Category: Clubnets News

paignton saints reserves fred hewings cup winners 2024

Single Goal Enough for Saints in Fred Hewings Cup Victory

Report and photos contributed by SDFL

The first cup final of the season went ahead courtesy of the hard working ground staff at Buckfastleigh Rangers where Watcombe Wanderers Reserves took on Paignton Saints Reserves for the Fred Hewings Cup; this is the knockout competition restricted to all reserve teams in the league, and this year’s competition was kindly sponsored by Combined Roofing Services.

george keats paignton saints reserves fred hewings cup 2024
Saints’ Ryan McGee won man of the match.

The game could have gone either way as both teams had chances that were not taken; it was end to end play and at times a bit frantic; the referee had a busy evening, issuing six yellow cards for mis-timed challenges, and the game had extra-time written all over it; that was until the 60th minute when George Keates received the ball 25 yards from goal, saw the Watcombe ‘keeper off his line and took his chance with a fine strike.

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Watcombe’s top scorer Simon Ross – and the Greens – drew a blank.

Watcombe continued to push and chance after chance went begging – just a reminder that last season, Saints were in the Premier Division and Watcombe were in Division Four, and that bit of extra experience held out for Saints to celebrate the first South Devon League cup final of the season with a firework display.

Buffaloes in Prolific Form as Hockey Festival Enjoys Another Successful Easter

Report provided by Mike Carter, Festival Historian and Archivist. All photos ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR

A very successful 72nd Torbay Easter Hockey Festival concluded on Easter Monday with the final game being abandoned at half time due to a tremendous rain storm , summing up the weather over the whole weekend .

The Festival was definitely a hit with the youngsters. ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR

The transition from the Redcliffe Hotel to The Palace proved to be virtually seamless, with the latter quickly adapting to the incoming Festival HQ and Oddfellows Club – even coping with the 100 or so sitting down to the Oddfellows Club Annual Dinner.

The Bill Stickells Cup for highest scoring team was won, for the third time in four Festivals, by the Buffaloes from Smethwick H.C., with 44 goals scored. Midwives from Surrey were a distant second with 27. Ironically, the abandoned game was between these two teams, with the Midwives causing the Buffaloes to lose their unbeaten record with a two goal to nothing win. In fact, every team lost at least one game, the first time this had happened since 2016.

The inaugural outing of the Tony Forward Fair Play Shield saw it jointly awarded to the Bluebottles (Bristol) and the Torreadors from the local Torbay Hockey Club.

Torreadors (above) shared the Tony Forward Fair Play Shield with Bluebottles, while Buffaloes (right) reclaimed the Bill Stickells Cup with an impressive haul of 44 goals. ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR

A total of 9 teams, the same as in 2023, contested the tournament, but seeds were sown over the weekend to increase this number, thus allowing the UK’s longest surviving Easter Festival to continue.

Clubnets kicked off our new TikTok channel on the opening day of the festival, and while it’s fair to say the video editing process didn’t quite go as planned (especially the sound), we hope you will get a taste of the fun of the festival.

TikTok: Torbay Easter Hockey Festival

Photo Gallery: All Photos ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR.com

The Torbay Easter Hockey Festival – 72 Years of a Great British Hockey Tradition

Copy and 1953 photo contributed by Torbay Easter Hockey Festival. All other photos ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR

The Torbay Easter Hockey Festival returns to the Borough for the 72nd time from this Thursday (28th March) to Easter Monday (1st April) 2024.

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Torbay Easter Hockey Festival: Past…
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…and present

Easter hockey festivals were first held at the turn of the 20th Century, and at their peak in the late 1970s, attracted teams to over 40 locations (largely seaside towns) in the UK. In 2024, that number will stand at 3: Torbay, the oldest, founded in 1951; Skegness (1973) and Breanfields (around 2012). Whilst the latter is a 7-a-side event, Torbay and Skegness are both 11-a-side with the east coast festival based on the grass pitches of the town’s cricket club.

