CORONA VIRUS TIMES: THE KINGS OF TWITTER

The last year or so has brought a great deal of misery, hardship and uncertainty for many people, and it is in large part thanks to the Corona virus. Football has not escaped its clutches, with league of all standards the world over being cancelled or, at best, interrupted. Due to the financial constraints heaped upon them by losing revenue because of the footballing hiatus currently being experienced in a number of countries, large number of clubs have mothballed or simply ceased to exist. 

Yet, for other clubs, 2020 was a time to regroup and, in some ways, expand. One of them is a Sunday League side from the English county of Berkshire, just to the west of London, who have emerged as the kings of Twitter thanks in no small part to their dynamic social media presence, which has seen them increase their following on the social media giant from a couple of thousand to more than 11000 in the space of two years or so.

The club hails from Caversham, now a suburb of Reading but once a town in its own right which was in southernmost Oxfordshire until 1911, when it was transferred to Berkshire and became part of Reading county borough. Caversham United, nicknamed the Billy Goats, were founded in 2015, but can trace its history back to 1996 when it was founded as RBC Unison. The club joined the Reading and District Sunday League, later going under the name FC Brettle, and was also known for a time as Miah's FC before yet another name-change in 2010, when it went under the name AFC Palmer.

Club manager Paul Gutteridge, one of only two remaining Caversham United members from its time as AFC Palmer and the man behind its social media boom, explained the reasoning behind the most recent name-change from AFC Palmer to Caversham United, which turned out to be much more. "In June 2015, the current management took over the club following the worst season in the club’s history, achieving just 4 points in the bottom division. Just two players from the 2014-15 team remain at the club now, both of whom now form part of the club committee. June 2015 saw the club change management, name, badge and kit, so essentially formed a new club."

On the pitch, the club's name might have changed but its fortunes didn't, remaining in the lowest reaches of bottom division of the Reading and District Sunday League and on the verge of folding once and for all. In the autumn of 2018, during the club's promotion season, Gutteridge, who described himself as being "a bored commuter-cum-Twitter admin" back then, decided to ramp things up a bit on social media, and this ultimately brought results on the pitch.

"The idea of using social media was initially to increase our recruitment of players, following a challenging 2017-18 campaign which decimated the squad. Then, seeing the engagement from teams like AS Roma’s English account, we thought we would try to become more active too. The club began to pick up a few verified followers, with the likes of AS Roma and Bayer Leverkusen among the ranks, and never looked back!" 

Gutteridge, who not only leads the way on Twitter but is also the team's player-manager, has a Twitter partner-in-crime in striker Joe Hales, who, in his manager's words "tends to head up the brilliant graphic design and illustration work" social media-wise (and, like Gutteridge, sits on the club committee). Having successfully attracted enough new players to bolster their squad for the new season to twenty-six, they and the rest of the committee decided to give the club a bit of a Twitter-inspired overhaul as well: "In November 2018, we launched a series of Twitter polls to decide a new club crest, club nickname and also a new home kit."

 

The new club badge featured the River Thames, which splits Caversham from Reading "proper", Caversham Bridge, which links the two parts of the city, and a goat, representing the club's nickname The Billy Goats. The club kit's main feature is, unsurprisingly, the shirt, which is a wonderful mix of purple, blue and white. 

Gutteridge, Hales and everyone else involved with the club haven't let up since, on or off the pitch. They gained promotion to the RDSL's third division in 2019, and find themselves in its top level this year after a bit of reorganisation in the league. Their fortunes off the pitch have mirrored those on it in that time, too.

Two years ago, they had fewer than 100 followers on Twitter. Gutteridge: "In September 2018, we had just 50 or 60 followers. It's just sky-rocketed from there!" Now, Caversham United have over 11000, with the majority of followers linking up in the last year or so since the advent of the Corona virus thanks to the club maintaining a near-constant media presence, connecting with fellow clubs who were unable to play due to lockdown or various other reasons, holding and taking part in many a Twitter poll and posting some eclectic posts. They've also done a lot of charity work, as Gutteridge explains. 

