Schedule apologies

Apologies once again for the lack of a schedule - it is done but the USSF won't release it until all the teams have met certain terms and conditions. I'm also still hoping against hope that House Park will be ready in time - I am the eternal optimist - but reality tells me that we will probably play our first few games back at Nelson.

The coaches and office staff are preparing for the tryouts next weekend - there is always a sense of anticipation and excitement that a 'diamond in the rough' will be found. Come out to Stassney Fields next weekend and see for yourselves.

Tomorrow marks Tony Pulis's 300th game in charge of Stoke City.
He was first appointed manager in November 2002 and, after having prevented the Potters from slipping into the football league's third tier, he was sacked after falling out with the club's Icelandic owners. Pulis had refused to play two Icelandic players on the roster who had been brought in by the owners, stating that they just were not good enough. His stance ended in a parting of the ways but just a year later, after the Icelandic owners were bought out by Stoke City chairman, Peter Coates, he was back. It's been a success story ever since, promotion to the top flight in 2007/2008, an impressive 12th place last season and a mid table spot so far this season. Well done Tony and thank you!

The players, staff and I have had lots of fun lately going out to school career fairs. I love the thank you letters we receive:
" I think being a soccer player is an awesome job. You are getting paid while playing soccer. That's amazing. Hearing you explain your job that you travel around the globe to compete makes me want to be a pro player. I remember you saying that you had 30-40 games in a year. I for one think that's a lot. Thank you for taking time to come to our school, it shows our community is willing to get involved with our campus"

Tomorrow, players and staff will be at Feria Para Aprender 2010 (the Learning Fair) at the Travis County Expo Center. This is an event run in conjunction with Austin Partners in Education. One of the aims is to help families learn about the transition from high school to college or career. They are expecting more than 10,000 parents and kids with more than 100 exhibits - should be fun!

Kay