt and cap on the

first Saturday of the new season,

don't forget to place the orders

with the manufacturers in good

time...)

It be hugely disruptive when the

1st XI opening bat decides to get

married in mid-season...and his

opening partner is best man, and

half the team are invited to the

reception.

It's a disaster for selection. But you

37

can plan for this. Who in the 2nd XI

can step up to fill the gap? Are

they ready? How can you give

them time in the 1st XI, or a least in

1st XI practice, before the big day?

“...keep referring

back to your plans as

the season

progresses...”

For the individual player - set

yourself targets for the new season,

and work to achieve them. And

keep referring back to them as the

season progresses.

Keep getting to 20 or 30, but no

further? Maybe you need to do a

little bit more work on your fitness

or concentration. Talk to your

coach about this, or a senior player.

Going for 6 runs an over, when the

team average is only 4.5? Work out

where the boundaries are leaking,

and work with your skipper to set a

better field.

Whatever you do, don't just turn up

at pre-season practice, or for the

first game of the season (it will be

cold and damp!) and hope for the

best.

Have a plan.

A final word of caution

Your pre-season planning should

be a guide for the year to come,

but you should expect to see it

evolve, or change beyond

recognition, once the first ball is

bowled.

Something unexpected is bound to

crop up. A key player will break

down mid-season, or have a major

falling out with the skipper; a

youngster will come back from the

winter break six inches taller and

bowling 10 mph quicker, and force

his way into the 1st XI.

By failing to prepare, you are

preparing to fail

but

No plan survives contact with

the enemy

38

A new service to our clubs giving you the chance to make money out of

producing and selling promotional items to your players/members/fans.

The Grassroot

Media Print

Shop

This month we’re going to look at

bespoke off-field wear and in

particular, t-shirts.

I’ve found a nice design that I’m

going to work with that bears a

passing resemblance to the logo of

a certain brown coloured popular

carbonated soft drink that comes in

a red can. Other brands of brown

coloured popular soft drinks that

come in a red can are available.

Maybe not.

Anyway, the idea is that it gives you

the chance to start building a

portfolio of leisure wear to sell to

players, members or fans,

something a bit different from the

usual club-crest-on-the-breast

look.

First-off go to

www.grassrootmedia.com/mercha

ndise and click on the link:

Then click on the ‘t-shirts’ link on

the right hand side of the landing

page:

Next select ‘get started’ under the

‘basic men’s t-shirts’ image:

39

19

Feel free to have a look at the designs using the pop up window you see

now. In this example I’m going to close it using the ‘X’ button leaving me

with this screen where I’m going to go for the coca-cola style t-shirt. I’ll

do this by selecting ‘Select Design’ under the image of the t-shirt in

question:

I’ll enter ‘grassroot media’ on the first line of text and then a little more

wording underneath. You can choose from three different colours, but

being traditionalist I’m going for white:

41

Once I’m happy with the wording I’ll click next. Being tight I’ll click ‘Blank

Reverse side’ on the next screen – if you want to put something on the

back it will cost you more:

I then scroll down to the bottom of that page and click ‘next’.

By the magic of the internet a man is now wearing my t-shirt. If I’m happy

with it I check the ‘Online Proof Approval’ box and then ‘next’:

I then choose how many I want and of what size and click ‘next’.

As I’m doing it on a budget I just go for the basic material on the next

screen but you can upgrade if you like at this point. Bear in mind how

much you think people might pay for these t-shirts. I think a tenner

sounds about right so make sure your design comes in below this.

You’re then at your basket where you can edit the design, and also add

more sizes to the order.

Let me know how you get on, and whether you find the design & buying

process as easy as I have made it out to be on this article.

Call: 0800 8 20 21 22

Flexible payment plans, spread the cost across the season

or use your end of season Grassroot Media payments to

pay for your kit - email or call Mat Court for details

Long and short sleeves available

Quotes from our product testers:

...the quality is excellent......comfortable, lightweight and look

good...NOW IN SHORT SLEEVE TOO!!!

Style of

print

Heat

transferred

club crest

Heat

transferred

crest and

sponsor logo

Embroidered

club crest

Embroidered

club crest,

heat

transferred

sponsors logoCost per shirt

exc. VAT and

exc. delivery 11.80 14.16 13.57 15.93Cost per shirt

inc. VAT

exc. Delivery 14.16 16.99 16.28 19.12

Email: mcourt@grassrootmedia.com

VS Cricket is a new social media service to cricket clubs, players and fans giving

them the chance to discuss all things cricket from international level to local teams

44

Remember when Channel 4

broadcast the cricket and mambo

no5 was what we listened to prior

to start of play? Remember the

ground breaking graphics and

analysis that accompanied the

telecasts? Well the company

behind those stats and graphics

has just launched a social network

devoted to cricket and grass roots

cricket clubs in particular.