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Bluebottles taking on Oddfellows in 2023

The Torbay Festival has historically been a men’s event, but for many years, most teams have fielded junior players and females. Over the decades, hockey has been played all over the borough and, indeed, county, with a total of 48 different pitches used (85% grass). But since 2001, all hockey has been played on all-weather pitches, and a minimum of two will be in use in 2024: ‘Clennon Valley’ (Torbay Leisure Centre, Paignton) and Torbay Girls Grammar School (Shiphay, Torquay). Both surfaces were re-laid in 2019 and remain in excellent condition. Teams can have up to seven games over the weekend – their choice depending on stamina, bravery and off-field non-hockey antics).

At its peak, Torbay played host to over 40 teams from across the UK (and the Netherlands) but with the aforementioned decline of Easter Festivals nationwide, numbers have been around 10-12 for the past decade or so. The Festival survived the Covid pandemic, despite the total cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021, with the entry for 2024 sitting at 8 teams. Most of these are longstanding attendees with over 50 years’ service each, but the Torbay Festival needs and wants more.

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The 2023 Redcliffe Cup for fair play was shared between no fewer than three teams!

The 2024 Festival will involve some significant changes as the Festival Headquarters will move from the Redcliffe Hotel to the Palace Hotel, further along the Paignton seafront. The Redcliffe Hotel has had a connection with the Festival since 1964, when the ‘Oddfellows’ (the only team with a 100% attendance record) first used it as their preferred rehydration choice and AGM venue. In 1983, the Oddfellows adopted the Redcliffe as their Easter ‘home’ bringing the Festival HQ with them. And after many late nights/early mornings; thousands raised for charity due to ‘Fines Sessions’; one too many Green Chartreuse; adults stuck in children’s high chairs and midnight raids on the kitchen, it is time for a change. Nothing lasts for ever, and the Festival and the Oddfellows are looking forward to new adventures at The Palace hotel.

The Torbay Festival has never been a cash prize event. At its core, the Festival values friendship, fun and hockey played to win but to win in a friendly and fun way. As such, trophies for fair play and the top goal scoring team are awarded every Easter Monday. Since 2007, the Redcliffe Cup was awarded for the former, but in 2024, this will be replaced with the Tony Forward Shield in memory of Tony who had been Festival Chairman for 40 years when he passed away in 2019.

2023 Bill Stickells Cup winners: Midwives from the Croydon and Old Whitgiftian Hockey Club

The team who scores the most goals receive the Bill Stickells Cup, named in honour of the long-serving goalkeeper for the Avengers club and donated in his memory by the Stickells family in 1979. The 2023 winners were the Midwives from the Croydon and Old Whitgiftian Hockey Club, who romped away from the field with an impressive 46 goals over the weekend.

If you are looking for an Easter Festival, choices are slim. Skegness offers east coast hospitality and traditional grass hockey; Breanfields offers the fun of Hockey 7s and Torbay offers all-weather pitches, the English Riviera and guaranteed ‘good’ weather. It also offers fun, friendly and competitive hockey for men, women and teen players. Off the pitch, the borough offers something for everyone, especially families: zoos, arcades, beaches, model villages, piers, steam railways and the beautiful and wild expanse of Dartmoor for the more adventurous. Or you can simply play hockey and hit the bar…

For further information , please contact : Mike Carter, Press Officer – morewine22@gmail.com 07768671272 or James Carter, Festival Chairman – jimmyrock20@hotmail.com

More pics from the 2023 Torbay Easter Hockey Festival

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esanders torbay easter hockey festival
buffaloes torbay easter hockey festival
stags torbay easter hockey festival
midwives v bluebottles torbay easter hockey festival
cleevillians torbay easter hockey festival
torreadors torbay easter hockey festival
watts blake bearne v brixham afc reserves south devon football league

Happy New Year…What’s in store for ‘24?

Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR.com

I’d like to start this final blog of 2023 by thanking everyone who has supported Clubnets this year. Whether you have a Clubnets league or club website, follow us on social media or visit our websites, I really appreciate it.

I’m sure many of you are already looking ahead to 2024 and making plans, and we’re no different. So I thought I would give you a sneak peak into what to expect over the coming months.

What’s not changing – our values

First, I want to assure everyone with a Clubnets website that our values are not changing which means:

We’re still FREE. You can still expect to pay NOTHING for anything under the Clubnets brand. This is not a Freemium model where we lock features behind a paywall. 

We prioritise LOCAL clubs and leagues. We’re based in South Devon and have over a decade of experience in covering Devon sport.

