LSFA Report 2016-17
A copy of this report can be downloaded as a word document;
LSFA REPORT 2016-17
The Report of the Lancashire Schools’ Football Association 2016-2017
Presented by Mike Timberlake, Secretary, Lancashire Schools’ F.A. at the Annual General Meeting, Monday 26 June 2017, President’s Suite, Lancashire Football Association.
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. Council Meetings:
During Season 2016-2017, the LSFA Council met on four occasions at the Lancashire Football Association, The County Ground, Leyland as follows:
Mon. 12.09.16. (8 present)
Mon. 07.11.16. (6 present)
Mon. 13.03.17. (7 present)
Mon. 15.05.17. (6 present)
Attendance at meetings was as follows:
LSFA Officers:
Chairman, Andy Clitheroe: 3
Vice-Chairman, Andy Buckingham: 3
Secretary / Competition Secretary, Mike Timberlake: 4
Treasurer, Andy Buckingham: 3
Senior Advisor, Mike Duffy: 2
Child Welfare Officer, Neil Yates: 0
District Council Members:
Blackburn and Darwen, Andy Buckingham: 3
Blackpool, Ben Lavelle: 0
Burnley, Marshall Holding: 0
Chorley, Neil Black: 4
Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, Andy Kelly: 0
Lancaster and Morecambe, Dave McFall: 0
Pendle, Mike Timberlake: 4
Preston, Paul Whelan: 2
Rossendale, Roger Haythornthwaite: 0
South Ribble, Andy Clitheroe: 3
West Lancashire, Nick Ford: 0
Co-opted Members of the Council:
Roy Blacktop: 4 Senior Council Member, Consultant: Under 18 Boys
Nick Birchall: 2 Lancashire Football Association
Stewart Clitheroe: 0 Consultant: Under 18 Boys
Keira Davis: 0 Team Manager, Under 16 Girls
Andrew Mercer: 0 SGO Representative, Primary Schools
Alastair Mollon: 0 Assistant Team Manager, Under 18 Boys
Mike Nadal: 3 Team Manager, Under 16 and Under 14 Girls / LFA
Peter Seed: 0 Chairman, Girls’ Football
Mike Whitworth: 0 Team Manager, Under 14 Girls
The LSFA Council was represented at the following meetings during the season:
ESFA AGM, London, 10 September 2016: Mike Nadal, Mike Timberlake
NCSFA AGM, Huddersfield, 13 June 2016: Mike Duffy, Mike Timberlake
The County Competitions: number of entries.
Primary Schools League 7 associations
Luther Mercer Primary Cup 7 associations
ESFA District Qualifier 6 associations
ESFA Primary Schools’ Qualifier 13 schools
Wrennall Cup (Under 14 district teams) 5 associations
Lancashire Cup (Under 15 district teams) 4 associations
Under 12 County Cup 60 schools
Under 13 County Cup 57 schools
Under 14 County Cup 49 schools
Under 15 Boys’ County Cup 47 schools
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup 47 schools
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup for Schools 18 schools
Under 12 Girls’ County Cup 34 schools
Under 14 Girls’ County Cup 35 schools
Under 16 Girls’ County Cup 24 schools
LSFA Roll of Honour for County Cup Competitions 2016-2017
Under 12 Girls’ 5-a-side Indoor Competition held at the Blackburn Soccerdome
Friday 27 January 2017. Official: Norman Edmondson
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: Corpus Christi High School, Preston
Under 12 Girls’ Open Cup (7 a side) held at St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Friday 24 March 2017. Officials: Shane Drinkwater (St.Bede’s), Joseph Ince (St.Bede’s)
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: St.Augustine’s High School, Billington
Under 14s Girls’ Open Cup held at Darwen Football Club
Wednesday 16 May 2017. Officials: Sohail Asghar, Dave Hesketh, Daniel Sanderson
Presentation: Mike Whitworth (Team Manager, Lancashire U14 Girls)
Winners: Haslingden High School
Under 16s Girls’ Open Cup held at Darwen Football Club.