Virtual Spectator is an Australian

based sports graphics company

with offices in the UK and USA and

is well placed to develop

VSCricket.com, the cricket social

network.

It is early days but it is hoped that

VSCricket.com will become the

Facebook of cricket.

A welcome twist from a multi-

national company is that a core

element of the network is to

revenue share any advertising

income back to the grass roots

clubs that participate on the

network.

"The idea is obvious, most local

clubs have strong links to their

local communities and

VSCricket.com now gives

businesses in those communities a

vehicle by which they can support

their local clubs financially" said

Peter Lamb, CEO VS Europe Ltd.

A screen shot of a club page on

vscricket.com

“... a core element

of the network is

to revenue share any

advertising income

back to the

participating clubs...”

Each club that wishes to can have

their own page on VSCricket.com

where people can interact, post

photos, videos and links related to

the club. On each club page there

are advertising spots available and

for just £10 per month, local

businesses can sponsor their club.

The business gets their ad seen by

all who visit and use the page and

the club gets much needed

additional revenue (50%).

The more people use the network,

the greater value it will be to a

sponsor.

In addition, all clubs that are on

VSCricket.com will automatically

be entitled to a FREE Ipad based

scoring system developed

exclusively by Virtual Spectator for

VSCricket.com.

If clubs score their games using

this app, the scores will be

uploaded to the network and

displayed in the form of batting

and bowling cards on a clubs page.

This has a number of benefits:

.It means every team can see their

results in professionally produced

digital content

.More people will visit the page

every week to check stats

.Sponsors will get their ad seen by

a bigger audience

.It gives the smallest of clubs the

same scoring capabilities as

broadcast TV

The scoring app is due for release

in April 2014.

In addition to club pages, major

series will be covered. For instance

in the current Ashes series, Virtual

Spectator has a pundit at every

game who is posting match

summaries and photos through the

day.

Feel free to go over to

www.vscricket.com and have a

look around and see what it could

do for your club.

45

Colin Smith from Elvington & Tilmanstone Colliery Welfare Cricket Club

continues his monthly column with more tips for our clubs.

46

Colin Smith

Doing it for

the kids

One of the best grants you can go

for, if you are part of a youth sports

or activity club, is for an

aspirational day out to see your

heroes or to see where they play or

train players. Their is no better

feeling than giving a child a day

they will never forget, and to give

them a feeling of inspiration to

emulate their sporting heroes.

I have applied for a few grants that

have achieved this feeling. They

have been to Wembley for a

guided tour of the ground, to the

David Beckham Academy for a day

of football and to Wembley to see a

match. Two of these were achieved

by applying for grants. I will tell

you about one of them in this

article. It is the day at the David

Colin and his son, Dan (with David

Beckham in the background)

Beckham Academy in Greenwich,

London.

I submitted a grant application to

the Coalfield Regeneration Trust

Level 1 funding stream for £3,500

for a full day at the Academy for 33

children. The children were from an

underfunded area near Dover, Kent

where I live. The basis for the

funding was to give the children a

day they would never forget at the

football academy to inspire them to

be better human beings. Yes not

better footballers. The Academy

47

The day came when I was told we

had been successful with the grant

after I made a short presentation to

a panel of 12 people. Now let me

tell you when I was at school I don’t

think I could have made a

presentation to save my life. In fact

it would have scared me to death to

stand up in front of class and speak.

Now it doesn’t bother me at all in

fact I see it as a challenge.

Anyway we got the money and all I

can say the feeling was similar to

Tom Cruise’s famous Jerry McGuire

character when he famously said –

“show me the money.” There may

have been another word but I’ve

missed that out.

The day arrived for the trip and off

we went with 33 children and 18

adults in the hired coach. We got to

the Academy in good time and had

a good look around at the football

memorabilia on show – the famous

David Beckham football boot that

he wore when he scored the free

kick against Greece to qualify for

the World Cup, the Sports

Personality of the Year award he

won, the football boot he wore

when he scored from the half-way

line against Wimbledon, it went on

and on. The Academy rules were at

10am the place became a adult

free zone so the children were left

for a day of football and fun and the

didn’t just teach children football

skills it taught good life lessons

like not smoking, not drinking

excess alcohol, healthy eating,

good manners, respect, the

importance of school and of course

fitness. This personally was far

more important to me than football

alone. I must admit at the time I

didn’t think I would get the grant

which included the cost of travel to

the Academy, some 70 miles from

Dover, by a hired coach. At the time

the cost for each child to attend the

Academy was £85 and the coach

was £500 for the day.

