Players from Helston Girls’ Football Club were celebrating when they heard they had won this year’s Cornwall FA Fair Play Youth Award.
The girls, who play for the club’s under-12 and under-14 teams, were given a medal, a limited edition England Women’s Team calendar and a Tesco football skills pack each at a ceremony held at the club.
The annual Fair Play award is given to the club whose behaviour is reported back to be the best in the county. Nigel Hannaford from Cornwall FA presented the girls with their awards. He said “Helston has created what we see as the right atmosphere for young players. The club has qualified coaches who make sure there is a safe environment for the youngsters and ensure they get the most out of playing football.”
A beaming Sallyanne Fox, Head Coach of the Girls section, said, “ My team of young coaches make sure the girls learn to treat their opponents with respect through such sporting gestures as shaking hands, showing respect when someone is injured and getting on with the game rather than protesting. The coaches also ensure there is no abuse directed at anyone.
“Basically, we are one big happy family here at the club – we organise social nights and get as many of the parents, who can be, involved. The parents are a lovely crowd. They help with putting up and taking down the goals and vital jobs such as transport. They are great at getting the girls to training too, especially as we have been training on different nights. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their hard work.
“The team of coaches who work with the girls deserve a big thank you too – Ben Brightwell, Ben Brittain, Rick Fox, Fred Williams and Charlie Young.”
Club member, Simone Taylor said, “It’s not all about winning, it’s about having fun too. You learn how to treat people properly as well as how to play the game.”
Her fellow under-14 player Simone Hawkings was delighted with the presentation., “We didn’t know we were getting all this. The medal looks very professional and we can keep it; the calendar is great and the skills pack is really good.”
Barry Dunstan, Chairman of Helston AFC, was delighted the girls’ section had been recognised, “It’s about attitude and how you treat people. You need to get this right as well as have the competitive spirit. The girls play a more skilful game and I’m glad people are able to see this here at Helston.
“Overall, this is a good achievement on top of the Charter Standard Youth Club of the Year Award we received in the summer. It shows the progress we’re making and the beneficial effect our strong youth committee has in building a secure future for the club. We are hoping our facilities development will take shape soon too. It’s been more than seven years in the first phase of negotiating for extra space next to the existing club.”
Helston FC receive a cheque for £200 from the Youth Sport Trust and a certificate to keep. They will be spending the money on getting more coaches qualified.
Warren Parker, the Women’s and Girls’ Football Development Officer for Cornwall FA introduced the event and explained to the girls why they won the award.