"Since those early days of social media, we’ve gone from strength to strength and aim to use our social media reach in a positive way to engage with and inspire fellow grassroots clubs and to raise money for charity. To date we’ve raised £5,000 for Balls to Cancer in the last 24 months." 

(Balls to Cancer is a British charity which raises money for, amongst other things, male cancer awareness and education, and also for chemotherapy packs to help alleviate somewhat the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The charity also has a couple of holiday homes which, subject to availability, house those cancer sufferers and their families in need of a short break, donates some of the money it receives to hospitals and research organisations, and has also set up a fund with the intention of helping cancer sufferers and their families suffering from financial hardship.)

But, the Billy Goats let their hair down on Twitter as well, with the Wheel of Misfortune being rolled out on occasion and lots of cheeky banter being flung around. And then there's the one and only Skid, Caversham United's record signing at a cost of..£25. Gutteridge again: "As well as the charity work, we do like to have a lot of fun with the platform and a cracking example of that is signing a goat, named Skid [see below photo], upon reaching 8,000 Twitter followers. This went down really well on the social media and even featured in Four Four Two magazine and BBC Radio 5 Live!" 

The manager is enthusiastic about the present, and also about the future. The club has plans, but they also remain realistic. "There are definitely plans to expand this football club. 2021-22 should see the emergence of a second Caversham United team, but the details are still being finalised and the specifics are under wraps for now... This is almost certain to happen now, though! 

"Scaling the English Football pyramid, maybe in the style of our friends Hashtag United, isn’t quite on the cards quite yet. The current Caversham United team plays in the Reading and District Sunday League, which in fairness, we have scaled a fair bit. In 2018-19 we were in Division 4 (Tier 6) of the Reading Sunday League. In the current 2020-21 season, we are up to Division 1 (Tier 3). Maybe one day we will make that switch to Saturdays and the official tiers, but not yet.

"Off the pitch, we have loads of plans of course. To continue to raise money for our partner charities is of course high up there. We would also love to hold another charity tournament one day but this summer may come to soon to do it the way we would want to. One thing is for sure though, we will not be quiet and will remain very active!"

Caversham United have just completed a World Cup of Twitter Admins, won by quite possibly the only English non-league club who have had a more meteoric rise on Twitter, Marine AFC, and are now busy whittling down the designs they have received for their proposed new kit. They received some 140 designs, and are currently, yup, holding another poll for the Twitter public to decide which kit the Billy Goats will wear next season. 

Gutteridge would not be drawn on whether his club will hold a World Cup of Blogs, but you can be sure that they will have something else up their sleeves fairly soon. They have helped keep the spirits of many a football fan and many a football club high during the past twelve months, and have helped out charities, too. (They have given their sponsor space on the front of their new shirts to Balls to Cancer, and will be donating money from their shirt sales to the charity.) There is much to admire about the club, both on and off the pitch. They are trailblazers for the smallest of small clubs everywhere, not least on social media. All hail Caversham United, the Kings of Twitter.

SQUAD-LIST

GOALKEEPER: Tom HIG

DEFENDERS: Euan BARKER, Zac DELLOW, Sam FOSTER, Olly FROST, Jack TAPSCOTT, Chris VOELKER, Seb YOUNG

MIDFIELDERS: McBriggs ANTWI-BOASIAKO, Ofori BOATENG, Dave BRAWN, Tom BURNETT, Iain GRAHAM, Paul GUTTERIDGE, Aneal SADIQ, Matthew WEBB

FORWARDS: Caleb ANTWI-BOASIAKO, Lewis DOWNES, Joe HALES, Josh HEMPHREY, Alex JENKINS, Brad PEMBROKE, Conner STURGESS

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Paul Gutteridge, Caversham United player-manager, committee member and Twitter hero, for his help with the above article, and for also for submitting the photos contained within said article.

