What BUjFC offers
With over 340 players and 24 teams, Barnstoneworth United Junior FC offers a family friendly environment where everyone is welcome. We offer complete player development pathways at reasonable prices so football is accessible for all #FootballForAll
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Inclusivity: Regardless of your skill or background, there is a place for you here. |
Intentional Skill Development: Accomplished through structured session planning, coach training and frequent feedback during the season to help coaches and players develop - from week to week, season to season. |
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Lifelong Enjoyment: We want the experience to be so positive and encouraging, that every child will want to make football part of their life long term - regardless of whether they pursue soccer with advanced competitiveness or not. |
Family Balance: Reasonable time commitments that allow kids to be kids - and enjoy family dinners, get their homework done and enjoy free play. Reasonable financial commitments that don't artificially increase pressure or expectations, and a season length that allows a child to pursue other interests and other sports. |
Affordable Community Football
BUjFC offers affordable community football for everyone:
- All boys and girls from Under 7 through to Under 18
- All Abilities for children with special needs
Once players age out of the junior program, they can join the senior teams to continue their passion for football.
We cater for all ages and all abilities, children do not have to trial to participate. We welcome everyone to join us to continue their football development.
Team allocation is considered only after registration and we will do our very best to ensure everyone who registers gets the appropriate age grouping and development opportunity within the club.
The BUjFC annual program commences in February and concludes in December:
- Pre season training from Feb - April
- In season training from Apr - Sep: U7 x 1 weekly session; U8 - U18 x 2 weekly sessions
- Game day from Apr - Sep: U8 - U18 x 1 weekly match
- Summer skills from Nov - Dec
We look forward to welcoming you to BUjFC #FootballForAll
"To become the leading community based sports club in our region promoting fun, inclusion, equality and fair play within a friendly and healthy competitive environment."
To achieve this, our culture needs to reflect the ambition of our vision statement.
We have a fantastic and supportive volunteer base. Our volunteers are genuine in their desire to contribute to a strong and viable club for the future. As a committee, we provide focused guidance so efforts are maximised based on our strategic plan.
To this end, it is important our views align, and we have a coherent vision of what the club represent. In response to many requests, the committee have documented the club's visions and aspirations, summary of the culture proposition and values supporting the culture.
The club's values are simple and logical:
- The club shall not discriminate on race, gender or ability
- The club is inclusive and will encourage volunteer involvement in all aspects of our administration and management
- The club will offer football membership at a fair price
- All the club's processes will be administered in a fair and transparent manner. Transparency will assist and prevent factions / cliques developing
- The club will engage with our community and will provide assistance to various groups where practicable
- The club will encourage fun and inclusion before winning at all costs. Winning is an outcome of engaged players, good coaching, team spirit and individual skills. We want to encourage ALL our children to be the best they can be and to perform as well as they can but not through elitism or non-inclusive behavior.
Team selection
Team selection is probably the most contentious and possibly diverse process that we have and needs to be absolutely transparent and performed as a group, NOT as an individual. We need to recognise the sensitivities that coaches, parents and players have and therefore not encourage a view of elitism e.g. one team is more important than another.
At BUjFC, we have chosen to have team selection AFTER registration - this is an important differentiation of our club and should be promoted.
The reasoning behind this process is we do NOT register on ability but on previous membership and the likely contribution of the parent. It helps build our culture and therefore promotes the notion that being part of Barnies is more important than the team played for. Fun for all is our objective and winning is an outcome.
However, we recognise that children need to be challenged, and we also want a friendly competitive environment.
To ensure we encourage the development of individual capability, Barnies have adopted the FFV structure of Joeys, Wallabies and Kangaroos. This enables children to be challenged within their own age group rather than move up an age group. It also ensures that players will participate with children of similar ability and thereby ensuring greater inclusion within the game ie. they have a chance of getting the ball.
There is a detailed mechanism already in place for selection and this will be posted on our website so parents understand how their children will be assessed.
