FUNSKILLS PARENT/CARER EMAILS
Newsletter Funskills 7’s July 29th
Funskills 7s families,
This week is week 3 of Transition. We continue to see areas we can address to assist the children. The value of the program is that we can modify it to suit the specific needs of our players. So with that in mind, this week we will be have 3 breaks in play during the match. 2 x quarter time breaks and a half time break (as is the norm).
The referees will blow a quarter time 2 minute stoppage to change goal keepers. There will be no ‘drinks break’ as such, it will just be a chance for the coach to make a quick change of keepers. This means that throughout the game we’ll have 4 different players in the goal keeper role. Last week we had too many stoppages in play to swap the bibs and gloves etc which meant the games didn’t flow as well as possible and the children were quite distracted and found it difficult to concentrate on the game. Coaches please note: only enter the field when the referee signals to do so please.
This weekend our focus area will be to have players play more positionally to open up the games rather than having 14 children huddled around the ball all kicking wildly. Not every child needs to chase every play. There is value in moving with the game, but holding position till you come into play. Coaches please discuss this with your team and broadly nominate the players to play forward or back so there is opportunity for passing. This doesn’t come naturally to the children who all want to get to the ball and score. So this will be a challenging concept for them, but important none the less.
Thank you again to the parents who helped set up and pack up. Your assistance is much appreciated.
See you all for an 8am kick off.
Cath
Newsletter Funskills 6’s July 22nd
Funskills 6s families,
Unlike Funskills 7s where we have high numbers of participants, in Funskills 6s we continue to have low attendance, so we’ll create teams based on those in attendance. Thankyou to those who are continuing with the program.
Big thank you to Shanna who is doing a great job organising players every Saturday morning. Shanna and her family coordinate and assist with set up and pack up. I appreciate their help very much.
If you would like to be removed from this newsletter mail out, because you have chosen to discontinue with Funskills please let me know.
See you Saturday
Cath
Newsletter Funskills 7’s July 22nd
Funskills 7s Families,
Transition last week was a big hit with our littlest Kooka’s. Unfortunately we didn’t get as much game time as we’d like, so this weekend, to give our players even more game time, the games will kick off at 8am on Saturday. We’ll need to set up ready prior to kick off.
Big thank you to all the volunteers to helped set up and pack up the fields. There’s lots of different equipment to what we would ordinarily use in Funskills, and it was really pleasing to see so many people willingly assisting- including our Kookas who helped pack up cones. Great job everyone! Community football at its best
Our referees Scarlett and Poppy were invaluable. Thank you for your acknowledgement of them. I thanked them personally and invited them back this week. We have a club rule that no one approaches the ref during a game, however I am sure they would love it if the kids thanked them at the end of the game. I heard a number of people speaking very favourably about them, so it would be nice for the refs to hear that first hand at the end of the game.
(I have not yet seen the ref allocations, so as for last week, coaches please bring a whistle on the off chance you may need to adjudicate the game as centre official)
Thank you for the spirit and tone surrounding the matches last week. It was a very positive experience for everyone. Looking forward to Transition Wk 2, hopefully we will be able to start on time this week.
Thanks again everyone.
Cath
Newsletter Funskills 6s July 15th
Funskills families,
I hope all of you had a lovely holiday, we’re looking forward to seeing everyone back at Funskills this weekend. This week your fields will not have equipment ‘set up’ as in previous weeks. Funskills 7s will now be participating in full field transition games til the end of the season, so they will be using different equipment. Field tubs and goals will be available for Funskills 6s, however from now on you will need to set up and pack your field.
Activities for this weekend will be on the clip boards and are the same as last weekend as we had so few players last week due to illness and holidays.
Please remember to have your names marked off with Shanna before moving to your field to play.
Thanks
See you Saturday,
Cath
Newsletter Funskills 7s July 15th
Funskills families,
I hope all of you had a lovely holiday, we’re looking forward to seeing everyone back at Funskills this weekend. Funskills 7s will begin Transition this weekend. Transition is an opportunity for the children to play in match like conditions so they are better prepared for playing conditions when they move to U8s.
This means we will be playing a game for the majority of the session on a field the size of an U8 field. I will need parent helpers to meet me at 8am on the verandah in front of field 2 to carry out the goals and set up 2 playing fields before our kick off at 8.15am. Players will need to arrive before 8.15am as the games will commence right away. It’s not like Funskills where we can wait for late comers. In U8, kick off is a set time and games start on time.
