Touchline Reflections No. 4

“Comportment”

Comportment: Personal bearing, carriage, behaviour. OED

In this 4^th Reflection, I would like to say how much, and how frequently, I am amazed by our young players.

In the 2004-5 season, all our teams excelled – but one young team went to a number of festivals and won most of them. Were these chaps all from the same college, school or prep? Do they all see each other and play together every day? No, they represented 12 different primary schools from around South London, but they worked hard to develop a team spirit and a seriously strong bond between them. Many of them play for the club in summer cricket, and the bond is still massive.

They played in all the usual Kent club festivals and did well – the Lions (A) side winning everything and the Tigers (B) side putting up seriously good performances as a development team. In front of a few thousand spectators at the Stoop, they carried off the RATT Cup, with immense maturity.

At the Stoop, we played 9-a-side, but were allowed to take a squad of 15. Given this was the ‘biggest’ final of the year; it was made clear that, for once, not everyone picked was going to get a game. So, a starting 9, a couple of subs and places in the squad to boys who had earned them. We were so impressed with everyone – all in club colours, all cheering and screaming like mad, and no one tapping coaches on the shoulder and saying “can I go on now, can I, can I?”. Also, a large contingent of boys not picked turned up anyway – to support. Fantastic.

When we referee games at this level, it is interesting to see the kinds of ‘gripes’ the kids have. There is one club we play where the coaches take everything so seriously that they will march the kids off the pitch if they disagree with a decision. Our players don’t seem to get into that sort of pickle – “excuse me ref, but I keep getting kicked after the tackle” is the level of intolerance they show.

So, why are our lot generally ‘nicer’? It is clearly not simply down to the schools – given the diversity. It is certainly not down to the coaches – although we all try to engender good sportsmanship, and fair (but tough) play. It is not singularly down to the parents – although they have played a major part. It is down to the players – because that is what they have decided they want out of the game.

On the pitch, off the pitch, these young people are doing the club proud. The club IS proud of them. The coaches are most definitely proud of them. Their parent must be immensely proud of them.

And they should be seriously proud of themselves – not just for being successful, but for the manner in which they have been successful.

A final note – this particular side, when it lost the cup final at the Kent Festival – almost all the lads burst into tears! Brings it home just how young these immense players are…