Dan and Sandra Beckham

48

gone on to become one of the

youngest ever FA Level 1 coaches,

and now coaches his own Eythorne

Rovers under 12s team. He is only

17 now and a full time A Level

student. He also won the Kent FA

Young Volunteer of the Year Award

Under 18 Category in 2009 when

he was only 13. Now that is quite an

achievement for a 13 year old, and

no doubt the day at the David

Beckham Academy partly inspired

him to achieve this. Well done my

son – that’s my boy.

Above: the crowd we took to

Beckham’s. Below: Sandra Beckham

signing autographs with our boys

I am proud to say this was the best

grant I ever applied for as 33

children and 18 adults had a day

they will always remember with

great fondness and pride, and all

because I filled in a form and had

the guts to stand up in front of 12

assessors. As Jerry McGuire might

say ”give me the form.” I’ve left out

that word again.

adults were kicked out – that’s us

18 not the staff.

So good job we had a coach to hop

onto to go to Central London eh.

Good planning I think. Off we set to

go shopping and to see the sights

of London, a lovely meal in Covent

Garden, a few drinkies and back to

the Academy on the coach for the

4pm presentations by the children.

We got back in good time and each

child received a fantastic medal

presented by Sandra Beckham,

David’s mum. Nothing was too

much trouble each child had been

kitted out in David Beckham shirts,

had a healthy lunch, been taught a

few life lessons and had a great

footballing experience. I must say

Mrs Beckham was fantastic with the

kids she signed many hundreds of

autographs, made herself available

for a nice chat and was in fact the

last person to leave the arena at the

end of the day – what a great lady

and obviously very proud of her

son.

The medals and the memories of

the day will stay with our players

forever – I know now 4 years later

the kids still squeeze into their

David Beckham tops and look at

their medals from the day with

pride.

One of these children is my son,

Daniel, who I am proud to say has

49

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

South Loughton CC: @southloughtoncc

Southgate Compton CC: @sccricketclub

Stapleton CC: @stapletoncc

Steeple Langford CC: @steeplelangford

Sussex County FA: @sussexcountyfa

Tynedale CC: @tynedalecc

Westinghouse CC: @westinghousecc

Whickham CC: @whickhamcc

Winterbourne CC: @winterbournecc

Woodnesborough FC: @woodiesfc

Worlington CC: @worlingtoncc

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 @grassrootmediaGrassroot Media recommends:@birminghamfa@fvhtweets@sussexcountyfa@meadonscricket@4grants@chance2shine@vscricketsn

The Secret

Non-League

Footballer

Rich Get Rich,

Poor Get Poorer

I was laying on the sofa on Monday

thinking how Macclesfield Town or

Kidderminster Harriers were not

granted televised replays in the FA

Cup. The underdogs battling away

from home after earning all-

important second matches with

Sheffield Wednesday and

Peterborough United respectively.

Great spectacles, surely?

Each month we print an article from the excellent Secret Footballer

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

So I asked for the thoughts of my

followers on Twitter. Many had the

same view … “not surprised”,

“disappointing”, “selfish”, “wrong”

…

But surely the broadcasters in

question, ITV and BT Sport, at least

let the fixtures cross their minds?

Instead of choosing the Manchester

City v Blackburn Rovers and

Fulham v Norwich City games.

Or did they? Are they thinking

about the drama of the Cup or the

money they can make? And who’s

to say that they are wrong?

I do feel the pain from the

supporters of both “Macc Town”

and “Kiddy”. The money that they

would receive from the cameras

being present – £72,000 each from

the FA Cup live broadcast fund –

would generate so much towards

their financial status.

52

Particularly Macclesfield, who I

believe are in a very precarious

position right now. If it wasn’t for

their run in the Cup already, they

would be on their arses.

Not only would this money help the

club to pay off debts but it would

also put the players and fans in a

more stable position, knowing that

their club is safe.

“...The money that

they would receive

from the cameras

being present –

£72,000 each from the

FA Cup live broadcast

fund...”

Are we surprised that ITV and BT

Sport haven’t picked the non-

leaguers for their replays? You

would like to think that everyone

would have the heart to pick them;

more so Macclesfield, who have

been in great form despite their

off-field distractions.