The children will be playing in games of 7 vs 7. This means I will combine existing teams. The draw will be on the yellow noticeboard. Children should go straight to the field they will be playing on. Rules will be as for U8s so the children will experience listening to the centre referee and the referee’s whistle. Coaches: please bring a whistle in case one of our refs is away. The children will be assisted by the centre officials (referees), so it’s important they listen and follow directions to learn the rules. A number of situations may be new to the players but having a few transition sessions now will mean that next year U8s is a less overwhelming experience for them.
The game will be bibs vs no bibs as normal. We will have Goal Keepers for the first time. I will supply a GK bib to distinguish them from the rest of the team. I will also supply GKs with GK gloves to wear. These will be returned at the conclusion of the game, similar to the weekly bib return the children are used to.
The game will be 2 halves with a half time break, shorter in duration than a regulation U8 game so the children can get used to a bigger field etc. The centre official will call time for the game/half time etc. Our centre officials need to go to their next game at 9am, so for the last 15 minutes of the session, coaches will have the opportunity to go through some training activities based on their observations within the game. The coach may notice the children have difficulty throwing the ball in, or kicking from the corner, or playing the ball out from the GK. These can be practised in the final 15 minutes while the game is fresh in the minds of the children.
Please note: The centre official (referee) is the only person giving direction during the game. It is imperative that the centre officials are shown respect at all times by both children and adults. The adjudications given by referees are final. The referees are minors, but they are experienced in this level of football and well trained in rules and regulations. Chances are, some of the modified rules may be new to you, if you are unsure of rules or decisions please speak to Caroline or myself, rather than the referee.
At the end of the session the goals will need to be packed away so that the fields can go back to the Funskills 6s size. If each team packs up one end of each field we will have the job finished in no time at all. Thank you in advance for your help with this.
See you all on Saturday
Cath
Newsletter Funskills 6s July 1st
Funskills Families,
This week being the start of the school holidays, we typically see a drop off in numbers. That’s no problem, we will still have the morning muster and create teams from the players who are in attendance. Please make sure Shanna marks your name on the attendance sheet.
Thank you to our volunteers who are stepping in every week to help with everything from set up, to coaching, and to pack up.
NB. If the balls are a bit flat there is a compressor to pump them up on the TH#2 veranda. It is in the room to the immediate right of the first aid station.
Thank you
Cath
Newsletter Funskills 7s July 1st
Funskills Families,
This week was scheduled to be the start of Transition. However due to school holidays we will have to push transition back to July 15. Typically we see a drop off in numbers during school holidays so we will just create games from those who attend. Please make sure your attendance has been noted before you head to your team.
NB. If the balls are a bit flat there is a compressor to pump them up on the TH#2 veranda. It is in the room to the immediate right of the first aid station.
Thank you
Cath
Newsletter: Funskills 7s June 17th
Funskills 7s Families,
Thank you to the parents who stepped in last week over the holiday weekend to run sessions for absent coaches. We are still in the middle of a flu and covid spike in the local area so we may still be low on coaches in the coming weeks. Thank you in advance to the parents who will be helping us get through this.
At the conclusion of Funskills 7s we have a number of children who stay to play with friends or watch a younger sibling in Funskills 6s. They are most welcome to stay and kick a ball with friends. To avoid confusion with the 6s, please move to field 1D to continue playing. Funskills 6s have a morning muster which is getting a little caught up with 7s players, so moving to 1D will help me enormously. Thanks.
Activities are supplied for those who need them however over the next couple of weeks I would encourage teams to focus on preparing the children for Transition which will begin July 1. Transition is a chance for the children to play on an U8 size field under U8 rules and game management conditions. The aim is to have Instructional referees and the fields will be ‘dressed’ as they would be for U8 competition games.
During Transition there will be 3 new things the children are not used to in Funskills:
i) Throw ins
ii) Corners
iii) Goal Keepers (with larger goals)
Practise in the first two areas over the next couple of weeks is important. It’s not possible to have GKs with small pop up goals, but corners and throw ins are skills the children should all try over the next few weeks.
This weekend’s session will still take the same format as normal for the next couple of weeks: half hour training and half hour game. Encourage the children to stay on the field for the entire game rather than going on and off to parents. During Transition (from July 1 onwards), the games will be longer and the children will need to stay on the field until the referee indicates they can leave.
So over the next couple of weeks please talk to the players about listening to the ref. For each half of your game this week each coach will take a turn to be the referee. Please use a whistle so the children get used to stopping and following referee instructions. Talk to the children about basic positional play and trying to stay in position during the game rather than all players running after the ball at once.