We’re HELPFUL. Whether it’s jumping on a Zoom to show you how to use a feature of your website, turning up at a game with a photographer to write a match report or making a custom tweak to your site we will do our best to help you out. Just email info@clubnets.co.uk or, if your request is urgent, text 07762 906818.

What’s coming up in the next 12 months?

Clubnets TV – Livestream

Clubnets TV is the name of our YouTube channel, but we have archived the old content to make way for something completely new for 2024 – a livestream.

We’ve found a platform that’s perfect for the job and will enable us to livestream simultaneously across X (Twitter), Facebook and YouTube. We haven’t finalised the format yet, but we are looking to create a hybrid of live coverage and pre-recorded features. Think: live score updates, pitchside updates mixed with a video from a featured club, live social media chat, some ‘studio’ banter and maybe a sponsor presentation (we’ve got to pay for things somehow!)

We’re looking to launch the livestream before May, ideally from a clubhouse with strong, reliable WiFi. If you are a club that can help us with that, please email info@clubnets.co.uk or text 07762 906818.

Clubnets – FREE membership site

To quickly reiterate – if it’s got the Clubnets name, it’s free, so when we launch our exclusive membership site, you won’t have to pay a penny.

If you are a user (admin) of a Clubnets league or club website, you will automatically get an invitation to join our membership site. You will be able to access video tutorials on how to run your website, and we have a few other ideas of how to add value (marketing tools, templates, a forum, etc.) 

We’re aiming to launch this in the second half of 2024, so if you have any ideas about what would make you want to sign up, please email info@clubnets.co.uk or text 07762 906818.

Enjoy your New Year’s Eve celebrations and look out for our next blog post, in January, which will give you 4 ways to keep your Clubnets website up-to-date.

Best wishes, Neil

ilsington villa v paignton villa

Langford and Warman Star as Villa Stun Topsham in Premier Cup

Report contributed by SDFL. Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR.com

Most Torbay Clearance Services South Devon League teams had an early season switch to Devon FA County Cup action and some will be wishing they stayed at home. In fact, Babbacombe Corries and Brixham AFC Seconds were unable to travel to North Devon to fulfil their fixtures. Bovey Tracey Seconds were due to play Seaton Town from east Devon in a County Cup game, but Seaton were unable to raise a team as a number of players had tested positive for COVID; lets hope that is not a sign of things to come.

Well done to the South Devon League teams that made it into Round Two of the respective County Cup competititions; Beesands Rovers had a tight game against the 10 players of Watts Blake Bearne winning by 3 goals to 2. Waldon Athletic clearly did not suffer any travel issues, dispatching Hartland / Clovelly from the North Devon League by 4 goals to 1. Result of the day in the Premier Cup goes to Ilsington Villa who thrashed Step 7 club Topsham Town by 7 goals to 1; Mathew Warman scored a hat trick with Dan Langford going one better with 4 goals to continue a very impressive start to the season for the Moorlanders.

In the Senior Cup, Paignton Saints Firsts, playing their first competitive game since moving to the South Devon League from Step 7, were tested at Watcombe Wanderers who held them to a 1 – 1 draw. With no extra time in this competition it went straight to penalties and Saints came out on top scoring 4 of their spot kicks to Watcombe’s 1 [Editor: Correction received from Paignton Saints who won 4-1 in normal time]. Totnes and Dartington also made it through with a 4 – 3 win at Sidmouth Town.

In the Intermediate Cup, another mention must be given to East Allington Seconds who made the 196 mile roundtrip to Lynton only to suffer a 4 – 1 defeat. Club stalwart Martin Weeks said that the lads were feeling some jet lag on arrival and could not shake it off. Well done for making the trip and representing the SDFL up north. Also in this competition, South Brent had an impressive 5 – 1 victory against Millwey Rise from Axminster and Teign Village got their season up and running with a 2 nil victory at South Zeal.

There were also some South Devon League games played, mostly for teams that received byes in the first rounds of the County Cups. Morley Rangers go top of the Premier Division with a 4 – 1 win over Chudleigh Athletic. Corbin Mackin, Dean Jenkins and Dalton Brammer were on target for the Plymstock outfit.