Thursday 18 May 2017. Officials: Tony Parr, Norman Edmondson, Dave Shaw
Presentation: Roy Backtop (Senior Council Member)
Winners: Lytham St.Annes High School
Under 12 Boys’ 5-a-side Indoor Competition held at the Blackburn Soccerdome
Thursday 26 January 2017. Officials: P.E. Staff
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Under 12 County Cup (7 a side) held at St Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Friday 28 April 2017: Officials: Shane Drinkwater (St.Bede’s), Joseph Ince (St.Bede’s)
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: Archbishop Temple High School, Preston
Under 13 County Cup (The Kay Cup) held at Darwen Football Club
Tuesday 23 May 2017. Officials: Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby, Dave Shaw
Presentation: Neil Black (Under 14 County Team Manager)
Winners: Moorland School, Whalley
Under 14 County Cup (The Jim Tolson Cup) held at Darwen Football Club
Wednesday 24 May 2017. Officials: Oliver Reynolds, Joe Kirkley, Jack Sowerby
Presentation: Mike Duffy (Senior Adviser)
Winners: Morecambe High School
Under 15 County Cup (The Jim Hayhurst Shield) held at Darwen Football Club
Thursday 25 May 2017. Officials: Paul Malliband, Sohail Asghar, Dave Hesketh
Presentation: Andy Clitheroe (Chairman / Under 16 County Team Manager)
Winners: Darwen Vale High School
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup (The Daily Dispatch Shield) held at Darwen Football Club
Thursday 04 May 2017. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Ollie Holland, Hanaan Ul Haq
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: St.Augustine’s High School, Billington
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup (LSFA Shield) held at Darwen Football Club
Thursday 11 May 2017. Officials: Daniel Sanderson, Tony Parr, Phil Rigby
Presentation: Roy Blacktop (Senior Council Member)
Winners: Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School
LSFA District Competitions Roll of Honour 2016-2017
Under 15 Boys’ Lancashire League Winners (The Timberlake Trophy):
Winners: Preston SFA
Under 14 Boys’ Wrennall Cup League Winners (The Dick Clegg Shield):
Winners: South Ribble SFA
Under 15 Boys’ Lancashire Cup held at Darwen Football Club
Monday 22 May 2017. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Sohail Asghar, Paul Malliband
Presentation: Andy Clitheroe (Chairman / Under 16 County Team Manager)
Winners: Rossendale SFA
Under 14 Boys’ Wrennall Cup held at Darwen Football Club
Wednesday 16 May 2017. Officials: Daniel Sanderson, Sohail Asghar, Ollie Holland
Presentation: Roy Blacktop (Senior Council Member)
Winners: Burnley SFA
LSFA Primary School Competitions
Under 11s Primary Inter-District League Champions: Preston SFA
Under 11s Primary Inter-District Cup (The Luther Mercer Shield) held at
Friday 19 May 2017, Brinscall Village JFC
Officials:Josh Rigby, Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary) and Match Officials
Winners: Preston SFA
The Under 11s Inter District 7-a-side Competition & ESFA Qualifier
Winners: West Lancashire S.F.A.
Under 11s Primary Schools 7-a-side IDI Trophy & ESFA Qualifier held at the JMO Sports Park, Skelmersdale.