Note: Transition will start July 1, not this week.
This week is as normal with a strong focus on preparing the children for the competition conditions they will experience in Transition.
Thanks everyone
See you Saturday
Cath
Newsletter: Funskills 6s June 17th
Funskills 6s Families,
Thank you to the parents who have stepped in to take the coaching role for our program. We will maintain the morning muster till we have permanent coaches for every team.
The morning muster is proving to be time consuming.
Please arrive early enough to be divided into groups and have a coach assigned so the children don’t miss too much of their training session.
Children should meet at the yellow noticeboard, preferably in their original team group so I know where everyone is.
Please find this weekend’s activities attached.
See you this weekend
Cath
Newsletter: Funskills 7’s June 10th
Funskills 7 families,
In recent weeks and increasingly through Winter our families are being impacted by colds, flu and covid. We ask that if anyone is unwell they stay home. This has resulted in a number of our volunteers being (understandably) unavailable. As a result teams who ordinarily have coaches, have had no one to run their group. It is essential each team/group has an adult in charge. It’s not fair to any parent to take on two groups.
Moving forward we will need to enforce the one parent to each group requirement to be fair to everyone. Without a parent leader a team will no longer be able to participate. Teams without a parent leader will meet at the yellow noticeboard and we will assess what direction to take. If there are only 2 players from each team at the noticeboard we may be able to combine the teams but we will still need one adult per group.
Please do not arbitrarily head to a field where it looks like a parent is coaching if your coach is absent. This just creates more problems.
Caroline and I will work together to sort out how best to accommodate teams. Ultimately no team will be able to proceed til we have someone step in. There is one team in 7s who appears to have not had a coach for some time, this team (City) will need to find a coach or parents will need to take it in turns to fill the role.
We need to know who takes each group in the case of enquiries or incidents we may need to address, so please make sure Caroline has had a chance to record names and field changes before you head off to begin. It is important we know where everyone is during Funskills.
Thank you in advance to those who will be stepping in to help in the coming weeks.
See you Saturday
Cath
Newsletter: Funskills 6’s June 10th
Funskills 6 families,
Thankyou to the people who stood in last weekend to run Funskills. The morning worked, in that we were able to secure one parent per team, however its time consuming so not the best option.
When volunteers agree to take on the coaching role for each team permanently we can go back to the preferred method of engaged play from the outset. However we are not there yet so we will need to continue with a morning muster for the next little while. I have outlined the routine below for any who may have missed the Newsletter last week.
The children will no longer go directly to their field and meet their team there. We will now have a ‘morning muster’ each Saturday. Funskills 6s players who arrive prior to 9.30am kick off will meet on field 1A. There will be cones set up for a training activity that the children can start on. When we have 5 players and a parent volunteer we will form a training group. As soon as two training groups (with 2 parents) are formed, Shanna will direct them to a field to continue training and play their match. Players will remain on the training field til a volunteer is found to take their group to their field. Please don’t head off to a field til Shanna has a chance to check and record attendance for each group. It is important we know where everyone is during Funskills so we can address any enquiries or concerns, so please make sure Shanna has had a chance to record names and field changes before you head off to begin.
Players who arrive late will meet at the yellow noticeboard. As soon as 5 players and a volunteer form a group, they will be shown to a field to begin training/playing. Please don’t just head to any field you like as this has caused a lot of the problems we have had to date.
We need parent volunteers in order to run the program. If we do not have volunteers the program can’t proceed. During Winter our teams are hit by colds, flu and covid resulting in our regular volunteers being absent occasionally. Sometimes teams who ordinarily have coaches will be faced with the dilemma of an absent coach, in this situation parents may have to step in temporarily. In the case of a team who has no regular coach it may be that parents will have to take turns and do one week each over a 5 week period (or however many weeks correspond to your player cohort).
Thankyou in advance for helping with your child’s Funskills experience. We appreciate what you do for our players and our club.
See you Saturday
Cath
Newsletter: June 3rd
Funskills 7s families,
The format of our Funskills 6s program is undergoing a major change starting from this week, however, Funskills 7s is not changing at all. It will continue as normal each week.
Please make sure when you get to the field your child checks the yellow notice board to find which field their team is playing on, grab a ball and head straight there. Don’t go to any field of your choice, its important the children stay in their ‘team/group’.
Please remind the children to return their training ball to the purple bin BEFORE their game starts. I need the purple bins full for when the Funskills 6s begin after your session.
Big thank you to the children who are packing cones, bibs and balls away at the end of their session. This is much appreciated.
