Welcome to Abbots Youth Football Club (AYFC) and the 2009/10 season. Following on from another successful season in 08/09 with 3 teams winning their respective divisional titles, AYFC continues to go from strength to strength, with 16 teams competing across 11 age groups in both the Watford Friendly and West Herts leagues for the 2009/10 season. Training commences during August, with the league season kicking off in early September (late Sept for U9 and below) each team manager will be in touch to confirm exact arrangements for the coming season. Please help the club and your team manager by ensuring that club membership and payment are completed ASAP, if not done so already. Whilst most teams are now full with the maximum compliment of players in place, we do have vacancies in 1 or 2 age groups. If you are interested in joining, please click on the Contact button to register your interest. Finally, many thanks for your continued support. Here's to another fun and exciting season......

Thanks go out Curve Recruiting who have sponsored the training tops for the under 9's Squad. We have also managed to secure sponsorship for our new barriers that will go round the pitch, and a big thank you goes out to Charities Trust who have given substantial funding for us to achieve this. Viking have also sponsored the under 13's, and I'm sure we will all be eating a lot more fish and chips.

Congratulations to the Under 8 Reds who have won the Blue Division title with 2 games left to play! Under the expert guidance of Paul & Gary the U8 Reds have dominated their divsion and remain unbeaten this season. They won the title today (2nd March) by defeating second place opponents Omonia 4 - 0.

This new season has seen a cluster of changes, as last season's U10s seem to have gone all grown up since the summer. The team are still very much a work in progress for a number of reasons - but the start they've made has been largely successful. I was mindful of chats I've had with senior dads who regretted the move to eleven-a-side and said they missed watching their little lads on mini pitches - I can only speak for myself, but I've really enjoyed the step up and the lads seem making the transition relatively painlessly whilst enjoying themselves too. Fundamental factors we have dealt with have been the lack of a home pitch - soon to be resolved after the re-seeding at the Manor House - and a brand new yellow and black striped kit. We have also welcomed a raft of new players into the squad whilst retaining the hard core who have consistently achieved since they were in black and blue nappies. The boys joining us from last season's U10 Red team are Danny, Alex, Brandon and a couple of Matts in Big and Little sizes respectively, whilst we have also acquired Alessio from Everett Rovers. All are most welcome and have settled in nicely, generally in defensive and midfield areas, whilst Alessio has wasted no time in parading the skills and goalscoring we remember him for during our derby games with Rovers. We have again managed Red Division status this year, despite all the upheavals, but have had mixed fortunes in the cups. We made progress in the County Cup by somehow managing to get battered by, but ultimately beat, a very good Bury Rangers side. Aaron the Ace in goal was the main reason why and he continues to shine. I hope this result is a good omen and we go at least one better in this competition than last season, when we had an amazing run to the semi-final. Unfortunately, we have been knocked out of the Challenge Cup at the first time of asking, when a cluttered midfield and only one up front contributed to our downfall in a 1-0 reverse in Hemel. The boys are still very much coming to terms with the new positions they are learning, but the bigger goals and pitches are a definite bonus! We learned that the hard way when we got spanked in our very first friendly by last season's Red Division Champions, Whetstone Wanderers. Their coach had already identified the value of mullering the ball from outside the box, into the great big gap between goalie and crossbar! A goal every time and difficult to defend, but we have learned and are now doing the same to our opposition with spectacular results. So, the usual suspects are in the Red Division and a tough but enjoyable season beckons once more. The offside law promises to be its usual humorous self and several linesmen (I refuse to call them assistant referees, because that implies that they're actually helping in some way) have already displayed a heartening mixture of bias, ignorance, dodgy haircuts and crass dress sense (not Abbots dads, I hasten to add). It's great to see the spirit, humour and skill mentioned in the other AYFC teams' match reports every week and our own U11 reports will be posted from now. Up and at 'em then boys ...... Come On You Super Abbots!

The current Abbots Youth Under 18 side create club history this season by being the first Abbots Youth team to have played together right through from under 8 to under 18. Many of the current squad have been at Abbots Youth Football Club since they were 6 or 7 years old. The Team Manager Paul Davison and the Coach Steve Gray have run the side since the boys played at the Under 10 level. When they boys moved to 11 a-side football at the Under 11 age group they were placed in Division 5 ( of 5) and won their league that season. They have since moved up the divisions until the current season when they are now playing in Division 2 (of 6) of the Watford Friendly League which is the highest division the team has played in. The most successful season for the team to date came at the Under 16 age group when they won both their league and the Spring Shield competition. Abbots Youth are twinned with the Dutch club WHcZ from Zutphen and many of the current Under 18 team visited Holland in 2000 and again in 2002 which were fantastic tours that all the boys enjoyed immensely. As well as offering the chance to play football abroad, staying with Dutch families gave the boys a taste of life in another country. The team are hoping that their last season in Youth football will be both a successful and enjoyable one and what is certain is that friendships that have been made over the last 10+ years will continue long after the boys leave Abbots Youth Football Club.

A great achievement by Fab's team, it's the first time an Abbots Youth side have won the Red Division of the Watford Friendly League.