Saturday 28 January 2017. Officials: Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby, Paul Rushton
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary) and Competition Officials
Winners: Briercliffe Primary School
Results of the Lancashire Schools’ Football Association Finals
Under 14 Girls’ County Cup Final:
Haslingden High School 5 Archbishop Temple 2
Under 16 Girls’ County Cup Final:
Lytham St.Annes 1 Parklands High School 1 (After Extra Time)
Lythan St.Annes won 6-5 on penalties
Under 13 County Cup Final:
Moorland School 7 Broughton High School 0
Under 14 County Cup Final:
Morecambe High School 3 St.George’s High School 0
Under 15 County Cup Final:
Darwen Vale High School 3 Blessed Trinity College 2 (After Extra Time)
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup Final:
St.Augustine’s High School 2 Corpus Christi High School 1
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup Final:
Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School 3 Clitheroe Royal Grammar School 2
Lancashire Cup Final:
Rossendale 1 West Lancashire 0
Wrennall Cup Final:
Burnley 2 Rossendale 1
Luther Mercer Cup Final:
Preston 2 West Lancashire 1
The County Representative Teams
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 14 Boys’ Representative Squad
The following boys represented the county during season 2016-2017:
- Harvey Berry Blackpool
- Jack Boult West Lancashire
- Oliver Burgess Blackpool
- Tom Claxton Burnley
- Lewis Coulton South Ribble
- Luke Derbyshire Chorley
- Owen Dodgson Lancaster and Morecambe
- Lewis Edgar Lancaster and Morecambe
- Ciaran Duffy Blackpool
- Ethan Fineran-Smith Burnley
- Joel Lloyd Burnley
- Brandon Lonsdale Burnley
- Jak McKinlay Burnley
- Alex Nuttall Rossendale
- Charlie Oldham Chorley
- Miles Preston Burnley
- Declan Preyzner Blackpool
- Akiel Raffie Chorley
- Joe Rodwell Rossendale
- Kyle Sharkey Preston
- Luke Stowe Burnley
Under 14 Boys’ Competition Results: P W D L F A
4 3 0 1 8 3
Friendly Matches:
v Bolton Wanderers FC at Bolton Wanderers FC Academy won 6-0
v Fleetwood Town FC at Poolfoot Farm won 1-0
v Bolon Wanderers FC at Bolton Wanderers FC Academy won 3-2
ESFA National Trophy:
R1 v Cleveland at the JMO, Skelmersdale won 3-0
R2 v Greater Manchester at Wright Robinson College won 3-1
R3 v Merseyside at Poolfoot Farm won 1-0 (AET)
Semi-Final v Berkshire at Poolfoot Farm lost 1-2
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 16 Boys’ Representative Squad
The following boys represented the county during season 2016-2017:
- Jack Armer Rossendale
- Jack Baxter South Ribble
- Max Broughton Rossendale
- James Cottam Preston
- Josh Gilmore Preston
- Tom Hesketh South Ribble
- Louis James Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
- Jerome Jolly Preston
- Olivier Jumeau Lancaster and Morecambe
- Kyle Kirnon Preston
- Sam Maddox Preston
- Cian Menzies Blackpool
- John-Jo Morris Blackpool
- Dan Moss Blackpool
- Precieux Ngongo Blackburn with Darwen
- Alex O’Neill West Lancashire
- Will Pitt Preston
- Josh Pollard Blackpool
- Hafizul Rahman Blackburn with Darwen
- Dante Rhodes Preston
- Kasom Shah Burnley
- Nathan Shaw Blackburn with Darwen
- Lewis Simmons Blackpool
- Harry Unsworth South Ribble
- Owen Watkinson Preston
- Kieron Whittaker Pendle
- Ben Winterbottom South Ribble
Under 16 Boys’ Competition Results P W D L F A 7 5 0 2 20 10
Friendly Matches:
v Fulwood Amateurs FC at Fulwood Amateurs FC won 5-2
v Bamber Bridge FC at Preston’s College won 6-0
v Preston North End FC at Uclan lost 1-2
v Burnley FC at the JMO, Skelmersdale drew 2-2
v Blackpool F.C. at Myerscough College lost 2-3
Northern Counties’ Championship:
Group Matches:
v West Yorkshire at the JMO, Skelmersdale won 6-3
v Cheshire at Vauxhall Motors FC won 2-0
v Merseyside at the JMO, Skelmersdale won 1-0
v Greater Manchester at Wright Robinson College lost 2-3
Semi-Final:
v Northumberland at the JMO, Skelmersdlae won 6-0
Final:
v Cleveland at Padiham FC won 2-0
ESFA National Trophy:
R2 v Greater Manchester at the JMO, Skelmersdale lost 1-4
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 18 Boys’ Representative Squad
The following boys represented the county during season 2016-2017:
- Adam Bolton Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
- Dan Brady Ormskirk Sixth Form College