See you Saturday
~ Cath
Newsletter: June 3rd
Funskills 6 families,
Unfortunately Funskills 6 program is struggling through lack of volunteers. Having listened to a number of people, the following changes will be implemented as of this weekend.
NOTE: If you have a child in Funskills 7s, nothing is changing with that program as it is working well. It will continue with the same routine.
We need parent volunteers in order to run the program. If we do not have volunteers the program can’t proceed. We will assess the viability of each session weekly.
The children will no longer go directly to their field and meet their team there.
We will now have a ‘morning muster’ each Saturday. Funskills 6s players who arrive prior to 9.30am kick off will meet on field 1A. There will be cones set up for a training activity that the children can start on. When we have 5 players and a parent volunteer we will form a training group. As soon as two training groups (with 2 parents) are formed, Shanna will direct them to a field to continue training and play their match. Players will remain on the training field til a volunteer is found to take their group to their field. Please don’t head off to a field til Shanna has a chance to check and record attendance for each group.
Players who arrive late will meet at the yellow noticeboard. As soon as 5 players and a volunteer form a group, they will be shown to a field to begin training/playing. Please don’t just head to any field you like as this has caused a lot of the problems we have had to date.
This system is far from ideal as it is very time consuming, unnecessarily taking time from the children’s program. It will also mean that children will not necessarily be with their team each week and we won’t be able to ensure that all players play against all others evenly..
If we get a volunteer for each team each week we will return to the scheduled program.
See you Saturday
~Cath
Newsletter: May 27th
Newsletter: May 20th
Funskills families,
We’re heading into our 6th week of Funskills, and now that we’re underway I wanted to reiterate a few of the Funskills premises. In Funskills the children play as a cohort rather than individual teams. I understand the confusion contained therein considering the players are divided into groups/’teams’, so I’ll explain.
Groups/’teams’ are created from a managerial point of few. We could just divide the cohort arbitrarily every morning based on who attends, but this is unmanageable as people arrive at all different times. It also doesn’t give us a reliable means of ensuring that all players play one another fairly. We don’t want the same players playing against one another every week. So ‘teams’ are created to save time and better organise the morning.
Each week two groups/’teams’ train and play TOGETHER on the same field. Please stay on the field you have been assigned regardless of how many ‘team’ members are there. Groups/’teams’ don’t train separately. Let’s say field 1D has Mariners (2 players) and City (6 players), ie a total of 8 players. The 8 players train and play together. If the training drills require 2 groups of 4, any 4 children can be combined to create the group of 4, they don’t need to be from the one team. Similarly, for the match portion of the morning, the game would be 4 vs 4. Not 2 vs 6. During the match, players may be moved in and out of the bibs/no bibs ‘teams’ on the field to provide more challenges to players and create the most opportunities for engaged play for all children.
Attendance checks are taken each week so we can monitor who is playing and the viability of teams.
Our Player of the Match trophies are a weekly achievement award designed to encourage and recognise the development of individual players. It may or may not be the player who scored the most goals. It might be a player whose achievement was greater in a different area, but for them it was a significant milestone deserving of recognition. Please remember to return the trophy each week so another young Kooka can be awarded for their progress.
Our program is based on volunteers running the program. We are always on the look out for volunteers for one week, or the whole season. I am a volunteer, as are Caroline and Shanna and all our parents. Thankyou to the parents who each week step in and run the sessions. As the program is a cohort based program there are always two parents facilitating the training and matches on each field. This provides a valuable support network for you. Please consider stepping in and helping if only one parent is available on any field. We don’t need any more than two, as it then gets confusing for the children and they are unsure of who to listen to. If you have more volunteers, perhaps take it in turns each week as to who would like to run the session.
See you all Saturday
Cath
Newsletter: May 13th
Funskills Families,
This weekend is week 5 of Funskills. Our littlest Kookas are now well established in their routine and becoming more independent. Heading to the yellow blackboard, finding the team and locating their field. They are going really well with reading the schedule and map all on their own- awesome! Thank you for reinforcing that with the children.
Funskills 7s are responsible for setting up fields, and Funskills 6s pack up for us. Thank you to all the parents who have pitched in without hesitation each week to ensure the smooth running of the program. The gear is all collected from/ or returned to the picnic tables outside the uniform shop. Everyone pitching in has made this process very effective.
