Seasons Greetings! As 2009 season beckons the Samford Rangers Committee would like to wish you all a Happy New Year. We look forward to another successful year for the club in 2009 and hope to see you all at Harold Brown Park.

In the off season our Director of Coaching, Aidan, has been hard at work reviewing the club's football program against standard approaches in Europe. As a result of this review some changes to the training set up will be made at Harold Brown Park in 2009 in order to improve both the boys AND girls programs to:

• Increase the participation and retention of players
• Improve Coach Education
• Introduce the use of specialist coaches and support staff to the club
• To see more players play at representative level (State League, State Rep, QIS, AIS, National Youth Teams, Professional Football)

This year team training nights are being allocated by age group allowing players of the same age to all train together and coaches of those age groups to work together. This will give the players many different challenges and we can also begin to use the combined experience of the coaches at each age to improve ALL players and to pass ideas between each other.

The training schedule for 2009 is now on the Training Schedule page of our web site. Although some changes may be made if age group numbers are different to expectations, there is very little scope for moving groups around. The schedule as it stands provides for 2 nights of training for each age group, maximises the use of the newly lit and turfed areas of Harold Brown Park SSG (U6-8), HBP2 (U9) & HBP 3 (U10) pitches, minimises the wear and tear on HBP1 (main pitch) and provides slots for postponed games on Monday and Wednesday nights without interrupting team training nights.

This year the club plans to offer a new concept that is increasingly becoming the norm around the world for SSG and Junior players. The aim is to raise the standard of individual player development and therefore increase the standard of team play and the overall reputation and success of Samford Rangers Football Club.

Under 8, 9 and 10 will be offered an extra night of training on Thursdays at 6pm through two Extension Squads (U8/9 Girls and Boys, and U10 Girls and Boys). Training will take a clinic format with specialist skills coaching rather than the normal team training format. These squads are open invitation (not compulsory) to all Samford Players in these age groups.

Under 11 to 16 will be offered an extra night of training through Development Squads for U11/12 Boys, U12/13/14 Girls, U13/14 Boys, U15/16 Girls and U15/16 Boys. Squads will not be organised around weekend teams and coaches. As for extension squads, training will take a clinic format with a higher level of skills coaching rather than the normal team training format. Focus will be applied to the Technical, Tactical, Physical and Social aspects of football. These squads are also open invitation (not compulsory) to all Samford Players in these age groups.

Samford Rangers Football Club in 2009 will provide a Football Squirts program to the Valley for 3 to 5 year olds. It will be run as a fully recognised and endorsed program for children under the age of five and therefore participants and clubs will be covered by Football Queensland’s insurance program.

The Squirts program is not a "technical coaching" program, but a fun, tempered introduction to the great sport of football. The very basics of the game are introduced and experienced by the participants through fun drills, practices and games. It will promote football-based exercise and activity for younger children developing their football skills and enhancing their opportunities to receive quality, consistent coaching.

The hope is that in acquiring basic skills, participating children will not only learn correct technique but will also develop a love of the "world game".

The cost of the program is $195 per participant with a discount for families with more than 1 child playing at the club. All enquiries are to Mark Halle at ssg@samfordfootball.org.au or 0408 776 615.

The 2009 club calendar has been finalised with key dates and can be found on the Events page of our web site.

A full canteen will be open on Thursday Nights offering small meals such as pasta for the players and spectators. We also hope to be offering a wider range of hot drinks and tables and chairs on the verandah for people to sit and enjoy them.

The club’s Senior Men’s team has kindly offered to donate some of their time to assist in doing some minor renovation of the club house making it more inviting and usable. If all goes to plan, changes will be made to the bar, office, and sports shop areas in the first quarter of this year.

The club has hired a grounds keeper to maintain the fence lines and non-playing areas of Harold Brown Park, hopefully providing you with a nicer environment to sit and watch football in 2009.

Please let us know if no one from your family intends playing this season by clicking here.