- George Byrne Blackpool Sixth Form College
- Conor Docherty Lancaster and Morecambe College
- Joel Drewery Lancaster and Morecambe College
- Will Fraser-Gray Lancaster Royal Grammar School
- Dan Gray Cardinal Newman College
- Joe Hamilton Lancaster and Morecambe College
- Zack Hargreaves Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School
10. Alex Heredia-Kaye Lancaster and Morecambe College
11. Kai Leyland Blackpool Sixth Form College
12. Kyle Preece Blackpool Sixth Form College
13. Matt Richardson Blackpool Sixth Form College
14. Adam Scott-Rattray Blackpool Sixth Form College
15. Tom Southern Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
16. Joe Stanley Ormskirk School Sixth Form College
17. Aiden Whitehead Preston’s College
18. John Woodhead Lancaster and Morecambe College
Under 18 Boys’ Competition Result P W D L F A
1 0 0 1 1 2
Friendly Match:
v Fleetwood Town FC at Wren Rovers FC won 4-2
ESFA National Trophy:
R1 v Merseyside at Wren Rovers FC lost 1-2
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 16 Girls’ Representative Squad
The following girls represented the county during season 2016-2017:
- Isabelle Atkinson South Ribble
- Gabby Barker Rossendale
- Emma Bradley Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
- Amy Edmondson Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
- Abigail Fenton Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
- Emma Fulton Chorley
- Maddie Hadley Blackpool
- Michaela Halsey Preston
- Sadie Mitchell Pendle
- Kadie Morrison Blackpool
- Kaya-Lilly Pottinger Blackburn with Darwen
- Olivia Powell West Lancashire
- Melissa Robertson South Ribble
- Millie Schofield Burnley
- Sophie Slater Blackpool
- Ellie Spooner Blackpool
- Eve Sutcliffe South Ribble
- Courtney Woodhead Chorley
Under 16 Girls’ Competition Results: P W D L F A
3 2 0 1 11 3
Northern Counties Championship:
v Cheshire at Nantwich Town FC won 6-1
v Merseyside at Daren FC won 4-0
Semi-Final v Durham at Uclan lost 1-2
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 14 Girls’ Representative Squad
The following girls represented the county during season 2015-2016
- Isobel Brand Lancaster and Morecambe
- Chloe Broughton Rossendale
- Annabel Colin Lancaster and Morecambe
- Mary Collier Preston
- Georgia Drinkwater Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
- Jessica Eastwood South Ribble
- Kia Hacking Rossendale
- Aimee Hodgson Lancaster and Morecambe
- Charlotte Lewis Preston
- Tahnee Lucas Blackpool
- Alyssa Mae-Aherne Pendle
- Imogen Maguire Chorley
- Keisha Masterson Blackpool
- Grace Mills Rossendale
- Cara Milne-Redhead Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
- Menna Shirass Preston
- Emily Slater Blackpool
- Megan Tracey Blackburn with Dawren
- Lauren Tunstall Preston
- Lauryn Wood Preston
- KaitlinWoodhead Chorley
Under 14 Girls’ Competition Results: P W D L F A
5 4 0 1 8 3
Friendly Matches:
V Worcestershire at Littleton Town FC won 1-0
v Staffordshire at Brocton FC won 5-2
ESFA National Trophy:
R1 v Merseyside at the Liverpool Soccer Centre won 5-2 (pens) after 0-0
R2 v Greater Manchester at Darwen F.C. won 1-0
R3 v Durham at Durham University won 4-1
SF v Worcestershire at Redditch United F.C, won 3-0
Final v Kent at Birmingham City F.C. lost 0-2
Report on Season 2016-2017
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association continues to be one of the most successful counties for schools’ football in England. The major achievements of our County Teams during the season were:
Under 14 Boys: ESFA Semi-Finalists
Under 16 Boys: NCSFA Champions
Under 14 Girls: ESFA Finalists
Under 16 Girls: NCSFA Semi-Finalists
The combined results in competitive matches of our five county teams reveal the following statistics:
Played: 20
Won: 14
Drawn: 0
Lost: 6
Goals For: 48
Goals Against: 21
Congratulations to all the County Players who represented Lancashire Schools’ Football Association during the season and congratulations also to the members of all our Management Teams without whom the above results would not be possible. We continue to be fortunate to have Management Teams of the highest calibre in Lancashire and the success of county football is due to the expertise, knowledge and guidance of the Management Teams combined with the ability of the players selected.
