Our society no longer allows for street football or playground football in the way that it used to. These environments have been replaced by more ordered and structured football practices, usually lead by adults. As well as reducing the time available for children to play and learn football, the adult-centred environment is often also more pressured, more restrictive, and less fun. Far too often, adults put winning at the top of our agenda. For example, if a child in a game has the ball near his own goal, the parents will shout ‘Kick it!’ from the sidelines and they are very happy when the child hits the ball as far up the field as they can. The child, responding to the parents’ anxiety, learns to boot the ball up the field as far as they can each time they get it. Creating anxious children. "There’s a great poster I saw recently that sums this up. It was designed for the parent’s viewing area at an Academy: A picture of a little child sitting under a tree reading a book, with a caption – ‘You wouldn’t shout at me while I’m learning to read!’”  WE ARE A 100% NON COMPETITIVE ASSOCIATION. WITH TEAMS STARTING FROM UNDER 8'S TO UNDER 11s WHO PLAY 7-A-SIDE AND ALSO HAVE UNDER 12s WHO PLAY 11-A-SIDE. THIS TRANSITION WE FEEL HELPS KIDS FOOTBALL DEVELOP BETTER FROM THE SMALL SIDED GAME TO THE BIG GAME. WE HAVE PROVED THIS IS A POSITIVE PATHWAY THROUGH MANY TEAMS WHO HAVE LEFT US LIKE CLYDEBANK UTD UNDER 13s WHO WON THE GLASGOW CUP AT THE NEW TORYGLEN VENUE NEAR HAMPDEN AND THE RANGERS CUP, BARRHEAD BOYS CLUB AT UNDER 13s LAST SEASON WERE LEAGUE WINNERS AT THE PAISLEY & DISTRICT YFL AND CUP WINNERS TOO. ALSO ST ANDREWS BOYS CLUB WHO FINISHING AT UNDER 12s WITH US WON A PRESTIGIOUS DUTCH TOURNAMENT BASED IN HOLLAND... ALL THESE TEAMS CAME THROUGH OUR LEAGUE AND ARE SHOWING, LIKE MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE GRADUATED VIA THE JOHNSTONE AND DISTRICT YOUTH LEAGUE ARE DOING VERY WELL AND COMPETE, PLAY-FAIR, BUT MOST OF ALL INHERIT OUR FUN STRATEGY OF LEARNING THE "BEAUTIFUL GAME" OF FOOTBALL, WHICH IS OF COURSE OUR NATIONAL SPORT... WE HAVE OVER 165 TEAMS AND NEARLY 2000 KIDS PLAYING IN OUR WELL RUN AND HISTORIC LEAGUE, WE HAVE NUMEROUS BOYS CLUBS WHOM ARE QUALITY MARKED VIA THE S.F.A. FROM ALL AROUND OUR DISTRICT AND BEYOND INCLUDING ST MIRREN FC WHO ARE DEDICATED TO SUPPORT US AND HAVE TEAMS PLAYING IN OUR LEAGUE... OUR COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF INDIVIDUAL MATCH SECRETARIES, TREASURER,CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER, LEAGUE SECRETARY, VICE CHAIRMAN AND CHAIRMAN GIVING US 9 IN TOTAL OF OFFICE BEARERS WHOM GIVE UP THEIR TIME VOLUNTARILY AND FREE TO RUN THIS NON-PROFIT MAKING YOUTH LEAGUE... WE THE COMMITTEE ARE PROUD TO SERVE THIS WELL ESTABLISHED LEAGUE AND WILL BE HAPPY TO ADVISE ANYONE SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON THE ETHOS OF SAFE,SECURE FUN FOOTBALL FOR KIDS... THE DURATION OF OUR LEAGUE IS THE START OF SEPTEMBER RUNNING THROUGH TO THE END OF JUNE... The J&DYDL is not responsible for the content of external internet sites |