Hutchy Vale article

[Liberal Hibby]

Interesting article about Hutchison Vale on the beeb: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47962601. You can probably get two Hibs teams out of their numbers...

[PaulSmith]

Hutchie Vale actively encourage their players not to sign for any Scottish club and hawk them to to English academies.

They are hardly working in the best interests of Scottish Football.

[The dalmeny]

Hutchie Vale actively encourage their players not to sign for any Scottish club and hawk them to to English academies.

They are hardly working in the best interests of Scottish Football.

More a reflection on Scottish Clubs set up I suspect.

[BILLYHIBS]

A lot of hard working Coaches from the sixties that never got a mention Dougie Allan, Jimmy Reynolds and Mr Rudd to name but a few

:thumbsup:

[beensaidbefore]

Wonder how many times they won trophies playing overage players. Seemed to be the done thing there for a while. Maybe went on other places too but the win at all costs mindset didn't exactly set a good example to players left behind.

Before anyone asks, I never played for them, so it's not sour grapes.

[Hibby Bairn]

Wonder how many times they won trophies playing overage players. Seemed to be the done thing there for a while. Maybe went on other places too but the win at all costs mindset didn't exactly set a good example to players left behind.

Before anyone asks, I never played for them, so it's not sour grapes.

That’s cos you weren’t good enough 😀

[GreenArmy1875]

Wonder how many times they won trophies playing overage players. Seemed to be the done thing there for a while. Maybe went on other places too but the win at all costs mindset didn't exactly set a good example to players left behind.

Before anyone asks, I never played for them, so it's not sour grapes.

Was that not at Gothia cup?

[silverhibee]

Was that not at Gothia cup?

Yeah.

[Chuck Rhoades]

https://mobile.twitter.com/BBCScotland/status/1121835907831803904?s=01

[Ozyhibby]

Interesting article about Hutchison Vale on the beeb: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47962601. You can probably get two Hibs teams out of their numbers...

A lot of the players on the Hutchie roll of honour came from other clubs and arrived at Hutchie as teenagers. They are pretty aggressive recruiters the further up the age groups you get.
Still a great club though.


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[Spike Mandela]

F*** Hutchy, I’m a Salvy boy all day long.😜

[bigwheel]

F*** Hutchy, I’m a Salvy boy all day long.[emoji12]

Nae medals? [emoji6]

[Spike Mandela]

Nae medals? [emoji6]

😂😂We owned Hutchy in my day. Twice Scottish Cup winners.⚽️🥇

[bigwheel]

😂😂We owned Hutchy in my day. Twice Scottish Cup winners.⚽️🥇


:wink: same team as Kano?

[beensaidbefore]

That’s cos you weren’t good enough 😀

That's very true. 🤣🤣

[Onceinawhile]

The article was based on a video from a view from the terrace on the BBC Scotland channel.

If you haven't been watching it on a Friday night, you should start doing so.

[bingo70]

Anyone seen the stuff kicking off about Hutchie Vale on social media over the last wee while?

Fairly brutal texts from the coaches kicking out players for their subs being late, telling them that they’ve let their team down and to return their kit to the club.

The club have come out and released a statement saying they’ve had to get police involved as there has been bullying of the coaches going on.

Never seemed a nice club to me, regardless of their defence of the situation, the texts they sent should never have been sent to a kid. (Sorry, not sure how to post a picture from my phone)

[matty_f]

Anyone seen the stuff kicking off about Hutchie Vale on social media over the last wee while?

Fairly brutal texts from the coaches kicking out players for their subs being late, telling them that they’ve let their team down and to return their kit to the club.

The club have come out and released a statement saying they’ve had to get police involved as there has been bullying of the coaches going on.

Never seemed a nice club to me, regardless of their defence of the situation, the texts they sent should never have been sent to a kid. (Sorry, not sure how to post a picture from my phone)

I saw that last night as well, clearly there's two sides to the story so I'm reluctant to judge - but safe to say that I agree with you about the text that was sent, it was out of order IMHO and didn't cast Hutchie Vale in a good light at all.

[GreenCastle]

Pretty poor putting a text like that on social media.

Both sides should have spoken in person.

Seems a bit of a witch hunt.

Hutchy are like the SFA - stuck in their ways but the talent produced can’t be over looked with minimal resources.

Nearly every club in Scotland will have some stories about them - doubt many are completely squeaky clean when it comes to approaching players etc.

Hutchy do need to look ahead though and a basic facility would be a start - many other clubs have hubs through funding etc but HV still struggle to get pitches / operate out the old wooden hut.

The club like the SFA probably need fresh leadership as they will continue to have the stigma about them.

[bingo70]

Pretty poor putting a text like that on social media.

Both sides should have spoken in person.

Seems a bit of a witch hunt.

Hutchy are like the SFA - stuck in their ways but the talent produced can’t be over looked with minimal resources.

Nearly every club in Scotland will have some stories about them - doubt many are completely squeaky clean when it comes to approaching players etc.

Hutchy do need to look ahead though and a basic facility would be a start - many other clubs have hubs through funding etc but HV still struggle to get pitches / operate out the old wooden hut.

The club like the SFA probably need fresh leadership as they will continue to have the stigma about them.

Have they produced that much talent though or do they just recruit from other clubs very well and then release the ones that they don’t think will make it?

Genuine question, that’s always been my perception of them but not sure if that’s fair or not.

[Onceinawhile]

I saw that last night as well, clearly there's two sides to the story so I'm reluctant to judge - but safe to say that I agree with you about the text that was sent, it was out of order IMHO and didn't cast Hutchie Vale in a good light at all.

You haven't paid your subs for June... It's the 3rd of the month!

[GreenCastle]

Have they produced that much talent though or do they just recruit from other clubs very well and then release the ones that they don’t think will make it?

Genuine question, that’s always been my perception of them but not sure if that’s fair or not.

I don’t know.

But many pro clubs claim they have found talent when the hard work was done at other clubs.

Hibs Ladies for example do this a lot by saying girls academy product when they have picked them up from local teams who have done the coaching. You see it on Twitter all the time in football.

You could argue certain players actually get ruined once they move to a HV or senior ladies team as they are given worse coaching / confidence is knocked as they are aren't treated as well as they should.

Happens all the time in football and is a major issue why Scotland does have talent at youth levels but it’s messed up in the middle / older youth levels at clubs / pro clubs by bad coaching / advice / environment and we wonder why Scotland can’t qualify for tournaments. By the way that’s just one single reason but a pretty important one.