The members of our Management Teams are as follows:
Under 14 Boys: Neil Black, Andy Buckingham, Andy Kelly
Under 15 Boys: Neil Black, Andy Buckingham, Andy Kelly
Under 16 Boys: Andy Clitheroe, Roger Haythornthwaite, Gareth Gray
Under 18 Boys: Paul Bradley, Andy Buckingham, Alistair Mollon
Under 14 Girls: Mike Nadal, Mike Whitworth, Ellie Hilton, Sam Yates
Under 16 Girls: Keira Davis, Amy Foxcroft, Sam Yates
Lancashire Under 14 Schoolgirls
Lancashire Under 14 Girls reached the Final of the English Schools’ Football Association Inter-County Trophy for the SIXTH successive year, a remarkable achievement!
Following thorough selection trials, training and tough friendly matches away to Staffordshire and Worcestershire, the Management Team of Mike Nadal and Mike Whitworth were able to select the squad of girls destined to reach the ESFA National Final once again.
Following narrow victories in very difficult games away to Merseyside and at home to Greater Manchester, the girls had relatively comfortable wins away to Durham and Worcestershire to reach the ESFA National Final.
In the English Schools’ F.A. Final at St.Andrews, the home of Birmingham City F.C., the Lancashire Girls were very unfortunate, despite thorough preparation for the final, to lose 0-2 to Kent. On the day the Lancashire Girls were the better footballing side but contrived to miss clear-cut chances which allowed Kent to win the trophy.
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association would like to thank the girls for representing the county during the past season and we look forward to watching them display their skills either at Under 14 or Under 16 level next season.
Lancashire Under 16 Schoolgirls
Following the trials, the Management Team of Keira Davis and Amy Foxcroft were able to select a strong squad of girls with some girls having played for the county during the previous season at either Under 16 or Under 14 level.
With Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire again not having representative teams, Lancashire completed relatively easy victories over Cheshire and Merseyside to win the North-West Group and earn a home semi-final against Durham.
In the semi-final Lancashire were the better footballing side but Durham defended well to proceed to the final and end Lancashire’s domination of the Northern Counties’ Competition which Lancashire had won for the past five years. Durham went on to defeat Northumberland 3-1 in the final.
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association would like to thank the girls for entertaining us throughout the season with their superb footballing skills. We look forward to watching some of the girls play for Lancashire next season and wish the girls who are leaving school every success in their future lives and careers. We hope that they continue to play football at the highest possible level.
International Honours
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association would like to congratulate Abigail Fenton and Melissa Robertson on their selection to represent England Under 15 Schoolgirls during Season 2016-2017, a great honour for the girls themselves, their families, their schools and their county.
Lancashire Under 14 Schoolboys
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. fielded an Under 14 Boys’ County Team for the third time. Following the coaching course and county trials, the Management Team of Neil Black, Andy Buckingham and Andy Kelly were able to select a strong squad with plenty of promise for the forthcoming season.