In Division One, Shaun Langdon’s Brixham Town are the early leaders after 2 games. They put 6 past Harbertonford without reply at their new J.C Park ground which I am told is all fitted out with new facilities. Upton Athletic came out on top of a cracking game at Armada Park beating Buckland Athletic Seconds by 5 goals to 4 which gets them off the mark.

In Division Two, Barton Athletic made it 2 wins from 2 with a fine 5 – 4 victory against Paignton Villa Seconds. Liam Nothcott hit 4 goals with Zac Norton adding to their tally. Newton Rovers got their season off and running with a 6 – 1 victory over Brixham Town Seconds at Bakers Park whilst Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds got their first win of the season beating Waldon Athletic Seconds 3 – 2 at Windmill Hill.

In Division Three, Watcombe Wanderers Seconds look like the team to beat. They made it 2 out of 2 dispatching a strong Liverton Utd First team by 5 goals to 2, and Totnes and Dartington Seconds found winning form by beating Paignton Saints Thirds 4 – 1, Scott Troth, Sam Brown and Nick Warren on the scoresheet for Tots.

In Division Four, Drake FC, Babbacombe Corries Seconds and Liverton United Seconds all made it 2 wins from 2 games with impressive results; Drake FC hit 12 past Paignton Villa Thirds, Liverton Utd Seconds scored 7 against South Brent Seconds and Babbacombe Corries won 4 – 1 at home to Watcombe Wanderers Thirds. Kingsteington Athletic Seconds picked up their first win of the season hosting Barton Athletic Seconds at Broadpark, James Perrins, Sam Arthurs and Austin West on the scoresheet for the young Rams.

Here is a selection of the pick of the fixtures this coming Saturday 16th September.

Premier Division: Beesands Rovers host Morley Rangers from Plymstock; last season they both met in Division One with the Bees getting the better which led to promotion for both teams. Both can play football and would be worth a drive to Loddiswell Playing Fields; Buckfastleigh Rangers and Ilsington Villa have got off to winning starts and this will be another test for the Premier new boys against championship favorites at the Duckspond. Arguably, the game of the day is the local derby between Watts Blake Bearne and Kingsteington Athletic, both licking their wounds following opening day defeats; this is normally a cracker at Abbrook Park.

In Division One, the standout game is Buckland Athletic Seconds against Newton Abbot Spurs Seconds; last season they were both in the Devon League and both had wins on the opening day of their new membership of the South Devon League.

Game of the day in Division Two is Paignton Saints Seconds and Bovey Tracey Seconds, both pretty much favourites to be in Division One next season, so don’t be surprised if it’s a tight game.

In Division Three, both Liverton Unitd and Watcombe Wanderers Seconds got off to winning starts, so it will be interesting to see who takes the points at Halford.

Finally, in Division Four, South Brent Seconds, who were playing Sunday football last season, host Elburton Villa Thirds at Palstone Park; the young Plymouth team should enjoy the space on one of the larger open pitches in the league. Both got wins on opening day by 5 goals to 1 and both will be looking to keep some momentum going.

SDFL Clubs Face Travel Dilemma Ahead of County Cups

Preview contributed by SDFL. Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR.com

This coming Saturday 9th September gives most clubs an outing in 1 of the 3 adult competitions that are made compulsory for first teams to enter by Devon F.A. Surely there has to be a discussion as to whether the early rounds should be regionalised, as the organisers do not offer any travel expenses to local teams, unlike the teams in the pyramid who would get a share of gate receipts. Sometimes, we need reminding that this is recreational football. Here are a pick of the fixtures with the miles:

Devon Senior Cup. Totnes and Dartington at Sidmouth (76). WBB at Torridgeside (108). Babbacombe Corries at Woolsery (158). Ivybridge at Barum (190) and poor old East Allington Seconds can look forward to a trip to Lynton, a mere round trip of 196 miles. In the Devon Premier Cup, Newton Abbot ’66 host Barnstaple (135). Waldon Athletic, who have a minibus, travel to Hartland and Clovelly (148) and Brixham Seconds will need to leave early for their 156 mile round trip to Appledore. This almost calls for an SDFL party at Tiverton services. At the time of writing, Corries have pulled out of the fixture in North Devon, opting to pay a £75 fine instead of incurring the costs of getting a team to this game.