Funskills 7s begins at 8.15, (Funskills 6s at 9.30am), set up will need to be completed prior to 8.15am so the training sessions can commence on time. Funskills 7s: just leave your equipment in the tub at your field for Funskills 6s coaches. No need to return it all to the blackboard. Funskills 6s reminder: each field has 2 ‘U’ pegs per goal to secure the pop up goals. Please make sure these are returned in the tubs and not left on the field as they are a safety risk for teams playing on field 1 later in the morning/day.
Funskills is a volunteer led program. Our coaches are all volunteers. Thank you for your help. On occasion there will be groups without a coach due to illness or unforeseen circumstances, so instead of just emailing coaches the program of activities each week, from now on I’ll send a weekly newsletter to all families in the event that another parent needs to step in and run the group. Remember: the two teams per field train together so you will never be coaching on your own. There will always be a second adult there to assist. Attached is the round 5 training activity sheet- this is also available in your tub each week attached to the field clipboard so there’s no need to copy it to take with you. (Red witches hats have been added to the tubs in case you need extra ‘goals’ for some training activities).
We only have a few families yet to bring in the date of birth check for players. Thank you to all those who have completed this.
Many thanks to Caroline (Funskills 7s) and Shanna (Funskills 6s) who are our match day supervisors. If you need any assistance reach out to them or me, we're all there for you.
See you all on Saturday
Cath
Newsletter: Funskills U6 and U7 April 15th
HI Funskills Families,
I hope you all had a lovely Easter. Funskills returns this weekend: April 15. Funskills 7s, (DOB 2016) begins 8.15am, and Funskills 6s (DOB 2017) begins 9.30am.
As we are in the middle of holidays there will be a number of players away, so for this week we may need to merge teams for games. Please still head to your scheduled field as per the roster on the yellow blackboard and we will determine what is best once everyone has arrived. Coaches please begin training with your partner team as normal.
Thankyou to the parents who have volunteered to coach each team. Funskills 7s is looking good however we need more coaches in the Funskills 6s program. I have requested assistance for this 9.30am session (I am yet to hear who is coming…), however, after this week we will have no helpers, so the program will be completely parent run.
Session 2 is added tot his newsletter for our volunteers. It will also be available at the ground. For our experienced coaches please feel free to design your own training session based on your observations of the players’ skill levels.
We are not expecting bad weather on the weekend, however if you are concerned please check our Facebook page before you leave for your game. If for some reason Funskills has been cancelled you will see a message like this on the FB page:
This message will also be posted as a news item on our club website: www.bhfc.org.au
Please remember all correspondence with families is available on our website. The link to our Funskills page is the 3rd item on the top menu bar. I have placed it here for your convenience as well.
On that page there is a black button which takes you to all the relevant emails/newsletters etc. The link is here for you:
https://bhfc.club/funskills-parent-emails
Unfortunately my email is still not working reliably, so its best to text me or message the FB page if needed.
Thankyou to our match day supervisors Shanna and Caroline, who will be on hand each weekend to help as well.
See you all Saturday
Cath
U6 EMAIL RND 1 SEASON 2023 – 29.3.23
Good Morning Funskills families,
At last! Funskills begins this weekend. This email contains the routine and protocols we will observe to run an enjoyable and safe program.
Fortunately this year we have no specific covid restrictions. Parents are asked to take sensible personal steps to remain safe. Food and drink should not be shared among team mates etc. We ask families to observe NSW Health covid protocols in regard to notification and isolation.
REMINDER: If your child is sick PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND FUNSKILLS
A map is attached to show you where each field is and the out of bound areas. This map together with a draw and player lists will be placed on a yellow blackboard at the field for you to reference. All spectators are asked to remain beside the fields and leave the centre area (the cricket pitch section) out of bounds.
Match Day routine:
Funskills is held on Ted Horwood #1 every week. Field 1 is beside Park Rd.
Head to the yellow blackboard to check where the team will be training and playing. Please encourage your child to read the blackboard (on field 1), to locate their field.
Grab a ball from the purple bin and go straight to the field.
At the end of the training section of the program children are encouraged to pack up cones and put balls back in the purple bins in preparation for the game.
One team is selected to wear the bibs during the ‘match’. Children are asked to return the bibs to the bib basket at the end of the game.
Please reinforce this routine with the children so it becomes second nature to them and time is not wasted on admin type issues. Coaches have been asked to start their sessions as soon as the first child arrives. We want the children engaged right from the time they get to the fields.
Shanna is your U6 match day coordinator. She will wear a pink vest and be on hand to assist you each morning. We still need coaches for some teams, so please let me know if you can help. For our first 2 weeks I have asked volunteers from our older teams to help you.
I have attached this week’s draw to show you what you will see on the blackboard.