Three excellent victories in friendly matches led to comfortable wins against Cleveland away and Greater Manchester at home in the opening rounds of the ESFA Trophy. The Round 3 game at home to a very strong Merseyside team was much more difficult but the Lancashire Boys showed great determination to win the game 1-0 after extra time. The semi-final defeat at home to Berkshire was disappointing as Lancashire were the better footballing team on the day but succumbed to the physical approach of the Berkshire team and to their long-ball tactics from which both Berkshire goals were scored.
The Lancashire Boys also took part in the NCSFA Football Festival in Manchester along with teams from Cleveland, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The Lancashire boys showed their class at the festival and were the best team on the day, comfortably beating Cleveland and Greater Manchester and drawing with Merseyside.
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association would like to thank the boys for representing the county during the past season and we look forward to meeting them again during the next two seasons.
Lancashire Under 15 Schoolboys
The Under 14 Boys’ County Squad from 2015-2016 took part in an Inter-County Football Festival held at Hurworth, the training ground of Middlesbrough F.C. along with County Teams from Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Merseyide and North Yorkshire. Although some boys were injured and others unavailable, the boys who took part in the tournament played well and the festival was a well-organised and useful event.
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association would like to thank the boys for representing the county in the festival and look forward to seeing the boys at the trials for the Under 16 County Team at the beginning of Season 2017-2018.
Lancashire Under 16 Schoolboys
Following the early July coaching course and trial matches against Bamber Bridge F.C., Blackpool F.C., Burnley F.C., Fulwood Amateurs F.C. and Preston North End F.C. the Management Team of Andy Clitheroe and Roger Haythornthwaite were able to select a strong squad for the coming season.
In the Northern Counties’ Competition the Lancashire Boys started well and recorded two excellent victories against West Yorkshire at home and Cheshire away. Having exited the ESFA Trophy in December, the boys regrouped to defeat Merseyside in January to win the North-West group despite losing the last group game away to Greater Manchester. In the semi-final Lancashire then demolished Northumberland before proceeding to clinch the Championship with a relatively comfortable win against Cleveland in the final.
Lancashire made an early exit from the ESFA Trophy, losing at home to the eventual finalists Greater Manchester. Lancashire were disappointingly not at full strength for this second round game and could have achieved a great deal more in this competition if all the boys had been available for this opening match.
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association would like to thank the boys for representing the county during the past season and wish them every success as they embark on the next stage of their careers.
Lancashire Under 18 Schoolboys
Following the trial and a friendly match against Bolton Wanderers F.C. the Management Team of Paul Bradley, Andy Buckingham and Alastair Mollon were able to select a squad which looked stronger and more competitive than in previous years.
However, having lost narrowly to Merseyside in Round 1 of the ESFA Trophy, there was a lack of commitment and communication which resulted in Lancashire being unable to field a team against Merseyside in the Northern Counties’ group match with Lancashire consequently being withdrawn from the competition.
Lancashire Schools’ Football Association would like to thank the boys who played for the team during the season. Some of the boys will be available to play again next season and we wish the boys who are leaving their school or college every success in their future lives and careers.
Ben Lavelle
The former Lancashire Schools’ Under 16 Boys’ Manager Ben Lavelle has just completed his first year as the Manager of the England Schools’ Under 18 Boys’ Team. Under Ben’s leadership the England boys recorded excellent victories over Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales with just one defeat against Northern Ireland. England and Northern Ireland went on to share the Centenary Shield with 9 points each.
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. would like to congratulate Ben on becoming the England Team Manager and wish him every success for next season. We hope to stage Ben’s final match as the England Manager at Fleetwood Town F.C.