Good luck and safe travels to all the South Devon League teams playing in the county cups this weekend.

Morley Upset Rams in SDFL Opening Day Surprise

SIXES AND SEVENS: Newton Abbot ’66 make the perfect start to their SDFL Premier campaign

Report contributed by SDFL. Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR.com

The opening weekend of the Torbay Clearance Services South Devon Football League season provided 153 goals and plenty of shock results that were worthy of a double take. Highest scorers of the day were Newton Abbot Spurs Seconds in Division One. Fresh from a poor season in the Devon League, Spurs managed to put 11 goals past a newly built Harbertonford team that will need to dust themselves off and start again. In this division, both Brixham Town and Ivybridge Town got their season under way with solid 4–1 wins, and one of the favourites, Watcombe Wanderers, also started well.

But it really was all about the new teams, as all but one enjoyed an opening day win: South Brent Seconds, Elburton Villa Thirds and Drake F.C. all scored 5 goals with Watcombe Wanderers Thirds going 2 better with 7 against Paignton Villa Thirds. In Division Three, Ashburton F.C. just scraped past Paignton Saints Thirds by the odd goal in 7, and the only new team not to win on opening day was Teign Village who lost 4–1 to Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds. The season did not get off to a good start for Matt Shepherd of Stoke Gabriel TP who broke his leg in two places and had to be taken to hospital in the back of an estate car as there were no ambulances available. The game was delayed for some time as a South Brent player broke his wrist in a separate incident; we wish both players a speedy recovery. Stoke Gabriel TP went on to win the game 6–3. Watcombe Wanderers Seconds completed a hat-trick of wins for the club, and Liverton United got off to a winning start following promotion from Division Four.

The biggest shock results came in the Premier Division where the expected ‘Ramsfest’ at Plymstock failed where champions Kingsteington Athletic lost 6–2 to newly-promoted Morley Rangers, and at Ilsington Villa, who are playing in the Premier Division for the first time in their long history, and got the better of a strong East Allington United side in a 7 goal thriller on the moor. Beesands Rovers, who are back in the top league following an unbeaten season in 22/23, continued the theme with a 2–1 victory at Elburton Villa Seconds. Last season’s runners-up Buckfastleigh Rangers got off to a solid start by beating fancied Watts Blake Bearne 6–2 at the Duckspond. There was a tighter affair at Windmill Hill between two of last season’s relegation candidates, but it was Waldon Athletic who took the points against Chudleigh Athletic, Pete Summerfield rolling back the years with the only goal. The final result was at Osborne Park where Newton Abbott ’66 put 7 goals past a young Brixham AFC Seconds team without reply.

Teignmouth parkrun: Raise money for Volunteering in Health

Image licensed under CC-BY-2.0. Attributed to The Q Speaks

If you are looking to keep fit while supporting a good cause, consider joining the young runners raising money for Volunteering in Health (VIH) at the parkrun event at Teignmouth Promenade on Saturday 23rd September.

If you have never come across parkrun before, it’s a global, volunteer-led movement that specialises in running free events that are open to anyone. And the ‘run’ part is optional too. While some people like to compete for records, you are free to jog or walk if that’s what you prefer.

Teignmouth Promenade parkrun is one of six parkruns in South Devon (the others being at Torbay velopark, Sharpham, Haldon Forest, Bolberry Down and the Parke Estate), and Nina is one of a group of young volunteers who will be raising funds for VIH.

We asked her some questions about the event and the charity that she – along with a few friends – will be fundraising for:

Clubnets: What is Volunteering in Health?

Nina: ViH is a charity that supports people in Teignmouth, Dawlish and Chudleigh with their health and wellbeing through home visits, support groups, volunteer drivers and more.

Clubnets: Why did you decide to raise money for this specific charity?

Nina: I decided to raise money for VIH after doing my work experience withe them and seeing the effort and compassion the volunteers put into helping others.

Clubnets: How can people support you?

Nina: People can support my parkrun by donating to my TotalGiving page at: https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/vihparkrun (and don’t forget to share the page via social media after you’re done!)

You can also support me by registering for the parkrun on 23rd September* and running, jogging or walking. Or you can just come along and spectate.

*Ignore the reference to 16th September on the TotalGiving page – it’s definitely the 23rd!

