A quick look back
Friday 7th September
Who would have thought it, just three short months ago we were on our own, no Club, no Name, no Money, no Strip and now to coin a phrase "the World is our Oyster". During those three short months we have came a long way, this is mainly due to everyone believing in their children’s abilities and a desire for them to stay and succeed as a team. The Saints are now an established and vibrant Club full of "Characters" who give their best every week at training and at matches, but Saints Boys is not just a Club full of Players, it also has another set of "characters" they are called "Parents". Without the Parents the Club could not have been formed or succeeded in being the force it is now. From the beginning the Club has been focused on succeeding but the success we now have would not have been possible without a number of elements, we have mentioned the Players and the Parents but the other parts which have made it possible to be where we are, are the Coaching staff who make training fun for the Players but instill discipline, knowledge, skills and a Team Spirit which they would not find anywhere else. The last part of the jigsaw puzzle is the Committee who though not on the pitch play a blinder every day to ensure the Club and Team can function without worrying about how we are, where we are and where we are going. We now have the sponsorship and funding to ensure our Players are smartly turned out for every match and for training, we also can ensure our Players are equipped to rise to any occasion and challenge ,secure in the knowledge that they have been supplied with everything they need to succeed or to get on with the job of "Playing". The future is also bright; we have a number of events planned which will take us forward with confidence. On the 22nd of this month we will be taking part in a sponsored walk across the Tay Bridge hopefully we will have maximum attendance for this and will raise money towards our Easter trip, more information on this trip will be given later. Moving forward to October a Race Night is being held on the 26th with the proceeds also going towards the Easter trip, and in November a Bingo night will also take place. To round off the year there will be a Christmas party for the Players, all these events will have more information on them published to let you know the who, what, where and when of things, there will also be a parents meeting on Wednesday 12th of September during training which will give you a chance to ask questions and find out a bit more about where we stand as a Club. The Easter trip to Haven in Ayr which was mentioned earlier is confirmed; we have registered two Teams and expect the accommodation booking forms any day now. As soon as the forms are in you will be informed and asked to confirm your accommodation requirements, remember to have a look at the Haven trip page on this site where you will find all the information that we have at present.
All the planning and preparation is now complete all we have to do now is get there and support our Club, if you click on the link below it will take you to google maps and will show you where Craig Tara is and how to get there. I will also give everyone a copy of the directions prior to the Tournament weekend and hopefully no one will get geographically embarrassed.
The map is interactive so you can zoom in and out and see the Holiday Park. Chalets have not been allocated yet by Haven and we will not know until we get there, exactly where we will be situated , but on arrival you will be told where you are staying so that you can get settled in with the minimum of fuss. If we are given any more information prior to going to Haven I will pass it on to you all as soon as possible.
The Easter Soccer Tournament is an event which takes place every year at Craig Tara Haven Resort Ayr. The Tournament attracts approximately 100 Teams from all over Europe and we intend 2008 to be our first of many trips to play in the event. 2008 is also the 20th anniversary of the Tournament and promises to be extra special for all who attend. We have already registered for the Tournament dates of Friday 4th April -Monday 7th April and will confirm our accommodation requirements within the next couple of weeks. An information brochure with prices etc will be distributed shortly and will set out our fundraising aim. As a guide, we intend to book the self catering silver accommodation and we are working on the premise of one Chalet per Player equaling at present 14 Chalets. The silver accommodation comes in 2 and 3 bedroom chalets or caravans with the two bedroom sleeping up to 6 and the three bedroom sleeping up to 8 The minimum cost per chalet is £276 and is worked out using a minimum of 4 people per chalet this comes to a total of £3864. To help offset the cost and too ensure we do not waste funds we would ask for a non returnable £50 deposit payable by September 26th 07 from each Players Family, this would then bring the cost down to £3164 and this will be our target for fundraising. If any family wishes to book extra chalet's or places for Grannies, Grandpa's etc they would have to pay the extra cost but we would book for them. As you can see we have set ourselves quite a task but with all our fundraising efforts the trip is well within our grasp and continuing with our success on the Car Boot Sales The Get to Ayrometer is steadily rising. As an example to ensure that there is not any confusion the Club will fund a chalet or caravan paying for the maximum of 4 at a cost of £276, if there are only three in that families chalet we still have to pay for 4. However if there are more than 4 wishing to share the chalet or caravan then a cost of £69 per person would have to be levied, an extra chalet or caravan booked will cost £276 for a minimum of 4 persons and £69 for each additional person in the unit.. I would also remind you that this is all subject to confirmation and you will be informed asap of any changes.