Covid-19 Update – March 2021

Please see the latest FA update

We welcome the UK Government’s update today regarding the Covid-19 roadmap for easing lockdown restrictions which means we can look forward to the safe return of grassroots football from 29 March for both adults and children.

With this new clarity around timings, we will continue to work with Government on plans for a safe return for grassroots football across England and will communicate updated guidance as soon as we can.

We can also confirm that the 2020/21 grassroots season has been extended until the end of June in order to provide additional flexibility and time for leagues to complete their fixtures this season if they wish to do so.

Please note, the extension does not apply to the National League System (NLS) Steps 3-6, Regional NLS Feeder Leagues and the Women’s Football Pyramid from Tier 3 and below, including County Leagues at Tier 7, as the process to determine the preferred route forward for these competitions is currently ongoing. We will provide a further update on this in due course.

Please keep an eye out for any further communication on our social media feed.

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Subscription update

Dear Parent/Guardian

We hope that this letter finds you and your family keeping safe and well during these continued testing times.

As there are no further updates from the Government as to when Grassroots football will start again, we are at present, in a state of limbo!  In light of this the Club is offering the ability for you to suspend your subscriptions until such time as Grassroots football restarts.  If you wish to suspend your payments then please contact our Club Treasurer Jackie Woodcock 0161 330 3602 before doing so. 

For those of you who have fallen behind on your payments please use this time as an opportunity to catch up.  Of course, if you are happy to continue to pay subscriptions then no action is needed and we thank you very much.

This is a very challenging time for everyone involved in a volunteer run football club of our size, and we do appreciate all the support we have received to date.

If you do have any queries or concerns please do contact the Club Secretary Sarah Taylor at dukinfieldtigers@gmail.com .

Yours in Sport

Dukinfield Tigers Committee

Suspension of Grassroots Football.

Dear parents/carers

As you may well already be aware, our Grassroots game has been postponed until 2nd December. 
This means that all our Wednesday training sessions have been postponed as well as the East Manchester League matches and North Manchester Girls League matches.
It is not a decision that anyone of the coaches or players wanted I’m sure, but a decision that has to be followed to ensure we all stay safe.
Dukinfield Tigers thanks you all for your support over the last few months since we returned to training and matches.  We very much look forward to continuing after this latest period of lockdown.
In the meantime, please keep in touch with your coaches and each other.  Keep an eye on the website for the latest details and updates.  
and finally …… look after yourselves and your family, and keep safe.