[bingo70]

I don’t know.

But many pro clubs claim they have found talent when the hard work was done at other clubs.

Hibs Ladies for example do this a lot by saying girls academy product when they have picked them up from local teams who have done the coaching. You see it on Twitter all the time in football.

You could argue certain players actually get ruined once they move to a HV or senior ladies team as they are given worse coaching / confidence is knocked as they are aren't treated as well as they should.

Happens all the time in football and is a major issue why Scotland does have talent at youth levels but it’s messed up in the middle / older youth levels at clubs / pro clubs by bad coaching / advice / environment and we wonder why Scotland can’t qualify for tournaments. By the way that’s just one single reason but a pretty important one.

Suppose that’s my point, Hutchie Vale seem to position themselves as some elitist club, almost like a pro club do.

Imo clubs like that should exist for the whole community and not just for the best kids.

I don’t think Hutchie Vale are the only club like that but they’ve certainly got the reputation for being the worst for it.

[GreenCastle]

Suppose that’s my point, Hutchie Vale seem to position themselves as some elitist club, almost like a pro club do.

Imo clubs like that should exist for the whole community and not just for the best kids.

I don’t think Hutchie Vale are the only club like that but they’ve certainly got the reputation for being the worst for it.

Success - how you define that ?!

Comes with jealously.

I think HV are at a serious crossroads though as they need to get with the times whether they like it or not as there are many attractive nice 3G pitches out there with good club facilities and parents etc will over time go to these places.

If the council / HV were on the same page they should just build a hub at Saughton - new 3G Stand etc but for various reasons it won’t happen.

[Ozyhibby]

You haven't paid your subs for June... It's the 3rd of the month!

£40 a month is expensive for your kid to play football.


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[bingo70]

Success - how you define that ?!

Comes with jealously.

I think HV are at a serious crossroads though as they need to get with the times whether they like it or not as there are many attractive nice 3G pitches out there with good club facilities and parents etc will over time go to these places.

If the council / HV were on the same page they should just build a hub at Saughton - new 3G Stand etc but for various reasons it won’t happen.

I suspect I would define success very differently from those at Hutchie Vale.

Based purely on outside perception I would describe the likes of Spartans of having a successful club as they appear to be a real community club that is catering for all kids, not just the ones they think will make it.

I’ve no idea if they’ve ever produced a pro player or not but for me, that level should be about allowing as many kids as possible to play and enjoy football.

I appreciate that’s not for everyone though.

[Benny Brazil]

£40 a month is expensive for your kid to play football.


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It's not in the context of the bigger name youth clubs in Edinburgh though.
I agree this isnt something that should have been shared on social media and should have been dealt with "in house" so to speak.
As a youth coach myself I have nothing but respect for others, regardless of what club it is, who willingly give up their own time to coach youth footballers with little or no thanks - all coaches will make mistakes and handle things badly at times. We are only seeing one side of the story here so shouldn't really judge HV on this.

[Mcpakeisgod]

Have they produced that much talent though or do they just recruit from other clubs very well and then release the ones that they don’t think will make it?

Genuine question, that’s always been my perception of them but not sure if that’s fair or not.

From what I’ve witnessed at inch colts it tended to be hutchie picked up the really good players from our/other clubs then a year /2 later they were off to hibs/hearts initiative. Scott Robinson being one. Callum booth is another they approached, thankfully he knocked them back! It was always big talk when they picked up other lads from leith/tynecastle in our age group.

However it’s worth noting that they always were the strongest team regardless during my time ( long long ago)

However that’s only my personal experience.

[Blaster]

£40 a month is expensive for your kid to play football.


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It is ozy but the money clubs have to pay out is ridiculous. I know the club my son is involved in paid out something like £28k to the council in one year for pitch rental etc. This was for both training and games and was for all their teams but it’s a fair whack of money

That was 3 years ago so I expect that cost has increased

[bingo70]

It is ozy but the money clubs have to pay out is ridiculous. I know the club my son is involved in paid out something like £28k to the council in one year for pitch rental etc. This was for both training and games and was for all their teams but it’s a fair whack of money

That was 3 years ago so I expect that cost has increased

Be really interesting to see how that compares to the top countries.

In fact it would be interesting to see how it compares to football teams in Iceland.

[Onceinawhile]

£40 a month is expensive for your kid to play football.


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Absolutely - I don't think I've put my intended point across correctly - I mean it's ridiculous that they are punting them for being at most, three days late on the subs. Seems ridiculous.

I wonder if they have to pay extra for the strip? Our subs are £20 a month (Bathgate Thistle 2010s), but we had to pay extra for the strip.

[Ozyhibby]

It is ozy but the money clubs have to pay out is ridiculous. I know the club my son is involved in paid out something like £28k to the council in one year for pitch rental etc. This was for both training and games and was for all their teams but it’s a fair whack of money

That was 3 years ago so I expect that cost has increased

I agree on that, it’s not just pitch hire. The SFA coaching courses cost a fortune, then there is the PVG compliance, Positive coaching Scotland courses, referees, kits, balls, cones etc. It def costs a lot of money.
But £40 is a good bit more than other clubs in the same league with better facilities.


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[Blaster]

I agree on that, it’s not just pitch hire. The SFA coaching courses cost a fortune, then there is the PVG compliance, Positive coaching Scotland courses, referees, kits, balls, cones etc. It def costs a lot of money.
But £40 is a good bit more than other clubs in the same league with better facilities.


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Definitely. I think we pay £23 a month

[Brightside]

Anyone seen the stuff kicking off about Hutchie Vale on social media over the last wee while?

Fairly brutal texts from the coaches kicking out players for their subs being late, telling them that they’ve let their team down and to return their kit to the club.

The club have come out and released a statement saying they’ve had to get police involved as there has been bullying of the coaches going on.

Never seemed a nice club to me, regardless of their defence of the situation, the texts they sent should never have been sent to a kid. (Sorry, not sure how to post a picture from my phone)

Wasnt it sent to parents? Its a bit out of order but ive been on the other end with parents not paying subs for months and that not fair on all the other kids in the squads.

[Brightside]

£40 a month is expensive for your kid to play football.


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Most 11s team pay around that per month. Pitches cost a huge amount of money now.

[bingo70]

Wasnt it sent to parents? Its a bit out of order but ive been on the other end with parents not paying subs for months and that not fair on all the other kids in the squads.

Went to the kids I think.

I realise there’s a bigger picture and more to the situation than just these fees being late but it’s a shocker of a message to send, sounds like the kids were leaving at the end of the season anyway so the comment about letting the team down was unnecessary and out of order.