But you have to get back to reality

and take a closer look at the nature

of sports rights in today’s markets.

The Cup represents multimillion-

pound deals for both broadcasters.

They both earn money from

commercial contracts; they are not

charities but businesses. It may

sound harsh, almost brutal, but it is

true.

It’s clear that they see top-flight

teams, no matter what the fixture is,

to be of more value to them than a

real David v Goliath clash. This may

not give the Cup a great name,

which has been created by its

history and tradition. Nevertheless,

this happens when money talks.

And who do we blame for this in

modern football? Maybe neither of

these broadcasters.

“...And who do we

blame for this in

modern football?...”

The picking progress clearly has

more depth to it, going all the way

back to when Sky began making

football rich. I’m no genius when it

comes to broadcasting but a mate

of mine, who studied media at

university, ended up working in the

game and updated me on how it all

works.

Just to let you know, I expressed my

Web: thesecretfootballer.com Twitter: @tsfnonleague

Facebook: /TSFootballer

Looking ahead, BT Sport will

continue their coverage of the

famous competition for years to

come, but non-exclusively with the

BBC, a broadcaster that schedules

in the public’s best interests. So

they say.

Let’s hope that, when these tables

perhaps turn, the real stories of the

Cup will be shown live for our

viewing pleasure.

Regardless of the broadcasters

strategic plans, which involve them

making apparently selfish

decisions, I still feel very strongly

against this. It is a perfect example

of who and what is ruining today’s

game. It is the biggest issue in

football … money.

Why should the big clubs receive

most of it and not the small, lower-

league clubs? This produces an

ongoing effect, which ultimately

hinders the grassroots and non-

league levels.

Unquestionably, the smaller clubs

should get a fair share of the TV

games, to help keep them going

and stable. Unfortunately, this is not

the case.

Money has taken over the game

and is undoubtedly tarnishing it.

frustration at how no non-league

clubs have been televised and how

it would affect them. But it seems

that these guys in sports

broadcasting are very thick-

skinned.

For me, it would appear that the

pressure for competitors to keep

up with each other has made their

decisions all about impact. They

own the rights and they pay

enough for them.

So they must have plans on how

they make money with them,

whether commercially or via their

other products such as broadband,

etc.

Just look at Manchester United.

They are always picked for TV

games because they rate the best,

in the Premier League or Cup. This

will never change.

BT Sport has provided great

exposure for non-league football.

The coverage is better than any we

have seen for a long time at this

level. And, as a player, it’s nice to

play in front of the cameras.

It gives you that extra buzz,

knowing that they are there and the

fact that your friends and family are

watching … as well as the rest of

the nation.

Web: thesecretfootballer.com Twitter: @tsfnonleague

Facebook: /TSFootballer

Grassroots

facing up to

its fear factor

Last month I wrote a piece on

grassroots football for The Secret

Footballer. As not all of you would

have seen it I thought I’d copy and

paste it in to the magazine. Please

feel free to let me know what you

think – it’s given me some ideas on

what we can do as a group of clubs,

both football and cricket, some of

which I’m going to try to implement

in 2014.

Grassroots facing up

to its fear factorby Matthew Court

What do you think of when you

hear the word “grassroots”? This is

This article is lifted from The Secret Footballer ‘s website,

www.thesecretfootballer.com

what the Cambridge Dictionary

thinks of it: “The ordinary people in

a society or an organisation …”

But from a football perspective,

aside from agreeing with me that

the people who put on grassroots

football are far from “ordinary”,

what do you think or feel when you

hear the word?

I feel this: fear.

I’m not fearful of grassroots

football. I run a business involved

with it, with the aim of driving more

funds and ideas into the game.

Rather, I am fearful for grassroots

football. I fear for a good number

of the grassroots clubs that have

done so much for people involved

with them past, present and future.

I’m just one person but I’m going

to give you what I think are some of

the problems facing grassroots

55

football. And it’s not just about

money or lack thereof, which too

many seem to think is the panacea

for all of grassroots football’s ills.

These are some of the problems we

face:-

• Too many parents putting too

much pressure on kids to win

and/or abusing often young

match officials.

• Too many clubs treating on-field

results too seriously.

• The cost of pitch hire and club

costs rising each season.

• The difficulties faced by clubs

trying to get revenue trickling

into their bank accounts to

counter the money streaming

out.

• The lack of time we are all faced

with in this fast-paced self-

centric world we seem to be

living in now.

I believe we need to give

grassroots clubs what they need to

be more sustainable, to help them

continue to keep going the game

that has given so many of us so

much. We need to help the clubs

increase their income and reduce

their outgoings.

