This month we are featuring our youth football teams.  This section of the Club includes the Under 12 to Under 16 teams, all teams playing the 11 a side format of the game.

Our Under 12s are a new team that Elio, the coach, has formed this season.  Some of the players have joined from other clubs but many are playing in a team for the first team.  They are playing in Division 3 and are finding it tough up against teams who have been established for several seasons but have put together a couple of good wins and are gaining in confidence and having a great time.

We have two teams at Under 13.  Our Kestrels team are going well in division 1 and are in the semi finals of the Plate competition.  Our Kesgrave Town team were newly formed last season and have built on that to lead division 3 with a W6 L1 record and with three of the leagues top 10 scorers in the team. 

The Under 15s lead a tight division 2 on goal difference with a W4 D3 L1 record and the meanest defence in the division only conceding 9 goals so far.

We also have two teams at Under 16.  Kesgrave Town are leading Division 2 and are our only unbeaten youth team in the league with 5 wins and 1 draw.  Goals have been shared around the team with most of the squad getting on the score sheet.  The Under 16 Kestrels play on Sundays and are our only team in the Ipswich & Suffolk League – a new venture for us this season.  The team are mid table in the league and in the semi finals of the vase competition.

It was a bright autumn day in October when we kicked off our new Little Kestrels group, with 17 very excited 5 to 7 year olds.  Already it has proved very popular and we now have 20 boys and girls within the group, some are playing in a group for the first time and some are moving on up to play within a club and a team.  In the first few weeks Chris has been getting them used to basic techniques and ball control and some fun games.  The children are having a fantastic time and we are also excited that they are building the future of the Club.

Over the next few months we are going to feature different sections of the Club starting with our mini soccer teams.  Mini soccer covers our age groups from Under 8 up to Under 10 and here the teams play 7 a side matches with both A and B teams in each age group.  The mini soccer teams work very closely together both with training and coaching support and also fundraising and social events.  Our coaches Jon, Andy and Simon also have an excellent team of assistants on and off the pitch.

The Under 8s is the first stage of mini soccer and at this age the matches are played on a friendly basis and the FA do not allow Clubs to publish results or report on matches.  The squad is generally the A team of under 8s and the B team under 7s, many of whom will stay in the group and become A team players next season as they develop.

Kestrels U9's strong start to the season continued with the A team recording 3 league wins during October, and at the end of month they led SSYL Division 2 with 15 pts from the five games played; the only defeat coming in the Cup, away at Division 1 opposition Woodbridge Town. The B team sit a creditable 3rd in their respective league having both won and drawn a game in the month.  November see the teams playing two tough away fixtures at Whitton and Trimley respectively.   Three of the five top scorers in the league are Kestrels and the A team have only conceded seven goals so far.

Our Under 10s play in Division 3, the A team sitting in 6^th position and the B team 2^nd in their leagues.  They are working hard on developing their football and look forward to a successful season.

As we go to print the new season has just begun and our youth teams have had their first games of the season to blow out the cobwebs, with a mix of results.  Our first team has strongly started with two wins in two games, an excellent start in their push for promotion this season.

We are looking forward to launching our Little Kestrels partnership with Little Kickers in October.  This project is aimed at 5 to 7 year olds and will include structured age appropriate coaching and friendly matches, running from October through to May.  We are looking for both boys and girls to join the project and if you are interested please get in touch.  Details on our website – www.kesgravekestrelsfc.co.uk

This season two of our teams have been supported with community grants from BT and from EDF Energy.  We also thank the teams at The Farmhouse and The Bell who kindly host the regular club and first team meetings.  A big thank you to all of our sponsors who are supporting the Club for this season.

We have some spaces for players in our teams at Under 8 (Year 3), Under 9 (Year 4), Under 15 (Year 10) and Under 16 (Year 11) – if you are still looking for a team please check our website for further details of these opportunities.

The Club is launching a new scheme in partnership with Little Kickers to enable boys and girls to develop their football skills as they start school.  Our “Mini Kestrels Scheme” will build on the existing Little Kickers programme for under 5s and give them an opportunity to join a local football club and develop their football and team skills further in a club environment. 

The scheme will include regular weekly training sessions on early Saturday afternoons, friendly matches against other clubs every 4 to 6 weeks and an end of season tournament.  Training will be at the Kesgrave Community Centre.  All players will be provided with a club kit and become part of the Club and join in with Club events.  Hopefully most or all of the children will go on to develop their football within the Club right up to adult level.

The programme will normally run from August to May, but this year we will be starting later – aiming to launch in October, or as soon as we have enough players.  It is open to both boys and girls aged from 5 to 7.

It will cost £20 to enrol on the Scheme (which includes the Club membership and kit) and £4 per week for training sessions and matches (payable in two instalments). 

Club Chairman Carl Chittock said “This is a great opportunity for young boys and girls to get involved in football and join a well run and friendly local Club.  We are very excited about teaming up with Little Kickers in this development which will help the Club grow in the future.  We might even find the next Connor Wickham”

If your child is interested in becoming a Mini Kestrel or you would like more information please speak to Club Secretary, David Hall, on 01473 620562 or by contacting secretary@kesgravekestrelsfc.co.uk

News for the web for July 

Following on from our adult team success in their league sportsmanship award our youth teams have also been recognised for fair play.  Our Under 12 and Under 14 teams were awarded the Fair Play trophies for their own leagues and overall we achieved the Club Fair Play award for the South Suffolk Youth League.  These were awarded at the league AGM held in June.  It is awarded to the Club with the best combined fair play rating for all teams across the league; there are over 200 teams in the nine age groups – a great achievement that we are very proud of. 

Our mini soccer teams have been supporting the EACH Treehouse Project this season and in early July we held a joint event and handed over a cheque for £300 raised by the teams to support the appeal. 

Following their league success this season the under 11s team were invited to compete in the Aces National Champions tournament in Coventry at the start of July - the team also won this.  Another excellent performance from Aren, Mark and the boys and a fantastic opportunity and experience that they will never forget.  The team are moving to Woodbridge for next season to play Alliance League football so good luck boys.

We held our own AGM in July, reporting on the last season and the plans for next – thank you to all of our Club members who turned out to support the Club. 

We have had a successful recruitment campaign over the summer and now have full squads for all of our age groups except Under 12 (Year 7), Under 15 (Year 10) and Under 16 (Year 11) – if you are still looking for a team please contact the team managers or our secretary, David, for more details.

We are establishing a new Under 12 team for next season - we are looking for a few more players to join the squad.

To play for this team you should be born on or after 1 September 1999, ideally in school year 7 next year.

The team will play in the South Suffolk Youth League, with matches on a Saturday morning.  All matches are 11 a side.

If you are interested in joining a friendly and well run local Club and for more details please contact the Club Secretary, David Hall, on 01473 620562 or email secretary@kesgravekestrelsfc.co.uk 

We are looking for players to join our Under 16 Kesgrave Kestrels teams for next season. 

The teams in this age group play on Saturdays in the South Suffolk Youth League and also on Sunday mornings in the Ipswich and Suffolk Youth League.  Players would be able to play for either or both teams.

To play for this team you should be born on or after 1 September 1995, in School Year 10 or 11 next year.

If you are looking to join a friendly and well run local Club and for more details you can contact David Hall, CLub Secretary, on 01473 620562 or secretary@kesgravekestrelsfc.co.uk.