Erdington Primary Schools

and Saltley FA

One District: 46 Primary Schools

Three Teams

Hard Work - Integrity - Fun

Jersey 2017

Jersey 2017: Key Information

During the Easter holidays, we intend on participating in the English Schools’ FA Jersey Festival.

This national festival was established over 40 years ago and Erdington and Saltley participated

for the first time in 2016. We had such an amazing time that we would love to return this season!

A read of our Jersey 2016 Diary will give you a glimpse of the sensational time that we had. None

of the boys who attended will forget the experience for the rest of their lives!

Although the exact details of the 2017 edition of the festival haven't been released yet, I am

sharing this information with you now to ensure that you have as much notice as possible.

The key information is:

When: Easter holidays 2017; Saturday 8th April

- Saturday 15th April

Where: St. Helier, Jersey

Duration: 7 nights

Accommodation:

Mayfair Hotel, St. Saviours Road, St. Helier, Jer-

sey, E2 4LJA

http://www.modernhotels.com/

All inclusive

Total Cost: £472 (based on the 2016 price)

Squad size: the maximum size of the squad is 14 players

Adults: Myself, Tonn and Lamar will be attending and will supervise the boys at all times.

Parents are welcome to attend for all or part of the week, as a number of parents did last year.

However, for safeguarding reasons, all parents who wish to attend must make their own accom-

modation arrangements as the Mayfair Hotel is exclusively for all of the school associations. All

teams and players taking part stay at the same hotel and spend the week living alongside each

other and socialising from morning until night!

Fundraising: In 2016 we raised enough money to subsidise the trip so that all players paid

£250, as opposed to the actual cost of £472. This involved a great deal of hard work and we had

to rely on the support of all of the parents and their families, although it was very much a worth

while effort and one that we intend to repeat this year!

Academy players: Last year all academy lads attended and were fully supported by their

club.

What now? There will be a meeting for all of the boys and their parents at the start of the

new school year, when we will discuss this trip of a lifetime in greater detail. Until then, check out

our experiences from 2016 for a flavour of the amazing time that we had!

Jersey 2017: Fundraising Although the 2017 price has not been revealed yet, based on the 2016 price of £472 per player,

our aim is to raise £250 per player, therefore reducing the cost to £272 per family.

Our fundraising will take three main forms:

1. Collective fundraising as a whole squad

2. Individual player fundraising challenge

3. Team sponsorship from private businesses

Collective fundraising as a whole squad

Throughout the season we will hold a number of events, possibly including the following:

Sponsored events e.g. penalty shootout, bike ride etc - in November 2015 our sponsored

penalty shootout raised over £1000 towards the Jersey fund

Bag packing at a local supermarket - we did this at Tesco in 2016 and raised over £500

Family quiz night/disco

Football tournament to involve local teams

Sale of refreshments, raffle tickets and programmes at each home game

Individual player fundraising challenge

As a district we pride ourselves on our three key values - hard work, integrity and fun. Using all

three of these values, we are setting all members of the u10s and u11s the challenge of raising

£50 between now and the end of February. Over a six month period each player is asked to

reach their target in any way that they desire. The more creative the better! However there is a

catch - the £50 target cannot be reached via a hand out from a generous family member or

friend. The boys must work for their money!

This idea was taken from Bath and Wiltshire Primary Schools’ District. Over the past few years

their players have reached their target by washing cars, completing house chores, sponsored

events and so much more.

Team sponsorship from private businesses

Throughout the season I will be contacting local businesses the length and breadth of Birming-

ham with a view of sponsoring the team for a donation of £250. More detailed information is in-

cluded in this booklet. If you know anyone who might be interested in supporting the lads, please

send them my way. If you know anyone who might not be interested in supporting the lads,

please send them my way and I will try my best to convince them of the merits of this special

cause!

2015/2016 Highlights

ESFA Jersey Festival

Jersey 2016: Day One

Saturday 2nd April 2016

Socks? Check. Pants? Check. Football boots? Check? Toothbrush and toothpaste? Check. Seg-

way? What?! Seg what?! Two hours to get through departures. Two long and tiring hours. Mainly

because of Rio’s Segway! As I write this blog entry we are now on day four and I still can’t figure

out why he wanted to bring one in the first place! However thanks to the very understanding staff

at Birmingham International Airport and a dash back to the airport from Rio’s dad, all was sorted.

Off we went to Jersey…or New Jersey

as Blessing believed…or England as

Oakley thought we were still in.

