Dear All,
 
Thank you so much for all your support last season. We’re excited about the next season for BPR.  
 
For the u16s especially, what an improvement last season! They went into the top division, and in all honesty, we thought they might struggle as a new team with significant player changes. As it happened, they thrived and became one of the better teams in the division. I personally love how supportive they are to each other.

Staff Update

James and Nick continue as Head Coaches for the u16s and u18s respectively.

Excitingly, this year James will be joined by Kofi as Assistant Coach. We are delighted to have Kofi - his enthusiasm and passion shine through, and he is keen on developing his coaching and communication skills.

We are currently looking for a Head Coach for the u14s. You can see the job description for this role here - https://www.instagram.com/p/CvdKHwZLcif/

Tim will continue to support as Head of Football Development – overseeing training programmes and player development over both squads. George and I will complete the coaching team and offer support where possible. We continue to invest in FA-Accredited training for all our coaches.

Style of Play

BPR FC will play this season with a more consistent style and shape. The players will be given clear and simple instructions. If you’d like to know more, please ask Tim, who will talk you through our footballing ethos. It’s very important to note and in line with FA guidance, we’d be grateful if parents don’t give any instruction from the sidelines as that may contradict the coach’s instructions (I know this is hard - I am guilty as charged as a parent, but it's essential to stick to encouragement only).

All the BPR coaches and supporting team are volunteers who give up their own time. It would help if you could ensure your son was aware of how much these volunteers put in and that they are working hard to help them realise their potential – not only as footballers but as young men.

Kits and tracksuit

We have a new club badge and name - BPR Football Club (we wanted to remove the association with Battersea, which needed to be clarified!). The u16s will get a new home kit this season with the new badge and, as promised, a brand-new tracksuit, as they have grown out of their old ones!

Fees

Unfortunately, we have to raise the fees again this season. Everyone faces higher costs now, so I’m sorry to add to the burden. The fee although increasing is significantly subsidised by our Sponsors and fundraising events. The club’s expenses such as pitch hire, ref fees and training facilities have all increased in cost. We have looked at local clubs such as Dulwich Village and Clapham Rangers, and our fees are still substantially lower.

Remember that under the 'no player left behind' promise, if you cannot cover the total fee, please get in touch, and we’ll explain our bursary scheme of a 50% subsidy. The bursary is open to everyone, but we particularly encourage those children on free school dinners to apply. If the bursary level is a problem, we will make private arrangements. We will assume that people will continue with the arrangements from last year, but let us know if your situation has changed. We are 100% committed to ensuring no player is left behind due to a lack of funds.

Also, note that our fundraising and sponsorship, not your subs, covers the bursaries.  
 
The fee will be £350 for the match-day squad (£175 if a bursary place is taken).  This fee covers all training sessions, league games and any cup games. It will cover a couple of pre-season friendlies too. Any additional training sessions or friendlies will have to be charged at £5 a session if we use a 'proper' pitch.  
 
If you would like to spread the payments over the season, that is fine, but please set them up in advance and let us know so we don't have to chase and let us know your plans. For example, setup a £50 per month standing order for a six month period.

The BPR Foundation

We moved towards registered charity status this year and hope to have that completed by the end of the year. This will help our fundraising as we will be able to claim Gift aid on donations. It will also give us access to more funding opportunities.  
 
If you’d like to find out more and get involved, please shout, we’d love to have you involved and we urgently need volunteers to help with administration and organisation as well as lifts to and from games.

Griffin Sports Club

We are lucky to be an associate club at Griffin Sports Club. The work on the pitches has been completed, and while they will not be perfect this season, it will still be the best facility in our league. As the ground settles after the £500k work, it will be a fantastic place for them to develop their skills. It is also a safe place to gather, hang out and enjoy refreshments, tea and coffee before, during or after the game. We’d encourage parents to come down, enjoy the facilities, and support the lads.

As associate club members, we will be expected to offer volunteers to support the ground. This could come in the form of workdays to or perhaps in opening and closing the ground and the refreshment facilities. It would be amazing if people could volunteer. We will keep you posted on that. It not only helps the facility but contributes to the amazing community spirit down there.  
 
Thanks again for reading this far. The coaches will contact your son to offer a place conditional on his agreeing to sign up for the BPR Code. We wanted you to have the financial info first. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.
 
We are BPR!

Sam Clark, 
BPR Club Secretary