School Clubs / Other Sports

After School Programme – 'Soccer Stars'

An average number of 2000 children attend Skills academy clubs every week and with interest shown by new schools for new clubs and existing schools for more clubs, the number is ever growing.

The Skills Academy have earned a great deal of respect from the SSCO’s working for the School Sports Partnership. The SSCO’s are well aware of the high level of service The Skills Academy provide in the Borough.

The Skills Academy have worked in unison with the School Sports Partnership to create a Futsal Tournament plan which was administered within a number of Bromley’s Secondary schools for students in years 10 and 11.

 

"In my experience The Skills Academy has provided an excellent service for children…..The organisation prides itself on its professionalism, enthusiasm and quality of coaching. I think that the whole community could benefit from it."
- Mr De Freitas – Head of Hawes Down Junior School

The Skills Academy’s unique and highly successful After School programme aimed at boys and girls aged 5 – 11 years for all abilities, has been running for a number of years at schools within the Bromley Borough. The programme is designed to accommodate players of varied ability with an emphasis on learning and progressing basic techniques of football. Examples of core technique are: Dribbling; Passing; Turning; Heading; Control; Shooting; Finishing and Volleying.

"My son Malik really enjoys the skills academy football sessions, he looks forward to going and generally loves playing and being included.

There should be more, mainstream after school activities like the skills academy where children are made to feel welcome!"
- Mrs Irmal, Parent

To ensure that children are engaged in after school sessions, each term follows a slightly different format. 

Focus:

Term 1 - Structured Coaching
Term 2 - Competition Technique Games
Term 3 - Mini Matches & Tournaments

When designing our programmes taught to all Skills Academy staff, certain key factors are always taken into consideration. These must not only help develop the game but must coincide with FA guidelines whilst containing key factors essential to Skills Academy clubs.

Here is a list of Key Factors for The Skills Academy Soccer Stars Programme:

• The course will be adaptable to varying ages and abilities.

• Children aged between 5-7 years will enjoy fun imaginative technique developing games.

• Children aged 8 and 9 will progress to working on more technical drills to master and develop technique whilst working with both feet.

• Children aged 10 and 11 will incorporate their knowledge with increased movement and competition. 

• General setup is as follows:
   • Register.
   • Warm up.
   • Main content. (technique practise) 
   • Match.
   • Cool down.
   • Evaluation and de-register.

• Sessions must be thoroughly enjoyable and suitable for different age groups.

• Coach will use his/her knowledge and understanding of the programme to alter drills/games according to the ability level of the group.

• It is vital that children develop at a rate suitable to them. Children who are stronger in ability should be moved into higher groups or be set different personal challenges.

• Coaches will remind children of the importance of listening to explanations and carefully observing demonstrations to ensure development.

• Fair play will be respected at all times. Children are reminded to encourage team mates, to respect other football teams and shake hands at the end of matches.

• Children will be encouraged to be creative and show technique and skill in small-sided matches whilst encouraged to gain results through use of teamwork.

• Courses are all Child Centred. Therefore, care is taken over every detail including providing special ‘heading’ balls for children learning heading techniques. Heading balls are softer, much like volleyballs.

• At the end of every course, children all receive a Skills Academy certificate. The most improved Player from each group receives a trophy. 

"My daughter Eloise Thody had her first coaching session after school yesterday.

I just wanted to say thank you as she had the most fabulous time-I have never seen her so emotional and so proud of herself, the tears were of joy not anything bad! She has talked about nothing else (with a big smile on her face) but playing football since.

She has always been a very physical/enthusiastic child and I have been trying to find a sport which suits her (I have tried lots!). I think she was particularly proud of herself yesterday as she received praise in front of her classmates. Anyway please pass my thanks to the coaches involved!"
- Mrs Thody –Parent

All girls clubs follow a similar pattern to the Soccer Stars programme with an emphasis on adapting drills according to ability.

"I think it’s a great thing that more girls are playing football. Football is for everyone and there’s no doubt that there are many wonderful girl footballers. In my experience of coaching girls, they are always extremely attentive which enables them to learn very quickly."
- Mike Delaney

Other Sports

The Skills Academy started back in 1997 as a Soccer School but in recent years, the Academy has recognised the importance of offering a range of coaching services for schools and it’s customers.
 
Many of the coaches are now qualified not only as FA football coaches but also as Tag Rugby, Junior Athletics and Orienteering coaches with a view to gaining qualifications in Basketball, Netball and Cricket.
 
The Skills Academy has even hired coaches specific to the particular sport to give children the best opportunity of developing their sporting capabilities.
 
A number of schools have already taken up this offer by including Skills Academy Tag Rugby and Athletics coaching as part of their curriculum. These sessions have also been running successfully at schools as extra curricular activities.