Sarah Taylor  Club Secretary

Covid Update

Update from the Fa on Grassroots football

Update from The East Manchester Junior Football League

East Manchester update

RESUMING OF FOOTBALL GUIDANCE
. Spectators limited to 2 per player, in practice it will be as follows. If you have 14 Players then the
team are permitted 28 spectators, Plus coaches this can be adults or siblings. This however only
applies to the Central Venues booked by the EMJFL. Any 11 a side games will have to be as per your
clubs policy. For the 11 a side teams please make sure you advise opponents of any such restrictions
that may be in place at your club/venue.
.only 2 coaches per team on the touch line.
. All teams must ensure that they have sanitiser available.
. At all times teams must follow guidance set out by the FA for cleaning goals etc. Unfortunately, it
isn’t something we could carry out at our central venues. With over 54 games at Wright Robinson
alone, there would not be much football played if we had to ask the two coordinators to do them.
. All teams will need to provide a match ball, most age groups did this last season anyway, the U7S
and U8s however had a ball we used all day. For the time being this will cease.
. All teams must keep a copy of all players/spectators that are attending for the purpose of track and
trace.
. Anyone showing any symptoms at all should refrain from attending.
.Anyone who has had a test within the 48 hours of any fixture should refrain from attending unless
the test returns negative.
. All teams/spectators to make sure they wait in any designated areas set out by venues I.e waiting
areas / pens etc
. Only teams playing the game to be on the pitch at any one time. Teams on the following game
should only enter after teams have vacated the pitch.
. For the smooth running of the games, all games must finish at the scheduled time. Cooperation
from all is essential to ensure this works.
. No team talks should take place on the pitch after the games.
. Once the games are completed teams need to leave the facility by the nearest exit or follow any
specific venue information that may be posted.
Venue specific
BELLEVUE CENTRE
. Teams designated to play on the Top pitch MUST use the rear car park which can be accessed by
passing the main entrance on your right (coming from Gorton) and turning left onto Pink Bank Lane,
the car park is located opposite St Peters School. To access the pitch walk straight to the top. Holding
areas are to be set up for teams arriving and waiting to go to the pitches.
.Teams designated to play on the Stadium pitch MUST use the main car park (front of main entrance)
there will be double gates leading to the pitches, again there will be holding areas for teams waiting
to play. Spectators for the Stadium Pitch MUST social distance themselves in the area behind where
the coaches stand.
. No teams/spectators should enter the pitch until the previous game has finished and teams have
vacated the pitch.
. Toilets for this venue will be located under the main stand. Access to the venue from the rear will
not be possible.
The Mike Doyle Centre
. First and foremost, parking at The Mike Doyle Centre is limited so be mindful of where you park if
you do use the surrounding streets.
. The Mike Doyle Centre have a clearly marked one-way system in place. Again when teams arrive,
please find a space where your team can wait until you can enter the pitch.
Ten Acres Lane
. Toilets are located inside the main building, again please ensure all guidelines set out are adhered
to.
Wright Robinson
. Toilets in use are located inside the main building. Access MUST be from the front of the main
building only.
. Catering – the will be catering onsite who will also have a one-way system in place and are fully
Covid compliant.
Tameside Stadium
. Toilets are located inside the building so please be mindful of social distancing rules.
. Café – there is a one-way system in place along with floor markings to ensure distances are kept.
For All other venues please follow any guidance that may be visible onsite.

Manchester FA Update

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Dukinfield Tigers would like to congratulate some of our coaches for their new appointments/achievements this coming season.

Lee Bolton the Under 11 and Under 12 coach has been appointed to Glossop North End AFC as part of the management team.  Lee is continually developing his own skills and taking part in CPD to improve his knowledge about all aspects of football.  He has already completed FA level 1 and 2 qualifications as well as Goalkeeping level 1 and Futsal level 1.

Nick Hartigan coaches our Under 15 Girl’s team and the Under 18’s team.  He has taken on the role of Reserve Manager at Dukinfield Athletic for the new season.  This is something Nick has very much wanted to do for some time now, and this appointment will help strengthen the Tigers links with a local Amateur team.

Both Lee and Nick are still very much committed to the teams that they coach at Dukinfield Tigers.  Their new posts will allow them to bring variety and share new experiences from different levels of football, and will only help to grow the expertise of the coaches and develop the players we have at Dukinfield Tigers.

We would also like to thank Will Anderson who has been coaching with the Under 14’s and wish him the best of luck as he starts a new challenge at Leeds University.  well done and thank you again from all at Dukinfield Tigers

Well done Lee,Nick, and Will.  We are proud of your achievements.

 

 

Covid-19 Club Handbook – Return to training

Please click on the link below for all the guidance and information relating to the return to training process.

covid handbook

Further information, risk assessments and guides can be found on our website under the documents/downloads tab

If you require any further information please contact your coaches or the club secretary dukitigers@tiscali.co.uk

 

Return to football update

Dear Parent/carer

We hope this message finds you and your family well?

Firstly we would like to thank you for your patience with the Club as we move into another phase during this pandemic.

Over the last week we have had many discussions and have formulated a plan of action for resuming some form of training in line with both the FA guidelines and the guidelines sent to us from our local Cheshire FA.

As a result of these discussions the Club have decided that the earliest start date for restarting some training sessions will be Wednesday 24th June, but we have to stress that this can be subject to change.

This decision has been made considering the information from the FA, Public Health information for the region and the decision by Tameside Council to delay its wider opening of schools until Monday 22nd June.

The date will allow for guidance and procedures to be put together, insurance arrangements, PPE ordering and training, session planning and risk assessments for Astley Sports Village and our coaches, parents/carers and children to be written and distributed.

