Well, what a year it has been for grassroots football, and what a year it has been for SAS football club as we entered our “rebuilding stage”. This has been a major year for the club as 3 new teams were formed within the club. We welcomed 2 new under 10’s teams which play on both days of the weekend. We also welcomed the brand new under 9’s team which plays on a Saturday. With the arrival of the new under 9’s team, we saw a return of the clubs chairman, Bill Chambers, take up the Manager position for the debut season for the under 9’s which saw them have a tough campaign for the brand new outfitters; this would later be overturned in the last match before the Christmas break with a whopping 13:1 victory where Brian scored an amazing 11 goals in the match! As for our new under 10’s Saturday team, they had an amazing experience on their first game as a team, coming back from being 2 nil down to win the game in the last minute to make it a 6:5 win for the new team on the block. However, our Sunday team fell to a defeat in their first official match but with Gerald finding the back of the net late on in the game, manager James Leighton knew he could be onto something special with his team.  

Let's hear what the managers had to say about their teams and how they felt their players got on this year.

Under 9’s  
Our wonderful under 9’s had a challenging start to the season when they lost their first few matches but it took until the last game of the season before the Christmas break for them to pick up a empathic win where the match finished 13:1 with Bryan scoring an unbelievable 11 goals in one game which is close to a club record!
When we spoke to the manager, Bill Chambers about the season here’s what he had to say: “It was an amazing feeling getting back onto the pitch and managing a team again, i'm getting old now so for one time time it was nice, however i wouldn't mind someone else taking over next season as if feel we need new blood and a youth fresh mind”. Bill, who has been doing coaching and sports mentoring since the 70's, thinks now would be a great time to take a step back from the managing and coaching roles to focus on his chairman role and see what the club needs as a whole. “Bryan and Mark have been amazing for me this season. They just have such a good link up and because they are best mates it helps to bring a positive attitude, not just to matches but also in training.”  
Overall Bill was ecstatic with the team's performance over the last 12 months and everyone involved must be so proud with what they have achieved. Whether Bill is the manager for them next season or not, he wants the team to push on and is sure they will have major success in the future.

Saturday under 10’s
It has been an overall pretty impressive first year for the new boys on the block finishing the league in 3rd position, picking up 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. Their biggest win came towards the end of the season where they won 6:1 against Keyworth with Mohammed scoring a hatrick!
“If I'm honest, it's been an amazing first year, it's my first job in coaching and I can't lie to you. I'm absolutely loving it. I have never enjoyed anything more in my life. I love planning for sessions on a Sunday ready for the Tuesday training session. But if i'm completely honest I felt we could have done better. It's the small things which could have won us a few more games maybe. With Ebrima joining us in our coaching setup and being my second manager if you would, I feel next season hopefully we will be unstoppable.”
With Joshua and Ebrima both coming from a footballing background, the club is sure that, even though they are the youngest managers in the YEL set up, they will bring success with them and take the under 10’s a long way.  
“Next season I feel will be a crucial one for us as they have strengthened our attacking line up and we have added great depth in our defence. I’m very much looking forward to next season.”  
“I remember our first game like it was yesterday, it was such a good day for everyone involved. We were 2 nil down in the first 10 minutes and I was thinking how we can change it up. We brought on Perez and Natan and those 2 started to run the show with skills, long distant shots and everything. We ended up winning the game 6:5 with a goal in the last kick of the game. The scenes with parents, the players, and even other coaches. It was an amazing day and everyone was involved.” A massive thank you to South Normanton for coming down to us and agreeing to play us.  
After asking every manager who they thought was their player of the year it only took Joshua and Ebrima about 2 seconds to come to the agreement it was Perez. He finished as their top goalscorer with 7 goals. “Perez is a massive part of our team and the way we play. The boy can run for miles without a break! His attitude towards the game is something I would expect from people my age. He's very good at football and I fully expect him to be successful in football and Ebrima and I would love to see him do so. We can't say Perez did all the work. We have game changers all over the pitch and I definitely think now some of them have had a taste for the wonderful game. I fully expect them to come into a league of their own, especially when they reach the bigger goals after August. I'd like us to score a goal a game minimum if i'm honest.”  
We are all super proud of Perez and how the team has come together and join us in wishing them all the best in 2022.  

Our under 10’s Saturday are looking for a sponsor. If you would like to sponsor us or would like more information then please don't hesitate to get in contact with us!

Sunday under 10’s
Our amazing Sunday under 10’s struck gold at the perfect time when they hit a good run of form early on in the season finishing 4th which manager, James Leighton, said “I’m fairly happy with it, we got off to a rocky start as some players were still finding their feet but we hit form when needed and we managed to get a few wins even when we didn't have a good amount of players, we dug deep and got a good amount of points for our very first season as a team and my first season in coaching!” With the team getting off to a rocky start, James knew his chances of getting the top spot in the league was very slim but he knew his team would finish in a good position and would be in an excellent place going into the new year.  
“My top performer this year was a tough one but would probably have to be Harry. He played in 2 different positions for us this season being a central defender and being in goal, every game he wore his heart on his sleeve for the team and dug deep every week. He's a brilliant character to have around the boys and a true warrior on the pitch.” Harry took top marks from James in making him player of the year and it's clear to see why with his great attitude on and off the pitch.  
The boys ended the year in style with a 5:0 win. It was a great way to end the year for the Sunday team. James’s top goalscorer got in on the act by bagging 2 goals in that game with Mohammed and Davi also added to their tallies for the season.  
All of us at SAS are super proud of James and his team and we wish them all the best for the year ahead.  

