Former Club Secretary Bob Barnes reflects on the 2003-4 season, the club's heritage and the challenges to come:
Last season's successes, a league championship, two runners-up and a league cup win, led to some reflections of just how far Ledbury Swifts have progressed since their formation in 1987.
Formed by Ian Colwell and Phillip Hodges, so that their sons could play “real Football”, not available at school, it wasn’t long before word got round and between 40 to 50 boys were being trained on a regular basis. After a season of friendly games and with the help of other volunteer parents, teams were entered into the Hereford Junior League and the Mercian Youth League.
Under Ian and Phil’s guidance, they gained some notable successes, double Cup winners at U12, 1989/90, League and Cup double at U14, 1991/92, and U16 League runners-up the following year.
The
picture shows the founders of Ledbury Swifts, Phil
Hodges, on the left and Ian Colwell on the right, with
Ian’s son Robbie, one of the original members
who is now Ledbury Town’s leading scorer.
Putting to good use the skills he learnt at the
Swifts. More children were attracted by the success of the club, so more teams were formed, run by parents willing to help, and the club organised itself with the formation of a management committee, under the experienced guidance of Mr Ken Long.
At that time the club was known as “Ledbury Junior Swifts”, a name selected by the boys themselves and they played most of their games at Ledbury Town ground, but as more teams were formed, this became more and more difficult, due to the wear on the pitch. So began a long search for a suitable “home” ground, which at one point led to the club playing their home games, in the neighbouring county of Gloucestershire, at Bromsberrow, following this the club had a spell at Eastnor, the club were very thankful for the support given to them at this time, without pitches the club would have been forced to fold.
With the lottery-funded development of the Pavilion Room and Ross Road playing fields, Ledbury Swifts were asked to use the new facilities, part of the youth development clause in the lottery grant, so they moved all their activities there and are still there today, enjoying some of the best sports facilities in the county. An agreement was reached with the Rugby Club, for the Swifts to refurbish the old Rugby changing rooms and change them into a clubhouse for the teams to entertain their visitors before and after games, thereby promoting the club's adopted motto, “Friendship Through Sport”.
The development of youth sports has accelerated in the last few years, with the Swifts leading the way; they are seen as the catalyst for other organisations getting involved with youth sections for their respective groups. Eastnor Cricket Club, Magpies Netball Club, Ledbury Hockey, Ledbury Harriers and of course Ledbury Rugby Club, all now have thriving youth sections, Ledbury Swimming Club have always had a large children’s section and together they offer the children of Ledbury and the surrounding area a wide range of activities in which to participate, helping them keep fit and active as well as making new friends and having fun. Of course, none of this would have been possible, without the fantastic support given by parents, grandparents and friends, who are willing to give their time up to, support the children in all weathers.
Without this support the Swifts would not have been able to make the progress that we have. Another group that we could not survive without are the local small businesses who have sponsored our teams from the beginning. It seems odd that the small businesses are more willing to provide sponsorship than the larger concerns in the town, but we try to repay our sponsors by giving them our business as much as possible; we cannot expect local support without giving something back in return. A full list of our sponsors is available on the clubs new Internet site, where you will find all the latest information and results, it is well worth a look. The site was created by Russell Merryman, whose son plays for the team and is a good example of how parents are helping the club make further progress.
From the beginning the club has always been reliant upon volunteers, usually parents, to manage the teams and administer the clubs affairs. When we started it was a case of dads, who used to play football themselves, passing on their knowledge and skills to their sons, but back then the club only had two teams, now with 12 groups we have over 25 people committed to ensuring the children of Ledbury have the opportunity to learn and play football. Another aspect that has changed, is that where the early days managers relied upon their own knowledge of the game, most of today’s managers have obtained an Football Association coaching qualification, by attending training courses, these courses give confidence and help the managers understand the special aspects of training young children.
Also part of the course is emergency first aid and child protection, which everyone working with children must be aware of, as, The Child Protection Act, has more and more influence on our everyday lives. So you can be assured that your children will be in safe hands when, training or playing with the Swifts. With nearly all of the managers now holding a recognised qualification, the club is well placed to obtain the F.A. charter standard, indicating that the club has reached an agreed standard, off the pitch as well as on it.
With the managers now qualified, coaching sessions are more interesting and fun and performances are improving, throughout the club. Last season's successes are an indication of this. With success comes interest and several youngsters, aged from 6 to 14, are attending the coaching academy’s of league clubs, Cheltenham Town, Cardiff City, Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and there has even been interest from Manchester United for one player, as well as players attending the County Academy and also playing for County representative sides.
The club has had success in the past, with their players representing the County on many occasions and a number of our previous players are now making a name for themselves in the local soccer scene. It has to be remembered though, that only a few ever make it to be a professional and sometimes the disappointment is hard to take, my advice is just enjoy the game as much as you can and accept the rewards when they arrive. Practice makes perfect, win with humility, and lose with dignity.
For five years now the club has travelled to Stromstad, Sweden, Ledbury’s twin town, to take part in an U16’s football tournament. A different group each year makes the long trip, to experience the Swedish approach life and sport and it is very different. The Swedish people love their sport and encourage their children to participate from an early age, but they also invest a lot of money into their facilities, giving their children the best they can, something we could learn from?
Our teams have coped very well with the difference in cultures and the continental way of playing, with more emphasis on the technical aspects of the game and the Swedes in turn are fascinated by our raw passion and strength. We have always competed well, reaching the final of the tournament, on every occasion, although only winning it once, but a truly remarkable record, considering we play against some of Sweden’s top youth sides. The links we have established are unique to our club and something we are justly proud of.
We cannot rest on our laurels though there are still things that need doing. We may be the largest sporting youth group in the area, but we lack a female section; with more and more girls now playing football, we would like to offer them the chance of joining our club. We have a manager willing to coach a girls side, we just need the girls to turn up, Sunday mornings 10:30 am at the Ross Rd. The girls should be over 10 years of age, anyone below the age of 10, can train and play with the boys in mixed teams, but FA rules forbid girls playing mixed 11-a-side football. So come on you girls get in touch and give it a go.
The club also aims to improve it’s facilities as much as possible, our children deserve the best, we would like our own dedicated pitch, like the Rugby Club, where we could install floodlights and possibly erect a small stand. This is not possible on the Ross Rd at the moment, as there is increased demand for the space available, from all sports, Sunday mornings are a particular problem with congestion, more Football pitches and changing rooms are needed NOW. Ledbury has always been under provided with playing fields, and there is still only about a THIRD of what should be provided, to serve the population that now exists. So next time you see them, ask your Town and County Councillors what they are going to do about this neglect, your children deserve better. Compared to our twin town in Sweden, our sports facilities are very much second best.
So there are still many things to do, if anyone would like to help us in any capacity, coach, administrator or just helper, or kids if you would like to join us, we always want extra players, at all ages, please check out our web site or contact Bob Barnes on 01531 633722. We offer fitness, friendship and fun,essential ingredients for happy kids.
I would like to thank the Ledbury Reporter for allowing us to produce this article, we don’t always get the coverage we would like, but we know how difficult it can be trying to fit everyone in, and we are grateful for what we do get, after all you are our link with the community.