THERE was a 16 per cent reduction in discipline issues in Suffolk in the 2012/13 season. The decrease was reported at the annual general meeting of Suffolk FA, which was held at the county’s headquarters in Stowmarket on Wednesday evening. Suffolk FA chief executive Laura Smith said in her annual report: “We do thank all in our football family for their support in this endeavour, to improve fair play and respect for ourselves and each other. “Players, referees, supporters, clubs and leagues have all contributed to promote the Programme and achieve this outcome. “But it doesn’t stop here, our endeavour needs to develop further, to better ensure this improvement continues, and through this that we attract more participants and partners into the game.” She said that county development manager Chris Walsh and his team had worked tirelessly over the past season to deliver the County Plan for 2012/13. "We are grateful to our Football Development Team for their enthusiasm, dedication and determination to ensure football remains the most participated sport in Suffolk. “The County Plan has ensured we have remained focused on increasing the number of clubs, teams and qualified coaches; on raising standards through supporting clubs and leagues to achieve the FA Charter Standard Award; and on increasing the number of games covered by qualified officials through increasing the size of the referee team in targeted areas,” said Smith. With the support of the rest of the team at Suffolk FA, Walsh has subsequently produced the County Plan for season 2013/14 which has led to over £30,000 investment from The FA. Smith continued: “This funding will ensure we can continue to work with partners to significantly impact on the development of the grassroots game across the county. “The decline of the 11v11 game, however, remains a concern and we are delighted to have been selected by The FA to pilot a programme which will address this issue in Suffolk during season 2013/14.” She congratulated Andy Reynolds on guiding the county’s under-16 side to their first-ever Boardman Under-16 Trophy victory last season and said that the third annual Grassroots Festival (pictured above) in May, with more than 2,000 in attendance, was a “fantastic celebration” of football in the county. Smith in her report praised referee development manager Colin Hills for the support he provided throughout the season and his commitment to increasing the size of the referee workforce. The meeting, which started with a minute’s silence in memory of long-serving life member Alf Marshall from Lowestoft, who passed away last month, ended with a vote of thanks from Gary Pinyoun, chairman of Elmswell Youth FC, for the work undertaken by members of the county staff in the past year.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:52:23 +0000
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