Fri May 23, 2014 12:08 pm
You've been very vocal lately about being the most financial benefitted club in the Premier League.
Then why .....
Swansea City and myself are about to part company as of 31/5/14 and I just would like to people to know why, this way,
you are not going to hear a rumour from someone, you can read it and know the truth and I owe an explanation to
parents and Children who are currently training until the above date.
First of all, I have the utmost of respect for Swansea City, Dave Adams, Nigel Rees, Roy Thomas, Tony Avo
and the departed Tony Pennock, Jon Beale and I have thoroughly enjoyed my 7 seasons working alongside The
Swans Youth Set Up.
It all started when David Moss asked me, would I help stop our very young technically gifted children in our catchment
area going to Cardiff City, I said of course I would, but I wanted to run it my way, by that I meant, If I asked a player to be
a part of The Swans U6 and U7's Development Centre, then that player would come in for a season, as I feel, once you
relax a player at any age, only then will you see the players potential, I also wanted it to be educational, non stressful and
most importantly fun.
I know my soccer schools and coaching staff have done a fantastic job over this time period and I thank everyone of them
for their input.
The reason's why I feel I cannot continue to be part of The Swans Youth Set Up is because since I started I have
had next to nothing from the Youth Set Up. No balls, no bibs, no first aid kits, no cones, I have always had to cry kit for
my coaches, myself and even now, some don't have kit, I was also told every season, see Reeco, we haven't got the
budget, but because of my love for this club, I have still done it. If I didn't run a soccer schools, I couldn't do it.
The biggest one thing that really annoyed me was training kit for the U 6 and U 7's, over the years, I have often said, let me
buy the shirts, shorts and socks and put the club badge on it and sell it for £ 25 a kit, because that is what I could have got
it for, but always the answer was no, we can't do that. All I wanted to do was to get the children wearing the badge and help
them to feel part of something special and hopefully help them to become loyal to the club.
There is only so much you can take, without feeling, what you do is just taken for granted.
Over the years, I am proud to say that as of today 22/5/14 and maybe only Tony Avo and Roy Thomas knows the stats, that
through my soccer schools involvement with Swansea City, I have currently placed around 60 maybe more young Children
into The Pre Academy, Academy and around 40 into the Development Centre and it's been an honour and a privilege to
do so.
Our first group of youngsters we brought in are now currently The U 13's as of the 2013/14 season and are highly regarded
as the best footballing sides in our Academy structure with a number of talented players and I remember a conversation,
I had with two of them years ago, when they both said to me, that Cardiff City told them they weren't good enough lol,
how I laughed because I knew both Owen Evans, who has a left foot to die for and is mesmeric to watch and also Jake
Nicholls who is a very cool headed player, who reads the game very well indeed, would not only become Centre of
Excellence now Academy Players, but I also told them, they would become Welsh Internationals and both are currently
involved with the regional development squads under the guidance of Osian Roberts and Graig Gill.
I would like to thank, my Wife, Ingrid Nicholls all the parents for their continued support over the years and
more importantly, I would like to thank all of the Children for their effort and dedication to football over the years.
I have sent a text to both Nigel Rees and Roy Thomas and I will be handing over all the forms of the two age groups.
I would like to finish off by wishing Swansea City Youth Set Up and the Children, The Very Best Of Luck for the Future.
ATB. Reeco
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt..
(Taken from PlanetSwans)