[green day]

Went to the kids I think.

I realise there’s a bigger picture and more to the situation than just these fees being late but it’s a shocker of a message to send, sounds like the kids were leaving at the end of the season anyway so the comment about letting the team down was unnecessary and out of order.

The text I saw said "You have not paid your subs for the month of June, so your son can not play for Hutchison Vale"

So it looks like it was sent to a parent that hadnt paid the subs.

[The dalmeny]

Most 11s team pay around that per month. Pitches cost a huge amount of money now.

A tenner a week, 2 /3 2 hour sessions a week and a 2 hour pitch hire for a game. Even at 7 hours a week that's 1.50 ish an hour. What other activities can be done at that cost?

[BigKev]

Going back to my day Hutchie had the likes of Darren Dods and Gary Locke and they always used to try and poach players from the other top clubs at the time (Salvesen, Cabin/Liberton Utd, Tynie, Edina etc) so it's always been their recruitment process to cherry pick the best of the rest.

I played with Salvi and was approached on the qt but told them to bolt as did a lot of my friends from a good Liberton Utd side which included Paul Sheerin.

I've always disliked them for it even though it was 30 years ago 😂

The fact they robbed us 2-1 in a Scottish Cup Final at under 15 level still annoys me to this day...

[Hibby Kay-Yay]

😂😂We owned Hutchy in my day. Twice Scottish Cup winners.⚽️🥇

Same here, had some great players in my Salvy team Scott Wilson, Greg Shiels and Steven Boyack who all made it professionally. Some others that were also great players but never made unfortunately. Managed by Benny Parry.

[hibee]

As far as I can see they don’t produce players, they just take them from other clubs so they’ve always got one of the top teams and if someone better comes along they just get rid of another player to fit them in.

This doesn’t just apply to HV though, lots of clubs are at it, my son has had two good teams ruined by other clubs taking half their team away. Both seasons this happened it was a coach from their own team leaving to set up with another club.

I don’t understand kids moving around all the time, they never really have a settled team, seems like everyone is stabbing each other in the back in youth football here and it’s not helping the kids develop.

[Iggy Pope]

😂😂We owned Hutchy in my day. Twice Scottish Cup winners.⚽️🥇

Gary McKay probably cherishes his.

[banarc7062]

Nae medals? [emoji6]

Was never the case in my sons years 9 to 14 playing for Salvi. Hutchi did not do so well against Salvi at that time. :wink:

[banarc7062]

Same here, had some great players in my Salvy team Scott Wilson, Greg Shiels and Steven Boyack who all made it professionally. Some others that were also great players but never made unfortunately. Managed by Benny Parry.
remember Benny very well. Great guy with the kids during my sons time 9 through to 14. :wink:

[The dalmeny]

As far as I can see they don’t produce players, they just take them from other clubs so they’ve always got one of the top teams and if someone better comes along they just get rid of another player to fit them in.

This doesn’t just apply to HV though, lots of clubs are at it, my son has had two good teams ruined by other clubs taking half their team away. Both seasons this happened it was a coach from their own team leaving to set up with another club.

I don’t understand kids moving around all the time, they never really have a settled team, seems like everyone is stabbing each other in the back in youth football here and it’s not helping the kids develop.

One of the HV teams has 4 or 5 kids with 10 years plus at the club and probably the same again with 5 years plus

[hibee]

I wasn’t referring to the HV teams I was talking about the teams that lose all these players every season and have to start again usually at short notice.

[The dalmeny]

I wasn’t referring to the HV teams I was talking about the teams that lose all these players every season and have to start again usually at short notice.

Ok just commented on the - they dont produce players bit.

[GreenArmy1875]

As far as I can see they don’t produce players, they just take them from other clubs so they’ve always got one of the top teams and if someone better comes along they just get rid of another player to fit them in.

This doesn’t just apply to HV though, lots of clubs are at it, my son has had two good teams ruined by other clubs taking half their team away. Both seasons this happened it was a coach from their own team leaving to set up with another club.

I don’t understand kids moving around all the time, they never really have a settled team, seems like everyone is stabbing each other in the back in youth football here and it’s not helping the kids develop.

Hutchie (like many clubs) spend most seasons rebuilding teams as the get raided by pro youth set up. They have to go get others players from other clubs if not they dont have a team. Nothing wrong with players signing for other teams IMO. It's not as if the kids are forced to sign. They move to bigger clubs to develop and win trophies.

[macca70]

HV seemed bitter that a large group are leaving at end of the season and the text seemed a bit OTT.

But there does seem to be 2 sides to this, if the boys still have 6 games to play in June including a cup final, maybe the parents were in the wrong to cancel the DIrect Debit.

Mental how much coverage this tiff between the coaches and a few parents has got on social media and in the press.

Played youth at Porty Thistle, the wee pitch at Brunstane opposite Asda!! We’d get pumped by double figures every time we played HV, Salvesen and Tynie!!

[Nelly070]

HV seemed bitter that a large group are leaving at end of the season and the text seemed a bit OTT.

But there does seem to be 2 sides to this, if the boys still have 6 games to play in June including a cup final, maybe the parents were in the wrong to cancel the DIrect Debit.

Mental how much coverage this tiff between the coaches and a few parents has got on social media and in the press.

Played youth at Porty Thistle, the wee pitch at Brunstane opposite Asda!! We’d get pumped by double figures every time we played HV, Salvesen and Tynie!!

I know someone who has been affected by this.
There has been 'stuff' going on behind the scenes at the 2006 age group and as a result of this the parents of 5 of the players were told that HV would not be re-signing them for next season, the reasons for this were not ability related.
Therefore the parents refused to pay the monthly dues for June, HV then sent messages asking for kits to be returned etc and 'expressed' their disappointment that other players in the current team have been let down as a result of the actions taken.

[GreenArmy1875]

HV seemed bitter that a large group are leaving at end of the season and the text seemed a bit OTT.

But there does seem to be 2 sides to this, if the boys still have 6 games to play in June including a cup final, maybe the parents were in the wrong to cancel the DIrect Debit.

Mental how much coverage this tiff between the coaches and a few parents has got on social media and in the press.

Played youth at Porty Thistle, the wee pitch at Brunstane opposite Asda!! We’d get pumped by double figures every time we played HV, Salvesen and Tynie!!


Just the world we live in these days. Small things blown well out of proportion by people who dont know the story.

[hibbysam]

Most 11s team pay around that per month. Pitches cost a huge amount of money now.

