RFC & Local Schools in the 80s/90s

[Elm Park Kid]

As you might have guessed from my user name, I grew up in house that wasn't far from Elm Park and went to Wilson Primary School in the late 80s/early 90s. Which along with Battle are (I believe) the closest primary schools to the ground.

But it occurred to me the the other day that not once do I remember RFC ever doing anything with the school. I don't remember players/mascot coming round, or us getting to visit Elm Park or even going to a match. I don't remember ever even talking about the football club in school. I suppose it might have happened and I was just too young to take notice, but you'd think that would stand out.

Does anyone know if there were any initiatives at that time? I know that they didn't train anywhere near so that might have prevent some of the link up, but you would have thought they would make an effort to indoctrinate at least some of the local youth Or was it just the case that this sort of stuff didn't happen in the 80s?

[No Fixed Abode]

As you might have guessed from my user name, I grew up in house that wasn't far from Elm Park and went to Wilson Primary School in the late 80s/early 90s. Which along with Battle are (I believe) the closest primary schools to the ground.

But it occurred to me the the other day that not once do I remember RFC ever doing anything with the school. I don't remember players/mascot coming round, or us getting to visit Elm Park or even going to a match. I don't remember ever even talking about the football club in school. I suppose it might have happened and I was just too young to take notice, but you'd think that would stand out.

Does anyone know if there were any initiatives at that time? I know that they didn't train anywhere near so that might have prevent some of the link up, but you would have thought they would make an effort to indoctrinate at least some of the local youth Or was it just the case that this sort of stuff didn't happen in the 80s?

RFC never came to my primary or secondary school either. The youth team at the time was also made up of m8s who had a foot in the door with the likes of Bobby Williams. It was never the best players playing for the youth side but those in the know. I think the club has improved a little and cast their net a bit wider for youth talent now. I still find the promotion of the club very poor though.

I'm not sure if they go around schools these days. However, I worked for QPR for a short stint back in the 90s as a football in the community officer during the summer holidays mainly. We were also going around local schools in term time doing coaching sessions and giving free tickets out to youth and reserve games.

[Sutekh]

I know Reading ran soccer schools across east berks in the late 90s/early 2000s

Also know they had links with several local youth teams in the area in the 80s and 90s, for example Ady Williams and Scott Taylor came from Bracknell etc.

They certainly did do things in local area schools as the matchday programmes sometimes mentioned things

Perhaps a lot of it then though would be down to schools reaching out to the club rather than a more proactive phone call to a school secretary or teacher

Club also did hospital visits but as always these things just never seem to get very much coverage anywhere, even now.

Perhaps the club now should be blowing it's own trumpet a bit more and on their OS, or via the local media, every month just give an update of the visits players and management did the previous month and anything coming up in the community that would be of interest.

[Hound]

They do offer some discounted tickets and stuff to the local schools, but not sure about visits. Not heard of any at my kids' school.

They do some work with the local age group football teams - i.e. the penalty kicks at half time is one obvious example. Not sure beyond that.

[CrowthorneRoyal]

They do offer some discounted tickets and stuff to the local schools, but not sure about visits. Not heard of any at my kids' school.

They do some work with the local age group football teams - i.e. the penalty kicks at half time is one obvious example. Not sure beyond that.

The penalty kicks at half time and flag waving cost the clubs that take part a reasonable amount of money. Even when my sons club was getting an award for something from Reading FC, Reading wouldnt let the kids do the flag waving without paying even though it was last minute and no other kids were doing the flag waving.

I can never understand why they get the ball boys to wave the flags on some evening matches when they could just pick a handful of kids out of the stands to come and wave flags - it would make their year!

[Elm Park Kid]

It would be interesting to hear from anyone else who was at a local school at that time and whether they remember anything. I understand that they probably didn't do as much 'in the community' stuff back then but you would think they would visit the school that was 5 mins walk down the road.

[Winston Smith]

I went to the Reading FC Soccer School at Prospect School during summer holidays in the late 80's!

[From Despair To Where?]

I went to school with Mike Kearney's daughters so he coached our school team but it wasn't anything official with the club.

[No Fixed Abode]

I went to school with Mike Kearney's daughters .

[From Despair To Where?]

Why shock there, Kes?

[Forbury Lion]

1987 - my first Reading FC game courtesy of free tickets Reading FC gave all the kids in my brothers primary school class, plus spares for family.

Reading v Gillingham, I believe we won 2-1 with Senior and Horrix on the scoresheet, about 5 or so years ago I was able to chat to Trevor Senior and he was able to reel off details of the game (which I later checked online) and he was spot on. I think he rememebers every game

[hobnob]

I went to the Reading FC Soccer School at Prospect School during summer holidays in the late 80's!

Me too. The soccer schools seemed much better back then. I'm not sure if it was only one year, but the last day of the week was at Elm Park and we got to have a kick around on the pitch with a current player on our team. My boys go to the schools now every holiday - which seem well run but I can't help think it would be nice if a player did the rounds at some point... but then I guess we're too big for that kind of thing now.

[Sutekh]

1987 - my first Reading FC game courtesy of free tickets Reading FC gave all the kids in my brothers primary school class, plus spares for family.

Reading v Gillingham, I believe we won 2-1 with Senior and Horrix on the scoresheet, about 5 or so years ago I was able to chat to Trevor Senior and he was able to reel off details of the game (which I later checked online) and he was spot on. I think he rememebers every game

Are you sure about the year (or opponents)? Only Reading didn't play Gillingham in 1987. They lost 2-1 at home to them in January 1986 and again in April 1989 but there were no home games with Gillingham in between.

If both Senior and Horrix were playing that it must have been the New Years Day fixture in 1986 as Deano left for Millwall in 1988.

Some statto out there will now prove i'm talking bollox

[peterroyal76]

My primary school teacher was David Downs so we had free tickets for league games

[Forbury Lion]

1987 - my first Reading FC game courtesy of free tickets Reading FC gave all the kids in my brothers primary school class, plus spares for family.

Reading v Gillingham, I believe we won 2-1 with Senior and Horrix on the scoresheet, about 5 or so years ago I was able to chat to Trevor Senior and he was able to reel off details of the game (which I later checked online) and he was spot on. I think he rememebers every game

Are you sure about the year (or opponents)? Only Reading didn't play Gillingham in 1987. They lost 2-1 at home to them in January 1986 and again in April 1989 but there were no home games with Gillingham in between.

If both Senior and Horrix were playing that it must have been the New Years Day fixture in 1986 as Deano left for Millwall in 1988.

Some statto out there will now prove i'm talking bollox

It could have been 1986 and we lost 2-1, My lasting memories of the game were a cornish pasty I had at half time from the kiosk under the stand. I wasn't really into football back then.

[Nameless]

THE club have a big community section which runs lots of after school coaching sessions. Players do visit schools and there are quite often articles on the OS about these, some have been very high profile (see the work they did with the Avenue a couple of years back). There is a whole section of the OS talking about what they do, the headline says they engage with 3500 local kids every week...
We certainly had a community team back in the EP days. I had some contact with them when Dave Armstrong ran it although IIRC it was really a PFA scheme which club's supported by providing office space.
The club used to give away lots of free tickets to local clubs and schools but a while back they stopped it. I think they now do a scheme where club's and schools can buy discounted tickets and resell them as a fundraiser.