STENHOUSEMUIR FOOTBALL CLUB
WARRIORS IN THE COMMUNITY
2018 REPORT…
Head of Community Football: William Hoggan
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone involved with Warriors in the Community and Stenhousemuir Football Club a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
2018 has been another fantastic year and hopefully our report can recapture some of our highlights……
2018 has saw some fantastic success in all areas of our community programme.
Our Mental Health Football Programme won the ‘Best Community Project For All’ Award from the Scottish FA Central Region. The team also won the Scottish FA National League Championship for the 2nd year in a row which was another fantastic achievement. Well Done to all the players, staff and nurses involved including team coach Danny Newbigging.
Season 2017/2018 saw another FVFDA League Championship Title and this time it was for our Under 16s Community Select Team. After finishing 2nd last season and winning the cup double, the squad went one better this year to win the domestic treble going through the full league season unbeaten. Well Done to all the players and coaches involved with our 2002s squad and we look forward to more success this season as the team move to another League.
We also saw an FVFDA League Cup win for our 2001s squad in a fantastic 4-3 win over Milton FC in the final. An excellent game of football and a fully deserved trophy for our 2001s players and coaches who have been so close over the years.
We also had 2 tournament wins from our 2005s at the Stirling University Easter Cup and our 2006s at the Livingston Community Summer Cup. Massive Well Done to all cup winners in 2018.
Our Under 7s (2011s) – Under 12s (2007s) Community Select Teams have also had a fantastic 2018 season with continued development and good news stories in all age groups.
Special mention to our 2011s who have just completed their first season playing for the Warriors. Excellent group of players with so much potential and talent.
Special mention to our 2007s who were recruited in January and only had 2/3 weeks to gel before the season kicked off in February. The players have developed so well and continue to get better every week.
And a special mention to our new 2012s who will kick off season 2019 as our new under 7s Age Group.
We are very proud of the players that have moved from our Young Maroons programme to our Community Select Teams at various age groups and continue to enjoy their football with us. Seeing players move up our player pathway from Mini Maroons to Young Maroons to our Community Teams is so rewarding for everyone involved and we will continue to do that at all age groups.
One player who was part of our Young Maroons programme many years ago and continued through our player pathway to our under 19s was Tiwi Daramola. 2018 has been a fantastic year for this unbelievable talent. Tiwi became the 1st player to move directly from the community programme to the Stenhousemuir FC 1st team. A fantastic achievement which makes us very proud. Tiwi has also been selected in the 18 man Scottish Schools International Team for 2018 / 2019 and we wish him all the best representing his national team.
We are also delighted to announce that 2008 Community Team Player Leo Harris (2009 born) has signed a pre-contract with Heart of Midlothian FC Academy and will be joining them in 2019. Leo will be missed by so many, but we wish him all the best at Hearts and look forward to seeing his development over the years.
Various other players in our Community Teams Programme has had various trial and training sessions at Academies across Scotland which is great to see. The talent in all age groups is something we are proud of at Stenhousemuir Football Club.
We were also very proud to add our Cerebral Palsy (CP) Team to our Adults and Disability provision this year. The guys compete in the SFA Para Football League once a month and train on a Sunday at Ochilview Park. A fantastic group of players and another community programme we are delighted to offer at the football club.
Our Schools Initiative Programme continues to grow and hit a record high in 2018. We delivered to over 400 children in our After Schools Football Programme and our Lunch Time Games Programme and look to increase that even more in 2019. We also delivered a number of free pre-school football sessions and girls only football sessions across 22 local schools.
I would like to finish by thanking all the parents/guardians in our community programmes for your continued support, thanks to all the boys, girls, men and woman who take part in all our community programmes and finally a massive thanks to all of our Community Coaches and Volunteers for their hard work, commitment and enthusiasm in 2018.
I really believe that we have some of the best coaches in the Forth Valley area delivering sessions weekly at the football club. Their dedication and passion towards our Community Programme is second to none.
Merry Christmas and all the best in 2019.
Thanks, Will.
Senior Community Coach: Daniel Newbigging
Firstly, I’d like to take this opportunity to say a massive Thank You to William Hoggan, Jamie Swinney, Andy Thomson and everyone connected with Stenhousemuir FC and Warriors in the Community for the support and guidance during the course of the 2018. It has been another great year for the Community Programme as we continue to grow year by year.