To find out more about Caversham United, visit: www.cavershamunited.com

To find out more about, or donate to, Balls to Cancer, kindly go to: www.ballstocancer.net

 

FOOTBALL'S TWILIGHT ZONES: LORD HOWE ISLAND

Life on an island can be difficult, especially on those which are more isolated than most. They are hard places to get to and travel costs are often ridiculously high, as is the cost of living. Think of places such as Saint Helena, which has the most expensive internet service anywhere in the world, and Tristan da Cunha, the most remote permanently-inhabited island on Earth. Many of the world's most isolated islands host tiny populations. 

Another tiny island with an equally tiny population, but one which is rather less isolated, is Australia's Lord Howe Island, part of New South Wales and situated some 420 nautical miles north-east of Sydney. Using the data from the last Australian census, dated 2016, it is home to just 382 people. The island is tiny, just over five and a half square miles in area, but is renowned for its pristine beaches and having the world's most southerly barrier coral reef. It is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place with a varied landscape and one which is predominately covered in pristine forest. Small is indeed beautiful in Lord Howe Island's case.

The island was seemingly unknown to the inhabitants of Australasia, Aboriginal and Polynesians alike, before it was discovered in February 1788 by Henry Lidgbird Small, commander of the British vessel HMS Supply, who came across it whilst on the way to Norfolk Island with a cargo of prisoners to found a penal colony there. Lord Howe Island was finally permanently settled only in 1834 and became part of New South Wales in 1855.

Tourism is the principal industry on Lord Howe Island and in order to protect the island's environment, only 400 visitors are allowed on the island at any one time. in spite of the island's size, there is plenty for them - and the locals - to see and do. Peter Adams, CEO of the Lord Howe Island Board, which governs the island at a local level, explained that even the small number of children domiciled on the island have plenty to keep themselves occupied sports-wise, both in the water, obviously, and on dry land.

"There is a Bowling Club and a Golf Club, which has a juniors programme, and they even play in the annual pro-am tournament here. The Bowling club has regular competitions. There is an annual week-long bowls competition, and some of the teenagers form teams and compete with local and visiting bowlers.

"Most young people [visitors included] surf, snorkel, dive (free and scuba), kayak and fish as well as go bushwalking, etc. [For the island's young swimmers,] there is a Nippers Club with a strong membership learning ocean swimming, safety and rescue skills. A couple of swimming coaches usually visit the island each year and run classes in the beautiful lagoon, which are very popular. There is [also] a fishing club, and young people often go game fishing as well and [enter fishing competitions]."

Lord Howe Island also has a tennis club, which hosts an annual clinic held by a visiting coach. A couple of the locals paraglide and kite-surf. Adams adds: "There is a sports field with combination soccer and Rugby League posts. [There is] an artificial cricket pitch within the field. An annual Discovery Day sports carnival takes place [every 17th of February] to celebrate the discovery of Lord Howe Island. It is typically held in the evening and is preceded by a traditional island fish-fry. A crane is set up to light up the sports field. [The sports carnival] runs late and is often held on a week-night. Running races, bike-balance competitions, sack-races, relays and barrel-rolling races are just some of the events which take place."

In spite of the range of activities on offer, team sports aren't really an option on the island, bowls excluded, perhaps, as Adams admits. "There is not a lot of organised sport on the island. There are very small numbers of children here, and therefore regular team sport is not feasible. There is no football or rugby league competition. There is a weekly touch [rugby] game that is informal rather than any scheduled competition."

Rugby has been played on Lord Howe Island for decades, and the island does have its own rugby league team, the Lord Howe Island Woodhens, which competes in tournaments abroad on an irregular basis. Meanwhile, football has scarcely made any sort of a mark on Lord Howe Island. Apart from the very occasional kickabout, football of sorts was played after school from time to time, involving most of the school-age children - plus those from the island's play school - and their parents, though even these after-school kickabouts seem to have fallen by the wayside over the past few years. 

