Little League Football
LITTLE LEAGUE FOOTBALL
Annual Report for the year to 30 April 2009
Constitution
Little League Football (LLF) is an Unincorporated Association and a Registered Charity, number 1001312. Its current address is c/o 11a Tonfield Road, Sutton, Surrey SM3 9JP.
A National Executive Committee (NEC) comprised of members of southern leagues with a West Midlands representative administers the charity.
Aims and Organisation
LLF continues to meet its objective of providing football at minimal cost, encouraging team spirit and sportsmanship with emphasis on enjoying the games, in which over 5,500 children participate each Saturday or Sunday. Around 1,000 adult volunteers, some of who have been involved with leagues for many years, ensure that our unique brand of football continues to thrive and play a key role in local communities, some of which have little else to offer young boys and girls.
Progress and Achievements
Sadly, this year saw the number of leagues diminish further with closures in the West Midlands, essentially due to a lack of volunteers. Only six leagues now operate in that area with the demise of another looking a distinct possibility, a far cry from the heady days of the late eighties/nineties when Birmingham and its suburbs were home to a third of the total leagues. Opportunities to establish new leagues rarely present themselves these days with people being unwilling/unable to commit their time to such activities.
On the positive side however, it is pleasing to have established a strong relationship with ‘Goals' Soccer Centre at North Cheam to provide an opportunity for boys to continue to play football beyond the Little League official ‘retirement age', albeit in five a side competition. However, volunteers are still needed to ensure a successful launch this September and we will investigate taking the initiative forward in the West Midlands in the light of experience in the ‘south'.
Meetings were held during the year with officials from Surrey County Football Association (SCFA) who has previously seemed to not understand fully the Little League concept or the number of our children playing football under their jurisdiction. Our affiliation as an association is now fully embraced and welcome, albeit we have been asked to ensure we comply fully with FA rules, particularly with regard to players under eight years not playing competitive football and a maximum number of seven children per team playing mini soccer. Leagues which do not mirror these rules please note.
In order that we could re-affiliate to SCFA last year, I took on the role of LLF Welfare Officer, as it is now mandatory for all youth football clubs to have a trained person to deal with child protection issues. However, since then, SCFA have decided that each Little League must appoint an individual to that role and recruitment and training is now in hand. This additional responsibility for leagues was considered somewhat unnecessary, but ultimately we had to comply or be disaffiliated from the FA, a course which was deemed inappropriate. SCFA are liaising with Birmingham and London FAs regarding these appointments at ‘non Surrey' based leagues.
The Welfare Officer's role sits neatly with that of the ‘Responsible Person' for Criminal Records Bureau checks and whilst most leagues properly attend to this vital duty of protecting the children, some seem to still view the need to check new volunteers as an irritant which gets in the way of football! We will have no hesitation in disaffiliating leagues, which do not comply with requirements - please, ensure your league will not be put in such a position. A new body, the Independent Safeguarding Authority is being created later this year and it is envisaged that all people who work with children will need to register. What exactly this will mean for the existing thousand or so LLF volunteers is not yet known, but it could mean all will have to be subject to further checking/documentation. We will keep you informed of developments.
Details of the FA's ‘Respect' initiative were sent to all leagues during the season, but we have had little feedback as to whether the concept has been taken on board formally. In essence, what the FA are trying to achieve in youth football mirrors the behavioural code which LLF has always had in place, so in that respect I would suggest that we can be viewed has having embraced the ideals.
Hopefully all leagues are aware that ‘footbaLLFocus' can now be viewed on our website and this facility doubles as news and information page, thus keeping open our communications channels.
The usual inter league tournaments, now involving ‘senior' boys, under 10s and girls have again been staged and it is clear that these annual events attract good support. A further quiz night was held in January, which again proved a popular social occasion.
Future Development
No opportunities to form new leagues have arisen during the year although we did receive an approach from Abbey Rangers, an existing football club, who were interested in developing the LLF concept within their organisation. However, since the initial approach, nothing has transpired. Sadly, the difficulties in recruiting adult volunteers continue to inhibit our expansion generally.
Financial Activities and Affars
After reference to the Charity Commissioners Guide to Charities' Statement of Recommended Practice, no specific comments are necessary on LLF financial activities, the accompanying statement of accounts providing requisite detail of affairs.
Finally, may I again express thanks to my fellow NEC members, particularly Dennis Jones our Secretary, for their valuable contribution in ensuring that LLF continues to thrive. This is of course essentially due to the many volunteers involved with our leagues that work hard through the year to provide children with football. Their unstinting efforts, in some cases with minimal parental assistance, are very much appreciated. We are also most grateful to Malcolm Ash, who whilst not now a NEC member, provides considerable ‘backroom support', principally in processing and monitoring CRB checks.
Bob Goodall
Chairman 11 May 2009