It was a challenging start to 2018 after being left with 0 players in the 2007’s Community Select Teams. After holding various trials midweek and Sunday mornings, we successfully achieved bringing in a strong squad of 18 players to the club. We recruited from our Young Maroons Programme and a number trialists from out-with the club. Not only that but we recruited a fantastic young enthusiastic volunteer coach called Rory Dryburgh. The 2007’s have kicked on and had a magnificent season at the club in the FVFDA League.
What a year it has been for our Award-Winning Mental Health Group. At the start of the season we managed to get a brand-new set of strips for our Adult Programmes sponsored by Gareth Alexander Carpentry & Joinery. We knew it was going to be a tough season with more teams entering the Scottish FA Health & Wellbeing League such as Partick Thistle and Queens Park and the standard of teams was a lot stronger than last season. We also managed to get £6,000 of funding to provide transport for away days which will last 2 full seasons.
In July 2018 the group were awarded ‘Best Community Project for All’ by the Scottish FA. This was a huge achievement for all the hard work the staff and players have put in over the last year or so.
The guys battled away during the season, traveling to places like Aberdeen & Perth to compete in the League. The guys had another outstanding season which led us to winning the Scottish FA Health & Wellbeing Championship 2 years in a row!
Thank you to John Mcgowan & Julie Cunnell for all the support during the year.
2018 has been a record-breaking year for our Walking Football Group with a record total of participants attending our Sessions on a weekly basis. Never have we had 20-25 participants turn up for a game of Walking Football until this year. It is so rewarding seeing so many guys over the age of 50 come to the football club and meet new people & enjoy their football. The benefits are not only just football but socialising with others and staying fit and healthy is really important.
We entered our guys in the Ravenscraig Walking Football League hosted by NL Leisure who have done a great job hosting through-out the year. The guys would play at Ravenscraig once a month and would play 3/4 games against other clubs around the country. At the end of the season we came 5th place out of 12th. Which is a significant improvement from last year where we came 11th.
Next year our guys have already said the next goal is to get into the top 4 next season. It will be a great challenge for them and I will be there to support them with that Goal.
In June 2018 I hosted our Annual Walking Football Tournament at Ochilview Park which seen 12 Walking Football teams compete for the ultimate prize. Well Done again to Raith Rovers FC who won the tournament and it was well deserved.
We play friendly matches throughout the year and most recently played against Linlithgow Rose in preparation for the league matches at Ravenscraig Sports Facility.
Thank You to all the guys who attend the Walking Football Sessions. They have been a pleasure to coach and the banter is not too bad either!
Our ever-growing Mini Maroons programme has been a huge success in 2018. Having 5 classes at capacity shows how popular our classes are at the football club.
A huge Thank You to our Chief Executive Jamie Swinney who managed to get Sponsorship for the programme. Tryst Dental have been great. They came along to our Saturday morning classes and handed out goodie bags to our toddlers which has everything you need to help keep clean and health Teeth & Gums. They have also promoted our programme on their social media / website which has gained more interest from the public to join our fantastic programme.
Our Pre-School Football Sessions at Nursery’s have been fantastic. We delivered taster sessions in over 10 Nurseries across the year with 5 Nurseries taking block bookings. We hope to see more Nurseries take us up on the free sessions in 2019 which will see you’re toddlers become more active, improve their balance, co-ordination and social skills & play lots of fun games.
Our Match-Day Masterclass at Stenhousemuir FC is a great opportunity for our Community Select teams to come along to Ochilview Park for Pre-Match & Half Time football against another Community Club. Not only that but they get to enjoy the 1st team match and play on the main pitch at half time & meet some of the 1st team players that may be on the substitutes bench. This is something not many clubs do, and we are delighted to be doing something which brings the Community closer to the 1st team.
So far this season it’s been a success with 7 different Community Clubs such as Clydebank FC 2009’s and Drumchapel FC 2008’s coming along to enjoy the Match-Day experience at Ochilview Park with our Community Select Teams ages from 2011-2005. Every age group will get at least 2 Match-Day Masterclasses during the season.
