Mytchett Athletic FC Annual 5-a-side Tournament – the inside track
MOVE over Crystal Palace, it is Buckingham Palace, not just another football club, with which Mytchett Athletic FC has something rather special in common.
Shared royal connections perhaps? After all, there are sure to be plenty of boys named William and Harry among Mytchett’s ranks while being crowned – well, champions at least – has been a regular occurrence over the years for many of their teams.
Actually, it is rather more significant than that.
Because in 1993 the Queen’s iconic London home and Mytchett Athletic both opened their doors to the public.
Okay so The Mall was more of an attractive proposition to Brit-hungry tourists than Mytchett Road, particularly in those far-off, heady, pre-car boot sale days.
But nevertheless, it was the year when Mytchett Athletic welcomed other clubs to their now firmly-established, inaugural five-a-side tournament.
In an ideal world, events would just happen, speeches would be delivered off the cuff and rehearsals could be sent on their way in a neatly wrapped redundancy package.
Preparation, meanwhile, could be consigned to a dustbin labelled ‘obsolete’.
Except we don’t live in those circumstances and we are all aware of that age-old expression, ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’.
Mytchett Athletic Football Club are fortunate to be in the hands of people who not only prepare, they care, and that aspect shone through in the club’s 22nd Annual Tournament.
And given the feedback from participants at the club’s latest staging of this hugely popular two days of footballing fun, there is no need to take only my word for it.
Sometimes in life, the view from the outside looking in can be obscured. In fact, if something is working well, why bother to look at all? We just accept it for what it is.
So it was a pleasure for me to delve a little deeper, to fleetingly enter the inner circle at Mytchett Athletic’s fabled event. One which continues to stand the test of time and do credit to those people, the tournament organisers, who put on a wonderful show.
Being there, behind the scenes, allowed me to understand the machinations, albeit briefly, of a club doing its bit for the local community, as it has since its inception in 1971.
Of course, success in anything always comes down to people. Amazon – no, not the rainforest – is a a global retail phenomenon and yet without people wandering up and down aisles lifting items off shelves, ‘the pickers’, it would not function.
So it is thanks to the likes of chairman Stuart McKay, general manager Graham Goddard, treasurer Amanda Goward, secretary Paul Spooner, welfare office Tony Hutt and an army of volunteers, that a plethora of clubs with teams aged from U7 to U14 were once again able to enjoy a fabulous time.
It just so happened that a company named Jewel Windows were headline sponsors of the event, which was fitting, given the comments I received from a few of those involved who really do view Mytchett’s event as a jewel in the crown in terms of creating a competitive, yet fun, environment for their teams to flourish.
Winning and losing has its place of course but not at the expense of youngsters enjoying their football and learning the game. We’ve all witnessed and winced at those managers who, perhaps having been a failed footballer themselves, try to make up for lost opportunities through their own children, often by screaming and shouting at them from the touchline. A trophy, for their own satisfaction and footballing CV as much as for their team, seems to be their aim.
Not so at Mytchett Athletic. Here is a club which prefers to teach their players how to play the game as it should be played. Good players, would-be players and beginners are given equal opportunity.
That shone out like a beacon in the way the tournament was marketed, organised, and played. Don’t believe me? Well read on!
Tim Atkinson is manager of Crookham Rovers U7s and was attending as a manager for the first time.
He said: “It was really good. The weather helped but there was great organisation. From a car parking point of view, getting everyone in, getting it all organised in the morning, I thought was very good. It ran really smoothly and I think the referees were fantastic. The two we had were really helping the boys, really supportive and really encouraging them as well, which is a little bit different to what I see sometimes in our league matches.
“A lot of hours have gone into setting it up and it shows. We’ve got our tournament at the the end of June and I understand the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. The barbecue, all that type of stuff helps. There was plenty of room for the kids to run about, especially when you have U7s. The parents loved it and the teams involved were just mixed abilities which is great. It was all about football.”
Another boss, Mark Niven, of Farnham United Tigers U11s, added: “It’s a great little tournament, it’s smashing, well run. I like the people running it if I’m honest because I like the teams they invite. They are sporting teams. For some clubs it’s win, win, win at all costs.
“Mytchett are a community club and they coach boys the right way. They teach their boys not only how to play football, but how to be well behaved as well. That’s what we are about too. We haven’t got the most gifted footballers in the world but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about them growing up, playing a bit of football, behaving themselves and ensuring they try and do their best at school. We encourage that.”
Eversley & California also included an U7s outfit and their manager Andy Sumpton knew he had made the right decision to take his boys just from looking at the pre-tournament schedule.
“My strategy for the festival was to keep it festival,” he maintained. “The reason we chose to come here was because everyone has had a hard season and I believe that Mychett aim to produce a festival spirit, where everybody was going to get involved. There were no winners, everybody was going to get a trophy and wanted the boys to have a good time and have fun.
“And I think that was apparent in the brochure. That was the reason we chose to come. Everybody seemed to be have a great time and the camaraderie with other managers was very, very good. So I enjoyed that. The referees and parents were excellent and it was just a good festival atmosphere.”
That view was shared by another U7s manager, Jo Haggard, of Darby Green & Potley FC.
“It was our first ever tournament and it was brilliant,” she enthused. “We didn’t know what to expect but we loved it. It was a professional set-up and as soon as we got here everyone was helpful, they showed us where to go, and we’ve learned a lot. The refs seemed very professional too.”
One of the young referees, all given a superb learning platform at the tournament, was 17-year-old Warren Vass, from Aldershot, who officiates in the North East Hants League.
“It’s well organised, it’s friendly, they promote respect and the players have been great,” said the youngster, who like his colleagues, was keen to help the players along the way with advice and encouragement.
And one of those players, Lewis Wood, a Mytchett Athletic Eagles U13, explained why he has enjoyed the spectacle year on year.
“It’s a quick-tempo tournament and it’s great because if you lose your games you can go into the Plate rather than stay in the Cup so it keeps you involved. The goals are a good size and it’s such a lot of fun to play in.”
So, for those who oiled the wheels and ensured such a smooth running of the event, take a bow.
Your dedication and commitment to the cause of a proud club upheld the traditions laid out by the original elected officials back in 1971, the likes of Dennis Moorey, Bob Hicks, Bill Taylor and Ralph Mason.
Here’s to the next 22 years – they are bound to be right royal affairs.