Update on next season
April 29th, 2014 // League News // Richard Boydell
I attended the League General Meeting last night where they put my proposal for one big division to the other clubs among other things. Unfortunately they voted against it which means we continue with 2 divisions. It’s not all bad news, though. We are still being relegated to the First Division and so will be playing against teams more on our level, and will be much more competitive.
Currently there are 5 new teams joining the league which means the top 5/6 of the First Division will be promoted leaving 11 or 12 teams in our division which is pretty healthy. Most of these teams are quite nearby too, so not much traveling.
The other big change will be that teams can name and play all 5 subs in each game. This may even be on a rolling subs basis too, but that is not confirmed yet and I’m not a huge fan of that idea.
Raffle
I’m about to start printing the tickets for the raffle we will put on over the summer to raise money towards our fees etc. I have secured a Wales shirt signed by Gareth Bale (possibly also Bellamy and Giggs) for the main prize and will sort out 2 more from somewhere so it should be pretty easy to sell.
I’ll need each player to sell 25 tickets at £1 each and you’ll have pretty much all summer to do so – if you can sell more than 25 that would be great for the club and if you can sell more than 30 then every extra ticket you sell will be deducted off your registration fees/subs for the season.
So basically, if you can sell around 60 tickets you won’t have to pay a penny out of your own pocket for the coming season, and for that you will get up to 25 games and your own shirt with squad number of your choice.
Registration
I am starting to register players now for next season, the cost is £30 for the full season with the above benefits. If you sell raffle tickets as mentioned above then your Reg Fee will be refunded the difference (or deducted from your raffle money collected).
I want to get registration sorted as soon as possible so we can get funds in place so we know the club is set up for the season. I’m also going on a huge recruitment hunt now to get more players, if you know anyone put them in touch.
For those few who work shifts and can only play every other or 1 in 3 games, I am open to you continuing paying weekly subs or a reduced Reg Fee, although unless you pay the full amount I cannot offer you a personal shirt and number. You will also be required to sell the raffle tickets.
I hope you all agree with this and I’m sure you can see it is for the benefit of the club as a whole, we just can’t continue with the defecits we’ve had the last 2 years.
You can sign up and pay now below, or give me cash when you see me. Cheers.
2013/14 Season
June 18th, 2013 // League News,Team News // Richard Boydell
Right then lads, Rob is taking a back seat for a while so I’ll be sorting out all the player registration and stuff for the coming season, unless anyone has any objections. If you do then please let me or Rob know and we’ll come to a vote on who can look after team affairs etc.
I attended the AGM last night to enter us into the league. Some good news and some bad for some of you who wanted to get relegated. We are to stay in the Premier Division next season, but with the Red Cow, Saints and Llantwit Major all dropping out and 3 teams from Bridgend being promoted, it leaves us with only Maerdy and Coedely as long distance away days, so just 2 long drives all season (barring a shitty cup draw).
The division is also a little smaller with only 9 teams so we’ll have just 16 league games all season so it shouldn’t be too much to ask for a little more commitment than last year.
I’d really like to get training back up and running this year too. Evans has expressed an interest in taking training, and if he’s serious then I’d like to know if everyone is happy with that? There will probably be more fitness and drill training than before with a game at the end, if he still plans to do it. If anyone has any other ideas too, please let me know. It could mean training with another team to make sure we have good numbers showing up and make it worthwhile. If you could let me know a preferred time and day too and we’ll go with the majority on that.
My biggest job now is recruiting players. We’ll be losing a few again so we desperately need some new faces to fill the gaps. Can you let me know asap if you will be re-registering, and for those who will be concentrating on Saturday footy next season, it would be cool if you could register for the Vaders just in case we’re in trouble and need some help or if you have a weekend off from Saturday and fancy playing. It won’t cost you anything and there’ll be no pressure, it would just be a back up.
It would be great if all of you could ask around or text some mates to see if we can get some new players signed, and you can give them my details so I can sign them up.
