Play4Pudsey is going to be a football event unlike any other!
In November 2013, 44 lucky trialists will get the chance to grace the hallowed turf of Blue Square Bet South side Boreham Wood Football Club in a one-off charity match with a difference; as well as raising money for this year’s BBC Children In Need appeal, the trialists will also be playing in front of coaching staff from Football League, Blue Square Conference Premier and Blue Square Conference South sides as well as coaching staff from the Scottish Football League and Welsh Premier League.
Boreham Wood F.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There is absolutely no cost for a player to apply for a trial place, and trials begin in earnest in September when 176 players will be split into four groups of 44 players and attend a day-long training trial at a football club in the London area which will consist of two hours of training and skills, a lunch break, and then playing in a football match in the afternoon. Players would play for 45 minutes, with changes made at half-time in order to ensure that every player gets the same amount of game-time.
The best performing 22 players from this trial day (88 overall) will then be put through to play in two trial games against each other at a venue TBC in October, in order to determine the final 44 trialists.
The successful 44 trialists will then be split into two teams of 22 players, and each team will play in a warm-up game at Bisham Abbey in Berkshire in early November. The red team, as they will be known, will play against a representative side from France and the blue team will play against a representative side from Latvia.
English: Bisham Abbey Manor House Berkshire England] (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The trialists will then be allocated into two 22 man squads, and will then play against each other in the eagerly awaited clash at Boreham Wood Football Club to compete for the inaugural Pudsey Challenge Cup. There will be a pre-match meeting and training session on the day of the match, and players will also be interviewed by local media about their participation in the Pudsey Challenge Cup.
For those players who don’t make the cut, there will be the opportunity to train with clubs in the Ryman Leagues, Southern Leagues, Hellenic Leagues, Combined Counties Leagues, Spartan South Midlands Leagues, Essex Senior League and Kent Invicta League as our coaches will be making player recommendations to them. Therefore, every player who takes part in this event will only benefit from it and it will also help towards the raising of vital funds for charities and projects affiliated to the BBC’s Children In Need appeal.
The old Pudsey bear and logo, used from 1985 to 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The type of player we are looking for is determined, committed and has the mental and physical skills needed to play at a high level of football. The age range we are hoping for players aged between 16 and 25 and in good physical shape and ready to take part in both fitness and ball-skills training as well as 45 minutes of a training match. Players from all over the UK may apply to be part of this event, but we regrettably cannot accommodate players as we do not possess any financial resources. Players would have to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements, but we are more than happy to send hotel lists to players if they want to travel down for the trial matches, friendly game, and the Pudsey Challenge Cup match at Boreham Wood Football Club.
Applications for places will be taken from 06:00 on Thursday 1st August through to 11:00 on Friday 30th August. Places are strictly on a first come first served basis, and players may have to play in a different position to the one(s) in which they would normally play although we will try to keep every player as happy as possible position wise. When applying for a place PLEASE include the following:
* Your Full Name, Age & Date Of Birth
* Your Mobile Phone Number & E-Mail Address
* Details Of Clubs You Have Previously Played For Or Trained At (Including Academies)
* A recent photograph
* Your Playing Position(s)
* What Your Main Football Skills Are
* Confirmation That You Understand The Trials & Selection Process
* Confirmation That You Will Attend Your Designated Training Trial On The Day & Time Provided
Once we have filled the vacant slots, we will keep a number of back-up places open in cases of injuries to players. Players who do not attend these trials without good reason will not be allowed to continue in the trials and we ask that if you cannot attend due to a family emergency that you let us know as far in advance as possible.
The trial days, the trial matches and Bisham Abbey, and finally the Pudsey Challenge Cup will also be filmed by our friends from Fox In The Box Productions as a documentary entitled ‘Daring To Dream – Playing For Pudsey’. The documentary will be available to view on the nonleague.co.uk and You Tube websites from late November/early December 2013.
So don’t delay – book a place today!
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