downsmail.co.uk Football price hike defended
A FOOTBALL coaching company has defended a decision to in- crease the cost of training young- sters at Maidstone’s Gallagher Stadium by 100%. Soccer Elite runs classes through-
out Kent and has taken over the coaching at Pebbles, the junior sec- tion of Maidstone United FC. But the former pay-as-you-play system, which cost parents of youngsters, aged from four to six, £4 a session, has been replaced by a monthly direct debit scheme of £24.20, which equals £8 a session for the 36 weeks in which the classes are run – even though many of the coaches are the same people. In the new scheme players will
get 36 training sessions and have the opportunity to participate in summer camps and mini-games festivals throughout the year. Emma Gregson had hoped to
send her son Matthew (four) to Pebbles at the start of the new sea- son, but is so outraged she has re- considered. She felt it was a “shameful deci-
sion to limit access to youth football to the well-off and those who wish to push elite selection over sourc- ing those with greatest potential”. She added: “It cannot be possible that Pebbles was so unviable to
warrant a price hike of 100%. Soc- cer Elite will offer nothing more than Steve Bunn and his team did for half the price.”Aspokesman for Soccer Elite said: “Pebbles was proving unsustainable, being overly reliant on the goodwill of volunteers. “Without professional support it
was unlikely to be able to continue to deliver the quality of football coaching that young players de- serve. Thiswas a key consideration in the decision to change the exist- ing provision.” Steve Bunn, who
ANDREWSimms may havemem- ories of holding a duster on his first day at Boots, but his love of retailing saw him rise to area man- ager for the company thatwas his boss for 46 years. Speaking from his home in
Woodlands, Maidstone, Andrew said he joined the pharmacy in Harlow in Essex in 1968, when he was 16. He said: “ I remember spending
the day dusting things. That stayed withmeand I always made a point of ensuring new staff got a warmwelcome on their first day.”
continues in his voluntary role as head of mini soccer for Maidstone United, said he was “relieved that young players will receive profes- sional coaching from Soccer Elite. It was proving impossible to attract the calibre of volunteers required to maintain Pebbles as it was.” Bill Williams, chief executive of
the Stones, said the club “will not gain a penny” from the new agree- ment. Soccer Elite’s founder, ex- professional footballer Lee Spiller, took on the voluntary role of tech- nical adviser to Maidstone United’s
These management skills were
soon recognised and after the com- pany dropped its policy of only making qualified pharmacists store managers, his ca- reer pathwas set. Andrew man-
aged Boots in The Mall for 12 years from 2002, while working as a
group manager, with responsibil- ity for stores in Week Street, Ten- terden and Ashford. Six years ago he took on the role of West Kent
youth section last year. He and co- director Tony Browne say the price rise is necessary to cover the cost of venue hire, coaching, equipment and overheads. They added: “We work in part- nership with a number of schools, grass roots clubs and community organisations. Over the summerwe have given free access to our foot- ball coaching events to more than 200 young players.” About 100 children have regis-
tered for this season, which began on Saturday, September 13.
Manager leaves Boots aer 46 years
area manager,with 12 large stores in his care. Only for the past 12 months did he return to Maid- stone, ahead of his retirement. He now intends to devote more
time to the Town Team, which is partnered with the borough coun- cil, and the Town Centre Manage- ment team. He is also looking forward to spending more timewith his fam- ily: his daughter Rebecca, grand- son Henry, son Matthewwho gets married this month – and, of course, his wife Julia, who still works for Boots in Rainham.
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Malling September 2014 7
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