Pitches for community clubs aren’t that expensive to be fair for kids (£25-30 edinburgh leisure), most months 2/3 home games max. £40 per month from at least 20 boys is £800 every month, that’s absurd.

[Brightside]

Pitches for community clubs aren’t that expensive to be fair for kids (£25-30 edinburgh leisure), most months 2/3 home games max. £40 per month from at least 20 boys is £800 every month, that’s absurd.

What do they train on? Parents have no idea how much it costs to run an 11s team. You know refs get paid too yeh? League payments. SFA payments. Insurance. £ 40 a month for over 8 training sessions and 4 games minimum is nothing. Coaches courses? Or maybe those volunteering all their spare time should also pay for the privilege.

[lord bunberry]

The whole problem with Hutchie is that that they’ve set themselves up as an intermediate club. You have all the boys clubs and then you have the pro teams. Hutchie want to be the only or main team that supplies the pro clubs with players. They attract all the best players from the other boys clubs, by promising them the chance to make it, but the problem is that some of these young boys are getting better coaching at the club they’re already at. It’s laziness from the pro clubs that’s led to this problem and has allowed this situation to arise. Hutchie have got too far up there own arse imo.

[hibbysam]

What do they train on? Parents have no idea how much it costs to run an 11s team. You know refs get paid too yeh? League payments. SFA payments. Insurance. £ 40 a month for over 8 training sessions and 4 games minimum is nothing. Coaches courses? Or maybe those volunteering all their spare time should also pay for the privilege.

SFA, league and insurance are all paid at the start of the season, league £40, south east cup £10, syfa £36 and insurance around £200 for the season.

I run an amateur side where the costs are all far higher than this, pitches are double the price, league costs are more than double the price, SAFA registration is far higher, and I don’t take £40 a month off the boys, and I can guarantee Hutchy and their ilk receive far more in grants and sponsorship than I could dream of.

If you think they need £800 per month then fair play. A £20 signing on fee would cover all the pre season registrations and insurance costs. Your then talking running costs of £35-40 referee (if away, guessing their refs aren’t any cheaper than mine), £25-30 pitch (if home) and 1/3 of a 3G per training session is £15-20 for an hour.

Train 8 times and play 4 at those costs and by my maths it’s absolutely nowhere near £800, and the more games you play the less training sessions you’ll have as they’ll be midweek so the costs won’t change much from that.

If this is at every level, add that profit to sponsorships and grants that the club receive and they are making tens of thousands per season over the full club.

[Barnton Hibs]

SFA, league and insurance are all paid at the start of the season, league £40, south east cup £10, syfa £36 and insurance around £200 for the season.

I run an amateur side where the costs are all far higher than this, pitches are double the price, league costs are more than double the price, SAFA registration is far higher, and I don’t take £40 a month off the boys, and I can guarantee Hutchy and their ilk receive far more in grants and sponsorship than I could dream of.

If you think they need £800 per month then fair play. A £20 signing on fee would cover all the pre season registrations and insurance costs. Your then talking running costs of £35-40 referee (if away, guessing their refs aren’t any cheaper than mine), £25-30 pitch (if home) and 1/3 of a 3G per training session is £15-20 for an hour.

Train 8 times and play 4 at those costs and by my maths it’s absolutely nowhere near £800, and the more games you play the less training sessions you’ll have as they’ll be midweek so the costs won’t change much from that.

If this is at every level, add that profit to sponsorships and grants that the club receive and they are making tens of thousands per season over the full club.

They also charge the aforementioned £20 registration fee

[superfurryhibby]

What do they train on? Parents have no idea how much it costs to run an 11s team. You know refs get paid too yeh? League payments. SFA payments. Insurance. £ 40 a month for over 8 training sessions and 4 games minimum is nothing. Coaches courses? Or maybe those volunteering all their spare time should also pay for the privilege.

So, football costs will exclude those who can’t afford to pay? £40.00 is a lot to those that have little cash a few children to feed.

I played boys club football throughout my younger years. We never had a bolt in my house, boots were a regular christmas present or I got hand me downs. In the current age, from what you say, I couldn’t have afforded to play. There were no subs for Tynecastle BC in the 70’s. We trained at Saughton Park or ina wee hall at the teams clubhouse. Seemed to manage fine in terms of producing good players though.

[Danderhall Hibs]

£40 per month is a scandal - no doubt when our club teams get papped out of Europe before trades again or when Scotland don’t qualify again we’ll have a debate about how we can’t produce players but never get round to discussing how it’s only affordable to the middle classes. There must be countless players slipping through the net.

Really shows how valuable the work Andy McLaren, Brad Welsh and the likes do/done was.

[The dalmeny]

SFA, league and insurance are all paid at the start of the season, league £40, south east cup £10, syfa £36 and insurance around £200 for the season.

I run an amateur side where the costs are all far higher than this, pitches are double the price, league costs are more than double the price, SAFA registration is far higher, and I don’t take £40 a month off the boys, and I can guarantee Hutchy and their ilk receive far more in grants and sponsorship than I could dream of.

If you think they need £800 per month then fair play. A £20 signing on fee would cover all the pre season registrations and insurance costs. Your then talking running costs of £35-40 referee (if away, guessing their refs aren’t any cheaper than mine), £25-30 pitch (if home) and 1/3 of a 3G per training session is £15-20 for an hour.

Train 8 times and play 4 at those costs and by my maths it’s absolutely nowhere near £800, and the more games you play the less training sessions you’ll have as they’ll be midweek so the costs won’t change much from that.

If this is at every level, add that profit to sponsorships and grants that the club receive and they are making tens of thousands per season over the full club.

Are there many boys clubs with squads of 20 when you can only strip 16. My experience says kids not getting a game dont hang about. You can maybe justify 18 but not 20.

You've mentioned training 8 times. There are some teams training 3 times a week for 2 hours a session.

There seems to be an assumption all the subs are being to the club here. Is this the case. Dont just a portion go to the club with the remainder staying with the age group team so they can do something like hire a bus for a cup game?

Teams on cup runs play more games and yes this might mean some training is missed.

I pointed out earlier in the thread even paying 40 a month might only works out at 1.50 ish an hour which seems good value to me.

None of the above accounts for what the boys or girls want to do which is of course the main thing

[J-C]

Did Hibs not have a wee deal with Hutchy giving it then money and we had 1st pick of the best players, if that money's dried up then it has to come from somewhere. Maybe a few more jumble sales and signed football tops auctioned off to raise funds, that's what happened in the old days.

