Menu

OPEN AGE RESERVES

MOSS BANK JFC OPEN AGE RESERVES

MOSS BANK JFC OPEN AGE RESERVES ARE PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

WORD FROM THE MANAGERS

At the end of the 2018/19 season, finishing in a blaze of glory following a cup final win, the U21 team at that time came to the end of the line, grown too old for junior, age constrained football. We took the decision as a club to enter a senior team into open age, grown-up football for season 2019/20 giving our member players the opportunity to play the full circle of grassroots football, from small sided to now offering a route into open age ‘grown-up’ senior football. Several of the players who joined us on this next step being true, loyal ‘Moss Bankers’, being with us from day 1 back in the day, from boy to man.

Danny Webster stepped aside to concentrate on small sided football with John Cullen coming on board to help manage, coach and organise the open age team or teams as it turned out to be. John being well known and respected within local footballing circles.

The initial plan was to go with just the one team. However the take-up was so good that we finished being able to put 2 teams out through the shortened season, with most of our players having experience of either playing for, against or latterly managing teams within the club (managing Saturday morning and playing Saturday afternoon, true club commitment).

We had a selection of leagues that we could have entered into, took advice and eventually settling on Lancs Amateur League (LAL) the consensus being it’s a good league to start-off in with our teams being put in Division 3 and Division 5. Although the season finished early, both teams were in the top half of the respective divisions when the season ended. It looked at one point both might have done better but the weather didn’t help us, lack of experience certainly didn’t help us, but it’s a learning curve and we’ve learned a lot about the players, they’re learning about open age football, it is so much different than ‘junior’ football.

Training will hopefully be starting again soon, once the restrictions have been lifted with all and new potential players welcome to ‘John’s boot camp’ in preparation for season 2020/21, date and time TBC.

Good luck to everyone for this coming season.

Kev H.

John C.