I have noted below your team. An important part of our program is the pairing of teams each week. It is designed to help beginning coaches by having two adults run each session. It also helps our children get to know everyone in the whole Funskills cohort so that when the children move into association football where they are graded, they know as many children in the age group as possible. Funskills is a 25 minutes skills session followed by a drinks break then a game of two 12 minute halves separated by a 5 minute break to change ends, have a drink etc. We follow a prescribed FNSW program of activities that are supplied to coaches weekly. A sample of this week’s activities is attached for you.
The second half of our program will be a game of football between the two teams who trained together. Generally that is 4 vs 4 or 5 vs 5 NOTE: The whole training group (2 teams combined) is split in half for the match. Children do not stay in teams to play if one team has 5 and one has 2. The match must be among an equivalent number of players. I remind coaches: we do not have GKs. The goals are very small and putting a child in front of goals makes it very difficult to score. At this age we’d rather a flood of goals than the frustration of not being able to score.
U6 is the final Funskills session of the morning. It is the role of U6 to pack up the fields. The purple bins and nets need to be taken to the equipment shed to be stored. This is not a difficult job. Please help before you leave the field. As a matter of safety, children should not handle the goals, but they can help with balls and cones etc. Thankyou in advance for your help with field set up.
Please find below your team list. Don’t worry if you forget your team or your field. This will all be on the blackboard for you when you arrive at the field.
See you all on Saturday!
Your child is in team: x
Your coach is: x
Your session starts: 9.30am
U7 EMAIL RND 1 SEASON 2023 – 29.3.23
Good Morning Funskills families,
At last! Funskills begins this weekend. This email contains the routine and protocols we will observe to run an enjoyable and safe program.
Fortunately this year we have no specific covid restrictions. Parents are asked to take sensible personal steps to remain safe. Food and drink should not be shared among team mates etc. We ask families to observe NSW Health covid protocols in regard to notification and isolation.
REMINDER: If your child is sick PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND FUNSKILLS
A map is attached to show you where each field is and the out of bound areas. This map together with a draw and player lists will be placed on a yellow blackboard at the field for you to reference. All spectators are asked to remain beside the fields and leave the centre area (the cricket pitch section) out of bounds.
Match Day routine:
Funskills is held on Ted Horwood #1 every week. Field 1 is beside Park Rd.
Head to the yellow blackboard to check where the team will be training and playing. Please encourage your child to read the blackboard (on field 1), to locate their field.
Grab a ball from the purple bin and go straight to the field.
At the end of the training section of the program children are encouraged to pack up cones and put balls back in the purple bins in preparation for the game.
One team is selected to wear the bibs during the ‘match’. Children are asked to return the bibs to the bib basket at the end of the game.
Please reinforce this routine with the children so it becomes second nature to them and time is not wasted on admin type issues. Coaches have been asked to start their sessions as soon as the first child arrives. We want the children engaged right from the time they get to the fields.
Caroline is your U7 match day coordinator. She will wear a pink vest and be on hand to assist you each morning. We still need coaches for some teams, so please let me know if you can help. For our first 2 weeks I have asked volunteers from our older teams to help you.
I have attached this week’s draw to show you what you will see on the blackboard.
I have noted below your team. An important part of our program is the pairing of teams each week. It is designed to help beginning coaches by having two adults run each session. It also helps our children get to know everyone in the whole Funskills cohort so that when the children move into association football where they are graded, they know as many children in the age group as possible. Funskills is a 25 minutes skills session followed by a drinks break then a game of two 12 minute halves separated by a 5 minute break to change ends, have a drink etc. We follow a prescribed FNSW program of activities that are supplied to coaches weekly. A sample of this week’s activities is attached for you.
The second half of our program will be a game of football between the two teams who trained together. Generally that is 4 vs 4 or 5 vs 5 NOTE: The whole training group (2 teams combined) is split in half for the match. Children do not stay in teams to play if one team has 5 and one has 2. The match must be among an equivalent number of players. I remind coaches: we do not have GKs. The goals are very small and putting a child in front of goals makes it very difficult to score. At this age we’d rather a flood of goals than the frustration of not being able to score.
U7 is the first Funskills session of the morning. It is the role of U7 to set up the fields. The purple bins, baskets and nets will be at the blackboard for you to take to your field. This is not a difficult job. If you are the first in your player to get to the field, please help by carrying some of the gear to your field. As a matter of safety, children should not handle the goals, but they can help with balls and cones etc. Thankyou in advance for your help with field set up.
