by Jay Baker In the last entry to this column, I said pre-season was going to be awesome. I was wrong. The season is going to be awesome. Last season, it’s been said countless times, was all about building a solid foundation after merging two of our teams into just the one. But then afterwards, …
Continue reading "Up the Left Wing"
by Jay Baker As we enter the pre-season for 2018/19, it’s worth reflecting on the remarkable season just gone, culminating with our amazing Awards Night. Let's face it, as we've said numerous times, last season was about taking Unity to the next level, as a principle and not just a name. Having gone from two …
by Jay Baker As mentioned here before, this season was about getting the right people involved as players – from the first team, the previous second team, from outside AFC Unity altogether, as well as from our innovative Solidarity Soccer initiative. Judging from the results, you could be forgiven for assuming we don’t play well, …
by Jay Baker It’s a testament to AFC Unity and its ethos that despite everything, we’ve had the maximum amount of 25 registered players, and a varied 16 selected each Sunday – from a squad held together by a passion in playing for our badge, and belief in a different way of doing things. Even …
by Jay Baker Firstly, happy new year from myself and everyone involved with AFC Unity. It's such an exciting time for this football club, as morale has never been higher, team spirit has never been better, the football itself has never been so good, and we've never been more sure of ourselves and the work …
by Jay Baker I made a lot of promises in the last entry to this column and I'm proud to have kept them. But I'm more proud to say that now, AFC Unity’s current squad is the best I’ve ever managed. What’s the secret? Well, I’ve mentioned in this column before about the keys to …
by Jay Baker Much has already been said about the challenging season AFC Unity just had, so now I’d like to focus more on the future. However, it is worth acknowledging the adversity we experienced, because tough times always reveal true character in people, and in football players. Let's borrow an anecdote from men's mainstream …
by Jay Baker Opinions are like behinds, and everyone has one in football - be it at the top level or even at grassroots, and we all make judgements from our own perspectives, often with little insight into the inner workings of a particular team, and lacking context. The phrase I've heard most often this …
by Jay Baker As AFC Unity approaches its third birthday - incredible, considering the achievements already - I can honestly say I've never seen such quality football going on throughout the club; football that reflects the ethos of the club itself with its spirit of collectivism and empowerment and positivity in the way it is …
by Jay Baker I'm writing this at a time of New Year's Resolutions and renewed energy and enthusiasm within AFC Unity as we go forward with our "women's football revolution" - which is reflected by our commitment to the community as well as our Football Philosophy which, within that, has meant developing a style of …
