*** Basildon Badgers Latest ***
From the Sett
The Basildon Badgers Newsletter
Hello, welcome to issue 3 of ‘From the Sett’. In this issue…. we share ‘Badger of the month’, Rob gets some grit in his eye whilst describing his favourite Badger goal, we talk U11’s, cover off November’s league action, roll out the admin as usual and talk you through a few other bits and pieces.
***We’ll be having our Christmas ‘do’ at the Red Lion pub on the 9th December (from 7pm). We’ll lay on some hot snacks and try and dress the pub (a bit) in black and white. If you’re free please pop along and say hello.***
The Month in pictures….
Clockwise from top Left - the U10’s in their new kit, away day singing with the U7’s at AFC Newbury, lonely tea hut in action and the U11’s against Thatcham. If you’ve any pictures you’d like to share, please send them to Melanie via WhatsApp…
October – Home Matches Galore; a quick summary….
The 15th October saw all of our league teams converge on the recreation ground on the same day for the first time. It was a bit of a logistical challenge, but we got there and managed to run our tea and coffee hut in a bid to support club funds. There’s also been a handful of other fixtures during November which we’ll take you through, starting with the Under 7’s:
Our U7’s took their unbeaten run to 10 matches with a win and a draw against CSA and backed that up with two battling performances over at Spencers Wood in late October. Whilst results are unimportant it’s great that they’ve settled really quickly; we particularly enjoyed the 5-5 thriller in the second game against CSA where Badgers played with a player down and did a brilliant job! They’ve also fully embraced goal celebrations….
The U8’s continued their unbeaten run with ‘Badgers’ and I managed to catch them against Thatcham Tornadoes where everyone present enjoyed Pharrley’s lob of the goalkeeper from the half way line! Our Stripes team continued to make good progress with draws against Thatcham and some real battling displays against Tadley, Barton Rovers and the other Thatcham Tornadoes teams that will stand them in good stead going forward.
The U10’s seem to be on an accelerated football journey and there’s been more emotion over their first 7 or 8 games than some teams get over a couple of seasons. First up were Cold Ash who beat them 4-2 but this was followed up by a 10-2 win against Cougars and a last-minute winner against Barton Rovers (4-3) to keep the team at the top of Division 4 at the half way point of the season. 5 more cup finals to go….
We’ll talk U11’s below; thanks to everyone who came along to the games and to those who supported the tea and coffee hut over the month.
Badger of the Month – our latest winner
The local Badger Trust (Binfield branch) kindly sponsor our Badger of the Month award for the player or coach who has really stepped up and gone ‘above and beyond’. This month our winner is George Reed who plays in Midfield for our Under 10’s team. The coaches awarded it to George for his brilliant performances during October which saw the team win 3 out of 4 matches with George chipping in a number of goals (including 4 in one match) whilst also helping to break up opposition play and get the team moving forward. Well done George!
Team in focus – U11
If you’re ever at a loose end on a Sunday, go and watch the Under 11’s play, they move it around well, get the ball forward and regularly score loads of goals!
Last season saw continued progress with a decent finish in the Reading & West Berks league backed up with a cup win in the plate tournament at Henwick. Additionally, three players were called up to the local district side – a first for Basildon Badgers and something we’re really proud of. They’re now at the stage of playing on a pitch that’s around three quarters ‘full’ sized and this includes larger goals and a shift to 9 aside too. As a result, there are offsides and new things to think about but they’ve taken it in their stride and started the season with 4 wins and a draw from 6.
Here they are looking great in their new kit (thanks Candice for sorting it!)…..
I was told that the U11 fixture on the 15th October would be a real battle and a measure of where Badgers are in the first division. Against a strong CSA side who’d beaten them in all previous matches, they shared 8 and played some really good stuff whilst getting stuck in against a physical side. Darren reckons a top two league position is well within reach with hopefully even more to come as we move into 2024; the team backed this up by scoring 12 goals in the next away game and a further 6 the following week to move second in the table and qualify for the top 4 league play offs. Onwards and Upwards….!
Fundraising & Community Stuff
You may have spotted players signing a shirt on 15th October. Having moved it around our league teams we presented it to the Village Hall and Parish Council as a thank you for their extremely kind support over the years which has come in various forms ranging from the financial to the practical. By the time you read this it’ll be hanging from the wall in the Village Hall. We’ve also presented one to the Red Lion pub to add further local flavour which you’ll spot facing the bar if you pop in for a drink (picture below).
From the Archive….
Picture the scene, sunny Thatcham in 2017 and we take a very inexperienced team (including coach) to compete in the U9 level tournament. We play Bucklebury Cougars to qualify for a knockout place and Rupert scores a screamer and we win 2-0. I remember the ‘thud’ as he swung at it from halfway inside the opposition half (like a golf ball being hit) and watched the ball arrow into the top corner in what seemed like slow motion. A local photographer caught it on camera and let me have (for a small fortune) three or four frame by frame pictures and these still sit on his wall….
We eventually reached the quarter finals that day which was amazing progress given our complete lack of experience and small number of players. We had no idea that 6 years later we’d have 5 league teams, 80 plus players and approaching 20 coaches and helpers; thanks again to everyone who gives up their time. I hope you’ll all get similar great memories in the years to come….
Admin Corner…… Useful links, club directory and positions vacant….
Boots, Recycling and Kit
There’s tons of boots as you probably know and these range from 11 to adult sized 6. All boots are free to players and if you’ve any old boots or kit you’d like us to take please get in touch with Rob (or Melanie) on a Saturday morning at the gazebo.
We’ve also a couple of coats that are available for free and three new old stock ones (Medium / Large) going for £10 each. These are very warm and had rave reviews so feel free to pop over and try one on….
Upcoming fixtures
Here’s our fixture matrix so you can see who is home/away in the coming weeks. This one shows the next month (team at the top) and we’ll provide updates in each newsletter. We’re still waiting on the U11’s to be confirmed; once we know we’ll add them.
Help Required:
We’re keen to design a website but need someone to help drive putting a basic one together that will be easy for coaches to update. If you think you could help, please get in touch.
Useful links & Info:
Our emergency guidelines (access for ambulance, defibulator etc) are printed on the inside door of our main cupboard should they be required. If you’ve a Safeguarding or Welfare issue, please report it to Rob.
Our kit supplier can be found here:
https://basildon-badgers.pendlesportswear.co.uk/replica-products/football-training-wear/
Our local league – covering all teams:
https://fulltime.thefa.com/index.html;jsessionid=34547AAB70C2D40F3DA47AEB1D6EC21F?selectedSeason=770559162&selectedFixtureGroupAgeGroup=16&selectedDivision=162278091&selectedCompetition=0
Click on ‘Age Group’ (middle of the page) and you’ll see upcoming fixtures and (for older groups) current league tables and statistics.
Club Directory
Here's who’s who at the club, the lead for each group is marked in Italics:
U7 Coach – Melanie, Nancy, Holly, James, Andy, Lucy
U8 Coach – Ben, Laura, Miz, Matt
U10 Coach – Andy, Jon, Ash
U11 Coach - Darren, Chris
U12/13 Coach – Mark, Rupert, Jack
Treasurer - Melanie
Chairman / Safeguarding (Welfare) – Rob
Secretary - Paul
Catering (tea hut) & Saturday Admin– Leonora, Rob
We’re always looking for help; the more we get the more teams we can have. Please get in touch if you fancy joining us.