Under 11’s
What year it has been for our under 11’s!

They have had the lows of losing in a cup final, and the highs of winning a game in the final moments.
The manager of our under 11’s is Brandon and he remembers one match in particular which stood out this year and it was a match against Bingham with the final score being 2:3 win for the super SAS. “It was a tough game at the start, it was a game where we went 2 nil down very early on and we looked completely out of it. But we came shooting out the blocks and scored 3 in the second half! We scored 3 amazing goals including an amazing header in the death of the game to take home all 3 points.”  
Kavel Davis. What a player. “Kavel has been a massive part of our team and is a fantastic young footballer who has come a long way since joining the team a few years ago, he’s now beginning to show his ability consistently and is scoring many fantastic goals.”  
Kavel is an amazing player who can play in a  number of roles in Brandon's team, he can play in midfield or up top.  
“Kavel has been different class in 2021.”
We can see how highly Brandon thinks of Kavel and we are all sure that Kavel will carry on his amazing form in 2022.
“It has been a proggressive year for us as we went from the 7 a side goals to the big 9 a side goals, we got to a cup final and don’t get me wrong, we had our down moments but we also had moments to celebrate. The team looks like it is progressing and is always looking to improve on the pitch in terms of their ability and maturity as we look on to what I hope is a successful 2022.”
Even though the team fell short in a cup final, the leaders in the side did not let their comrades fall, they got them back up and they had a brilliant campaign for the rest of the year. This shows excellent character and everyone within SAS football club wishes them the best for 2022; and who knows maybe the team will do better in the cup and bring home the trophy this year.  

Under 12’s
Did you know that our under 12's actually play at the under 13’s level and division 1 in that age group? That's right, they are just too good!

Our under 12’s are very good at football to say the least but it's their attitude off the pitch that drives them forward!  
“This year has been a challenging one for the under 12’s and the SAS coaching team, we've been playing a year up against kids who are bigger, stronger and faster. The boys have had to think about the game more to gain results.” The boys played 12 games and won 7 of them, against boys older and quicker that's not half bad.  
Richard, the manager of our under 12’s, has stated that the boys may be going back to their own age so they can try to bring some silverware back to Sycamore Field. He does insist they will still be playing attractive and attacking football even at a younger age.  
When asked about a memorable performance of the year, it was a tough decision for the coach but the one which strikes a smile on Richards face is a 5:4 win over Gedling.  
“The game had everything, we had players missing due to covid and academy duties. The game itself was a game of 2 halves. We found ourselves trailing by 4 goals to 1 at half time but when we came out in the second half we were ready to battle for the win we all knew we could get. We were dominant. We showed great team spirit and desire to win and to be honest we should have won more goals.”  
It shows that yet again the SAS boys have dug deep and picked up 3 points in dramatic style and again we could not be prouder.  
What an excellent player Ewan has shaped out to be!
Ewan has improved massively on the technical side of this game. He always is looking to play the weapon of the long throw into dangerous areas. He's quick, strong and agile which is a great trait to have within the team.  

We are all proud of our super under 12’s with what they have achieved and all of us at SAS are wishing them good luck for 2022 and we can't wait to see what they achieve.  
Good luck boys!

Under 13’s
It's been a tough season for our under 13’s who have had an up and down year.  
“We could have had more victories if we would have taken our chances when  they came our way.” Ian, the manager of our under 13’s, felt that they rue the chances missed but he does insist that next season that will be their main focus as they look to grab 2022 by the horns.  
With our under 13’s having a mixed bag of results in this past year with exiting the cup in the first round but coming 3rd in the league it has well and truly been a mixed bag. With finishing 3rd in the league, manager Ian knows that he can really push on next year and get some good results. “I think the group is more than capable of getting into the top two, that's what our aim is and the team knows it”.  
We have had a number of stand out players in our team with contributions coming from all around the team but without a doubt it has to be Tommy Brookes. Tommy mostly plays as a striker for the team but also has been known to play on the right side of the midfield.  
“He's been involved in lots and lots of goals, he's scored them and he's assisted them.  
His best contribution is when he actually started on the bench and when he came off the bench he supplied 2 amazing assists for 2 brilliant goals to top off an amazing 4:3 win for the boys. It was an amazing game to be a part of.”  
Good luck to our under 13’s for what we hope is going to be an amazing year ahead for them.  

Under 16’s  
If we didn't have proof of this year for our under 16’s then you probably wouldn't believe us! They won the league with a last minute winner, playing amazing football and much more!  
Our under 16’s won their league last season with a last minute winner against Mansfield Athletic, they won the game 1:2. The scenes were unbelievable. “It was a really proud moment for us all as we knew it was possible but if we wanted to do it we had to dig deep and that is exactly what we did. I have never seen the boys so happy. It was an amazing one in a lifetime experience.”  
“My manager's player of the season was Luke, he battled throughout the whole season and didn't give up once. He was one of the reasons we won the league without a doubt.”  

Let's hope 2022 can be just as good if not better for SAS FC!

Joshua Barnes
SAS FC U10 SATURDAY Manager
SAS FC Reporter