22nd Jan

Development Squads

Over the last number of months a lot of work has been offered in the picking the under 12, 14, 15, and 16 Development Squads 2003. The Kennedy cup team will hope to take home the cup when they take part in the national competition that is held in Limerick every June. The team is managed by former chairman of the Waterford Schoolboy league Tom Browne it has to be said that Waterford teams have done well in this competition over the last number of years. Last year’s U12 development squad, became All-Ireland champions which was a fantastic achievement for all involved. Over the years the league has put a lot of effort into Kennedy cup teams with the management committee picking the players and also training them. This training would take place for over eight months and to be fair to the men in question they have always done their very best to pick the best players and the players have not left them down on the playing field. However the league earlier last year felt that if they had the players from U12 level they would have more time to mould the teams for future years. It was also decided that those players in the under 12 squad would get together two times a month. The under 13 Kennedy cup play in a competition that is held in Limerick for one week every year.

LACK OF CONTINUITY One of the problems the league saw with the Kennedy cup team once the competition was over the team would break up and probably it would probably mean that they would never play with each other ever again except if they were on the Oscar Traynor youth team. So because of this it was decided by the league to set up an under 14,15, and 16 development squad. It also gave a chance to players who might have missed out on the opportunity or for late developers to play in a Waterford underage squad. The committee of the Waterford Schoolboy League, under the chairmanship of Michael Burke, decided to appoint the former chairman of the league Tom Browne as coaching and Development officer for the Waterford Schoolboy League. His job included getting things up and running. It has to said that coaching was an asset of our league that had taken a downfall on the rest of the league structure. In the past number of years Waterford has held a number of different courses ranging from level O to level 1 and 2. Early this season Waterford was proud to have Packie Bonnar the former Ireland goalkeeper here to present a level O goalkeeping coaching course, which, was very well attended. Coaches who have already completed the coaching courses have helped out with the running of our development squads and it was from that base that the league picked the people who run their squads in the hope of achieving national glory. The coaches hold a monthly meeting where they talk about the different parts of coaching. The aim of the Waterford Schoolboy League is to hold a level 2 UEFA B course in Waterford. This course was scheduled to be held in August but unfortunately not enough people were interested in the course and the league hopes that this course will be held later this year. The FAI regional development officer Darren Murray, has been working very close with the league. Paul Power has also worked close with the league and squads when he was manger of Waterford United and it is hoped that Jimmy Mc Geough, the Waterford United manger will also take an interest in the schoolboy sector of football in our crystal city. The Waterford Schoolboy league are very grateful to the managers for the coming season and they are as follows. Under 12 Eoin Tubbritt, John Furlong Under 14, Jimmy Donnelly, Paul Cashin. Under 15, Ray Moran, Paul O’Brien and Billy Hearne Under 16 Anthony Browne. The Kennedy Cup squad been managed by Tom Browne, Marty Foley and Gary Power.

PREPARATION At this moment in time all the development squads are very busy preparing for the coming season. The Kennedy cup team has been training since November 4 and has played a number of games up to this point. The help that is giving to league in relation to the development has been outstanding. I know that the league has a very good spread of players from our club teams and the players and mangers are putting in a big effort in the hope of good things to come. The development teams will take part in a competition, which will be played on a regional basis with the Kennedy cup team traveling to Shannonside in early June. The entry into these competitions will cost the league a lot of money but for the further of soccer in Waterford. This is a great state of affairs for our leagues. The coaches and players involved in the squads are participating in matches and are also on the look out for new players and hope to pick the best bunch of players in our league. Our representatives on the Waterford Development Squads this season are as follows Under 12 Declan Fell Under 14 Christopher Hoban, Kevin Roche, Michael Tracey, Mark Morahan, Padraig Flynn, Gary Dunphy Under 15 Cormac Tierney, Seamus Fell, Michael Flaherty, Niall Walsh, Jono O’Byrne, Under 16 Ian Cantwell, Vinny Hetherington ."