The island's sports ground's dual-purpose goalposts, used for football or rugby matches, are where the influence of the round ball game on the island currently begins and ends. Lord Howe Island is a stunning location, by all accounts, with a lot to see and do, in - and on - the water and on dry land. You probably won't need to bring your football boots and shinpads with you, though.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:  Many thanks to Peter Adams, CEO of the Lord Howe Island Board, for his assistance with the above article. Other information was obtained via the www.lordhoweisland.info website and Wikipedia.

BIG PLANS AFOOT IN CALIFORNIA, ONE STEP AT A TIME

The American state of California is renowned for a great many things, but what is slightly less well-known is that it is a traditional hotbed of football, and that the game has been played there since at least the 1890s, when the California Foot Ball League and the Western League came into being. The California State Football Association was founded in 1902, as was the Southern California Football League. (The California State Football Association later became the San Francisco Soccer Football League, and is the longest continuously-running football league in the United States.)

Two years later, in 1904, two of the United States' oldest cup ompetitions, the California State Senior Challenge Cup (State Cup) and the John O Belis Perpetual Trophy began, and, further north, the Sacramento Soccer League also came into being at around this time.

The state's clubs have had a lot of success in the famed US Open Cup competition, though it took until 1955 for a Californian team to reach the final, when Danish American SC lost the final on home ground in Los Angeles to New York's SC Eintracht. It wasn't until 1958 that a Californian club finally got their hands on the trophy. Los Angeles Kickers were that team, and they won it again in 1964; in the years since, they were involved in a series of mergers and are now known as Los Angeles FC. San Pedro's McIlvaine Canvasbacks won the trophy in 1959, defeating Fall River SC 4:3 in a pulsating final, but have since faded into obscurity. 

Maccabi Los Angeles trumped them all, winning the trophy in 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978 and 1981 before folding in 1982. In between times, the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club won the cup in 1976, defeating New York Inter-Guiliana 1:0; the team from the Big Apple lost to Maccabi LA by the same score the year before.

San Francisco's Greek-American SC lifted the trophy in 1985 and 1994 before they, too, became defunct in 2005. San Jose Oaks brought the cup back to California in 1992 before another San Francisco club, El Farolito, which was founded in 1985, won the US Open Cup a year later under the name CD Mexico. Greek-American SC's triumph in 1994 ended the penultimate competition before the MLS big guns joined in in 1996.

Los Angeles Aztecs won the ill-starred NASL in 1974, and, more recently, LA Galaxy lifted the US Open Cup twice in the early 2000s as well as four MLS Supporters Shields. San José Earthquakes have also lifted the Shield twice, and Los Angeles FC won it in 2019.

So, there has been plenty for Californian football fans to celebrate down the years, but for those teams and players operating outside the auspices of the USSF, targets have been few and far between, but that is all about to change, if a chap called Sven Serrano has anything to do with it.

Serrano has spent much of the last three decades living in China, but had travelled to two World Cups - in 1998 and 2002 - to cheer on the United States team. After the team were knocked out of the 2018 qualifiers, he had, by his own admission, no-one to support at the 2018 World Cup. So, from his home in Shanghai, Serrano got in touch with some designers and a Chinese clothing factory to release a line of California "National Team" apparel in 2018.

He also discovered that there was a fledgling movement for Californian independence, something he himself had been advocating for many years, and he got in touch with them; between them, they launched a project to create a bona-fide California representative football team. The California Football Federation was born. Now, a small group of volunteers from across the state have joined Serrano to help the CFF become more than a pipe-dream, holding weekly meetings via Zoom. The city of Bakerfield, some 110 miles to the north of Los Angeles, has been designated as the CFF's base, at least to begin with.

But why was the CFF set up in the first place? Do Serrano and his team advocate an independent California, or are they more concerned with football? Like the CFF itself, perhaps, the state of California is in perpetual flux, as Serrano explains: "California is unique and distinct in its identity. We, as a people, are rapidly morphing into a nationality and our 'state' into a nation. In this regard the project of a California national team is a direct exercise in nation-building."

