It's all about the love of the game for young footballers
YOU may not hear it much these days, but football really isn't all about winning – just take a look at the thriving junior scene.
YOU may not hear it much these days, but football really isn't all about winning – just take a look at the thriving junior scene.Every week, more than 2,000 youngsters turn out for their teams like clockwork come rain or shine, hell or high water, many without so much as a hope of victory.
Of course there are the "Manchester Uniteds and Chelseas" of the area such as Yaxley, Woodston Blue or Riverside Red, but there are also teams like Parkway Eagles, SSPIO or Coates – all three failed to pick up a single point last season.
So why bother? Why turn out to get beaten every week, often by the kind of numbers which wouldn't look out of place on a cricket field?
The simple answer is they do it for the love of the game and being part of a team with their mates – principles which have helped to make football the global phenomenon it is today.
Parkway Eagles in the Junior Alliance under 10 Red Zone are a prime example.
Sam Tibbett's young side lost all 18 of the games they played last season, shipping 136 goals on the way.
But that hasn't meant they've let their heads drop.
The Parkway boys may have only scored eight times this campaign, but each one of those rare gems has been priceless for Tibbett and his plucky players.
He said: "The boys go out there with a smile on their faces and just enjoy being part of it all. They know they are probably going to get beaten, but that doesn't stop them trying.
"Maybe we are not blessed with the most talent out there, but we have plenty of heart and although we don't score many, when we do get one it's like winning the World Cup – how do you put a value on that feeling?"
For these clubs, playing a team sport to learn the value of hard work, selflessness and honesty is its own reward.
With only so many trophies and medals to go round, those who find themselves mired at the wrong end of their table hit the pitch with entirely different rewards in mind.
Manager of Coates under-13s Gail Archer said: "We had a tough time of it after we lost almost our entire team at the end of last season.
"That meant we had to bring in players who would otherwise not have got a game and his has been tough but their attitude has been wonderful.
"For many of them it is the first time they have ever been in a team before and they have responded really well to that kind of responsibility. It helps them develop as people as much as it turns them into footballers, which is just as important.""It would have been easy for them to give up but they receive so much encouragement from other teams and referees that they plan to keep going next season even if we still haven't won a game.
"We all love turning up for matches, and while it would be nice to win the odd one, the team enjoys it and that is what it's all about."
And last season's strugglers have more in common than just their goals against column – without exception all believe that one day their luck will change.
SSPIO under 9s may have had a cruel introduction to organised football after losing every game of their debut season, but manager Enzo Spataro is confident his team won't be the whipping boys for long.
"We are a new side and like a lot of teams in this position we are having to accept that we will get beaten most weeks for the time being, he said.
"But that's not to say that I expect us to be in this position for long, everyone has to start somewhere, we are at least a year behind most of the teams, and that makes a huge difference at this age.
"Given time to develop, these players will come good, I am sure. They have a wonderful attitude and always enjoy and look forward to their football no matter what the results have been like – a year down the line we will be a completely different side."
Dickie has seen it all through the years
ONE man who knows the ups and downs of junior football better than most is veteran manager and Junior Alliance (JA) committee member Dickie Whitwell.
As a coach Whitwell has worked with a number of different teams from kids as young as eight all the way up to the under 18s and has also served on the JA committee for the past seven years.
And during that time the well-seasoned football nut has seen both sides of the coin – from the extreme highs of winning county cups to lows felt when picking up the pieces following heavy defeats.
But despite the varying fortunes of his teams through the years, Whitwell is convinced that junior football continues to have a positive impact on the lives of all those who play it.
He said: "I have managed teams for years now and have seen plenty of things in the junior game, and pretty much experienced every emotion going as have my players.
"And despite the highs and the lows, the overall impression is overwhelming positive. Back in the day there were not too many teams about for the kids to get involved in, but the junior scene is incredible now and most kids can get a game every week which is just fantastic."
"This season there are 212 different teams in the Junior Alliance from as far afield as King's Cliffe, Boston, Rippingale and Sawtry, which is literally thousands of kids getting a game every week.
"Of course not all of them get the chance to win anything, but then that is not what it is all about, it is about competing and being part of something with their mates.
"Being with the team they all talk about what they have been up to and if they have had their name in the paper, and they get such a thrill from it.
"I have seen shy young kids come in, and within a few months being part of a team has given them incredible confidence and self-belief, which, for me, is the most rewarding thing about it."
"Some of the teams I have managed have handed out hidings and been handed hidings, but the important thing is that they learn to handle each situation in the right way with a big of grace or dignity.
"These are important lessons that the kids learn every week on the football pitches and hopefully they all grow up into better people having learnt them from such a young age."League players are showing Respect
THE Junior Alliance was one of the first in the country to pilot the FA's Respect scheme.
Brought in to tackle the rise of anti-social behaviour both on and off the pitch, Respect has become very much part of the local junior football scene.
Although rare locally, incidents of parents and fans fighting at matches, bully boy managers and the abuse of referees have become a serious problem.
But the introduction of barriers to cordon off pitches and seminars on how to foster respect within and between players, clubs and managers have had an impressive impact.
League secretary Hazel Burgess said: "We were proud to be one of only eight leagues to pilot the scheme last season, and it was such a success that we have rolled it out as part of our rules for this season.
"Now every club has to have their pitch cordoned off as well as adhering to other guidelines in the program.
"Luckily in the Junior Alliance, such problems are rare, but by learning to play the game the right way from the very start, all our teams will be learning to play the game in the right spirit and in an environment of friendly competition rather than one of intimidation and fear."
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