Highfields Football

Talybont this evening

For a few weeks now, I have wanted to talk about discipline on the pitch on Saturdays. We don’t have a ref and we don’t plan to use one as we want to play like ‘brothers’ not as opponents. There are a few principles we should all be bearing in mind, and 99% of the time, we play a fair and generous game – these should be our by-words: FAIR/GENEROUS
If you can’t be fair, be generous…
When I say, we play like brothers, I don’t mean siblings because the phrase ‘sibling rivalry’ didn’t come about for no reason… I mean like spiritual brothers and sisters who have chosen to play together for the fun of it.
FUN should also be a keyword, one that includes a level of competitiveness, but the FUN, FAIRNESS and GENEROSITY is not outweighed by the competitiveness.
What does this mean in practical terms?
1) We never argue over throw-ins, you shout up if you know you touched it last, FAIR and GENEROUS working together to make a FUN atmosphere
2) We don’t put our friends in danger through our overwhelming competitiveness – if we think a challenge could end up in someone being hurt, we don’t go in.
3) When we do hurt someone, we acknowledge it immediately, we help them up we apologise
4) When we are hurt, we graciously accept the apology and the help to get back to our feet – why do we do this? Because we KNOW that our brother or sister did not intend to hurt anyone.
5) We play on after an accidental handball, if we know we handled the ball, we step away and stop competing for the ball.
6) We don’t shout for a handball, especially when we are blind-sided…why? Because we don’t lie about handling and we all play by the rules and if a player has handled the ball, they will let us know. If the player gives up possession of the ball, no free kick is needed (we don’t have the time for it).
What is interesting about this set of guidelines is that every weekend we watch our professional ‘heroes’ do the EXACT OPPOSITE, and whilst we envy their skill and athleticism, we abhor their dishonesty, lack of fairness and generosity...
This is how we play, week in, week out – and that is why, for me, organising the game is a pure joy, definitely not a burden.
This is not a new set of rules, this is the spirit in which we play the game. I am overwhelming glad to welcome you all to a new game every week because I know that whether I am on the winning side or not, I will have had FUN. If I haven’t been fair and generous, then I am painfully aware of it and will seek to play a better game next week.

John B

The last few years have forced some changes, but a positive has been how we have changed from 'anyone who turns up on the day', to a booking system. On the one hand, we lose the spontaneity and the possibility of inviting a passer-by to join us, but we gain a lot more:
1) We know who will be there and their names, this is much better for being able to interact socially
2) We hardly ever drop below full capacity, and if we will, we know in advance and can plan for it
3) We save time by being able to divide teams fairly before the game
4) If it looks like we are not going to be full, there is time for us to rally round and find a few more players

A

Please contact [email protected] if you would be interested in playing informal games of footy on Saturdays 5pm to 6pm at Talybont campus. It would be helpful if you are using WhatsApp as that is our main means of communication. Everyone is welcome, once you are on the group we operate on a first come, first served basis for booking a place.

We are returning to Talybont on Saturday 1st May 2021😀. Please note that we are still under restrictions, everybody participating must be using the NHS Covid App, we are keeping our WhatsApp booking system - Bookings open at 8am on Monday 26th April. New rules attached - message us if you have any questions

Just to keep everyone in the loop, since local lockdown has ceased and the 'fire break' lockdown is over - these are our latest rules:
1) All players must be using the NHS Covid app at all times
2) We will limit ourselves to 14 players on a seven-a-side pitch (this means we can play a 'normal game'
3) Nonetheless we encourage people to play whilst keeping contact to a minimum - this includes using a 'kick-in' rather than a 'throw-in'
4) We will spray goal posts and the ball with sanitising spray before playing
5) We will keep contact names as a record in case of contact tracing
6) No cash, no unnecessary contact (hand shakes etc..)
7) Keep socially distanced during warm up

We have a revised Risk Assessment and some new rules. As we are now in local lockdown, players from outside our local area can no longer take part. (for our records, we will ask for a post-code when you 'book'). We are making it mandatory for players to be actively using the NHS contact tracing app, and we are limiting numbers to 14 (seven a side) - on the 'up' side, we no longer have to play a three-touch game as long as we have only 14 players. The new RA will be emailed to everyone who is a registered participant..

Three-touch football @ Highfields Footy…
Whilst Covid restrictions are in place, our understanding is that under FAW rulings, games involving more than 14 players cannot play an unrestricted game. As such, we have decided that when more then 14 players are attending (we normally invite 16 players), we will play a three-touch game with limited tackling.
Nonetheless, all social-distancing and reduction of contact rules apply to every game. These include NOT sharing any equipment (bottles, gloves, bibs etc), NOT mingling before and after the game, using the hand-sanitiser supplied, and NOT attending if you have any Covid symptoms.
The three-touch game can be open to interpretation, so we will look at some of the areas of uncertainty. First off, the easy one: You can only use three touches (any part of your body) to control, pass or shoot – if another player touches the ball during your three touches, the three touch ‘counter’ is reset. If you run out of touches PLEASE DO NOT ‘SHIELD’ THE BALL – as this encourages another player to be unnecessarily close to you. Pull away or take a fourth touch to incur a foul. Accidental touches where the ball gets caught in your feet may be overlooked.
Tackling is an area causing some confusion – two players may compete for a ball when it is not under control, however when control has been established, you may only block a player or ‘poach’ the ball if they lose control. Losing control is open to interpretation and difficult to rule on. Bearing in mind that the opponent has only three touches, your challenge should be more ‘defensive’ than ‘offensive’. (Getting used to this rule will no doubt be more problematic than counting the three touches)
Other rules worth mentioning - the ‘keeper is allowed unlimited touches of the ball in the ‘box’, but will be subject to the three-touch rule outside the box – ‘throw-ins’ should be kicked to limit touching of the ball – every effort should be made to avoid touching the ball where possible. Naturally the ‘keeper will need to use hands, but whilst inside the ‘box’, opponents are discouraged from approaching the keeper when the ball is under control, so that the ‘keeper does not have to pick up the ball.
We have always favoured a ‘free-flowing’ game, so it would be helpful if players ‘self-regulate’ and give up the ball when they know they have made a mistake.

Rules for today: No unnecessary contact (no hand-shakes, fist bumps, high fives etc..), limit secondary contact, don't share bibs, gloves, water bottles. Keep apart during warm-up and during the match when you are not actively 'engaged'. No outright tackling, a player can only take three touches so tackling will not be required - a 'challenge' where you are both going for the ball is OK, but try to drop off when control has been established. Three-touch only applies to the 'keeper when he is outside his box. Players limited to a 'booking' system - we will only take a maximum of 16 players - no cash, participants pay via PayPal. Don't play if you have CV-19 symptoms - let us know if you develop symptoms after a game. Sanitiser for hands and footballs will be provided - if you bring a ball, do NOT put it on the pitch until it has been sprayed. Wash at home before and after the game - protect your friends and their families. Bring a light top and a dark one, please be there early..

We have 16 players booked in for our first game since mid-March - sorry we can't be as flexible as we used to by welcoming players on the day, but times have changed... Bookings for next week open at 8am on Monday (via the WhatsApp group)

This is our Covid-19 Risk Assessment for Footy at Talybont. We have changed the way we operate, you must now BOOK to play on Saturdays via our WhasApp group, message me for details