After the disappointment of two years of interruptions due to Covid-19, players at Bradley Stoke Youth FC (BSYFC) have just completed a rewarding full season of youth football, writes Marcus Fisher.
With the club fielding no fewer than 21 teams, ranging from U7s to U17s (boys & girls), there have been some excellent performances throughout the season, ranging from solid league positions to reaching cup finals.
Cup final
The BSYFC U12 Girls entered the County Cup for the first time this season and after progressing through the early rounds, where they overcame local rivals Longwell Green in the quarter-final, and a Gloucester County team in the semi-final, they emerged as worthy cup finalists.
On Sunday 3rd April they met Cheltenham Town Youth Tigers. The match was an exciting contest with two superb defences dominating play. There were few clear-cut chances at either end, however Cheltenham Tigers were able to breach the BSYFC defence halfway through the first half to hold a 1-0 lead at half-time. Although BSYFC finished the match strongly, they could not produce an equaliser, so the final score was 1-0 to Cheltenham.
A big ‘thank you’ to all family and friends for their support and great commitment over the season.
Thanks also to the main sponsor Kellaway Building Supplies and our subsidiary sponsor Willow Brook Clinic for their support with kit, equipment and team building activities.
The BSYFC Committee would also like to thank our:
Coaches – A big ‘thank you’ to our coaches for providing well-structured, consistent training sessions and matches throughout the season to ensure players can develop in a safe and fun environment. A special thank you to our Boys and Girls U16 coaches, who are finishing this season – Andy Weatherhead and Nick Western for the Boys and Richard Ansell, Leisa Brooking, Paul Meacham and Ethan Ansell for the Girls.
Parents – A big ‘thank you’ to those parent helpers who take care of admin or put up and take down goals on a Sunday morning (rain or shine!).
Players – For your effort, commitment and attitude which provides great entertainment for our spectators.
Sponsors – McDonald’s supports grassroots football up and down the country and BSYFC is very appreciative of the continued support they provide to the club for kit and training equipment
And finally, congratulations to four of our U16 Girls for successfully completing their FA Refereeing course – Erin de Groot, Laura Brooking, Amelia Lawson and Abi Nichols.
Football Festival
Finally, after two years off, BSYFC will return with its annual Football Festival as part of the Bradley Stoke Community Festival (Saturday 4th June) where our newest U7 teams and U8 & U10 Girls’ teams will play a number of inter-squad games, finishing with a presentation.
The club continues to develop and, once again, two new U7 teams and a new U8 Girls’ team have been formed for the 2022/2023 season.
For further information, visit www.bsyfc.co.uk
This article originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 20).