"Not all of us in the CFF are committed to the idea of independent California but we all think a California [Football] Federation could a better job of promoting the sport here in California. The US Soccer Federation with its current system and bureaucracy doesn't see the whole picture when it comes to soccer - and people, though that varies from state to state. Scotland has an independent FA and team and it is still, when we last checked, a part of the UK. Why not us, too?

"But..the last thing we want is any backlash from USA fans. We are critical of the USSF because of its [many shortcomings, including] pay-per-view for matches, there are few opportunities for low-income, minority players, no promotion/relegation, etc., but if we were to discover a prospect who played for our team and then got on a US men's national team, we would be overjoyed."

The organisation is still very much in its infancy and has a tiny core of support, but it is looking to grow in as many areas as possible. Serrano again: "We have fourteen active volunteers, but we are looking for ten more in order to make this a permanent working entity. We are waiting for women who would want to help us build a women’s national team. We now have a working Board of Directors with five members. Our base is in southern California, but two of our members are in the north, in the [San Francisco] Bay Area."

Salvador Torres is the CFF's media and communications representative, and he has been encouraged by the response from footballers in the Inland Empire area, a region to the east and south-east of Los Angeles, and also by the response from football fans on social media hailing from California and beyond. 

"We had players from my neck of the woods in the Inland Empire who have an interest in the idea and are excited for the idea to come to life", he said. "We [haven't] played a game yet but we have around 600 followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so it's growing for a future time during the pandemic.

"We do have a list of interested players, most are from the Inland Empire and High Desert and our list is still growing as we hope to reach our base from areas of the state that aren’t Los Angeles, San Diego or the Bay Area. We want to place our flag in the city of Bakersfield as being the center of both the northern and southern part of the state, so we want our fan base to start there."

Serrano expanded on this slightly: "Our plan is to recruit players in the Central Valley and ‘Inland Empire’ (1-2 hours due east of Los Angeles). This area, which is home to many immigrants and local football players who would never have a chance to play for [the United States], is key to our team. We will put out the call to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego based players too, but they will have to come to our camps in the Central Valley."

Torres admits that the CFF had had difficulty finding sponsors so far, and that media interest has been small to say the least, but they are intent on spreading the word on their existence amongst California's football lovers.

"Sponsors have been difficult to find at the moment as it’s not surprising people like to keep their money during these uncertain times. However, when the sun comes out we expect some sponsors to support our mission and come on board. We have been reaching out to spread the word about us joining WUFA this year and we’ve been on a podcast called Soccer Nostalgia which went very well. As our Federation is bilingual, we hope to get press in California’s vibrant Spanish-language media."

California, like almost everywhere else, is in the grip of the Corona virus crisis, but this hasn't stopped Serrano and his fellow CFF members from planning for the future and coming together via their Monday morning Zoom conference calls. Trials for the fledgling national team are a top priority, as he himself points out, but the CFF has a lot of things in its sights.

"As soon as a relaxing of COVID controls permit it, we plan to hold team try-outs and training camps for our first ever national team [from 30 March]. The CFF will offer places on our Board of Directors to California men’s and women’s professional and amateur teams so they can have a say in the team formation. 

"The CFF can also become a shadow association and a talking shop in hope of pressuring the USSF on issues such as youth development and promotion/relegation in California. A California FA Cup is another project for the future."

The CFF applied to join CONIFA last year under the organisation's Nakuma (Friend) status, but admitted that they were not ready for full membership. Nevertheless, they decided to join the World Unity Football Alliance, which was formed last summer. Serrano: "It has been decided that WUFA status is fine for us at the moment. We can build our team and put it on the field in July of 2021 in the Alliance’s ‘World Series’ round with Karen FA, Darfur United and Kuskatan. After this, should we have a strong organization set up we will most-likely re-apply for CONIFA status. However, under their current membership requirements we still do not qualify for full status, so ‘Nakuma’ or friend of CONIFA is our only place."