“...We need to help

the clubs increase

their income and

reduce their

outgoings...”

The funny thing is that this wouldn’t

cost much in terms of money, it

would just take a bit of hard work

from the right people “in charge”. I

know this isn’t fashionable among

today’s short-term political and

social models, where everything is

about the next election or making

as much fame/money as quickly

and easy as possible.

But we need to look at this through

a long-term lens because, in 50

years, I worry that we may not have

the game as we know it.

Sport England funds are allocated

on a four-year cycle and that’s not

long enough in my book. We need

to have longer and more consistent

periods of funding for more clubs,

to let them plan well ahead.

Football is meant to be the national

game and I think the grassroots

clubs that help make it happen

should be treated appropriately.

There is a campaign to make the

Premier League give some of its

56

cash to grassroots clubs. It’s a nice

idea but I think that even if it’s

successful in forcing a debate in

the House of Commons, do we

really believe the politicians could

or would want to do anything about

it?

The Premier League isn’t about a

game now. It’s an industry above

and beyond the reach of

politicians, the FA and anyone else

who wants to try to tell it what to

do.

And do you know what I say to that?

Good on it.

I don’t think you can blame it for

raking in the cash and power when

companies are rightly queuing up

to hand over multimillion sums of

money to access its audience.

“...The Premier

League isn’t about a

game now. It’s an

industry above and

beyond the reach of

politicians...”

And you can’t blame the players for

securing the best deals possible

for them, no matter how populist

this wage-bashing has become

over the last ten years.

I can’t blame the Premier League

for the grassroots’ issues. Instead, I

feel we should be looking at some

aspects of the Premier League as

an inspiration for the grassroots

game; chiefly, the way it realised

what it was good at delivering …

and then got paid handsomely to

deliver it.

That said, I think that there is now a

lack of sentiment at the higher

levels of the game, which is a

shame and sets it apart from the

rest of football.

“... There is now a

lack of sentiment at

the higher levels of

the game, which is a

shame and sets it

apart from the rest of

football...”

This this leads me on to a story I

would like to share with you …

At a recent funeral I attended, for

one of the long-serving members

of my old cricket and football club,

I looked around the packed room –

it wasn’t small – and realised the

power of that club, and the tens of

thousands of other club s like it

57

across the land, to bring otherwise

unconnected people together.

The power that cannot be

measured in Olympic legacy

reports or participation surveys.

The power that is deeper than any

£ sign. The power that lies beneath

each club that comes from the

people who make that club, the

people who make grassroots sport

in general and the people who are

made from such clubs.

All football clubs were born out of

their local communities, Premier

League and grassroots included.

They serve their local community

but also exist because of their

community.

And in some cases, the community

exists because of their club. This is

what I fear we could lose if we do

not address the grassroots issue.

Now.

There is no shortage of enthusiasm

and willing to do good among the

estimated 400,000 volunteers at

clubs in the UK but they need

guidance from the people who can

help them, the people at the top.

“...There is no

shortage of

enthusiasm and

willing to do good...”

Yet if the “powers that be” aren’t

prepared to help this army of

volunteers, then they will pay the

price by losing their control over

the game.

Whether this will come about

because the grassroots game

disappears as we know it due to

there simply not being as many

football clubs around in years to

come, or whether it will be

because clubs come to understand

the power they have as a collective

group and realise they deserve

better, I don’t know.

What I do know is the clubs and

volunteers on which the grassroots

game – and therefore football –

depends need not only more

funding coming in but also more

help, support and advice when it

comes to bringing running costs

down and generating more

sustainable income themselves.

Grassroots football is simply too

important to its players, volunteers

and fans for the powers that be to

let it down. After all, where do they

think the “customers” of the future

will come from?

You can read more football-related

content at

www.thesecretfootballer.com I also

recommend reading his books, I

Am The Secret Footballer and Tales

from the Secret Footballer.58

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).

Football Trophies from £2.60 each

Cricket Trophies from £2.87 each

Trophy Cups from £4.04 each

Glass Awards from £3.19 each

Crystal Awards from £6.74 each

Medals from £0.71 each

7.5% DISCOUNT, FREE ENGRAVING ON CENTRE PLATES AND FREE CENTRE DISKS

FOR ALL GRASSROOT MEDIA CLUBSTo make a purchase with the discount please call

Andreas on 07852 895114 for priority service

Web: www.michaelstrophies.co.ukTelephone: 020 7735 2386

Michael’s Trophies & Engraving - a family run business since 1962