[ronaldo7]

I agree on that, it’s not just pitch hire. The SFA coaching courses cost a fortune, then there is the PVG compliance, Positive coaching Scotland courses, referees, kits, balls, cones etc. It def costs a lot of money.
But £40 is a good bit more than other clubs in the same league with better facilities.


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We pay £15 a month up until they go to 11 a side, it then goes to £35.

The facilities the boys and girls have are fantastic, we have an academy within the club to allow players to develop their technical skills, and ball mastery. We bring in expertise used by hibs to further develop players.

The costs of football festivals is mainly Bourne by fund raising, and flamingo land doesn't come cheap.

Im going on another sfa course which will be funded by the club. I've done 9 now.

We've lost several players to hibs and hearts, in the last couple of years, but nobody to hutchie. We also had a parent who's had their son at 5 teams before he reached the age of 8.

It's not always greener on the other side. I prefer a community club which works for the community.

[hibbysam]

Are there many boys clubs with squads of 20 when you can only strip 16. My experience says kids not getting a game dont hang about. You can maybe justify 18 but not 20.

You've mentioned training 8 times. There are some teams training 3 times a week for 2 hours a session.

There seems to be an assumption all the subs are being to the club here. Is this the case. Dont just a portion go to the club with the remainder staying with the age group team so they can do something like hire a bus for a cup game?

Teams on cup runs play more games and yes this might mean some training is missed.

I pointed out earlier in the thread even paying 40 a month might only works out at 1.50 ish an hour which seems good value to me.

None of the above accounts for what the boys or girls want to do which is of course the main thing

I’ve never known any club to train 3 times a week with games added on top of that. Even if you dropped it to a squad of 16 it’s still around £700 per month.

It doesn’t matter if they money stays in the team or in the club, it’s still a certainty that those will be making a huge profit from those subs.

At £700 per month they are guaranteed to be making £300/400 profit every month, and like I said that is before receiving grants and sponsorship which they all do. There’s no need for that at all at boys club level.

[superfurryhibby]

Are there many boys clubs with squads of 20 when you can only strip 16. My experience says kids not getting a game dont hang about. You can maybe justify 18 but not 20.

You've mentioned training 8 times. There are some teams training 3 times a week for 2 hours a session.

There seems to be an assumption all the subs are being to the club here. Is this the case. Dont just a portion go to the club with the remainder staying with the age group team so they can do something like hire a bus for a cup game?

Teams on cup runs play more games and yes this might mean some training is missed.

I pointed out earlier in the thread even paying 40 a month might only works out at 1.50 ish an hour which seems good value to me.

None of the above accounts for what the boys or girls want to do which is of course the main thing

Unless you come from a poor family, in which case it may be money your parents can't afford. Surprising as this may seem, there are plenty of low income families that struggle to equip bairns with the kit and manage subs.

[The dalmeny]

Unless you come from a poor family, in which case it may be money your parents can't afford. Surprising as this may seem, there are plenty of low income families that struggle to equip bairns with the kit and manage subs.

And a valid and fair point you've made

[Onceinawhile]

We pay £15 a month up until they go to 11 a side, it then goes to £35.

The facilities the boys and girls have are fantastic, we have an academy within the club to allow players to develop their technical skills, and ball mastery. We bring in expertise used by hibs to further develop players.

The costs of football festivals is mainly Bourne by fund raising, and flamingo land doesn't come cheap.

Im going on another sfa course which will be funded by the club. I've done 9 now.

We've lost several players to hibs and hearts, in the last couple of years, but nobody to hutchie. We also had a parent who's had their son at 5 teams before he reached the age of 8.

It's not always greener on the other side. I prefer a community club which works for the community.

9??? You must be just about on a pro licence by now?

Or have you been doing goalkeeper courses too?

[The dalmeny]

I’ve never known any club to train 3 times a week with games added on top of that. Even if you dropped it to a squad of 16 it’s still around £700 per month.

It doesn’t matter if they money stays in the team or in the club, it’s still a certainty that those will be making a huge profit from those subs.

At £700 per month they are guaranteed to be making £300/400 profit every month, and like I said that is before receiving grants and sponsorship which they all do. There’s no need for that at all at boys club level.

We'll agree to disagree then as my boy has been training 3 times a week for the last 3 seasons.

I do believe it matters if the money is with the team or the club. We have a parent treasurer who sends out a breakdown of costs every month. We can see where it's going. Likewise the parents agree the level of subs not the club.

Your comment will of course apply to any club charging 40 subs a month.

It seems we have different experiences which is life I suppose

[Hibby Bairn]

I’ve never known any club to train 3 times a week with games added on top of that. Even if you dropped it to a squad of 16 it’s still around £700 per month.

It doesn’t matter if they money stays in the team or in the club, it’s still a certainty that those will be making a huge profit from those subs.

At £700 per month they are guaranteed to be making £300/400 profit every month, and like I said that is before receiving grants and sponsorship which they all do. There’s no need for that at all at boys club level.

This just isn’t true. There are huge outlays with running s grassroots football team. Pitch hire, referees, kit, medical equipment, coaches kit, coach education, league fees, team registration fees,balls, bibs, cones, other equipment, insurance. Almost all will be doing well to break even.

[ronaldo7]

9??? You must be just about on a pro licence by now?

Or have you been doing goalkeeper courses too?

Online courses. I'll dig out my sfa course list if you want. 😂

[Brightside]

I’ve never known any club to train 3 times a week with games added on top of that. Even if you dropped it to a squad of 16 it’s still around £700 per month.

It doesn’t matter if they money stays in the team or in the club, it’s still a certainty that those will be making a huge profit from those subs.

At £700 per month they are guaranteed to be making £300/400 profit every month, and like I said that is before receiving grants and sponsorship which they all do. There’s no need for that at all at boys club level.

Ive had kids team doing 4 nights. 2 ball session and 2 conditioning session. Said team never got a penny in grants and sponsorship.

[hibbysam]

This just isn’t true. There are huge outlays with running s grassroots football team. Pitch hire, referees, kit, medical equipment, coaches kit, coach education, league fees, team registration fees,balls, bibs, cones, other equipment, insurance. Almost all will be doing well to break even.

Which were all outlined above. Fees, registration and insurance will be covered with their £20 signing on fees.
Pitch hire and referees were covered in my last post.
You buy equipment once possibly twice a season.
Kits are expensive, however I’ve yet to see a youth club not sponsored so majority of the cost is covered.
If you think that £4/500 profit every single month (after pitches, referees, training) will be spent on these things and they won’t break even then we have huge issues.