The benefits of this is that our players/parents will hopefully become supporters of the club and will want to come back to Ochilview Park after enjoying the Match-Day Experience.
I look forward to seeing what lies ahead in 2019.
I’d like to wish all the Coaches, Players, Volunteers, Parents, Primary & High Schools, Adult Participants and everyone connected to the club a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thanks,
Danny Newbigging
Girls Football Coordinator: Andrew Thomson
2018 has been a tremendous year for the Warrior’s in the Community Programme and I have been delighted to be involved in another fantastic year for the club. The club have excelled in its commitment to boy’s and girl’s grassroots football by continuing to improve Nursery Programme’s, Young Maroon’s, Community Select Team’s as well as the club’s Adult Section.
Personally, for me I have been delighted with the growth and progression of the Girl’s Programme through 2018. With this being the majority of our girl’s players and my own first full season within the girl’s section it has brilliant to see the girl’s overcome the challenge’s put in the way over the course of the year. This is all down to the hard work put in by the player’s, parent’s and dedicated team coaches and I could not thank all of them enough. This has allowed our programme to triple in size and has set the girls programme up nicely for what is sure to be an exciting 2019. We will be running teams at under 13’s, two teams at under 11’s and a number of teams at under 9’s and 7’s. We furthered strengthened our girl’s pathway by working in partnership with The SFA and SSE to deliver a Lee Alexander Soccer Centre on a Friday evening which has helped encourage more girl’s to be involved in the game. Many of the girls in our programme have joined after being part of our Free Girl’s Football Delivery in local Primary School’s where we have encouraged over 1000 girls to participate in football to get active and most of all have fun! Overall for the Girl’s Programme it has been great to see the power football has to put smiles on people’s faces, to increase the confidence of individuals as well as allowing players and parents to create strong friendships.
By being involved full-time at the club in the second half of the year it has been a pleasure to be more involved with the club’s Young Maroon’s programme and seeing the progression of the participants in to the next class or in to our Community Select Teams. It is brilliant to see the energy and enthusiasm that all our Young Maroon’s participants have for football and I am sure we are making a difference to all of the children that attend. Again, I am looking forward to being part of this amazing programme that the club offer next year where we have loads of exciting activity planned for 2019.
A final message to say thanks first to all members of the full-time staff involved at Stenhousemuir FC and Warriors in the Community for assisting myself through the year and giving myself an opportunity to be part of a great club. An even bigger thank you to all the coaches, players, volunteers, referees, schools and most importantly the parents and guardians that have made all the great work possible over 2018.
I hope that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and an even better New Year.
I can’t wait to see you all once again in 2019.
Regards,
Andrew Thomson
2018 Award Winners…
2011S WINNER
Players Player of the year Ellis MacRobbie MAROONS
Players Player of the year Luke Ramsay WHITES
Players Player of the year Jay Thomson YELLOWS
Coaches Player of the year Patrick Miller MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Brandon Donaghy WHITES
Coaches Player of the year Charlie Miller YELLOWS
2010S WINNER
Players Player of the year Phoebe O’Donnell MAROONS
Players Player of the year Connor Lang WHITES
Players Player of the year Matthew Aitchison YELLOWS
Coaches Player of the year Phoebe O’Donnell MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Adam Lennon WHITES
Coaches Player of the year Ewan Harris YELLOWS
2009S WINNER
Players Player of the year Euan Cameron MAROONS
Players Player of the year Liam Fotheringham WHITES
Coaches Player of the year Euan Cameron MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Ethan Masterson WHITES
Most Improved Player Kai Lees MAROONS
Most Improved Player Aaron Clark WHITES
2008S WINNER
Players Player of the year Jack O’Donnell MAROONS
Players Player of the year Alistair Graham WHITES
