The Under 17 boys have had an up and down season with good wins but silly losses, but in the main a good season with us sitting in 5th in the Huddersfield League.
I manage the team on my own but have a great set of parent that help me out on match days. This is my first season in management and I have enjoyed every minute with the guys and we will soon be getting ready to push in the U18’s league.
The club was originally set up to give the children of Shelf something else to do apart from hang around in the local park. The club stared with 2 age groups 20 children and they joined the Keybury league. We now have 19 junior teams; an adult team and run Soccer Tots groups on a Saturday morning at Buttershaw School for children aged 3 -5. All our junior teams play in the Huddersfield District League and the adult team plays in the Halifax league. The club is run as a non profit organisation solely with volunteers providing football for over 200 children and adults.
Our aim is to provide an environment for all regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability to achieve their potential in football and life and with a philosophy that children should play the game for enjoyment and not just to win. As they develop and get older they are coached to understand the game for the level that they are at in terms of ability and the level they have reached in the game.
Over the years this has gained us excellent respect in and outside of the area and with other clubs in the league such to the extent that most of our players now come from outside of the village from the neighbouring area of Bradford especially from the BD6 and BD13 areas.
Although the club has been formed for 22 years it has not been able to set up a clubhouse or pitches, we have no base and run from three houses. Currently our teams play match day fixtures at Westwood Park Cooper Lane Bradford, Old Brodlians Fields Hipperholme and Queensbury High School Bradford. The majority of the teams play at Old Brodlians Fields which belong to Hipperholme Grammar School and do not have changing facilities.
Each team trains at least once a week in the winter months and twice in the spring/summer months, these sessions are held at 3 different locations: Buttershaw Business Collage Bradford, Grange Technical School Bradford and Appleton Academy School Wyke Bradford. There are no facilities in the area that can accommodate us.
SHELF JUNIORS AFC
WEST YORKSHIRE
Shelf Juniors Under 9's Pudsey Cup Winners