Dear Barbarians;
With one game remaining for the U10B Black and White teams in the first session, the U10B White have tasted victory for the first time this indoor season! They achieved a successful outcome in their last game due in large measure to their determined effort of team play. The victory was achieved through the help of strong goalkeeping. A regular for the U10B Black team, Eli Klorczyk helped anchor the team. Another strong performance was turned in by the versatile Kevin Fitchwell and Aaron Shula, who along with the combination of, the always dangerous Chad Ayers (2g 1a), Stuart Curry and Danny Kelly, proved too much for Norwin to handle on this day. In the end though, The U10B White were rewarded for their determined team effort, passing ability, and defensive awareness. Each of the members of this team showed the fans in the stands what it means to be Barbarians. Well done, team!
It is difficult to have to say goodbye to some who chose to leave at this juncture, especially when we feel that we are just getting started to become accustomed to one another. I apologize for not getting to see Aaron and Seth play in the last match of the first half of the season for The Barbarian HSB, but I hope that you enjoyed your time here as much as we enjoyed having you! It was only a slight transportation mishap or I would have been there in person to thank you for your efforts with us. We know you have your uniform and hope that you will be able to join us again next year, if not sooner, in hopes that you will be able to avail yourself for the entire 16 game season as well as the futsal State Cup and Regional Tournaments. We look forward to your outdoor performance for your Beadling Club and ODP, and hope that you will give serious effort in joining us again, when it is time for The Keystone State Games at the end of July. You will be hearing more about that soon!
There are several issues before us that we will attempt to clarify in this newsletter on the eve of The State Cup, but brevity will be the order of the day. I will rely on having future opportunities to discuss some things at length and hope that it is sooner rather than later. It is our hope that in doing so, everyone involved will have a greater appreciation and understanding for where we stand so that you may make a more informed decision about your participation in The Barbarian Football Coalition.
With the second session approaching as well as The State Cup, it should be understood that we are not a club who looks at our participation with West Penn Futsal as a two session, 8 game season. Our involvement is accepted as a 16 game season. We train from October through March with the intent of competing in the regular 16 game season of The Prime League, as well as in various tournaments including The West Penn Futsal State Cup, The USFF Regional, if we advance or are selected, as well as The National USFF Tournament. There are several tournaments that we will always try to participate in, which include a Christmas Tournament, The Norwin High School Tournament and The Foothills Tournament. We view the State Cup, Regional, and National USFF Tournaments as something we try to do as a club, putting forth our best teams in an honest effort to win. I mentioned the other tournaments, whose teams are entered with more of a purpose to see where we are as a club, and to give some teams the opportunity to participate in a tournament who might not otherwise be of the caliber that would compete in the afore mentioned nationally implicated tournaments. However, any tournament that we enter we do so with the intent of winning!
During the season, which we have stated as running from October through March, we do not have the luxury of being involved with training a horde of players who have no intention of being involved with The Barbarian Football Coalition. We do have some we invite to train with any of our various teams, as well as players we offer a reserve status to. So for future reference, we will not train players during the season, other than those who will be participating on one of our teams, or who have been invited to do so. Everyone must understand this, above anything else. We cannot afford to do what has been done thus far this year. We have tried hard to accommodate you and have suffered a setback of sorts, and will not allow this to occur again. It has served as a disruption to our organization and takes time away from the committed club members, as well as our ability to manage. Dual rosters are not the solution and we will not accept that as a means to an end. We are looking for those who commit to what we are doing and accept what we have thus far laid out to you. We have not ruled out placing any of our teams in 7’s but our priority will be to field teams for futsal firstly and then offer 7’s as an extra, not a mainstay.
There is a monthly fee associated with being involved with The Barbarians that must be maintained for now. Over the time that we have trained we have had this fee and have adjusted it accordingly to what we need to maintain our organization, not to be lavish. One thing to remember in determining your involvement here is this; when you have a cut in fees you have a cut in services, and those of you who were here last year should review your newsletters to know that when we discontinued the training of the then U10B team, the families still paid a nominal fee. The fee is assessed per month, per family. The league fees are assessed per player. It is our effort to divide the cost of doing what we do across the board, so-to-speak.