[hibbysam]

Ive had kids team doing 4 nights. 2 ball session and 2 conditioning session. Said team never got a penny in grants and sponsorship.

For 2 hours a night? And a game at the weekend? Although the thread is about HV and I know for a fact they get huge swathes of cash in grants and every single team in their setup has sponsorship deals for strips etc.

[Onceinawhile]

Online courses. I'll dig out my sfa course list if you want. 😂

I was just wondering as 9 seemed awfully high. I've only done my 1.1 and 1.2 - so I couldn't see where the other 7 would come from, that's all.

What kind of online courses have you been doing - and what have you found helpful? (If you don't mind me asking?)

[Pretty Boy]

Running a football teams is expensive. I took over a team at short notice a couple of seasons back and getting money from some folk was a nightmare. The same people had excuses week in, week out. IIRC we were £49 for a crap pitch at the Gyle or upwards of £80 for something half decent such as Peffermill. With the usual last minute calls offs and non payers I was quite often digging into my own pocket to pay for pitches and referees. When I finally chucked it I think i was about £200 of my own money down, that was money I'd subbed for pitches, refs and a few footballs I bought. To try and keep things manageable for everyone I was taking a fiver for a game and a fiver for training, when we could get numbers to justify it, which equates to about £40 a month and I certainly wasn't living a life of luxury on any profit.

The text doing the rounds from HV is very poor though. A couple of days into the month doesn't seem like they have given the parents much time to rectify the situation. Even if it was a recurring issue a bit of common courtesy to discuss the situation face to face would have seemed a better way to go about things. I'm not massively surprised though; I played for HV years ago and they are ruthless. 'Producing' good players may be a by products of what they do but they exist primarily to win things by any means.

[JimBHibees]

I was just wondering as 9 seemed awfully high. I've only done my 1.1 and 1.2 - so I couldn't see where the other 7 would come from, that's all.

What kind of online courses have you been doing - and what have you found helpful? (If you don't mind me asking?)

You also have to re-do them after a number of years which is imo a joke.

[bingo70]

For 2 hours a night? And a game at the weekend? Although the thread is about HV and I know for a fact they get huge swathes of cash in grants and every single team in their setup has sponsorship deals for strips etc.

I’ve found your posts on this topic quite interesting, as someone who’s only relatively recently started paying £25 a month for my boys football it hadn’t crossed my mind that it is turning into a middle class game and that kids who’s parents might be struggling could be left behind. My old boy couldn’t believe I was paying that much for a 6 year olds football class but he did back track a bit when he considered that in my day there wasn’t the all weather facilities my boy benefits from now.

Anyway, I’m curious what you think is happening with this money? Do you suspect someone at Hutchie (and other clubs who charge similar) will be skimming a wee bit off the top for their own income?

I’d have thought the accounts would be audited to make sure there was no funny business going on?

Reading that over again it looks a bit like a loaded question but that’s not my intention, genuinely curious as to what could be happening with all this money.

[Onceinawhile]

You also have to re-do them after a number of years which is imo a joke.

Not if you keep up with CPD. That's pretty common for any course or qualification you earn.

[ronaldo7]

I was just wondering as 9 seemed awfully high. I've only done my 1.1 and 1.2 - so I couldn't see where the other 7 would come from, that's all.

What kind of online courses have you been doing - and what have you found helpful? (If you don't mind me asking?)

PCS Values, and PCS mastery were decent. They run them at Tiny, so it's always good to have a curry prior to going to those ones.

The online ones are very basic and you don't learn much from them. We got Chalky white down to Pinkie to go through some of his SSG's and that was decent, and it fair puts the bairns through the mill. This is a regional event put on for our club, but I'm sure he'll do it elsewhere.

When are you doing your 1.3?

[Ozyhibby]

Another cost to factor in at that level is that some clubs have a paid head coach for their top team. It’s not a fortune but it still needs paid.


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[ronaldo7]

Another cost to factor in at that level is that some clubs have a paid head coach for their top team. It’s not a fortune but it still needs paid.


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2 pints at the AGM for us.:greengrin

[The dalmeny]

I’ve found your posts on this topic quite interesting, as someone who’s only relatively recently started paying £25 a month for my boys football it hadn’t crossed my mind that it is turning into a middle class game and that kids who’s parents might be struggling could be left behind. My old boy couldn’t believe I was paying that much for a 6 year olds football class but he did back track a bit when he considered that in my day there wasn’t the all weather facilities my boy benefits from now.

Anyway, I’m curious what you think is happening with this money? Do you suspect someone at Hutchie (and other clubs who charge similar) will be skimming a wee bit off the top for their own income?

I’d have thought the accounts would be audited to make sure there was no funny business going on?

Reading that over again it looks a bit like a loaded question but that’s not my intention, genuinely curious as to what could be happening with all this money.

With having a teenager paying 40 a month 25 seems a lot to me. But as I'm happy paying 40 it sounds like you're ok with 25.

I recently had another kids getting 1 2 1 and I'm sure it was 17 an hour just for a couple of sessions.

I think your skimming of the top comment is a bit harsh. Maybe it's not meant like that. If a coach is taking a team for 8 hours a week and doing admin on top of that is it really unreasonable for them to get some recompense?

[Ozyhibby]

2 pints at the AGM for us.:greengrin

Show off. I don’t even get that.[emoji23]


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[bingo70]

With having a teenager paying 40 a month 25 seems a lot to me. But as I'm happy paying 40 it sounds like you're ok with 25.

I recently had another kids getting 1 2 1 and I'm sure it was 17 an hour just for a couple of sessions.

I think your skimming of the top comment is a bit harsh. Maybe it's not meant like that. If a coach is taking a team for 8 hours a week and doing admin on top of that is it really unreasonable for them to get some recompense?

Just to clarify, it wasn’t a comment, it was a question.

I hadn’t given it a thought until this thread, but if the poster I quoted is correct then these clubs should have loads of money, which I don’t think they normally do so I was just wondering where else the money could be going?

[ronaldo7]

Just to clarify, it wasn’t a comment, it was a question.

I hadn’t given it a thought until this thread, but if the poster I quoted is correct then these clubs should have loads of money, which I don’t think they normally do so I was just wondering where else the money could be going?

Our £15 a month is was eaten up by the boys getting kitted out with new strips and training gear to the tune of £116

It doesn't take long for the money to run out, that's why we do lots of fundraising.