The LSFA County Cup Finals and District Finals
All the County Cup Finals, the Lancashire Cup and the Wrennall Cup Finals were played at Darwen Football Club and the Under 11 Luther Mercer Final was again played at Brinscall Village Junior Football Club. The Under 12 seven a side Finals (boys and girls) were again played at St.Bede’s High School Blackburn. The Under 12 five a side Finals (boys and girls) were played at the Blackburn Power League. The Under 11 District Finals and the Under 11 Schools’ Finals were played at the JMO, Skelmersdale. There were many excellent cup finals and we are very grateful to all clubs, organisations and schools for allowing us to stage our finals at excellent venues.
Discipline
LSFA has opted in to the ESFA centrally managed discipline season. All discipline reports in Lancashire should now be sent to ESFA and dealt with accordingly by them. It is essential that all schools and districts continue to be aware of this new procedure for the coming
season. At county level there were very few problems of discipline with very few yellow cards being awarded to county players.
Finance and the Future of LSFA, ESFA, etc.
LSFA are very grateful to the grants from ESFA and NCSFA which help to cover the cost of travel to away games and which also help to pay for grounds, officials and refreshments for our home games. We manage to stage our county cup finals with only a small loss and we thank the vast majority of parents and other supporters for willingly paying to watch the teams perform.
However, the scene is changing!
From Season 2017-2018, the English Schools’ Football Association will no longer award grants to districts. In future the grant money will be used to pay Grant Administrators up to £4000 per year for up to three years. An initial grant of £1000 will be made to counties meeting the service level agreement with a possible extra £1000 if counties complete the data collection form satisfactorily.
We are planning to appoint a Grant Administrator to develop Schools’ Football in Lancashire. The Grant Administrator will work as a full-time apprentice at the Lancashire Football Association and will hopefully be paid by ESFA (£4000 for three years) and the LFA (£2500 for two years). The present LSFA Council Members will work closely with the Grant Administrator for the next three years. It is then anticipated that the Grant Administrator will take over the organisation of schools’ football in Lancashire at the end of its Centenary Year!!
The Highlights of Season 2016-2017
- The sixth consecutive ESFA Trophy Final appearance by our Under 14 Girls, this time at St.Andrews, the home of Birmingham City F.C.
- The excellent victory by our Under 16 Schoolboys against Cleveland to become the Champions of the Northern Counties’ SFA Competition.
- The great commitment and expertise of our six county management teams, already highlighted in the report.
- Continued high levels of entry in our county cup competitions and the increased number of entries in the girls’ competitions.
- Continued good liaison with most of our professional clubs.
- The tremendous work of Andy Clitheroe as Course Director of our coaching course for the Under 16 Boys held at QEGS in July.
- The tremendous work of Neil Black as Course Director of our coaching day for the Under 14 Boys held at QEGS in August
- The extraordinary support given to the Secretary by the Senior Council Member Roy Blacktop at the County Cup Finals at Darwen Football Club. Roy was present at all nine of our County Cup Finals held at Darwen F.C. this season.
- Roy Blacktop was presented with his Long Service Award for 50 years active service to Schools’ Football by the ESFA Chairman Alan Johnston at Everton Football Club on Monday 22 May 2017.
10. Mike Timberlake was presented with his Long Service Award for 40 years active service to Schools’ Football by the ESFA Chairman Alan Johnston at Evertyon Football Club on Monday 22 May 2017.
The Lowlights of Season 2016-2017
- The withdrawal of the Lancashire Under 18 Boys’ Team from the Northern Counties’ Championship following poor communication and commitment from all involved. Lancashire Schools’ F.A. can only apologise to the Northern Counties Schools’ F.A. with the sincere hope that this action will not be repeated in the coming years.
- The disgraceful behaviour of some players and parents of West Lancashire Under 15 Schoolboys at the end of the Lancashire Cup Final at Darwen Football Club when West Lancashire had been defeated by Rossendale Schoolboys. Two West Lancashire boys were given red cards after the game and one West Lancashire boy received a yellow card after the game. The Match Official has sent in reports to the English Schools’ Football Association and the necessary action is awaited from ESFA.
