With the delayed start of football this season, the league had scheduled games for the last Saturday leading up to Christmas, which are normally left free of matches – it was looking like we were not going to be able to hold our usual Christmas parents vs girls football match.
However, one by one each of our opponents cancelled the matches arranged for that Saturday, which meant a hastily arranged (almost) traditional parents’ match.
With the current restrictions in place all activities took place outside and the usual food and drink was not allowed; all parents and players had to be temperature-checked on arrival.
To make it different we played three-ball football with different coloured balls for the various age young players, all playing on one massive pitch, but all scores counting towards the final match result.
The parents’ team took an early lead in (as expected) a high scoring match and were ahead 8-6 by half time. However, with the mums’ and dads’ fitness (or lack of) beginning to tell in the second half, the girls ended up as 13-11 winners in this epic match.
After another massive use of the hand sanitisers the girls finished off the fun day with a snowball fight, most of which ended up being lobbed at the squad coaches, but all in the name of great fun.
Paul Willmott, Youth Development Coach, Cawston Red Rose FC