Strood kids get their Kicks

and youths and adults are not excluded!

On Saturday I joined Ray Wilkins MBE, the former England and Chelsea football player, to celebrate the opening of the Kicks Soccer Centre at Strood Sports Centre..

It was wonderful to be able to welcome Ray to Strood; as both a successful player, and, indeed, manager (having managed both QPR and Fulham in his time) he understands all too well the benefits that regular sporting activities bring, his enthusiasm and willingness to talk to everyone who wanted a photo or an autograph or a few tips was a pleasure to witness

We all know about the necessity for exercise in terms of the health benefits, but we mustn’t forget the positive affects that such team games have on children’s social development and confidence too! And, as school timetables become more squeezed I am very proud that our local leisure centre has done so well to innovate with this great new facility ensuring that Strood Leisure Centre continues to be a relevant service and even compete with the privately run gyms and sports centres! Throughout the morning youngsters had the opportunity to participate in the “Pro Futures Soccer Training”, in association with the Chelsea Football Club. And other sporting clubs at the sport’s centre took advantage of the day to showcase their own talents: I thought Roger Wilkes Ju Jitsu Club was particularly impressive and I am reliably informed that others were impressed also as they signed up to join. Rather than para-phrase all that Kicks has to offer I have included their own literature below, and would encourage you all to consider this facility. Ray Wilkins told me that he was really impressed with the quality of the pitches that the Council has invested in and that the large pitch is the closest to grass you can get and the same type that England lost on last year.

"Kicks Soccer Centre"

"Kicks Soccer Centre is a brand new third generation football experience for all ages. It offers a wide range of activities, including five-a-side leagues, organised tournaments, and Football Association (FA) coaching in conjunction with Chelsea Football Club Academy.
Kicks has six state of the art, floodlit five-a-side pitches, as well as one seven-a-side pitch. With high quality changing rooms, showers and professional on-site management, you and your team can play on the best artificial surface in the UK, featuring the latest all-weather synthetic turf. All pitches can be booked for training, tournaments or just a friendly kick about.
The Kicks five-a-side leagues are fully sanctioned by the FA and officiated by qualified referees. It organises the leagues so you can concentrate on picking your best team. Once you have finished, relive the match or see how your rivals are doing over a drink in the recently refurbished clubhouse that overlooks the pitches.
The Kent County Football Association and Medway Council's Sports Development Team have teamed up and are working in partnership with Kicks to introduce a new women's five-a-side league and encourage more adults, especially women, to take part in sport. For further details on women's football, please contact the Kent FA Women and Girls Officer Liz Symons on 07903 127256 or email liz.symons@kentfa.com.
Evening, Saturday and school holiday courses
Pro Futures Soccer Schools, in conjunction with Chelsea Football Club Academy, is bringing academy-style football coaching to Kicks, with evening and weekend workshops for boys and girls aged from four to 16 years. All abilities are welcome. For more information call Pro Futures direct on 01322 278677 or email officeprofutures@fsmail.net.
Also at Kicks
 Brazilian Soccer Schools encourage children from five to 16 years old to spend longer working with the ball and practicing and developing their skills.
For further details of these two programmes, phone 01795 471412 or email d.colley@socatots.com.
The beauty of Kicks is that anyone can play, regardless of age, gender or ability and is the only Medway Soccer Centre offering leagues for women as well as taster sessions to encourage less confident players. For further details and bookings for Kicks, use the details below or download the leaflet (pdf 3,800K) www.medway.gov.uk/kicks_brochure_-_low_res.pdf

Joined here by other Strood councillors, Cllr Sue Haydock & Cllr John Avey, we hope that this facillity brings a lot of pleasure to many living in Strood and that one day at least one young person will realise their dreams.