Remember when we did first aid training?

It was the last session we did before the first lockdown! March 2020. Another lifetime ago. 

We've been asked by several people 'When we get the defibrillator, will there be training on it?' 

The answer is yes, absolutely!

You can brush up your first aid skills by looking at the videos on our permanent tab "first aid and physio" on this website. You'll find info on how to use a defibrillator and deal with lots of other first aid scenarios too. The more people who have these skills the better. 

When we have our defibrillator in hand, we will arrange another first aid training session for whoever wants to come along and learn basic skills or just refresh their knowledge. 

And it really works. A personal example....An incident occurred this month when one of our sons saw a flat mate having an epileptic seizure. He made sure she didn't injure herself, placed her in the recovery position and dialled 999. The paramedics told him that he'd saved her life, just by knowing about the recovery position. Just a simple piece of knowledge can be so powerful. Obviously we're super proud of our son and we've always taught both of them first aid. But it shows why we are so passionate about keeping all of you safe too...and that it works, not just in training but in all aspects of our lives. 

Look at this photograph taken in training in October. 

What do you notice about how both teams have positioned themselves?

Look at all the empty space. 

What would you do differently to give your team better opportunities to pass the ball?

How could you help your team to position themselves better?

If you were the manager, what would you say at half time? (Remember, we only do positive!😂)

Have you found the team position strategies in this website? If not, have a look around and see if you can find them......

How could the strategy cards help your team?

Do you know your mobile number off by heart? Your home number? Your next of kin's number?

In this age of technology when phones dial numbers at the press of a single button it may not seem necessary to know. But think about this... Imagine that you are out and about and you fall ill, fall over or have an accident. No doubt you'd be glad of some help? Maybe you'll NEED some help or even an ambulance or doctor. If something like this does happen you are probably going to want to let your loved ones know, so that they can help, pick you up or meet you somewhere.  How can you contact them, or have emergency services contact them, if you don't know or don't have their phone number?

So for your own safety and for the peace of mind of your loved ones it's important that you get organised. Here are some things you can do:

If you'd like more ideas on how to keep yourself safe, just talk to Sarah at any training session and she'll be happy to help with ideas and with technology. 

Stay safe!

Whether we improve as a footballer, a team mate or as a person, depends on our mindset. How we think about ourselves, our skills and interactions has a massive impact on not only how our team performs but on our personal lives as well.

For example, as a footballer, do you try to keep the ball and personally try to dribble it into the net, or do you pass it quickly to a free player in your team? Do you give positive encouragement and advice to team mates or shout at them and get angry when someone makes a mistake? Are you open to improving your Football or do you think that you're just right and you don't need training or drills to learn or reinforce skills?

Think about your Football...both your individual skills and how your work as part of a team. Be honest with yourself. Set targets if you want to. Only you can make yourself a better player or a better person. 

What's your mindset?