U16 - The Teams - Downley Dynamos

Under 16 Football

The Under 16s team is for players who from 1st September will be in Year 11 at school.

The squad is managed by Ben Stupples (FA Level 1 Qualified Coach) assisted by Ben McDougall-Hutchins (FA Level 1), Glenn Higley and Steve Coker

Training for the U16s will start on Saturday 3rd September 2022 from 9.45am - 11:15am at the Pedestal Playing Fields in West Wycombe (see map and directions on the 'How to find us' page)

Ethos

Downley Dynamos coach girls and boys of ALL footballing abilities so if your child has never played but wants to come and have a go they will be made very welcome. Players benefit from qualified instruction using the latest soccer methodologies, regulated by The FA and they will also learn individual skills and personal development as well as collective team development.

Football is about having fun and enjoying regular exercise. Helping players develop will also help to build self-confidence. We as coaches believe that everyone can benefit from playing the game and making new friends so come along on Saturday mornings and see what it's all about.

Training

Training is held every Saturday morning during term time, starting at 10:00am sharp at the Pedestal Playing Fields in West Wycombe (see map and directions on the 'How to find us' page). Please try to be with us on time as the warm-up is an important part of the session. Please also try to ensure they have a good night's sleep the night before and a decent meal at least 1 hour prior to training. We aim to finish at around 11:30am

We try to ensure that every player has as many touches of the ball as possible during the session and MOST IMPORTANTLY we want the kids to have FUN! We usually start with a football-based warm-up and then break out into a number of skills sessions aimed at developing technical skills and also ABCs (Agility, Balance and Coordination). In-between or after the skills sessions we try to play 'matches' and our aim is to make these small-sided games so the players have more touches of the ball.

What to wear/bring

Players should wear suitable shirts, shorts, socks (usually Replica Kit) and football boots on training days with warm clothing depending on weather conditions. Players are expected to wear clean studded boots (moulded or screw-ins depending on the hardness of the ground) and the club recommends 'NO BLADES' due to the potential dangers associated with them so please bear this in mind. SHIN PADS are compulsory. Please also bring a soft drink (NOT FIZZY) and a small snack for your child as there will be regular breaks for refreshments.

Important Note to Parents

Parents are encouraged to stay at each training session but may drop their children if direct notification to the coaches is agreed by both parties. Parents must have left emergency contact details and have arranged to collect children promptly when the session finishes. Having parents/guardians on site supporting the players during training encourages them to develop their skills and practice at home. The encouragement you have given to date is the envy of many other clubs. Hot and cold refreshments are available most Saturday mornings from the Pavilion Cafe to keep both adults and children fed and watered.

Training during the school holidays

Training will take place on the 1st Saturday of either the half term or end of term holidays and will resume on the 1st Saturday after school has reopened.

New Players

If you are interested in joining the U16s please register your interest by sending an email to ben@downleydynamos.com and we will do our best to respond as quickly as possible. Please bear in mind that the club is run entirely by volunteers, and if we do not reply immediately please bear with us. Should there be a space available for your child you will be sent a link to our Online Registration Form and following completion you will be sent an invoice for your subscription via PayPal

Subs & Player Registration

Subs for the 2022-23 season are £125.00 which can either be paid in full or in two installments of £62.50 one at the start of the season and one in January. Subscriptions are managed via the Spond App and prior to the start of the season you will be sent a messahge via Spond to ask whether you wish to register. New players will be sent a link to our Online Registration Form which should be completed before the first training session in September. Following registration you will be send a payment request via Spond which we politely request is paid promptly.

Matchday subs are now INCLUDED within the annual fees to help cover the cost of running matches, cutting grass, line painting etc. If you need to talk to the club about Subs, or anything other matter, please feel free to discuss with any of the coaches or club welfare officers in strict confidence.

Matches

Most Sundays we will be playing matches against other local teams and due to the large number of players we have in our group we will be running two teams in the Wycombe & South Bucks Minors League 2021/22. Downley Dynamos Dragons will be playing in Division 1

Home matches will be played at the Pedestal Playing Fields and matches will be 11-a-side plus substitutes. The coaching team will do their best to ensure that if your child has not played in any given week they will have the opportunity to play the following weeks. Subs are used on a roll on roll off basis to ensure all players get a reasonable proportion of game time.

Tournaments

From time to time, usually at the end of the season, we will be invited to play in football tournaments in and around the local area. Selection for these tournaments is at the discretion of the manager but is largely on a rotational basis and depends on how many teams we are allowed to enter. Fees are usually £5 per player and tournaments usually involve between 5 and 6 matches of 10 minutes duration. The group winners and runners up go through to quarter finals, semi finals and a final with trophies and medals for the winners.

Sponsorship

The U16s are currently looking for sponsorship opportunities. If you would like to sponsor the team please contact ben@downleydynamos.com