 “As a youngster, I was so into football that I didn’t spend time learning about other sports- something I wish I’d done a little more.  I think it’s vital that children take up sport whatever it may be. Even if they don’t become top footballers, rugby players or athletes, it is still something which will help them to get used to a healthy and active lifestyle which will hopefully benefit them as adults.” 
- Mike Delaney

 

Case Study: Warren Road School

Mike Delaney’s Skills Academy has been associated with football coaching at Warren Road School since 1998. The school under the guidance of the Head teacher was keen to raise the profile of all sports and in particular to expand the number of after school sports clubs it could offer to pupils. Football had always been popular at Warren Road with coaching by staff and parents on a voluntary basis. After meeting and talking with Mike, it became clear that his philosophy on teaching sporting skills to children agreed with our one, which is that all children should have the opportunity to learn new skills in a happy and stress free environment.

The Skills Academy, directed by Mike in conjunction with the staff at school became established as one of the most popular extra curricular activities at the school. The standard of coaching was noticeably of a high level with coaches maintaining their professional manner and their reputation of being punctual, well organised and well suited to making football enjoyable for young children. The sessions were of obvious benefit to the children's football skills, their level of fitness and over all confidence.

A direct progression for youngsters attending Skills Academy sessions was for them to move on to training with the school team where specialist coaching was provided by the Skills Academy. Children wishing to play Sunday football, were pointed towards local clubs by Mike. Many players went on to join Orpington Rovers and Orpington Colts. Mike was quick to notice the potential in a group of 5-6 year olds at the school. He and his staff continued to nurture these boys through Skills Academy clubs preparing them for the period when they would play for the school team. In 2003, the school hired Mike to manage/ coach the school team. The team in this season went on to win the cup (their first 11 a side trophy in 10 years) and finish 2nd in the league.

Meanwhile, Mike's promising group were preparing for their first taste of 11 a side football and in the following season they went on to become the most successful team ever, winning every single match they played including the league, cup, small sided tournaments and regional 5 a sides.

Mike advised the school to send 8 players forward for district trials and all 8 players were picked. They all played in the regular starting line up for the successful district side that year. Two of the boys also played regularly for Kent in the same season.

The Skills Academy School of Excellence squad set up last year includes 9 of the Warren Road side who had attended Skills Academy sessions since the age of 5.

Warren Road School still benefits from excellent Skills Academy coaching programmes with the Girls football teams also having successful seasons in recent years. Sessions currently running at the school are: Girls lunchtime club, after school clubs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and a Saturday morning club which averages over 60 children weekly.

Last year the Skills Academy helped to set up an inter schools 5 a side tournament and every year since 2001, Mike has performed his Skills Shows at the summer fete helping to raise money for the school and promote Skills Academy courses.

The school team still receives specialist coaching from Skills Academy staff and the current team have a 100% winning record so far this season.
- Mike Smart (former Warren Road School Governor)

"I would EMPHATICALLY recommend The Skills Academy to every school"
- Giles Platt - School Sports Coordinator

The Skills Academy has an outstanding relationship with many of the schools within the Bromley Borough. For some years now The Skills Academy has been running hugely successful programmes in many Schools and at the same time been able to maintain interest and excitement, whilst continuing growth with no backing from local government funding. Not only does The Skills Academy run Lunchtime, After School, and Curriculum sessions in football but it has begun to coach other sports in these Schools too.

At present all core Skills Academy Coaches are qualified in Tag Rugby. The Skills Academy already run various Tag Rugby courses in a number of Schools. This has been a very new development for the Company, however the interest is very high. All core coaches also hold Qualifications in Children’s Athletics. In the summer months, it is likely that The Skills Academy will be running a number of Athletics courses in local schools. Again there is much interest in the wake of 2012 and The Skills Academy feels it valuable to bridge the gap between Primary Schools’ sports days and the introduction of Athletics in Secondary Schools. With these Skills Academy courses in place, children will have a better idea of Athletics once they reach higher education, making the leap from Primary and Secondary less alien.

The Skills Academy also has a very intricately designed Curriculum Program, designed in order to be sold as an educational aid for teachers. The Curriculum program has been thoroughly executed and has been the focus of a great deal of development plans.

The Skills Academy has worked with the following schools:

 

 

 

 

 "I was attending an event at The Priory Leisure Centre, organised by The School Sports Partnership, in 2002. Mike Delaney from The Skills Academy was performing a football freestyle show at the event and I was impressed with the level of skill it took, as well as the level of interest it sparked. After some enquiry, I realised that Mike was regarded as one of the world's best 'freestylers' and was interested to hear that he grew up in this area and provided a highly respected soccer school - The Skills Academy. I myself work at St. Mary Cray School, which is situated in one of the poorer areas of The London Borough of Bromley. I contacted Mike and The Skills Academy, with a view of giving the children at our school the same opportunities as children elsewhere. Children that attend our school generally come from low-income homes and therefore have less opportunity. I found the program set up for a Skills Academy club, very in depth and yet very reasonably priced. Mike agreed to start an after school club, held for the children of our school.

