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Linfield Football Club

NEWS

15-Mar-03: Quite a few updates today!!

FITC

1. Review of Coleraine game

When Linfield played Coleraine at Windsor Park on 1 March 2003, Tony Gorman, Youth Development Officer at Coleraine arranged for a party of Letterkenny school children to visit. A group of Under-10 years old children played the Linfield Academy Under 10's side prior to kick off in the Windsor Park clash, with the Linfield boys winning 5-1. Meanwhile, at 6.30pm at Midgley Park, the Letterkenny Schools Under 12 team took on the Linfield Academy Under 12 team, Linfield winning 5-1 again.

Notes from this visit:
· It was a beneficial experience for both groups of children and the interaction between them was encouraging
· This was Linfield's first venture with a group from Donegal
· Further trips are planned subject to funding being made available
· Linfield YDO David Chisholm would like to publicly thank Tony Gorman for arranging this cross-border exchange

2. Belfast Marathon 2003

Under FITC, Linfield will be providing a sponge and water station for Belfast Marathon on 5 May. This is in conjunction with Belfast City Council Leisure Services.

3. McDonald's Programme

The McDonald's FITC programme began last week and will last for 3 x 4 week periods. The programme began in Balmoral High School. Chris Morgan and Tommy McDonald are currently working in Wellington College under the programme for 4 weeks with the assistance of Nigel Best.

4. Linfield In The Community

For the home game with Newry Town on Saturday 15 March, Linfield will be pleased to welcome to Windsor Park as guests of the club, a group of young people from the 10th Mountpottinger company of the Boys' Brigade.

We trust they will enjoy their visit to Windsor Park and we hope to be welcoming similar youth groups to our forthcoming home games.

5. Half Time Display

Taking part in a mini soccer display on the Windsor Park pitch before the home game with Newry Town on Saturday 15 March will be the Junior and Senior Scetion of the Gilnahirk Mini Soccer Centre.

The following is correspondence received from the centre's Director of Coaching, Mervyn Bryson in connection with their forthcoming visit to Windsor Park.

"The Gilnahirk Soccer School (GSS) was founded in 1983 to offer coaching to primary school children from 7 years old. We have progressed from basic training facilities at a church hall and a play area at a primary school, to a training centre incorporating a grass pitch, all weather pitch, a gymnasium and a large sports hall at a local grammar school.

The GSS note of fame is that we were the first football club in Northern Ireland to offer small-sided games as part of our coaching sessions. Indeed, we were playing mini-soccer long before it was officially recognised and 12 years before mini-soccer was adopted by the IFA.

We pride ourselves with the ability to coach children of all abilities and no one is turned away because of lack of potential. In return, we ask for good attendance, commitment and hard work at all training days. The satisfaction of the coaching staff is to see every member improve on their individual technique, learning in a team situation and cultivating their social and moral attitudes.

We have an excellent relationship with the Belfast `Big Two’ and Linfield supporters will be interested to note that George Dunlop, Billy Hamilton, David Jeffrey, Stephen Baxter, Lindsay McKeown, Gary Peebles, Dessie Gorman, Terry Hayes, John Easton, Alan Dornan and Glenn Ferguson have all visited the school at either fund raising events or on our Open Days. However `Bluemen ’ will not wish to know that Glentoran striker Michael Halliday learnt his football basics with the GSS.

The school would like to thank, in anticipation, Linfield Football Club for the opportunity to spend the afternoon at Windsor Park. I am sure the experience will be remembered by the young lads for many a year.

The school is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year and it is appropriate we should visit Windsor as part of our programme for 2003. It is not every year Northern Ireland’s premier football school visits Northern Ireland’s premier football club."

Mervyn Bryson
(Director of coaching)

MINI-SOCCER

1. School visits in March 2003

Work in March will be undertaken with the following schools:

· Donegall Road PS
· Taughmonagh PS
· Dunmurry PS
· Dunmurry HS
· Blythefield PS

2. Leaders awards

On 3 March, 20 adults went through the mini-soccer leaders award under the instruction of Ian Stewart, IFA. It is hoped that these leaders will be used by the club in the future.

3. Soccer 7s league

From 20 March, Linfield FDC and Finaghy PS will be starting a soccer 7s league. The league will be played between 3 and 4 pm every Thursday. Each team will play two games each on Thursday. Teams involved are:

· Finaghy PS
· Blythefield PS
· Donegall Road PS
· Botanic PS
· Rosetta PS
· St. Joseph's PS
· Belvoir PS
· Taughmonagh PS

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

The centres continue to grow, and are currently holding two sessions per
week.