Coaches Player of the year Jack O’Donnell MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Liam Benzie WHITES
Most Improved Player Cameron Lindsay MAROONS
Most Improved Player Arran Clark WHITES
2007S WINNER
Players Player of the year Ryan Thomson Blues MAROONS
Players Player of the year Luke Graham WHITES
Coaches Player of the year Jason Lambert MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Max Wannan WHITES
Most Improved Player Daniel Brennan MAROONS
Most Improved Player Kyle McMillan WHITES
GIRLS U7S WINNER
Players Player of the year Taylor Phillips MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Chalotte Gilchrist MAROONS
Most Improved Player Martha Smith MAROONS
GIRLS U9S WINNER
Players Player of the year Mia Mitchell MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Mia Mitchell MAROONS
Most Improved Player Ellie Reid MAROONS
GIRLS U11S WINNER
Players Player of the year Amelie Firth MAROONS
Coaches Player of the year Amelie Firth MAROONS
Most Improved Player Emma Bushnell MAROONS
GIRLS U11S WINNER
Players Player of the year Holly Grant YELLOWS
Coaches Player of the year Leah Anderson YELLOWS
Most Improved Player Katie Averley YELLOWS
GIRLS U13S WINNER
Players Player of the year Megan Gregg
Coaches Player of the year Holly McGregor
Most Improved Player Megan Gregg
LADIES TEAM WINNER
Players Player of the year Emma Falconer
Coaches Player of the year Laura Henny
Top Goal scorer Rebecca Robertson
2005s – Under 13s WINNER
Players Player of the year Andrew McArthur
Coaches Player of the year Harry McGlynn
Supporters Player of the year James McMichael
Most Improved Player Logan Kirkbride
Top Goal Scorer Ryan Milne
2004s – Under 14s WINNER
Players Player of the year Lewis Bernard
Coaches Player of the year Gary Whigham
Supporters Player of the year Colin McDonagh
Most Improved Player Greg McCulloch
Top Goal Scorer Fraser Crawford
2003s – under 15s WINNER
Players Player of the year Cameron Girvan
Coaches Player of the year James Brolly
Supporters Player of the year Lucas Allan
Most Improved Player Ben Anderson
Top Goal Scorer Aaron Campbell
2002s – Under 16s WINNER
Players Player of the year Jude Weir
Coaches Player of the year FULL TEAM
Supporters Player of the year Finlay Fleming
Most Improved Player Rhys Dow
Top Goal Scorer Jack Shand
2001s – Under 17s WINNER
Players Player of the year Jack Donaldson
Coaches Player of the year Tiwi Daramola
Supporters Player of the year Fraser Wittman
Most Improved Player Kyle Millar
Top Goal Scorer Tiwi Daramola
1999 / 2000s – Under 19s WINNER
Players Player of the year Keir Stevenson
Coaches Player of the year Joe McGuckin
Supporters Player of the year Keir Stevenson
Most Improved Player Ryan Mack
Top Goal Scorer Keir Stevenson
Thank You…
• Massive Thanks to all our Community Coaches and Volunteer Community Coaches their commitment, dedication and hard work in 2018
• Massive Thanks to all our Parents / Guardians for supporting all Community Programmes.
• Massive Thanks to Current 1st Team Manager Colin McMenamin, Ex Manager Brown Ferguson and all the 1st team players for assisting at various sessions and events in 2018.
• Massive Thanks to the Stenhousemuir FC Chief Executive Jamie Swinney and the Board of Directors for all their support in 2018
• Massive Thanks to our Kit Supplier RJM Sports for their great service to our Community Programmes
• Massive Thanks to all our Funders for supporting various programmes in 2018
• Massive Thanks to the Scottish FA Central Region for funding and supporting various community programmes and holiday camps and look forward to working together again in 2019.
• Massive Thanks to the SPFL Trust for funding our Football Fans in Training Programme and Mental Health 1st Aid Courses.
• Massive Thanks to the Falkirk Herald for allowing us to promote and publish our programmes and good news stories.
• Massive Thanks to the Falkirk Community Trust and Active Schools Team for supporting our Schools Initiative Programme
• Massive Thanks to our partners Tryst Community Sports Club for their continued support all year.
• Massive Thanks to Larbert High School for use of their excellent facilities.
• Massive Thanks to Carronvale House for use of their excellent facilities.
• Massive Thanks to Tryst Dental Practice for working in partnership with our Mini Maroons Programme
• Massive Thanks to all the Primary Schools and Nurseries in our Catchment Area for allowing us to offer fun football sessions to more children in the local area.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
See you all in 2019!!!