Finally, the future of the Vaders was very uncertain after the end of last season, with the dwindling numbers and lack of commitment but we’ve decided to take the plunge and go again so we really need the enthusiasm of the first 2 seasons back boys. I’m sure you’d all agree it would be a huge shame to let the Vaders die, we all had such a laugh at the start, and remember the cup final and days like that. Nobody even seemed bothered about having a pint last year, compare that to the first season and nutters club and stuff. We’d like to get that social element back too so any ideas would be great. I know a lot of us have commitments like wives and kids, but even if we all go for 1 hour after a game, it’s not going to kill them!
So, if anyone wants to get in touch with me or pass my details on to some new blood, my number is 07807 100015 and my email: rich@garthvaderfc.co.uk (please leave any ringing until after 6 when I’m not in work).
Make some noise for the Vader boys.
A dissapointing end to a poor season
April 22nd, 2013 // League News,Team News // Richard Boydell
So, despite the worry and hesitance at the prospect of playing in the Premier Division at the beginning of the season, the Vaders have made it through (just) and will finish in a respectable 7th or 8th (from 10) once the remaining games are concluded.
It remains to be seen if only 2 teams will drop back down or there will be more and the Vaders will be included. For many of the current squad that would be welcome news as it carries with it shorter away trips and less resilient opposition – the reason for the pre-season worries.
However, I think those who feel this way are doing themselves and the team a disservice, we should be looking to play against and beat the best teams available, not hoping for an easy ride every Sunday morning. There’s no glory beating the whipping boys of the league, the real success is turning over teams at the top and clubs like our nearest rivals, St Pats, who are set to be crowned champions in the coming weeks.
We showed what we are capable of in the first game of the season, beating last season’s champions Coedely 4-2 at home. Unfortunately this was probably the highlight of the season along with the two good wins over Nantymoel. Other notable efforts were away to Maerdy with only 10 men on a freezing morning, getting back to 3-1 and taking the game to them before running out of steam, and the spirit shown to beat the Bush 5-4 in a bottom of the table see-saw battle at the Vaderdrome.
These performances were few and far between though as a lack of reliability in players showing up meant no consistency in team selection and many players playing out of position. The final game against the Red Cow being the best example, having to hand them a 3-0 walk-over result meaning they finished in 6th ahead of us. This, against a team who were primed for a roasting given recent form, and one that would have given us sweet revenge for last seasons cup final defeat.
The attitude, quite frankly, has been poor, and some serious recruiting needs to be done in the summer if the Vaders are to continue next season. We have some wonderful players and a really good team when we have a full squad to choose from, but the commitment has been terrible and we need to get some more reliable players to ensure we have a team each week.
Former first team regulars such as Leigh James, Matthew Evans, Lee Isaac and Allan Thomas have played less than 15 games between them and they haven’t been replaced consistently over the season (save for Jammy, Morgan has done a terrific job at right back). A lot of players have other commitments, which is totally understandable, and that is why we need to get more numbers in.
If anybody knows anyone looking for a team, let us know. Given our poor defensive record (worst in the league with an average 4.44 goals conceded per game) we could definitely do with a permanent, reliable goalkeeper (thanks for your commitment and effort helping out this season Cookie), and some defenders to replace those midfielders filling in at the back. Overall we need people willing to turn up and play, no matter what.
It would also be good to get training back again next season as it helps keep everyone together and keep everyone fitter and fresher.
Anyone wishing to register or re-register for the Vaders, please e-mail or call/text Rob on robert.boydell@sky.com or 07815 736998.
Make some noise for the Vader boys.
Vader’s gain promotion
July 10th, 2012 // League News,Team News // Richard Boydell
Despite finishing 6th in the First Division during the 2011/12 season, league changes and new team entries has meant Garth Vader FC have been promoted to the Bridgend District Sunday League Premier Division, along with Red Cow, Saint Patrick’s Rovers, Nantymoel Whitestars, Llantwit Major Lions and Bush Kangaroos.
The news has come with mixed emotions, with many fearing the longer distances to travel to away games, but the Vaders will welcome the increase in the level of football and competition. Our aim will be to find our feet and battle it out with our fellow promoted clubs and get a respectable position, before progressing on in following seasons.
A nice Cup run and a Winners medal would be nice to replace the Runners Up medal of last season.