Parents/carers and children will have to read and agree to these guidelines when they are confirmed next week.

As a Club we do not want to put any pressure on our coaches or parents/carers in returning to training at this time.  You may find that there is not a training session taking part for your child’s age group.  Please understand and be mindful of an individual’s wish not to attend or run training sessions.

We appreciate that this news will cause different reactions between parents/carers children and coaches.  Many of you will be disappointed, some anxious about going back, some won’t want to return and some of you may even be frustrated about this decision.  We thank you for your understanding during these unprecedented times

Yours in Football

Nick Hartigan and the Dukinfield tigers Committee

Chairman’s post

To all our Dukinfield Tigers families,

I hope this letter finds you and your families well in this strange and challenging times? And I hope that some of you are getting your life’s back to some form of normality or at least that you have managed to adapt to the way in which we are all living.

I want to take this time to say a big heartfelt thank you to all those who were able to continue to pay their subscriptions to the club, this has been greatly received by the whole committee and enable our club to function, and safeguarded our immediate future.

I also want to thank all our coaching team who have been continuing to keep the line of communication open between coaches, players, and parents. This I am sure you will all agree has given some of our players a boost and helped parents who usually stand together on the touchline in all weathers the platform to keep in touch. I have been extremely impressed by some of the challenges set by coaches and some of the skills I have seen by our players on some of their team’s social media platforms, and I have been impresses with the dedication of our players to keep training during the lockdown period.

The committee have been in daily contact discussing issues as they arise.  We have been in regular contact with Cheshire FA, the East Manchester Junior Football League, Stockport Metro League, and the North Manchester Girls Football League.

Some of you may have seen the East Manchester Football League post regarding cup finals and summer leagues. For those who haven’t the East Manchester Junior Football league have made the decision to cancel this year’s cup finals, although it is sad that the players will miss out this year I do think this is the correct decision. On a positive note they have announced that they still plan to run a summer league and hope to start this in July. They have also approved entry for our teams that play in their compensations for next season.

Over the next few days the committee will be looking closely at our presentations evenings (which are currently still in place) and signing on night to see which is the safest way and most sensible way to take place, and looking at making in rods into ensuring everything is set up for our children to take part again next season.

Finally, once again a big thank you to everyone for their support and I look forwards to seeing you all again once football is back.

Stay safe!

 

Yours in sport

Nick Hartigan

Chairman

Club Crest Challenge

To keep all our players entertained during the period of no football, our Under 10’s Stripes came up with the idea of having a drawing competition on our Facebook page. The challenge was to draw the clubs crest….

We have had some absolute belting drawings sent in, a massive thank you to all our players who entered and it was so pleasing to see so many young artist within our club.

The winners for our Under 10’s stripes team were Reno with a great orange tiger badge 👍 Well Done Reno 👏 Lots of Chocolate and a Surprise Prize is on it’s way to you 🎁. 2nd Place goes to………. Jack who tried to get as close to the original badge as possible 👍 Well Done Jack 👏 Chocolate also coming your way 🍫

Our Under 9’s Girls also joined in on the fun and the winners in their groups were Emmy with her Amazing badge 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🐯⚽️, and the 2 runners up are Amelia B and Elizabeth with fantastic badges 👏🏻

Well done to everyone involved

#DukiTigersKeeponRoaring

#DukiTigersCommunityChallenge

 

 

 

Beginning your coaching journey

Do you want to take a more active volunteer role in football?

Do you want to gain knowledge and skills to make a positive difference at Dukinfield Tigers?

Do you want to be able to volunteer but not take on the full responsibility of running a team and coaching?**

Then the FA’s new Playmaker course could be just what you need!

As an FA Playmaker you’ll gain the knowledge and skills to make a positive difference at Dukinfield Tigers.

Learn the brilliant basics of – fun, safe and inclusive football.

FA Playmakers will be confident to help out at training or on matchdays.

The FA Playmaker is an online course open to anyone over the age of 14.  It is completely free, and no previous football experience or qualifications are needed to sign up.  All you need is a laptop, mobile or tablet device.

 

There’s no set time to complete each module- you can fit it around you and your schedule.