The Skills Academy now runs a lunchtime session in football at our school. They run an after school club which has existed since the beginning. They provide coaching for our school squad, a new development already proving a success. (One of our pupils has made the district!) They also provide two sessions in tag rugby per week as a result of the company branching out into various sports. I think The Skills Academy have made a massive difference to the children in our school. Not only are we able to give them better opportunities and health education, we're able to provide a service worthy of the highest standard. The behaviour in children has improved and has given less academic children something else to aspire to. The children at St. Mary Cray School take part in sports with the broadest of smiles, they are excited weekly to take part in the activities we provide and are becoming healthier, happier not to mention calmer children.

Children actually look forward to attending school and concentration levels have improved. Having personally dealt with the staff at The Skills Academy, I can see why our children are so happy. They are professional and approachable, they seem to truly care and in short come across as effective role models for our pupils. Brian Farley (Deputy Head) and myself have found the team at The Skills Academy extremely helpful in their work and look forward to many more years working with them."
- Mrs Zegeling - Former Head of P.E. St. Mary Cray School

Curriculum Programme

In April 2000 the PESS investigation was initiated when QCA acknowledged the difference that PE could make to children and the schools they attend. It was highlighted that P.E is the only subject that contributes to the education of the whole child. When taught effectively, P.E can contribute to the physical, social, academic, cultural, emotional, moral and spiritual development of the child. However in order to achieve this, schools have to invest time and resources in an effective way.

The Skills Academy has designed a resource in order to assist schools in effective teaching of football as a P.E topic. The strangest thing The Skills Academy found, was that it had never been attempted, not even by the FA. The size of the document and effort involved had clearly put all companies off.

The Skills Academy curriculum programme provides each year group (from reception to year 6/ Foundation through to Key Stage 2), with ten, detailed lesson plans; to allow for a term’s teaching. Each lesson plan is specifically designed to demonstrate clear progression throughout the increasing years. A different skill is worked on each week and each lesson is broken down into a fun warm up, drills section, a football related game and a cool down to finish. Each lesson plan includes clear pictures demonstrating the skills being performed to ensure understanding.

The Skills Academy used the strands of the curriculum to make the programme a more resourceful tool.

Using the strand of knowledge and understanding of fitness and health, the Skills Academy designed ten different talks on health topics to accompany each lesson. Each lesson plan includes a talk on one of the related health topics. Colourful clear posters are provided with the program to assist the talks, with clear statements and posters to aid understanding.

Using the strand of evaluating and improving fitness, each lesson is accompanied by a self-assessment card. These are for the children at the completion of the lesson to analyse their performance. The cards consist of five clear statements with a simple tick/number response system. These will prove a useful tool to demonstrate first hand the child’s individual improvements throughout the course.

As stated earlier, P.E is the only subject that educates the whole child. The Skills Academy Curriculum Programme provides examples of how it can be used to benefit other areas of the curriculum.

On the next section is an example of a lesson plan and Self Assessment card, taken from the Curriculum Programme. Curriculum sessions always begin with an opening talk on various parts of the body. Children are shown posters, which cover a minimum of five points relating to the workings of the body part they are discovering.

The Skills Academy was already established when I began as Deputy Head at Poverest Primary School. The children participating represented key stage 1 and 2 and ran right through the school year. Mike came into assemblies to promote his Academy but more importantly and significantly, he generated enthusiasm in taking part in activity.

The children who took part in the after school programme were always eager to participate and always provided me with terrific feedback about the coaching and the progress they had made. In my own experiences watching the sessions I always found the coaches incredibly positive and enthusiastic with the children. In an area such as the Cray Valley this type of encouragement is essential.

I came by some left over funding and seeing the terrific impact of Mike's Skills Academy After School programme, I arranged with Mike to form a school squad. This was new to Poverest. Mike provided us with his time to get the initiative off the ground. The boys responded excellently. We formed a squad and Mike provided the squad with his experience and expertise. The squad is still going well even after the funding finished. Its success is primarily due to the commitment of Mike and his coaching staff in generating the enthusiasm from the boys to take pride in their football and go about improving it the right way.

Mike supported the Literacy framework in the school by providing a stimulus for writing. He delivered an excellent presentation of his filming and commercial experiences to Year 6 who interviewed him and used the session to write Newspaper Reports. This was especially good for the boys who were interested and enthusiastic about writing in an area of interest to them and it being delivered by Mike who is well known to them."
- Mr De Freitas – Head of Hawes Down Junior School (Then deputy head of Poverest Primary)