How it all began

In 2010 we started with 5 kids, no kit and only 2 footballs playing in the bootle summer league and losing 16-1

Progression

After our first game it was apparent that we needed to get some additional players, and so the recruitment drive started! Ask Lisa I could have quite easily offended people sitting in restaurants and in pubs asking parents how old there children where and did they play football!! Keiran attended a Liverpool training session at Litherland Sports Park where we met Eric and Nicky, and Sarah who had children Jake Rimmer, and Callum Wilson, who were our first 2 new recruits, followed by Nicole Power a tough tackling defender following a recruitment letter to a local school. Next came Jack Ward through a friend I knew, and then came Jack Nelson after opportunists meeting in McDonalds after our cup win!! Mia and Micheal Middleton where next through Netherton Moss followed by Owen Lunt (angel face), and before we knew it the numbers where growing fast with in excess of 12 children turning up for training every week. When we got to 16 children it was going to have to be a tough decision of making the cut to 12 kids for the new season or starting a development team, a development team was started and Kev Nelson agreed to take over them and so the Phoenix were born (given the name because of the fast progression that the athletic had made….. (Phoenix rising and all that!!) The club badge had been designed with a large phoenix in the middle (my own cool idea!).

The first players for the Phoenix were, John Paul Mulhaney, Liam Mattocks, Jack Nelson, Mark Flavell, Micheal Wallberg. We then took the children to Wales for a football tournament, and next to Blackpool (a bit like the film our day out on both occasions!!)

Next the recruitment started again, flyers into local schools opportunist meetings at ice cream vans! a trip to local play football to scout for players at their junior football sessions! And before we knew it the numbers where up for Phoenix bringing in 15 children and a squad rotation (who said Kev Nelson was rafa benitez!!) the decision was taken to put the phoenix into friendly matches until the December split of the league when they would enter the u7s proper, giving the children time to get used to the rules of mini soccer.

Now the Teams were really coming together through various training sessions, emphasis on making space and sorting out understanding with the children on positioning and some players were really starting to progress, one of our players was scouted by a premier league Acadamy at a football tournament in Wales, proving that the way that the kids where being coached was developing their skills and knowledge of the game. Several other children the started to be picked up by Academies, with Netherton fast building a reputation of having children who were excellent young footballers, playing football the right way.

After the first season the Athletic team split and the younger kids dropped down to their own age, and the older kids continued on giving us 1 u7 team and 2 U8s teams.

From that point on we grew and grew, attaining the FA charter standard accreditation, getting all coaches level 1 qualified and developing the ethos of respect, technique and teaching the kids to play beautiful football.

Now in our 4th season we have just started the U6 team, with each team coming from the soccer school with Chairman Steve Devine training the coaches and managers the netherton way, and then passing the team over to the suitable people who will run the teams the way they are all run.

8 Teams, a soccer school and the Netherton conveyor belt is established creating young football, and a social network of friends and fundraising for the greater community.

Now at the end of Season 5 the club has continued to progress, with previous Chairman Steve Devine passing the reigns on to Chris young, with a management committee to support him, we will now have 15 teams going into the 2015-16 season.

The club ethos has stayed the same with our oldest team about to enter the 9v9 format, and the soccer school now run by Stefan Boros continuing to develop children to play the netherton way.

We are represented next season in the Hightown League, Bootle JFL, Scotland Road League, Walton and Kirkdale as well as having teams in the Futsal for all specialist futsal league in Wavetree.

The journey so far has been absolutely amazing and will continue to be with strong foundations laid and an ethos that teaches children to do it the right way.

Final thanks has to go to the continued support of our sponsors who without we could not do what we do.

Netherton JFC often imitated never beaten, we play the netherton way!!!!!!!

Netherton JFC est 2010

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