Bradley Stoke Youth FC (BSYFC) has set up a new U9 girls’ team to play in the Bristol Girls’ League this coming season (2018-19) and local car dealership Drive Vauxhall Bristol North has stepped in to provide sponsored match kit for the team.

The U9 girls were presented with their new kit at a photoshoot where they posed alongside a badged-up BSYFC-branded Vauxhall Crossland X which had been brought along by Drive Vauxhall.

Lee Lawson, BSYFC U11 Girls coach, said:

“It’s fantastic to see an increase in the number of girls wanting to play and participate in football. They all look great in their new kit. All the coaches (volunteers) are excited to have been able to create a U9 team and are looking forward to seeing them play competitive football.”

“Drive Vauxhall were contacted to see if they’d like to sponsor the new team and we’re pleased that they jumped at the chance and will now be match day sponsors for the U9, U11 and U13 girls’ teams, showing great commitment to the BSYFC girls.”

“The girls, parents and coaches would like to thank Drive Vauxhall Bristol North for their new and continued sponsorship and support.”

The main coaches for BSYFC Girls U9 – U13 are Level 1 and 2 FA qualified and they also have two female coaches currently completing the Level 1 FA course.

BSYFC was established in 1998. It is an FA Charter Standard Community Club covering all age ranges from Reception age upwards. It also runs football sessions for children with disabilities.

Parents of any children wanting to give club football a try can find further details on the Bradley Stoke Youth FC website www.bsyfc.co.uk

Photo: BSYFC U9 Girls in their sponsored match kit standing next to the BSYFC-branded Crossland X vehicle.

This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 9). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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By Marcus Fisher of BSYFC.

Bradley Stoke Youth FC (BSYFC) was again selected from all the FA Charter Standard Clubs in the UK and Ireland to walk around the Wembley pitch, and perform a Guard of Honour, moments before the kick-of of the Community Shield match between Manchester City and Chelsea. This is the fifth time in five years that BSYFC have been selected and once again we were proud to be only 1 of 8 clubs selected for this great experience. BSYFC was represented by squad players and coaches from the U8 Whites.

It was a long day, but an experience the team will never forget. The day started at 8.15am with the coach leaving Bradley Stoke for arrival at Wembley for 11am. We were greeted and hosted by McDonald’s representatives and were based in the Wembley press room for the majority of the day.

At 12.30pm we had our first walk around the Wembley pitch as we performed the rehearsal for the main event, and had our photo taken by the main photographer on the pitch with our BSYFC placard. En route to the pitch, we were able to see behind the scenes of Wembley Stadium, and were fortunate enough to walk past the HOME and AWAY dressing rooms, and to see the famous tunnel leading onto the pitch.

After the rehearsal, it was back to the press room for lunch and a football quiz. This highlighted just how little the managers Marcus Fisher, Simon Newman and Wayne Jukes know about football (and how much the children did know about football!). Interesting fact: Wembley Stadium has 2,618 toilets, more than any other venue in the world. One of children knew this!

We then had our final briefing and it was time for the real thing. We walked past the changing rooms again and into position at the side of the pitch next to the stars of Chelsea and Manchester City, who were completing their warm up. We then came out to 90,000 supporters applauding as we walked around the pitch and performed the guard of honour, with every child waving their flag and the BSYFC placard on full show; a fantastic effort from the children who represented BSYFC incredibly well.

More: Squad on pitch for total of 30 minutes prior to kick-off »

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On Saturday 9th June, Bradley Stoke Youth FC (BSYFC) continued the success of their Schools’ Football Festival at the Jubilee Centre, which this year attracted 130 Year 1 children representing 13 different local primary schools. The festival is the finale to the club’s School Link Programme where BSYFC’s FA Qualified coaches go into the schools and coach all the Year 1 children for a three-week period at each school. The programme starts in February and finishes in the last school in May, ready for the Festival in June.

The Football Festival has been running since 2006 and over the years has developed into a major event as part of the town’s annual Community Festival, with over 1,750 children having now taken part. The School Link Programme started in 2007 and has grown over the years to become a major community activity with over 7,500 children having received football skills coaching in their school.

At the festival, every child received a medal and a gift bag full of football-related essentials like shin pads, football socks, water bottle, baseball cap, activity play pack and sweets. Each school received a cup and a ball bag with size 3 footballs, so they can continue the football coaching at their school. The winning school also received a new kit for their team. The Teacher Awards this year went to Bowsland Green and St Michael’s.

Football Festival organiser Marcus Fisher said:

“The club would like to recognize all the club coaches, managers and helpers who assisted on the day, ensuring the success of this community event. Also a big thanks to our key long term sponsors McDonald’s, Bradley Stoke Town Council and the Gloucestershire FA.”

More: Festival award winners and team photos »

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By Martin Lee of Bradley Stoke Youth FC (BSYFC)

The management team of the BSYFC U16 Girls’ squad, Martin and Ross Lee, started girls’ football at the club back in May 2008 when Ross was just 14 years old. The U16 squad was formed in 2010 when the girls were just 7 and 8 years old and they have stayed together to finish fourth in the Bristol Girls League in their final season as U16 girls. We have all had a great time together but now it is time to say goodbye to youth football and start our adult football life together!

The present U16 Girls’ final presentation evening was a red carpet event on 20th April at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Bradley Stoke, where the squad walked the red carpet into the venue sipping mocktails while posing for photos and viewing the complete history of the team showcased through historical photographs over the many years. Then, after being seated at their tables for the welcome introductions from the host for the evening, Martin, the traditional annual video show was presented. Everyone enjoyed the two-course meal while being entertained throughout the evening with Eurovision Song Contest Spot Quiz (with air horns), the annual Managers’ Quiz, the table game ‘Dates’, the Shirt Number game, the mystery players photo quiz, the “Where am I” quiz, the Team History Slideshow and the BSYFC 2018 Comedy Puppet Show, complete with scenes from Titanic, Dirty Dancing, Opera, Ballet, Xmas Songs, Cake Making and Mastermind. Trust me, you had to be there! The disco was playing throughout the night and we finally finished the celebrations in the early hours.

The girls now move to ladies’ football for the season starting in September with great memories of their time in youth football. This will start the process of girls at BSYFC youth football transitioning to the Ladies’ team when they become 16 years old. For Martin and Ross, this signals the end of their time in girls’ youth football, but they have also been running the Ladies’ team for the last three years, so they will just focus on ladies’ football now into the future and help the young girls with their move into adult football.

More: Bradley Stoke Ladies to have two teams from September »

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