NEWS - NOVEMBER: YES WE CAN

Following on from Barack Obama's acceptance speech following his election victory. The message of achieving our goals even if the road ahead can sometimes be difficult, and often hard carries a good amount of truth to players who are striving to become professional footballers and if we persevere we can achieve our goals.

While the journey towards professional football is insignificant compared to the journey the United States has had to endure in its history, the message is all encompassing of an attitude that is the key to success of whatever goal a person may have. A number of examples at FDS have recently highlighted and been defined by the phrase 'Yes we Can!'

It is with great pleasure that over the past couple of weeks one of our players has been signed by West Bromwich Albion FC and another boy is currently on trial for six weeks with Arsenal. The significance is not in the achievement, but the journey towards such achievement.

The boy, who is at West Bromwich Albion, is a boy who was released 18 months earlier by a lower league club in our region. He came to FDS to first play at the best level he could and to find a way to enjoy his football. Following being with FDS for a few months he regained confidence in his ability and started to excel producing consistently high levels of performance and from the work he put in with our coaches and the determination to work at home, clubs started to take notice of his ability and even though he still suffered a few set backs his focus and dedication have enabled him to thrive and be given an opportunity again to play at the top level. His quality of attitude meant he was able to remain focused, and with the attitude of defying these set backs he is a stronger more rounded individual with a determination to succeed with his goal. The importance of retaining this attitude and work ethic will be the foundation to what we hope will be future success in the game.

The positive attitude of 'yes we can' has also been highlighted by the need for our players to find ways of touring with ourselves. The fact that a week away on tour can have the benefits of 6 months practice at home is a vital arena for FDS players to be educated in, however the touring process can provide a number of obstacles for player to overcome before they can set foot on the plane to visit whatever country the tour may be in.

As young people applying the attitude of 'Yes we can' is the first obstacle. The thought of being away from home for a week without parents, and sleeping in a school classroom does carry a number of fears for many boys; however daring to take the plunge is probably the hardest step. The rewards to self-confidence, gaining new experiences of new cultures, different teams and a completely different way of existing away from normal life is massively rewarding.

Then there are the more physical hurdles to overcome. Mum and dad not having enough money, my school will not let me take time out, family dynamics meaning we don't know if I can go away. The answer to many of the problems starts with the phrase 'yes we can'.

Mum and dad do not have enough money. For some of the boys it should be, I have 6 months to find the money so if I can get a bit of money by car washing, a paper round, grass cutting. I can make a considerable contribution to going on tour.

The School may not understand that the tour is elite and playing against clubs that are among the elite few in Europe, so making them aware by communicating via a letter or telephone conversation may be all it takes to break down this hurdle.

As coaches and players we must never lose sight of the phase 'Yes we can' as by adopting this attitude it is amazing what you can achieve, and of equal importance is the fact that as individuals we own the achievements.