Please find below your team list. Don’t worry if you forget your team or your field. This will all be on the blackboard for you when you arrive at the field.
See you all on Saturday!
Your child is in team: x
Your coach is: x
Your session starts: 8.15am
U6 & U7 EMAIL 18.3.2023
Hi Funskills Families,
There seems to be an ongoing issue with emails from this address. So if you receive this email please feel free to share it with other funskills families. I will also have emails placed on our Funskills page on the website. The button/link will be below the header graphic.
https://bhfc.club/funskills
COORDINATOR:
Shanna will join us again this year to coordinate U6s on Saturday mornings. I am still looking for an U7s coordinator. It’s a match day role, not a big role. Its about having someone to direct players, take the roll, direct where everyone goes, guide set up or pack up, and be a club contact in case I get called away to elsewhere on the ground. Please let me know if you can help.
REGISTRATION:
Most children are registered, but it is not too late if you would like a friend to join us. Get them to register ASAP so I can get teams organised. We have unlimited room in Funskills, so we are happy to have as many children as would like to play.
TEAMS:
Children are encouraged to make new friends in Funskills and get to know as many players as possible in the whole age cohort so that when they are graded in U8 and beyond, they will know their peers.
U7 teams will be the same as U6. However if you have a friend who would like to join you, provided there is a space in your team that will be fine.
For new U6 players, I encourage players to mix but I am happy to place you with friends if required. Ill do my best to have players together but please know that a maximum of 5 players per nomination is our limit.
NOTE: If you specify that you want to have particular players in your team, I will need parent permission from each of those players that they too want that arrangement. (Its not always the case..)
UNIFORMS:
Shin pads as safety gear are the only required uniform item. However, it is often (always) the case that the children like to wear BHFC shorts and socks. These can be purchased online at our uniform shop . https://bhfc.club/store
2022 players will have these items. NO need to buy new ones.
NEW PLAYERS 2023:
If this is your first year in Funskills I will need to see proof of DOB. (Birth Certificate or Passport) This can be done when you pick up your shorts and socks. NB. We do not keep copies of DOB documentation. I witness it and record the rego number as proof I have seen it.
COACHES:
Each team needs someone to run the activities. This is a coach or facilitator. I will supply the activities each week, or if you have coached before, you may determine your program. Teams train in pairs each week, so you will always have the coach of your partner team with you to assist.
At present I only have one volunteer coach, so let me know if you can run your child’s team.
We have a coaching demonstration on April 4 at Ted Horwood, that you can register for. This is a great way to see how to manage children and run a training session. The evening is run by Dan Sheppard : Technical Director at HFI. Dan’s courses are popular and valuable. It is suitable for coaches of 5, 6 and 7 year olds. And this one is FREE!! Please contact me and Ill give you the link to register. Interested parents are all welcome, whether you want to coach or not. I highly recommend this night.
START:
The season will start April 1. 8.15am for U7 (DOB 2016), an9.30am for U6 (DOB 2017/18).
I look forward to welcoming, and welcoming back all our funskills Kookas. See you all soon.
U7 EMAIL 27.2.2023
HI Funskills families,
Welcome to season 2023 and welcome back to our 2022 Funskills players. I have copied the link to our Funskills page on the club website here for your convenience. All you need to know can be found at the Funskills link below.
https://bhfc.club/funskills
This link is on the top menu bar of our website: www.bhfc.org.au
I am looking for an U7 coordinator for this year. They will be on hand every Saturday to assist teams, direct players, help set up and pack up. Everything is supplied for you, the coordinator is just responsible for the smooth running of the program on the day. Let me know if you’d like to volunteer for this role.
We find that traditionally Funskills registrations are very slow coming in so if you have friends who would like to play please get them to register now. Don’t wait till April. Currently we only have about 2/3 of the registrations we would normally expect, so teams will be formed soon. Hopefully in the coming weeks we start to see more regos so we can start the pre-season process. Please spread the word for us. Having said that, it is our policy in U7s to keep the children in the teams they began U6 in. If some players from your 2022 do not return, the 2023 teams will be filled or merged.
We are a community club at Baulko that relies on volunteers to help us provide football for all. If you are interested in coaching Funskills in 2023 please let me know. We supply you with all the activities and resources for each week. Every team has 4 – 5 players so we need a facilitator/coach for each group. The model we use is that each week you pair with another team and train and play together. So as a coach, you will always have a partner with you. More about that later..