In selection, we try to accommodate friendships however this is not always possible. Where there is separation of friends due to selection criteria eg. if one friend is selected for Joeys and another is selected for Wallabies, and this selection caused the child distress, then a choice needs to be made. We can not promote a Joey to a Wallaby but, provided there are no extenuating circumstances, we can put the friends together in the Joeys. An option may be provided for the Wallabies parent to have their child play in the Joeys. This becomes the parent's choice NOT a coach's issue.
The team selection needs to be supported by the coaching mechanisms. Coaching can either reinforce elitism or act as the framework for inclusion.
Coaching
Coaching is core to all that is the club. Coaching by definition is assisting players to improve their skills, attitude and performance.
It is crucial that we have structure and discipline but mixed with humor and compassion. Our coaches donate a significant amount of time to train our teams. At a Club level we should encourage all players in the club to respect their coaches, each other and the opposition. As part of this respect, we should encourage children to be at training on time, listen to their coach's instruction, put in the effort so that other children can benefit and try to be the best they can be. This will only occur if the children are having fun and if the fun is structured for all - one child's fun may be disruptive and unsettling to another.
At a team-based level we should promote team value, fun, mate ship and fair play. We perform as a team whether we win or lose. One individual does not win the game or lose a game. Coaching should focus on individual player positions, strengths and weaknesses and ensure that the full squad gets equal game in accordance with the time policy.
Summary
As parents, we choose Barnies because of the culture, value and the standards that Barnies aspire to. We all have an obligation to help the Club keep those core values.
We would encourage parents to have input into the club, through volunteering or providing suggestions back to the Committee on how we can improve things.
Please avoid criticism of players that are not your children. Please do not encourage elitism or team exclusion e.g. minimal use of substitutes, and please follow the Club's 'Parents' Code of Conduct' which was included within the registration pack.
We all put in a lot of time to make this Club great, with the right processes and support we can maintain the uniqueness that is Barnies. There are many other local teams however there is only one Barnies.
A clear CURRICULUM & expectations to Achieve the Best Outcomes
Barnies coaches will predominantly be working through the Formative Football Element. Our formative football coaching curriculum has been developed by our Technical Director in accordance with the teachings of Johan Cruyff, the Dutch Master.
The emphasis of our school relies on technique (constant practice of core skills) and positioning (awareness) to develop football intelligence.
What we are doing and aiming for, albeit humbly, is an honest, committed and school based Formative Football practice with short, mid and long term player development goals. We aim to provide our Juniors, a quality football experience that lends itself to ongoing development and continued progression ... whilst they enjoy the experience at the same time.
Expectations
Being involved with a 'community club' still requires a commitment to Club and Team and being part of a team means being committed to that team.
So we ask of all players - and parents:
- Turn up
- Be engaged
- Notify the coach in advance if you cannot make the session or game
- Have respect for our volunteers time and for your fellow team mates and parents.
Why?
- Because your kids, through sport, deserve to develop responsibility, accountability and respect
- And to achieve this ... they need your support and example.
Playing Philosophy
All team members will get playing time wherever possible. It's not fun sitting on the bench week after week - so Barnies kids don't.
We try to ensure all kids get time to participate fully in the game and to experience the true feeling of being part of a team. Each age level has certain specific game time policies (and typically the older the kids get, game time depends more and more on their training efforts) - but we want all the kids to enjoy the game.
Expectations on Parents
Please be aware that our coaches give up their time freely to coach and train your children.
As a way of respecting this effort, can you please ensure your children are ready and at training at least 15 minutes before the nominated time.
Please also be aware that the coaches are not baby sitters.
As a Club, we expect and appreciate parents support and attendance at all training sessions.
Parents are also reminded of the need to pick up children promptly after the completion of the training session.
FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY - KIDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO WEAR SHIN PADS TO ALL TRAINING SESSIONS.
At Barnies we have a loyal community base that stretches across Williamstown, Newport, Spotswood, Yarraville, Footscray, Altona, Altona Meadows, Seabrook, Point Cook and everything in between ⚽️
Officially: Barnstoneworth United Junior FC
Also known as:
Barnstoneworth Juniors
Barnies
BUjFC