Register your interest at

http://www.thefa.com/learning/courses/fa-playmaker

 

**This course won’t give you the qualifications to take a leading role as a coach at Dukinfield Tigers, but you could do this if you choose at a later date.

Chairman’s announcement

To all our Dukinfield Tigers families,

Firstly, I want to start this letter by asking if you and your family are all safe and well. Fortunately, myself and my family are, and like everyone else, finding ways to adjust to the world’s current uncertain situation. I want to say to everyone who is part of this amazing club, that you are not alone and we are not just a Club, but a family. We want you to know that all our coaches, committee members and Tigers community are here, should anyone need to talk.

The committee have been in daily contact discussing issues as they arise.  As a Club we have committed to paying Astley Sports Village, the rest of March’s invoice for the training facilities we use weekly, even though we will not be using them, supporting our local community.  We have also agreed to support Paul Hett trophies in Hyde, by continuing to purchase our end of season trophies, supporting local businesses.

I want to inform you that as of today, the Club is suspending standing orders/subs from April onwards, until we are in a position to return to playing football. We understand that some people have been hit hard financially during these times and we want to do what we can to take off any unnecessary pressure. Although we are a not-for-profit Club, who rely heavily on our subscription fee (which is around 75% of the Club’s income) we understand the predicament that many people may be in.

We have been overwhelmed by those of you who have already been in touch to say that they would be continuing to make their monthly payment and support the Club, during these testing times. We are grateful to those of you who are in a position to be able to do this.  Please remember, that you will have to cancel your standing orders with the bank, the Club does not have the ability to do this.

I would like to personally thank our sponsors for their continued support, and again wish them, their families, and employee’s safe health and hope they can come through these tough times.

Finally, to spread a positive vibe throughout the Club, we would like to invite you all to take part in some of our up and coming online activities – to keep our players and parents active, and to put a smile on the faces of our coaching team – they will be coming up with a number of tasks, drills and activities to keep you entertained over the coming weeks. Darren our social media officer will be on the lookout and will be taking some of the most impressive skills and funny videos that are posted on our team’s social media groups. He will then be posting these videos on the Club’s social media sites and website under the hashtag #DukiTigersKeeponRoaring and #DukiTigersCommunityChallenge. I have seen a few clips already from some of our Girl’s teams and our under 11’s boys team. With so many great footballers at the club, I am expecting some special clips!

Stay safe, keep in touch and look out for each other.

 

Yours in sport

Nick Hartigan

Chairman

Club announcement – March 2020

To all our coaches/volunteers, players, parents/careers, families and friends,

I am writing to you all to give you some important information and guidance during this period of suspension of all grassroots football.

As you all know, based on the information we have been given from the government and the FA, we have decided to suspend all training sessions and matches at Dukinfield Tigers JFC with immediate effect.

Currently there is no date as to when we will return, and like most of you, I will be checking every day for any updates from the government or the FA. As soon as we have more information we will share it with you.

‘Following the Government’s announcement on Monday 16^th March, for people to avoid social contact and gatherings where possible, we are now advising that all grassroots football in England is postponed for the foreseeable future.
Throughout this period, we have taken Government advice with the priority being the health and wellbeing of all. We will continue to work closely with the grassroots game during this time.
We are in regular communication with the Government and the situation within English football at all levels remains under regular review. Further updates will follow as needed.

Manchester FA would like to remind all stakeholders within grassroots football in Manchester of the importance of abiding by the latest advice, which comes in with immediate effect.

Please note that this applies to both training sessions and matches.
The above will remain in place until any future updates are provided by either the FA centrally or on behalf of The FA from ourselves.’

This is undoubtedly disappointing for anyone associated to the club, however it is unavoidable under the current circumstances.  The health and well being of every single person associated with the club is paramount.

Your support and patience for the Club during this difficult time ahead is greatly appreciated. Please continue to check our website and social media sites for any further updates.

I am sure we will all be back playing the game we love soon enough.

 

Yours in sport

Nick Hartigan

Chairman

 

Clubs like Dukinfield Tigers could not operate without the services of a number of committed volunteers. We are not a business, but a not-for-profit organisation run entirely by volunteers. Despite having successful teams in most age groups we still need a number of volunteers to ensure that we can offer football to all age ranges.