If you would like to purchase a uniform, head to our website where you will find the shop on the right hand side of the top menu bar. https://bhfc.club/store
If you are new to Baulko and need to bring in a DOB original ID document please check the shop link to find opening hours when you can bring in your ID and I will give you your shirt. https://bhfc.club/orders-for-pickup
If there's anything I can help you with please email I'm only too happy to assist.
U6 EMAIL 27.2.2023
HI Funskills families,
Welcome to season 2023 and welcome back to our 2022 Funskills players. I have copied the link to our Funskills page on the club website here for your convenience. All you need to know can be found at the Funskills link below.
https://bhfc.club/funskills
This link is on the top menu bar of our website: www.bhfc.org.au
Thankyou to Shanna (and Elizabeth), who have volunteered to coordinate U6 this year. Shanna will be on hand every Saturday to assist teams, direct players, help set up and pack up. She will have a pink high viz vest on, so you won’t miss her 😊 Everything is supplied for you, the coordinator is just responsible for the smooth running of the program on the day.
We find that traditionally Funskills registrations are very slow coming in so if you have friends who would like to play please get them to register now. Don’t wait till April. Currently we only have about 2/3 of the registrations we would normally expect, so teams will be formed soon. Hopefully in the coming weeks we start to see more regos so we can start the pre-season process. Please spread the word for us.
We are a community club at Baulko that relies on volunteers to help us provide football for all. If you are interested in coaching Funskills in 2023 please let me know. We supply you with all the activities and resources for each week. Every team has 4 – 5 players so we need a facilitator/coach for each group. The model we use is that each week you pair with another team and train and play together. So as a coach, you will always have a partner with you. More about that later..
If you would like to purchase a uniform, head to our website where you will find the shop on the right hand side of the top menu bar. https://bhfc.club/store
If you are new to Baulko and need to bring in a DOB original ID document please check the shop link to find opening hours when you can bring in your ID and I will give you your shirt. https://bhfc.club/orders-for-pickup
If there's anything I can help you with please email I'm only too happy to assist.
U7 (FEMALE) 2022 EMAIL 30.1.2023
Hi Baulko families,
Welcome back to season 2023. Having graduated from the Funskills program your child is now eligible to play in association football. Your daughter has the opportunity to register and play in any one of 3 ways:
i) U8 Mixed football (boys and girls together): each Saturday, or
ii) Female only: U8/9G combined football on Sundays, or
iii) Both Saturday and Sunday as a dual registered player at no extra cost.
Once you’ve made the decision, register your child. The link is here for you. https://bhfc.club/registration-2023
All children playing in U8 or U8-9G are expected to attend grading.
Grading for U8 is February 7 and 14: 6pm TH #5.
Grading for U8-9G is February 9 and 16: 6pm TH#4.
The best access to these fields is the car park opposite Baulkham Hills Sports Club on Renown Rd. TH #5 is at the end of the car park, and TH #4 is beside 5.
Please make sure your child is wearing football boots, shin pads and clothes suitable for playing. Most will wear the FUNSKILLS uniform as that is the easiest option. However a uniform for grading is not compulsory. If you can’t attend grading due to illness or school activities please let us know so your child doesn’t miss out on being placed in a team.
Association football is different to Funskills as now children will play opposition teams from neighbouring clubs in a home and away structure of scheduling. The teams will be larger and all games will be played on Saturdays or Sundays except in the event of bad weather. If your game is postponed you may have a re-scheduled game on an alternate day and/or time. This will be communicated to you by your manager. One other big change for your child will be that training and match day are no longer combined. Training is now a week afternoon/night for them, your team when announced will determine what day that is in consultation with all the families in your team.
All the best for season 2023, I look forward to seeing all the children very soon.
U7 2022 EMAIL 30.1.2023
Hi Baulko families,
Welcome back to season 2023. Having graduated from the Funskills program your child is now eligible to play in U8 association football. Please register your child asap. Grading for U8 is February 7 and 14: 6pm TH #5. All children playing in U8 are expected to attend grading. Please make sure your child is wearing football boots and clothes suitable for playing. Most will wear the FUNSKILLS uniform as that is the easiest option. If you can’t attend grading due to illness or school activities please let us know so your child doesn’t miss out on being place din a team.
U8 football is different to Funskills as now children will play opposition teams from neighbouring clubs in a home and away structure of scheduling. The teams will be larger and all games will be played on Saturdays except in the event of bad weather. If your age is postponed you may have a re-scheduled game on a Sunday. This will be communicated to you by your manager. One other big change for your child will be that training and match day are no longer combined. Training is now a week afternoon/night for them, your team when announced will determine what day that is in consultation with all the families in your team.