The Under 17s defended their title at the Petts Wood 6 a side tournament on Saturday July 3rd. Playing, to quote their manager, "gorgeous football," the magnificent seven - O'Chain Gondorf, Jamie Brason, Alfie Cruttwell, Junior Appiah, Tomasz Wocial, Terry Elliot and skipper Joe Taylor-Holland - came through the group stages before hitting top gear in the semi final, which was won with a Terry Elliot headed golden goal and in the final which was won 2-0, with goals from Junior and Tomasz. On an excellent day for the club both our U9s and U11s also made the semi finals. The picture on the right is of Terry Elliot lifting his brother and U17 mascot Leon.
The annual Balham Blazers Presentation Evening was held this year at a fabulous new private venue in Streatham Hill on Wednesday June 30th. The venue and the whole evening, a night when the club comes together to celebrate the achievements, dedication and hard work of all our players, was a great success. The weather was perfect, the turnout was huge, much drink was drunk and every burger was eaten. Many thanks to Mike and Arlene Allen and to all those who helped both with event organisation
and with jobs on the night.
Congratulations to each and every player and special congratulations to the 2010 individual club award winners:
Parkgate Training Trophy Winners:
U9s - Ellis Griffiths-Phipps
U11s - Olaitan Ogunnowo
U14s - Yuyi Kabanje
U16s - Alec Fiddes
U17s - Jamie Brason
Players Player Of The Year Winners:
U9 Colts - Jamie Milliken
U9 Eagles - Sam Arbuckle
U11 Colts - Aaron Kodua
U11 Eagles - Charlie Appleton
U14s - Aaron Mitchell
U16s - Romelle Amos, Harry Newnham & Seth Scafe-Smith
U17s - Daniel Forde & Joe Taylor-Holland
Many thanks to Under 9 mums, Rachel Arbuckle and Paula Fallowfield, who organised a fundraising House Sale in Balham on Friday June 25th. The event was a big success and raised £900 for the club.
It has been decided that rather than have a play off to decide the London Saturday Youth Football League Under 9 title honours will be shared and both Balham Blazers Colts and Balham Blazers Eagles, who finished joint top of the league table on forty-six points, will be crowned League Champions. This is fantastic news for our club as it means we have two league title winners instead of one. Many congratulations to both teams!
Congratulations to our U16s who won the Tandridge League A Division Sportsmanship Award voted for by the other clubs in their league.
It was another very successful weekend for Balham Blazers at the Esher F.C. Tournament on the weekend of May 22nd/23rd. Our U14s won the Cup, with a golden goal in extra time in the final. This means they have won a staggering seven tournaments in a row over the last year, which is an incredible achievement. Our U17s were Cup Runners Up, losing out to a golden goal in the final, having beaten the other Balham Blazers team entered on penalties in the semi final. Our U16s won the Plate competition, our U11s were Plate Runners Up and our U9s were very unlucky to lose on penalties in the Cup Semi Final. Well done to everyone who represented the club over two days in the sweltering heat and many thanks to all team helpers and lift providers. Your support is much appreciated!
It was another very successful Claygate Royals tournament this year on the weekend of May 15th/16th. Our U14s defended their title, winning the tournament for the second year running. Not only did they win it but they beat another Balham Blazers team in the final. Our third U14 team entered also made it to the semi finals where they lost to the winning Blazers team. Our U16s also won the tournament, for the first time, beating Ewell Saxons 2-1 in the final after beating Croydon Athletic on penalties in the semi final. Our U11s made it to the quarter finals and our U9s, despite only losing one out of six group games, missed qualifying for the knockout stages by a single point.
Our U14 Saturday squad played some vintage football in the League Cup Final on Saturday May 15th. Having been unbeaten in winning the League they took their great form into the final against AFC Wandsworth and played them off the park. With a combination of silky, slick football, team discipline and a killer instinct they were 3-0 up inside ten minutes and despite many substitutions they never let their foot off the gas running out 9-0 winners in the end. Manager Nick Neilan has done a Ancelotti, winning the League and Cup double in his first season in charge. Well done to Nick and all of the squad who treated those watching to some champagne football.
Colts Clinch Cup
Congratulations to our U9 Colts who won the battle of the Blazers against our U9 Eagles in the U9 League Cup Final on Saturday May 15th. The two top teams in the League, at the end of a fantastic first season for both,
produced an excellent advert for Balham Blazers football. On the day there had to be a winner and with two second half goals from Fred Fordham, following a first half opener from Matthew Muchmore, it was the Colts who won 3-0 on the day. Everyone involved in the club is incredibly proud of both the Colts and the Eagles who have worked extremely hard all season and thoroughly deserve the successes that has come their way.
Saturday May 15th is F.A. Cup Final day but much more importantly it's also the London Saturday Youth Football League Cup Finals day too. The Cup Finals will be played at Power League Norbury, Turle Road, London SW16 5QN. The Under 9s Final, kick off 10.30am, is an all Balham Blazers affair with the Colts playing the Eagles, whilst the Under 14s play AFC Wandsworth, kick off at 12.30pm. With one final taking place in the morning and one early afternoon you have a chance to make the F.A. Cup at Wembley your third Cup Final of the day. If you decide that three Cup Finals in one day is too many however the last one is definitely the one to miss.
Congratulations to our Under 14 Saturday Squad who have won the London Saturday Youth Football League. Not only did they win the League, scoring a hatful of goals along the way, but they were unbeaten in doing so and played some great football under the stewardship of manager, Nick Neilan. They are also in the League Cup Final to be played on Saturday May 15th.
Balham Blazers F.C. are always on the lookout for new coaches and team managers. Anyone interested needs to be qualified, CRB checked and would need to share the same playing and coaching ethos as other coaches in the club. If you're interested in joining us please email info@balhamblazers.org
We are delighted to announce that Balham Blazers F.C. has been awarded Charter Standard Club status by the Football Association.
The FA Charter Standard Scheme is
a best practice guide that sets standards of coaching, administration and child protection for all clubs outside the Football League and Premier League. As a benchmark for quality, it will improve the playing experience for all. To achieve the FA Charter Standard the Club needs to have policies and systems in place such as a written constitution, FA CRB-checked volunteers and all team managers have to have a minimum of the FA Level One Coaching badge. The club also needs behaviour Codes of Conduct in place and a commitment to attend in-service training, provide Mini-Soccer opportunities for under-10s and promote schools liaison and equal opportunities for all.
"Rightly, it’s not easy to attain, but by achieving a Charter Standard award, you are demonstrating to all members, parents and the public, that you are a well organised and safe club. It’s also an excellent way of promoting your Club to potential members, parents, volunteers and sponsors." says Les Howie, FA National Development Manager.
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