Some people view a roster and think that their particular team is paid for and so they should be entitled to a treatment that others are not afforded. They feel that they have done the math but in truth have no idea of the costs involved with a team. A rostered player does not always indicate financial certainty as one might assert. We treat each of you as members of a club, not as a team, we treat each team with respect over an individual member on that team, and we treat each person with the respect that we wish to be treated. We can ill afford to have people who do not attend training on regular basis think that because they did not attend, they do not have to pay their monthly fee. We cannot, as an organization, have people think that their team is above having any other player from throughout this organization participate with them in games for any reason! We are here to help in the development of all the players, in the hope that they will also develop as people too. We provide you with the opportunity to perform in the context of match play as a member of a team that is a part of respected club. We accept you for who you are, but you must do so with respect to those who are around you. We enjoy being associated with those who are looking to better their self. We would rather not be in association with those who behave like someone who is looking only for self-improvement at the expense of everyone else. This is not what we intend to have at any time in The Barbarian Football Coalition. This is where you must adhere to selflessness as opposed to selfishness, to develop your skill as a team player, as well as a person.
We will begin the second half of our season shortly, and with it comes some major changes. A few constants will be that the U10B Black and White will remain in their current league, as well as the U14G and the U11B since there will not be a U12B Prime League for now, and the U16B and HSB will remain in the HSB Prime League. Changes include the U12B Black and White, who will be playing in the U13/U14 Prime and will be known as U13B Black and U13B White, with the U14B Black and U14B White playing in the U15B Prime League, where they will probably be known as Black and White, while the U15B will play in a true U16B Prime League. The HSG are moving to play in the Breakthrough division of HSB. The U12G will be playing U14G Prime League and we are placing a U8B team in The Fledgling Bracket. It is always our attempt to provide you with whatever training tool we have at our disposal to better prepare you for game situations, and for your eventual return to your outdoor club. With each move enumerated above, we are hopeful that this is the way in which things will work out. Time and cooperation will make that determination for us!
It is some times difficult to train you properly because some of you lack the proper attitude towards the game that the game requires of its participants. If you do not practice what we spend time training you for it is a waste. It is also a waste for you to come to any of our training sessions unfocused and not ready to give everything you have, and the same holds true for match play, regardless of who your teammates are or your opponent. Some of you are under the impression that girls should be treated differently than the boys. When you come to train with The Barbarians full participation for your time spent in training is a must. The game could care less that you are female or male, old or young. Training with The Barbarians should carryover into match play, and concern about who is on the other side of the ball, your opponent, who is on the field of play when you are, is of no consequence. It is a matter of what you do when you are on the field of play, your understanding of game situations and demonstrating respect for all of the game’s participants at all times, or how you approach every opportunity you are given, to make a difference in the desired outcome is what is at the core of what we are about. Very seldom, if ever, do we concern ourselves with what the other team is doing, the lack of calls for and against, by the referee, or the color of the sky, have very little to do with how The Barbarians approach the game. It is whom we are and what we do as teammates, which matters. If you need an excuse, any one will do. We are not akin to excuse making on anyone’s part, nor accepting any from intercessors. This is how we play, every second of every game!
The greatest tool that we can give you is the insight that football is a passing game. It is free flowing and creativity is a must, where we defend our end as a team and we attack our opponent’s goal in numbers. It is accepting that game situations dictate position rather than stationary concepts, and that if we are true to the sport then we will become players of the game and not specialists. We know that the best players among us are those who make everyone around them better. It is the demonstration of confidence in ones teammates as well as the confidence in ones self, in hope that with all one could do one would do for the team, as opposed to doing for one’s self. Throughout the course of the first half of this indoor season we have demonstrated a level of confidence in you and with the advent of The State Cup on the horizon it is our hope that we will be justified in having done so.
We have just briefly skimmed the surface of all that we want to detail to you. If time permits us to, we will revisit some things but we will leave you with this thought. Throughout all of the detractors and pessimists that seem to permeate our environment, and through all of those who serve no other than their self, we remain who we are and do so for the sake of moving The Barbarian Football Coalition forward. We remain optimistic and steadfast to our belief that we can raise the level of football played in Western Pa and will see it through to that end, with or without you. No brag, just fact.
As usual, I will see you on the pitch!