[Onceinawhile]

PCS Values, and PCS mastery were decent. They run them at Tiny, so it's always good to have a curry prior to going to those ones.

The online ones are very basic and you don't learn much from them. We got Chalky white down to Pinkie to go through some of his SSG's and that was decent, and it fair puts the bairns through the mill. This is a regional event put on for our club, but I'm sure he'll do it elsewhere.

When are you doing your 1.3?

I'm hoping to do it in the autumn. I coach 2010s, so we've just started the first season of 7-a-sides and I don't think 1.3 is needed until closer to the 9 or 11-a-side time, but I'd quite like to get as much knowledge as possible.

[ronaldo7]

I'm hoping to do it in the autumn. I coach 2010s, so we've just started the first season of 7-a-sides and I don't think 1.3 is needed until closer to the 9 or 11-a-side time, but I'd quite like to get as much knowledge as possible.

The SSG drills and Technical stuff we got from the regional course was good. If you pm some details, I'll see if I can get them to you.

Guid luck.

[hibbysam]

I’ve found your posts on this topic quite interesting, as someone who’s only relatively recently started paying £25 a month for my boys football it hadn’t crossed my mind that it is turning into a middle class game and that kids who’s parents might be struggling could be left behind. My old boy couldn’t believe I was paying that much for a 6 year olds football class but he did back track a bit when he considered that in my day there wasn’t the all weather facilities my boy benefits from now.

Anyway, I’m curious what you think is happening with this money? Do you suspect someone at Hutchie (and other clubs who charge similar) will be skimming a wee bit off the top for their own income?

I’d have thought the accounts would be audited to make sure there was no funny business going on?

Reading that over again it looks a bit like a loaded question but that’s not my intention, genuinely curious as to what could be happening with all this money.

I have absolutely no idea. I’d love to see the full one and outs though, like I say my experience is only from running an amateur side which for the weekly runnings such as pitches is far higher due to age group.

My figures are all fag packet stuff but I doubt they are far wrong and these larger youth clubs with an affiliation to a senior outfit get monetary grants and sponsorship through that.

I just think £40 is very high (although I’d pay it for anything my son/daughter wanted to do if they’d enjoy it) for youth football, and also feel training 3/4 nights a week is an awful lot when most kids will have other interests at that age plus having friends etc to see.

It’s an interesting subject though, and what it also highlights is how greedy the Edinburgh council are for cash from football clubs. Their recent change of policy on peak and off peak was ludicrous and pricing amateur and youth clubs out of parks in winter nights.

[Hibby Bairn]

Which were all outlined above. Fees, registration and insurance will be covered with their £20 signing on fees.
Pitch hire and referees were covered in my last post.
You buy equipment once possibly twice a season.
Kits are expensive, however I’ve yet to see a youth club not sponsored so majority of the cost is covered.
If you think that £4/500 profit every single month (after pitches, referees, training) will be spent on these things and they won’t break even then we have huge issues.

Take a 7-a-side team. Say they have 12 players paying £25 a month each. That is only £300 pm. Say they train twice a week for 1.5 hours (?) on a 3G that costs £30 an hour for a third of a pitch. That is 12 hours pm pitch hire for training. At £30 ph that is £360. Plus probably 2 home matches per month (?) which means another 2 hours pitch hire so another £60. Takes it all up to £420. And that is before any other costs. So on these numbers that wee team is already losing £120 pm...assuming all the parents pay on time 😀

[wookie70]

Take a 7-a-side team. Say they have 12 players paying £25 a month each. That is only £300 pm. Say they train twice a week for 1.5 hours (?) on a 3G that costs £30 an hour for a third of a pitch. That is 12 hours pm pitch hire for training. At £30 ph that is £360. Plus probably 2 home matches per month (?) which means another 2 hours pitch hire so another £60. Takes it all up to £420. And that is before any other costs. So on these numbers that wee team is already losing £120 pm...assuming all the parents pay on time 😀
That is my experience of running teams too. To keep it reasonable you need sponsors and fundraisers. And you are very right about parents paying. I've long thought that sporting activities should have the equivalent of a free lunch ticket which clubs can claim back. No Scottish kid should be excluded from sports on costs grounds

[Cod Boy]

I'm hoping to do it in the autumn. I coach 2010s, so we've just started the first season of 7-a-sides and I don't think 1.3 is needed until closer to the 9 or 11-a-side time, but I'd quite like to get as much knowledge as possible.

What club do you coach mate.

[Brightside]

I'm hoping to do it in the autumn. I coach 2010s, so we've just started the first season of 7-a-sides and I don't think 1.3 is needed until closer to the 9 or 11-a-side time, but I'd quite like to get as much knowledge as possible.

One coach must have 1.3 at 11s.

[Onceinawhile]

What club do you coach mate.

Bathgate thistle cfc. 👍

[Onceinawhile]

The SSG drills and Technical stuff we got from the regional course was good. If you pm some details, I'll see if I can get them to you.

Guid luck.

That'd be great, I'll drop you a pm.

[Benny Brazil]

One coach must have 1.3 at 11s.

Not sure that's right - we're moving up to 11's next season and our Chairman told me it's 1.2 is the minimum

[Brightside]

Not sure that's right - we're moving up to 11's next season and our Chairman told me it's 1.2 is the minimum

SYFA have said you have to have 1.3 One coach in each squad must have this at 11s. We had to get a few people quickly updated.

[ronaldo7]

SYFA have said you have to have 1.3 One coach in each squad must have this at 11s. We had to get a few people quickly updated.

:agree:

[Brightside]

Not sure that's right - we're moving up to 11's next season and our Chairman told me it's 1.2 is the minimum

Just a bot more on this...as long as you say you are booked on a course you should be fine for the season ahead. :wink:

[Tomsk]

Quality mark accreditation dictates the level of coaching certification required.

[Cod Boy]

Bathgate thistle cfc. 👍

👍my son plays 2010 for Currie Star.

[Brightside]

Quality mark accreditation dictates the level of coaching certification required.

Quality mark is dictated by level of coaching. League FA is dictating the 1.3 level per team. No matter what the quality mark of the team.