“I decided to raise money for VIH after doing my work experience withe them and seeing the effort and compassion the volunteers put into helping others.” – Nina

george belli cup buckfastleigh rangers v watts blake bearne

Saturday will be ‘biggest opening day in 6 years’ for new SDFL season

DEJA VU: Buckfastleigh Rangers and Watts Blake Bearne contested the Belli Cup final last season – and they will face each other again when league business resumes on Saturday. Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR.com

The Torbay Clearance Services South Devon Football League kicks off its 121st season on Saturday with its biggest opening day of fixtures in 6 years.

56 of the 59 competing teams will kick off at 2.30pm on Saturday 2nd September all with hopes and dreams of collecting silverware next May and having some bragging rights during the working week. Ten new teams have bolstered the league’s fortunes, and two more Plymouth-based teams, in Drake F.C. and Elburton Villa Development, join the current teams from the west of the county that have strengthened the competition in recent seasons.

Also moving across from the Devon Football League are Paignton Saints First, Newton Abbot Spurs Seconds and Buckland Athletic Seconds who will all play in Division One and will be expecting to gain promotion to the Premier Division in their first season.

Ashburton have reformed following a period of change at the club and will be hoping for promotion from Division Three alongside a Teign Village outfit that have returned from a season in the Devon & Exeter League. The other new teams, placed in Division Four, are Liverton United Seconds, South Brent Seconds and Watcombe Wanderers Thirds. All 10 teams are living proof that football at this level is alive and well. And in particular, the South Devon Football League, who became an England F.A. accredited league last season for the first time in its history, continues to deliver a well-run competitive football competition that is respected across the south and west of the county.

There are some great fixtures to look out for on opening day. In the Premier Division, last season’s runners-up Buckfastleigh Rangers will be looking to go one better this season when they kick off against a very strong Watts Blake Bearne team who are always good for a top five place; another game to catch, if you fancy a trip to Plymstock, is newly promoted Morley Rangers who take on the champions Kingsteignton Athletic; this could be a tough opening fixture for the Plymouth lads. Also in the Premier Division, another newly promoted team Ilsington Villa welcome East Allington to their moorland ground for what could be a great game. Last seasons Division One champions Beesands Rovers travel to Elburton Villa where they will be looking to continue their unbeaten run from last season against a Plymouth team that just avoided relegation; Newton Abbot ’66, who have improved under Ian Clennehan’s stewardship, host Brixham A.F.C. still in search of a manager, and Steve Breed takes a new-look Waldon Athletic against Chudleigh Athletic.

In Division One, newly promoted Totnes and Dartington have the pleasure of playing at Homers Heath against an unknown Buckland Athletic Seconds who will be looking to start winning some games after life in the pyramid. Also returning from the Devon League are Newton Abbot Spurs Seconds who travel to Harbertonford who just avoided relegation last season; Watcombe Wanderers, who won Division Two last season, have the Premier Division in their sights and will be one of the teams to beat host a well-drilled Babbacombe Corries team; also, promoted Brixham Town, who almost stalled last season, face the unpredictable Upton Athletic who can beat anybody on the day; the other game completing the Division One fixture list is Paignton Villa, who went close last season, against relegated Ivybridge Town Seconds who will be looking to bounce straight back to the Premier League.

Division Two is also looking like a very competitive league. Paignton Saints Seconds, who played in the Premier League last season and had to take two steps back due to the first team returning, must be hot favourites for promotion, but not to be ruled out are Bovey Tracey Seconds, Waldon Athletic Seconds, Newton Abbot Spurs Thirds, Ipplepen Athletic Seconds and a Barton Athletic team with a number of high profile signings together with a return to playing home games at Barton Downs, so expect a hostile home support. Newton Rovers, who are expected to do well, are always difficult to beat at Bakers Park.

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DIFFICULT TO BEAT: Newton Rovers (purple) will be looking to make Bakers Park a fortress this season. Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR.com

The top game in Division Three looks like Stoke Gabriel TP against newly-promoted South Brent; Watcombe Wanderers Seconds will be looking to get off to a flyer down in Kingsbridge, and Ashburton host Paignton Saints Thirds; two of the promoted teams go head to head as Liverton United take on Totnes and Dartington Reserves at Halford. The other interesting game is at Teign Village who are just returned from the Exeter league and host Newton Abbot ’66 Seconds with both teams looking for some consistency to accompany some early points on the board.

