Head of Youth Robbie Herrera reflects on what has been a promising season for the Club’s JPL sides, with a number of accolades being won across the age groups.
“We’ve been quite competitive this season in all age groups,” began Robbie, who then went on to assess the individual groups in more detail.
“Our Under-13s were league winners, along with our Under-16s, who were champions of their league, so both those teams had really good seasons with massive achievements at the end of it. Our U11s struggled at times this season for bodies, which is something we are hoping to rectify for this coming season, but they still finished around mid-table, so for having a lack of players at times they have done extremely well.
“Our Under-12s had a really competitive campaign and finished in the top half of the table, which culminated with a trip for the boys to Anfield, which was a great experience for them, and an insight into how the teams at the top operate. So they had a good season and are getting better, as I said the Under-13s won their division and are a fantastic group of players that we are looking to keep together, and have high hopes for going forward.”
“The 14s had a good season and did well, finishing in the top half of the table despite starting the season off slowly by their standards, but they pushed on as the campaign went on to achieve that finish in the table. The U15s had a mixed season, in that we changed coach part-way through the season, which was a little bit unsettling, but we got Justin Yates & Jordan Thomas in, who have done a great job with that group of boys, and they progressed and are progressing really well, managing to get a top four finish.”
“Finally the Under-16s won their league as well, and quite a few of the boys played for the Under-18s during the season, which I think certainly helped their development and played a part in them claiming the title, so as I said, it’s been a really encouraging season for all our ages groups, and we look forward to getting going again for the 2023/24 season.
“We all know the fans would love to see some homegrown talent in the first-team, however sometimes finding a future star requires a bit of patience, but the Club are backing us, and we are all working really hard across the age groups to make that a reality in the future.”
Anybody interested in sponsoring the youth team can contact Head of Youth Robbie Herrera by emailing [email protected]. Further details are available HERE.