Youth Teams in Longlevens

Youth Teams in the Community
Following a successful season for the Longlevens Youth teams the end of season Awards
Presentation took the form of a BBQ, held at the Longford Community Centre.
 The U13’s Coach Daren Baldwin presented the Managers player of the season to Aaron Jemahl
with Ben McInerney received both the Top Scorer and Players Player award, a tremendous achievement for Ben! Daren is delighted with his group of players who seem to be emerging as a successful team in the Gloucester Youth League; he is confident that their potential could well be rewarded next season.
At the U12 Level, Andy Price and Ian Cresswell who have coached the team for 5 seasons were pleased with the team’s progress during a season of transition which saw them move from playing Junior to Youth Football. Local Estate Agent Alistair Bone, who sponsors the U12’s presented trophies to: Players player Joe Tyler, Leading goal scorer Tiger Manners and to Kym Richardson as the most improved player.
The Youth section at Longlevens is going from strength to strength with 4 teams running from the club on Longford lane next season. Should any players between the ages of 11 and 13 be interested in trying out for one of the teams please contact: Dennis Barnsley, Youth Team Co-ordinator on: 01452 611694 / 07880 784596. 
The Milestone School Link: Another initiative from the Youth section is the Coaching sessions held for the Young Footballers from the Milestone School. The players aged between 10 and 14 years of age really  enjoy their football,  are enthusiastic and have shown some really good skills and technique.  Joe Page the head of Physical Development at Milestones believes that the Boys have enjoyed the experience and it is expected that Longlevens Football Coaching sessions will become a fixture in the schools calendar.
Successful Grant Applications
The Youth Section has been successful in gaining grants to help develop the Longlevens Club and the Youth football within the Community. A new set of Goal posts for 9 V 9 football required to meet the obligation for the new season was procured with the help of generous grants from the Football association (FA) and the Gloucestershire Football Association(GFA). The grants for approximately £500.00 contributed to over 60% of the total costing.
The photo shows Lee Martin Coach of the Longlevens U11 team, the Hurricanes, assembling the new Goal posts.
Gloucester City Council has donated a grant of £2500 towards the development of the Longlevens Youth Teams within the club. This will provide for funding for much needed Playing Kit, Training Equipment and relevant Coaching and Welfare Courses, which are an essential requirement. Also, suitable in door games and equipment will be procured for the club, in time for the introduction of a regular Youth Night which is planned for the Autumn. 
This extremely generous and welcoming gesture from the City Council is acknowledged as a boost not only for the Club but for the Youth in our Community too.  The club is grateful for the City Council’s magnanimous award which will provide a significant boost to the Club and Youth teams.
Football Festival “Payback Time”
In this magazine we have chronicled the events surrounding the Longlevens footballer Mark Moore who suffered a heart attack whilst playing, early last season. Mark’s life was saved by a group of para - medics who happened to be playing on a nearby football pitch. Mark has now made a full recovery
and has since been active in raising funds to purchase a de-fibulator for the football club. This, he has combined with the objective of raising awareness about the charity, Cardiac risk to the Young when playing sport.
As part of his efforts Mark recently organised a Football Festival at the Longlevens which included a match against the same Para-medics team (In Photo) who provided the original emergency treatment.
The “Thanksgiving” or “Payback Time” event was Mark’s way of showing his appreciation for their timely intervention when he was in serious difficulty. Mark and his Committee raised over £2000 on the day. Funds from the day enhanced, thanks to a Barclays Bank scheme which agreed to double the amount raised at the event!