Division Four really is an unknown quantity with five new teams, some of who have been established in other leagues. Elburton Villa Development, Drake F.C. and Watcombe Wanderers Thirds are last season’s youth teams at the clubs so will be fast; South Brent Seconds are moving over to Saturday from the Plymouth Sunday league. Liverton United Seconds make up the new teams in the division thanks to Sue and Chris Stephens who are rebuilding the club after a time in the pyramid.

It is clear that there are lots of great fixtures to be seen every Saturday afternoon. Just check the South Devon League website for details of all the fixtures and go along and support local football.

premier sports 2015

How to Budget to Support Your Children’s Sports Activities

Photo ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR

Children’s sports in Devon can be pricey, and with the high cost of living today, families can struggle. A parent could easily pay £100 and more for kit, annual subs and equipment. Fortunately, no matter which sport your little one plays, you can ensure they get to play without breaking the bank. Read on for some insights.

Don’t Forget About Yourself

If you’re coaching or training with your child, make sure you purchase new athletic wear for yourself. New workout gear will allow you to feel comfortable and confident as you work with your child. Some examples of exercise apparel to get include sports bras, athletic shorts or leggings and tank tops. Fortunately, nowadays, with all the options available, you don’t have to forego style for comfort—you can get the best of both worlds. 

Attend Live Sporting Events the Economical Way 

If you want your child to see the pros in action, you don’t necessarily have to take them to an expensive top tier club or event. Pre-season is a great time to catch professionals warming up against lower placed sides, especially in football. Keep an eye on your local clubs’ social media and website for games against top clubs. From well-known pros to future stars, you never know who is going to be in the squad (Ed – I remember when Wimbledon F.C. brough the entire Crazy Gang down to Penzance for a summer tournament!) If your child is a cricket fan, it is now commonplace for big overseas stars to play for local clubs.

If you do want to inspire your child by taking them to a big game or event, you can sometimes save money on tickets by purchasing them online in advance. And if you’re not too fussy about the type of event, some vendors let you filter by price to almost guarantee you find a deal. You can then narrow down your options by date and seat location, with, in some cases, the ticket seller offering an interactive seating chart complete with 360-degree preview!

You can also ease expenses by comparing your transportation and hotel options carefully. Use a site such as Kayak to find the cheapest hotels and airfare. If you’d like to compare the price of a flight to driving, you may use a website that offers a petrol expense calculator. 

How Sports Provides Value for Your Child

If you are still unconvinced about whether to invest in your child’s sporting interests, bear the following in mind. Once your child grows up and is in the workforce, chances are they’ll need to work as a team. As noted by Allround, you can use sports as a way to teach the importance and benefits of teamwork. You can still encourage your child to be competitive, as long as you stress that winning isn’t everything. Encourage them to overcome failure and just keep trying. 

Find Cost-friendly Places to Train

Most clubs, whether we’re talking about football, rugby, athletics or something else, will offer a free taster before they require you to pay subs (membership). Reach out to local clubs and ask about the price and structure of training. Read reviews and look at the club’s social media to get a ‘feel’ for the culture. Safeguarding is very important, so make sure you ask how the club ensures youth coaches are safe to work with your child. For a start, read this safeguarding guidance from the Devon FA.

If your child wants to supplement their sports training with fitness work, contact local gyms to see if they provide any activities for children. After you find a few, compare them based on what your child can participate in and the cost. 

Building strength, stamina and co-ordination doesn’t have to involve a gym though. What about taking your child to nearby parks to jog or hike? This is free and allows your child to get fresh air, sunshine and exercise. 

Save Money While Keeping Your Child Happy and Active 

Your child can be happy and active, and so can you when you comparison shop for sporting equipment and find low-cost ways for your child to train. Remember to budget when going to see a sporting event, teach the value of teamwork and find budget-friendly (or free) places to train. Soon you’ll be enjoying sports alongside your youngster without breaking the bank.

On the topic of budgeting, Clubnets currently provides free websites for 2 leagues and 16 clubs—with more in the pipeline. Email Neil on info@clubnets.co.uk to add your league or club to the list.