- The low number of entries for the Lancashire and Wrennall Cups. From our eleven districts, only four took part in the Under 15 Lancashire Cup and only five took part in the Under 14 Wrennall Cup. The withdrawal of the grant from ESFA to districts will not improve this situation and the demise of district football has been predicted by many experienced colleagues.
- For the first time for many seasons, a Lancashire Schools’ F.A. Handbook was not printed with Burnley College unable to commit itself to printing the handbook this season. However, the LSFA website is now used as a source of information and a handbook is probably no longer required.
- The withdrawal of grants made to districts by ESFA from the end of Season 2016-2017.
Acknowledgements
The final section of this report is to thank the many individuals, clubs, companies and associations who have helped Lancashire Schools’ F.A. deliver its programme during season 2016-2017. The perennial hope is that no-one has been omitted:
- Andy Clitheroe for his work and support as Chairman of LSFA.
- Roy Blacktop for all his work and advice as Senior Council Member of LSFA
- Mike Duffy for his expertise and advice as Senior Advisor of LSFA
- Peter Seed for his invaluable assistance as the Chairman of Girls’ Football.
- The English Schools’ F.A.: Darren Alcock, Dave Ebberson, Sue Gifford, Lorna Blakeman, Dawn Howard, Sarah Kearney, Ed Mitchell and Andy Weston for their help and guidance throughout the season.
- The Northern Counties Schools’ F.A., especially Peter Tracey and Chris Newman
- Accrington and Rossendale College for all their support, especially with the Under 16 and Under 14 Girls’ County Teams.
- County Secretaries in the Northern Counties’ Association and across the country for their assistance in organising games often under difficult circumstances.
- The Lancashire FA and its officers, particularly Roger De Nobrega, Nick Birchall, Mike Nadal and Andrew Whitaker.
10. Our physiotherapists Fran Hall, Zara Harrison, Sian Johnson and Luke Smith for their invaluable support given to the LSFA Management Teams.
11. Dave Hesketh of Preston Referees’ Society and Jez Simpson of Lancaster Referees’ Society for appointing match officials to our county matches and cup finals.
12. Brinscall Village J.F.C.., Darwen F.C., Padiham F.C. and Wren Rovers F.C. for allowing us to use their grounds for county matches and county cup finals.
13. Bamber Bridge F.C., Blackpool F.C., Bolton Wanderers F.C., Burnley F.C.., Fleetwood Town F.C., Fulwood Amateurs F.C. and Preston North End F.C. for providing opponents for friendly matches.
14. Officials at the Blackburn Power League for allowing us to use their centre for the Under 12 Boys’ Five a Side Competition.
15. Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn, the Head Teacher, sports and ground staff for the use of such excellent facilities for the LSFA Summer Coaching Course, ESFA and LSFA trials.
16. Mark Hilton and Bishop Rawstorne High School, Croston for the use of their 3G pitch.
17. St Bede’s High School, Blackburn, especially Chris Bentley and John Turner, for organising the use of the 3G for our Under 12 seven a side Finals.
18. The JMO Sports’ Park, Skelmersdale, especially Charlie Haynes, for use of the 3G pitches for County Matches and the Under 11 Danone Cup Competitions.
19. Staff at the Shovels’ Pub, Squires Gate, for providing refreshments after county matches.
20. Craven Stationery, Skipton for printing our County Match Programmes.
21. Tony Greenwood of Kipax Photography for taking photos at our county games and cup finals.
22. Teachers at all levels, primary to tertiary, school team to district and county representative sides in their various roles as coaches, managers, administrators.
23. Head Teachers and Principals in our schools and colleges for their support in the release of players and staff for matches.
24. The AOTTs who are now helping schools’ football in various capacities
25. Parents, families and supporters of players at all levels for their friendship and support in a long but successful season.