We have yet another 12 'Of The Month' trophies to award to our participants for the months of April, May & June! Not only this, we also had brand new shiny trophies to give out and medals for all (pictured below).
Physical, Technical, Psychological & Social elements that all combine to support a young persons overall football and personal development are the cornerstones of our awards & first up for our Friday Night Footballers was the 'youngers' group.
Attitude of the month:
April - Dylan Khorasani
May - Frankie Sains
June - Mia Angell
Dylan has been the recipient of multiple awards since his time at J.Ellis Football - and rightfully so!
James Ellis said:
"Dylan is the first person who offers help, whether that's collecting balls at the end of sessions or on the pitch supporting other members. He is a brilliant member of our community and consistently demonstrates an outstanding attitude". Once again, well done, Dylan!
Frankie was the award winner for May, having been a J.Ellis Football member for over a year - this month, it was his perseverance that stood out to James who explained:
"Frankie has shown great resilience and strength of character in recent sessions. If something hasn't been going well, or he's struggling with a certain area, technique or skill - he is constantly trying and trying until he prevails. This is such as great trait to have and I was so pleased to award him this trophy".
Our final attitude of the month award for the youngers went to Mia Angell (pictured below), a goalkeeping stalwart of J.Ellis Football! However, it was her willingness and enthusiasm to try new things that picked her up the trophy, with James saying: "Mia loves being in goal, but she has really pushed herself to go out on pitch more which has been so pleasing because it'll give her opportunities to learn a whole new skillset which ultimately will only benefit her own development". Well done, Mia!
Sticking with the youngers, here's our Friday Night Football Player of the Month Q2 Awards List!
Player of the month:
April - Jimmy Darby
May - Oscar Smith
June - Jake Courtney
Jimmy Darby picked up back-to-back awards following on from our Q1 trophy presentation night, with Ellis explaining why:
"Jimmy's technical development is advancing at speed. He is learning our six-key areas in great detail and you can see this come out within his play. He should be really proud of how he performs every week at J.Ellis Football".
Next up was Oscar Smith, a member who joined us after having some poor experiences within grassroots football previously. He picked up the trophy for May & James told us:
"Oscar is a pleasure to have at our sessions. What I've noticed recently, he is assuming almost a 'leadership' role within the dynamics of the group, which is really pleasing to see. By leadership, I mean that he is always supporting fellow members in their development and equally, really focused and eager to learn new skills for his own - showing a great maturity". Brilliant work, Oscar!
Last but by no means least, was Jake Courtney who was awarded our most recent player of the month trophy. Quoted from James, "I have been pleasantly surprised at just how quick Jake's ball striking has completely developed. He has worked on producing a technique that has allowed his shot power to vastly increase.
It feels like this has all happened across 2 or 3 sessions! He is now scoring so many goals within matches at the end of sessions, and I love how excited he gets when he does". Well done, Jake!
We now move into our 'olders' territory where our awards are always fiercely contested! However, after much thought - we have our Q2 attitude of the month winners with our April winner, Jordan Vakatawa first up!
Attitude of the month:
April - Jordan Vakatawa
May - Austin Broom
June - Yuki French
"Jordan simply has an outstanding attitude to his football. He applies himself beyond well every single session and is a total representation of our values and non-negotiables we have. I always see him trying to teach and help others - I have a feeling he may be an excellent coach one day", James said. Brilliant, Jordan!
We then awarded Austin Broom, a participant who brings huge vibrancy, energy & fun to our sessions. It was for these reasons James decided he fully deserved an award:
"Having fun at our sessions forms part of our non-negotiables. You should never go to football and not enjoy yourself! What's been really great about Austin recently is that he's managed to find the way to have fun learning - I'm not sure he would have ever gone home and said it was boring!" Congratulations, Austin!
The final attitude award winner was one of our members who have been with us for almost all the time we have operated! Yuki French picked up our most recent attitude of the month, James telling us that "Yuki has a wonderful work ethic, with relentless energy and commitment to his game.
If Yuki looses the ball, you can guarantee he is the first person to try and regain and this is such a critical trait and in fact a skill, something Yuki possesses in an abundance".
The last three awards were handed out to our players of the month for the olders.
Player of the month: April: Aaryan Reddy
May: Oscar Wells
June: Kamil Belou
James explained each of the choices:
“All three of the boys have showed brilliant development of Q2.
Aaryan is a player who loves travelling with the ball & the way he manipulates the ball to change direction at speed is excellent. It makes it so difficult for defenders to regain the ball & has created so many opportunities for him within the final third of the pitch.
Oscar is someone who’s stepped up into the olders group and the difference I’ve seen in him since doing so has been immense. Naturally, playing with people older than him presents physical challenges, but Oscar has countered this very successfully & I really feel that there will be more and more development as he continues within this setting.
Finally, Kamil is another like Aaryan who thrives when the ball is at his feet. His agility has particularly stood out, because he's able to adjust his body shape fluidly and at speed which makes it really tricky to defend against. With that said, his out of possession work has been just as impressive & he's demonstrated huge amounts of energy and willingness to regain possession at every opportunity".
Congratulations to not only our award winners mentioned within this article, but to all of our members who have shown such a dedication to their football over Q2.
Long may it continue!
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