The following Q&As might just inspire some of you out there to join our ranks…….

Do I need previous experience?

No. You just need to like football and be willing to work at it. We can place you alongside more experienced coaches at first to get you started. Many of our coaches started out as parents turning up for sessions with their children.

Do you offer training / coaching badges?

We do, in fact we insist on it. All our teams have a coach trained to FA Level 1 which includes safeguarding and emergency first aid. The club pays for this, but you will need to allocate some time to do it.

Whether or not your own children are in the team that you coach, volunteering and coaching brings huge benefits. It’s a great way to start on your coaching badges, if that’s what you want. It’s a great way to meet other people and keep your own fitness up at the same time. Seeing the young people develop their skills and teamwork brings great rewards! Research has also shown that volunteering can have positive impacts on happiness, mood, self-esteem and mental health. One study in 1988 found that half of volunteers questioned said that volunteering gave them a ‘high feeling’ something which they dubbed, ‘the helper’s high‘.

What do I do next?

Whether you can offer to support an existing team or lead a new team for many years, please get in touch! Tell us what you want to do and what support you may need. Go on, give it a go!

Online club webshop

New Players Wanted

Achievements in Coaching

Lee Bolton

The club is proud to congratulate one of our voluntary football coaches Lee Bolton on successfully qualifying as a FA licensed level 2 coach. Over the last year Lee has been working tirelessly towards his FA Level 2 in coaching award. 

Lee joined the club in 2016 and is the coach of our Under 9”s and Under 10’s boys team. On top of that Lee is also the clubs Kit Manager, and he is one of our Welfare Officers.

Lee was also an integral part of the development of our new Under 9’s and Under 10’s Stripes teams.

From behalf of everyone at the club we would like to say a big well done on such a great achievement and also how proud we are to have Lee at the club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glasses Update – New Club Partnership

Dear Parents/Carers,

As some of you may be aware recently the FA sent out an updated guidance policy regarding players wearing glasses. The guideline stated that players wearing everyday glass lenses and metal frames may be stopped from playing by the referee as instructed by the FA and a number of our junior football leagues.

Although this decision has come into play midway through the season we understand the safety aspect of the guideline and support the introduction of sports glasses throughout football at our club

We at Dukinfield Tigers have made a commitment to ensure all our players are happy, safe, and are given equal opportunities within the club to play football with the freedom to enjoy and express themselves. We also understand that everyone’s financial circumstances are different and should no way impact the options we have for each child.

Over the last week we have looked at many options and are happy to announce a new partnership with a local opticians. The partnership will see a discounted price on all sports glassed for any Dukinfield Tigers player. 20-20 Saddleworth offer a variety of different coloured sports goggles made with polycarbonate lenses that come complete with both the strap and strap connectors for the discounted price of £99.95 or £69.95 if a child is due an eye test *(price may vary with a higher then standard prescription)

If anyone is interested or would like further information please contact our welfare officer Hayley on 07854401127 alternately if you would like to discuss your options with 20-20 Saddleworth opticians please contact Mark Garside on 01457872020

A sample of the sports glasses are available to view should anyone wish to. If anyone does please feel free to go and see Nick at training.

Back to training….

Welcome back from Dukinfield Tigers to all of our returning players parents and carers, and a big HELLO to all our new recruits!

After nearly 2 years of disrupted football we are all very much looking forward to this season being as close to ‘normal’ as it can be!

Don’t forget to set up your standing orders this month.

Please let your coach know if you are having difficulties in setting it up, or speak to our treasurer Jackie – her contact details are on the committee page.

We now have 18 teams operating in the East Manchester Football League and North Manchester Girls’ League. We have a newly formed U9 Girl’s team and are looking at creating an U7 and Under 8 team from our Tiger Cubs sessions.

As always our Club relies on the generous time of our volunteer coaches and committee members .

If you are interested in helping/ volunteering with the Club, please speak to Nick Hartigan our Chairman (details on the committee page)

Enjoy the season