After arriving safe and sound in Jersey

we went and explored the island. A fif-

teen minute walk later and we found a

beach to throw stones and climb rocks.

Soon it was time for dinner back at the

Hotel. Confused. Puzzled. Dumb-

struck. The boys couldn’t work out the

answers to the following questions:

1. Why can’t we use our phones at

the dinner table?

2. Why are you being so mean by not

letting us use our phones at the dinner

table?

3. Why are you violating our human

rights by not letting us to use our

phones at the dinner table?

4. When can we use our phones at

the dinner table?

5. Do we have to eat our dinner at the

dinner table?

The boys would have you believe that that first meal was like something from a Dickens novel.

Alas, they eventually got over such harsh conditions and quickly discovered the art of conversa-

tion!

During the evening we (the staff) made our first mistake of the week…we allowed them to go into

each others room! Bang! Clash! Rattle! The boys went into each other’s room, although they did-

n’t stay there for long! After constantly running in and out of rooms, the boys eventually got bored

Jersey 2016: Day Two

Sunday 3rd April 2016

Sleep. Today was possibly the first time that the boys had come to realise the true

value and beauty of sleep. As the whistle signalled the start of our first match, the

tired and jet lagged boys found themselves in a whole new world. A world far away

from Birmingham Primary Schools football.

The energetic, committed and highly talented Jersey team were too hot for our tired

boys to handle (although that is no excuse – they were simply better than us on the

day). Shortly into the second half we were 4-0 down and it was the least we de-

served. Eventually we woke up but it was too late as the damage had already been

done. A consolation goal from Troy SMIDLE James (as the local newspaper report-

ed the following day) was not enough to undo the damage from the night before. Ah

well. Lesson learned…hopefully!

We picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves down. After a phone free lunch we

went to the beach and rediscovered our mojo. Frowns and grunts were exchanged

for smiles and laughs as the boys spent four hours frolicking on the golden sands

of St. Brelade. It was just what the doctor ordered! We were back in the game! A

definite turning put we hoped!

On the evening we went swimming, before playing pool and table tennis. Surely

Jersey 2016: Day Three

Monday 4th April 2016

A good night’s sleep in the bag and the boys were back on their A-game. Despite falling one goal

down to a quality St. Alban’s A, they bounced back and won 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Troy, a

fourth from Cameron P and some quality defending from the boys at the back. Today was also

the day when our team spirit returned to it’s previously brilliant levels. With Robbo feeling sick,

Pharrelle volunteered to play between the sticks and despite giving me a heart-attack as he drib-

bled out of his box, beat two players and darted for the half way line, he managed to do Robbo

proud, conceding only the one goal.

Back at the hotel the boys were greeted by a few copies of the local Rag – The Jersey Gazette.

They’d made the back page! Ohhhh…now they knew the feeling of bad press! Two pages were

dedicated to their efforts the previous day against the national team. Two pages highlighting the

fact that they’d lost 4-1. Two pages of crystal clear photos to prove it too! Then to rub salt in the

wound, the reporter spelt Troy’s name wrong and in doing so, deprived him of his moment of glo-

ry!

As the sun was shining once again we decided to hit the beach. Cricket and paddling entertained

most of the boys, whilst a couple of them took a shine to teasing Lamar. For Troy, Kane, Phar-

relle, myself and Tonn, we decided to build a castle. I say castle, but I don’t mean a sand castle. I

mean a castle. It was like something from the Channel Four show, Grand Designs. I’ve since

learned that the local estate agent has been showing prospective families around it. It was a thing

of beauty!

Before we knew it it was 6:30pm and we needed to get back home for dinner. Phone-free dinner

too! By the time was had polished off our pudding (and Blessing had finished his 12th bottle of

ketchup) it was almost bed time.

Lesson two…don’t give the lads Coke, sweets and junk before sending them to bed. Big mistake!

Ah well, you live and learn.

Jersey 2016: Day Four

Tuesday 5th April 2016

Confidence was high following the 4-1 win over St. Alban’s. So high in fact that we forgot to turn

up this morning. These things happen! Luckily our inability to pass the ball and shoot didn’t stop

us from winning as we did remember how to dive in front of fast-moving balls, throw our body on

the line and how to score deflected shots! If all else fails, a good old last-minute deflected shot

will always do the trick. Some people would have you believe that the good old-fashioned last-

minute deflected shot is not in vogue these days, but they would be wrong.

Another win in the bag and it was on to Creepy Valley where we climbed high into the trees,

jumped from platform to platform and fell

from great heights in spectacular style!

