Football Focus Issue 73 | Page 56

Bolton Lads and Girls FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/FOOTYFOCUSMAG people to our club. It’s also motivated our volunteer coach workforce who are able to come to ‘their home’ to coach the players in a first class environment. The training programme that the club puts in place for all its coaches is also a key reason for success as it prepares the volunteers for the task ahead as well as fully integrate the values of BLGC into how they go about their coaching and general management of the teams they oversee. I should also mention the fantastic staff whose work parents and players don’t see and who are driven by making Bolton Lads and Girls Club the best football club in the area - I see this every day.” Get Involved “Have a clear idea of why you’d like to be involved and question, ‘can I make the commitment to the kids?’ The l ast thing we, or any other club for that matter, can afford is for the kids to be let down and if the coach can’t commit to weekly training and games then they shouldn’t put themselves forward for the role. That being said, if they can and want to then they’re not going to find anything more rewarding than being at a club that gives young people opportunities, sends them on their way with a smile on their face, and really makes a difference.” 56 Issue 73 Challenges “Our biggest challenge is probably managing the expectations of everyone associated with the club and that includes parents and players. The club and its many supporters have worked so hard over the years to provide young people with the very best and so with that comes the expectation that this will continue. Whilst the club will always strive to provide young people with the very best, sometimes this isn’t possible.” Ambitions “Our ambitions are to consolidate and improve pathways for young people to progress from recreational football whether that be in schools, youth clubs, and so on, to a grass roots team; to develop the girls football section so that it is thriving and runs exactly the same as the boys section; and it would be nice to see some teams be successful in their respective leagues and even the county FA competitions, and whilst this isn’t a priority for our club, it’s always nice to see and be a part of it. Beyond this, ultimately we want to involve more young people, continue to set high standards, and be the benchmark for other clubs up and down the country. Ambitious but achievable.”