Young players desperate to get back on the football pitch says Oxford City coach

The provision academies and grassroots clubs across Oxfordshire provide to youngsters who want to play sport should never be underestimated.

Since March of last year, we have become rather used to living life at home. Zoom calls and making banana bread have become parts of weekly routines.

In many examples, the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired positive change in our communities, helped develop our understanding of wellbeing and made us appreciate what we have in life.

For children, though, the few positives we can take out of the pandemic are perhaps harder to grasp – they are young, still developing friendships and establishing new passions.

Administered by Ignite Sport UK, Oxford City’s Junior and Youth Academy has witnessed first-hand the hardships many parents and their children have faced during the current lockdown.

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Not being able to train, or play, has caused distress for a lot of the youngsters in our programmes. I have had many parents tell me their children are incredibly frustrated.

Football is an escape and a positive outlet. Football academies and grassroots clubs are safe environments full of role models who provide development opportunities.

Jordan Piper: Picture: Jon Lewis/Fortitude Communications

For many, the country’s third lockdown has been the toughest.

We have not had the privilege of long summer evenings and fine weather. That pocket of hope of normal life returning was not there as death figures topped 100,000, and the whole motion of lockdown was no longer new. Fortunately, the Government’s roadmap to ending Covid-19 restrictions has provided visibility on a better future. It came as a great relief to everyone.

For the hundreds of boys and girls that proudly represent Oxford City from U8s to U19s, football is their life. Football and sport provides so many with an escape from everything that is going on in the world.

Our coaching team ensures everyone is treated equally and can reach their potential on the pitch while developing key life skills such as working as a team, communication and taking on challenges.

Of course, we are a football academy. But our primary philosophies are to facilitate the provision of sport, provide opportunity and help young people become a valued member of a team and society.

Welcoming children back on March 29 will be an emotional day.

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That’s not just for the players and coaches, but for parents as well – many of whom have had to juggle full-time work with looking after their children.

It will be even more emotional now following the passing of our colleague Micky Lewis.

Micky was a remarkable coach and so much more than a colleague. He was a friend and an inspiration and someone who I also hold in the highest regard.

His guidance was invaluable to all the coaches at Ignite Sport UK, and it has moulded how we work and behave. Developing young footballers was Micky’s passion and we will all take that forward in our work.

As coaches, we have worked hard to maintain engagement with our players and their parents via technology during lockdown.

The Velocity football programme for 16-23-year-olds- based at Oxford City FC's Court Place Farm- offers academic and BTEC qualifications as well as the chance to join the club's training academy. Pic by Jon Lewis/ Fortitude Communications.

In January, we hosted a question-and-answer session via Zoom with Oxford City FC first-team manager David Oldfield and the club’s 2019-20 Player of the Year Josh Ashby. It gave everyone a clear boost.

The Ignite Sport UK team has also hosted free training sessions that could be completed at home. They were supported by students studying with Velocity Football – a revamped full-time educational academy based at Oxford City FC.

But it is impossible to replicate the energy and experiences children feel on the pitch and by being together, in person.

When youngsters are playing football nothing else matters. The team spirit and togetherness that academies and clubs engender is priceless.

And while we are all counting down the days until we can return to training and playing, we remain mindful of on-going challenges.

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The safety of children and their parents and families are of the highest importance to us. We also must bear in mind the financial impact the pandemic has had on many parents whose children train with us. In many examples, we have parents whose eldest child represents one of the club’s older age categories, but their brothers and sisters play in younger groups.

We pride ourselves on providing a fun, engaging and affordable platform for children to play football, but we cannot assume football at grassroots level will return to normal immediately. David Oldfield made an important point during the Q&A - football is about having fun and enjoying yourself.

It will not be the same without Micky.

But his legacy will live on through our coaching.