Think Superman with concussion. Great

fun! Brilliant!

This was one of the best moments of the

week for me as it was great to see the lads

push themselves out of their comfort

zones. Nervous and weary of the great

heights, a number of the lads were far

from excited by the thought of putting their

life in the hands of the tree gods. However

despite trembling with fear, they puffed out

their chest and conquered their fear, even

if it was with closed eyes!

The night was topped off with a quiz. The

night was topped off with the realisation

that no matter how good our boys are at

football, their geographical skills leave

something to be desired! Examples in-

clude:

Question: What is the capital city of

Spain?

Child One: Real Madrid.

Child Two: No that’s wrong! What about

Athletico?!

Question: Name the Scottish Loch where

a mythical creature is said to live.

Jersey 2016: Day Five

Wednesday 6th April 2016

Late kick-offs and an old black and white kit clearly suit our boys, because just like

Monday when we had both of these things, the boys put on a show today and

picked up a great 6-0 win against St. Paul’s. A stunning show of passing football

(the polar opposite of yesterday) saw Tion and Rio grab a brace each, whilst Troy

and Kane bagged a goal apiece too. It was arguably the best we have played all

week!

Today’s afternoon activity saw the boys venture to Aqua Splash where Blessing and

Pharrelle caught the attention of some local girls. Such is the life of a pair of inter-

national footballing superstars.

After three long hours and with my eyes feeling like I had poured vinegar in them,

we headed back to the hotel to eat dinner (still no sign of the phones) and shoot

some pool. Despite playing pool since the start of the week, I’m afraid to say that

none of the boys will be challenging Ronnie O’Sullivan for any titles in the near (or

far) future just yet!

Oh and have I mentioned room inspections? Well the trio of Rio, Pharrelle and

Oakley have devised an ingenious way of tidying their room. It involves piling every

last item, including the kitchen sink, into a cupboard and forcing it closed, before

wedging the sideboard up against it to prevent it from spilling open. In fact, since

discovering their cunning plan yesterday we haven’t actually seen Pharrelle. Alt-

Jersey 2016: Day Six

Thursday 7th April 2016

Just like the very best teams, we’ve got better and better as the week has gone on.

Today’s game against Plymouth was something to admire and be proud of, particu-

larly the first half.

It is worth remembering that we are little old Erdington and Saltley. Birmingham

does not have a district football team. We are but one 7th of the second city. Yet we

are able to match and beat districts the size of Plymouth. For me that is something

to be incredibly proud of!

After racing into a three goal lead

during the first half, we added a

fourth shortly after the start of the

second half. Now in a commanding

position, we took our foot off the gas

and conceded two sloppy goals. Fair

play to Plymouth, as they refused to

give up. However the first thing that

the boys did following the final whis-

tle was to question their own second

half performance. They were happy

with the win but not with the score-

line. We said nothing to them to

stimulate this discussion and it was

one of those moments where you

just sit back and enjoy. The boys,

who at the start of the week lacked

focus, were now deconstructing their

own performance and demanding

more. Brilliant!

Later that day we went bowling and

my word was this another eye-

opening moment! Some of the lads

mistakenly believed that the aim of

the game was to throw the ball down

the gutter, whilst others clearly

Jersey 2016: Day Seven

Friday 8th April 2016

The final match day had arrived. After playing some stunning football throughout the week, we

were determined to end on a high against our good friends from Gloucester.

Over the past few years we have played many great games against Gloucester B, but today was

our first encounter with Gloucester A. After ending the group stage unbeaten, we knew our oppo-

nents were going to be a tough nut to crack.

The first half saw us have the majority of the ball and deservedly take a three goal lead. Despite

failing to add a fourth during the second half, we dominated play and passed the ball around in a

way that I’ve never seen the boys do before. Their play was so mature and intelligent that the

lack of further goals was not an issue.

More importantly the boys, along with the Gloucester boys, played the game with a great sporting

attitude and it was a superb advert for Jersey 2016 and district football in general. We can’t wait

for our away trip to Gloucester in two weeks!

After stuffing their faces with pizza and ice-cream at Pizza Hut, the boys wanted to spend the af-

ternoon doing something that they’ve become fairly decent at…playing football! St. Brelade’s

beach was the venue and a mammoth two hour game capped off a stunning week.

Lesson four…shirts and ties are needed for the end of week dinner!

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A parent meeting for early September is currently being organised. The date, time

and venue will be shared with all parents ASAP.

Now simply pop the dates into your diary!