[Benny Brazil]

Just a bot more on this...as long as you say you are booked on a course you should be fine for the season ahead. :wink:

Ok I need to quickly get booked on 1.2 and 1.3 then 😁

[hibbysam]

Take a 7-a-side team. Say they have 12 players paying £25 a month each. That is only £300 pm. Say they train twice a week for 1.5 hours (?) on a 3G that costs £30 an hour for a third of a pitch. That is 12 hours pm pitch hire for training. At £30 ph that is £360. Plus probably 2 home matches per month (?) which means another 2 hours pitch hire so another £60. Takes it all up to £420. And that is before any other costs. So on these numbers that wee team is already losing £120 pm...assuming all the parents pay on time 😀

Apologies hadn’t put any thought into 7s age groups (not even sure what that is now 11 and under?).
I think all 3G surfaces in Edinburgh (1/3 pitch) are £15 though.
So our numbers are down to £30 for the 2 games and 12 sessions at £180.
Again, fag packet stuff but not sure if 3 hours per week would be too much training for a 7/8/9 year old? Not sure what they’re recommended.
So by your reckoning £25 per month would be about bang on (£90 profit before other costs).

[B.H.F.C]

Worst thing here is that kids are being priced out of playing football and that is shocking. Didn’t happen when I was a bairn and I’m not that old.

I don’t blame the clubs, it’s down to local authorities and the government to make it more accessible. They’re not interested. Summer holidays start in a few weeks and they’ll be making sure the goalposts in parks get taken down and gates to the various artificial surfaces will have the padlocks on.

[Benny Brazil]

Worst thing here is that kids are being priced out of playing football and that is shocking. Didn’t happen when I was a bairn and I’m not that old.

I don’t blame the clubs, it’s down to local authorities and the government to make it more accessible. They’re not interested. Summer holidays start in a few weeks and they’ll be making sure the goalposts in parks get taken down and gates to the various artificial surfaces will have the padlocks on.

Posts already down - we are not allowed to play any games on the grass pitches at Saughton

[Ozyhibby]

https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/17691770.how-hutchison-vale-are-bucking-a-trend-and/?ref=fbshr
PR fight back on now.


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[Tomsk]

Quality mark is dictated by level of coaching. League FA is dictating the 1.3 level per team. No matter what the quality mark of the team.

I've never heard of a league dictating certification levels. The SYFA require that a team should have a registered coach with a minimum 1.2 level certificate.

Quality mark is determined by a number of factors including coaching levels.

[Tomsk]

Ok I need to quickly get booked on 1.2 and 1.3 then 😁

Not necessarily. If someone within your team has a 1.2 certificate then you are covered. On the other hand, if your club is seeking to gain or maintain a certain quality mark a higher certification may be needed.

[Ozyhibby]

At our club we need at least one coach with 1.3 and another with at least 1.2, we also need a qualified first aider (two day course) and a child protection officer who is not on the coaching team (in our case it’s a parent who has done a half day course). We also have to have a team secretary who deals with paperwork, accounts, paying for refs and booking pitches etc.
We are lucky in that our head coach has his UEFA ‘A’ license and we have three other coaches who have 1.3.
All those courses cost money. Youth football is very expensive to run. Lots of guys talking about how it was free in their day but you also had a system that was wide open for some of the abusers we are now hearing about in the news.
We manage all this for about £30 a month but we have sponsors on top and we sometimes fundraise (something that also requires a lot of time and expertise).


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[superfurryhibby]

At our club we need at least one coach with 1.3 and another with at least 1.2, we also need a qualified first aider (two day course) and a child protection officer who is not on the coaching team (in our case it’s a parent who has done a half day course). We also have to have a team secretary who deals with paperwork, accounts, paying for refs and booking pitches etc.
We are lucky in that our head coach has his UEFA ‘A’ license and we have three other coaches who have 1.3.
All those courses cost money. Youth football is very expensive to run. Lots of guys talking about how it was free in their day but you also had a system that was wide open for some of the abusers we are now hearing about in the news.
We manage all this for about £30 a month but we have sponsors on top and we sometimes fundraise (something that also requires a lot of time and expertise).


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Undergoing a PVG check doesn’t stop perverts who’ve never been convicted?

Football has changed and whilst the mode of operating a modern boys clubs means subs, it potentially excludes families without the finances to pay.

[Ozyhibby]

Of course but that’s why we have child protection systems in place. It’s why each team has multiple coaches and an adult the kids can go to who is not a coach.
No system is fool proof but it’s a lot better than the way it used to be.


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[Onceinawhile]

Ozy, was it you who said the a licence qualified coach just sort of turned up with his kid one day and asked to help?

[Ozyhibby]

Ozy, was it you who said the a licence qualified coach just sort of turned up with his kid one day and asked to help?

Not sure. His kid does play for the team but we approached him to help.


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[ronaldo7]

Undergoing a PVG check doesn’t stop perverts who’ve never been convicted?

Football has changed and whilst the mode of operating a modern boys clubs means subs, it potentially excludes families without the finances to pay.

We don't just run "boys club's" these days. Community club's all over Scotland and their female members will be tuning in tomorrow to see their favourites. 👍

[wallpaperman]

We don't just run "boys club's" these days. Community club's all over Scotland and their female members will be tuning in tomorrow to see their favourites. 👍

Indeed, my daughter born in 2011 started playing in November, mixed teams, absolutely loves it. :agree:

In the winter they train on the AstroTurf for 1.5 hours once a week, Once the clocks go forward change to 1.5 hours twice a week on grass, games on Saturdays. All for £20 a month, tremendous value, with kit supplied as well.

That being said, 4 and a bit hours at soggy Wallyford today for a festival was a bit of an endurance, but the kids seemed to love it, and the medal at the end is really nice.

[ronaldo7]

Indeed, my daughter born in 2011 started playing in November, mixed teams, absolutely loves it. :agree:

In the winter they train on the AstroTurf for 1.5 hours once a week, Once the clocks go forward change to 1.5 hours twice a week on grass, games on Saturdays. All for £20 a month, tremendous value, with kit supplied as well.

That being said, 4 and a bit hours at soggy Wallyford today for a festival was a bit of an endurance, but the kids seemed to love it, and the medal at the end is really nice.

The fastest growing area of the game, and long may it continue. Mon the lassies.

[Hibby Bairn]

Worst thing here is that kids are being priced out of playing football and that is shocking. Didn’t happen when I was a bairn and I’m not that old.

I don’t blame the clubs, it’s down to local authorities and the government to make it more accessible. They’re not interested. Summer holidays start in a few weeks and they’ll be making sure the goalposts in parks get taken down and gates to the various artificial surfaces will have the padlocks on.

I ran 6 primary school football teams (with other volunteers) for 10 years (only stopped 6 years ago) at no cost to any child or parent. But school football has been diminished by SFA meaning more exclusion for those that cannot afford club monthly funds.