In the meantime, Serrano and his team are delighted to be members of WUFA, and it may well be a relationship that will last long into the future, but, for now, they are hoping that the proposed four-team tournament in southern California can go ahead: "We love our relationship with WUFA so far. We were immediately accepted and they, especially Gabriel [Stauring, WUFA chairman], have been most supportive. We are hoping the devasting effects of COVID-19 in Southern California will not cancel the July tournament although we are resigned to the fact that it may be played behind closed doors."

The CFF hope to be able to use the Centennial High School pitch in Bakerfield for their home matches, and the number of potential triallists is encouraging, but Serrano admits that the fundraising side of the whole operation is going a little slowly. "Nearly 30 players have expressed an interest in trying out for the team in March and April.  We hope to get highlight videos first from most of them. The goal is to organise three try-out camps, one each in northern, central and southern California. Our greatest challenge has been fundraising.  Merchandise has raised about USD1000 and I have contributed about USD2000 of my own funds.  Crowdfunding is still in its early stages."

Things may have got off to a slow start for the Californians, especially from a financial point of view, but they are planning for the long haul and remain positive. With WUFA, the CFF are in a place they feel happy with, they have more people involved in the running of the organisation and they already potentially have a full squad of players. They have a potentially huge player, sponsor, volunteer and fan base, and, although it will take time for word to filter out about the CFF's existence, the early signs are positive. As Serrano himself put it: "That’s us in a nutshell, taking toddler first steps, but remaining most optimistic."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Sven Sorrano and Salvador Torres for their help with the above article.

To find out more about the California Football Federation (and peruse their wares while you're at it), kindly visit their website: www.calfootballfed.com

 

A NEW MAN AT THE HELM IN GREENLAND SAILING ON THE WINDS OF CHANGE

The tentacles of the Coronavirus have reached almost every corner of the world, including Greenland, and ensured that the country's footballers had no national championship to aim for this year. But, the Coronavirus didn't stop the country's governing body, the KAK, appointing a new national manager at the start of August.

Morten Rutkjær might not be a household name outside Denmark, but many people in Greenland will be well-acquainted with him as a result of his playing career in Denmark, and also because he worked as a scout for a time for the American-based Soccer Institute of Montverde Academy, which has a partnership with Orlando City, covering both the US and Greenland.

The forty-six year-old, known to many in the Danish game as Rudi, began his football career at under-age level, winning one international cap for Denmark's under-19s whilst at Lyngby, before signing for Holbæk BI in 1992. A year later, he joined one of the country's most famous clubs, B93, before moving on to Frem in 1999. He was on the move again twelve months later when he signed for Hørsholm-Usserød in the Sjællandserien regional league (level five in the Danish pyramid), where he lined up alongside none other than Brian Laudrup for a period. Rutkjær eventually hung up his boots in 2007, having spent all but one year of his career outside the Superliga.

Rutkjær didn't stay inactive for very long. He joined Nordvest (now Holbæk B&I) as a youth-team trainer in 2007 until 2011, when he became manager of Vanløse in 2011 before he and the club parted ways in 2013. He then worked as a scout for an Orlando-based college (SIMA), covering the United States and Greenland, before going back to Holbæk B&I in 2015, which had taken over Nordvest's professional licence the year before. (Nordvest was actually Holbæk's professional wing, but had become defunct.) Rutkjær took over as reserve-team manager there, and also began work at the the DBU, the Danish FA, as an instructor, and later as a talent coach concentrating on under-16 players.

He then went back to his two previous clubs, B93 - where he spent the 2015-16 season as first-team manager - and Frem, where he was assistant manager to Danny Jung. After two years at the Valby Idrætspark, where he picked up his UEFA PRO trainers' licence, Rutkjær returned to B93 in 2019, but left to become Head of Coaching, academy manager and chief talent scout at the Holbæk Sportsakademi, where he worked alongside former Faroese international Christian Holst, who is the academy's Head of Education.

And then, Greenland came calling, and it was a call Rutkjær couldn't ignore. The job of national team manager had been vacant since the departure of Tekle Ghebrelul for Sweden, and the KAK hadn't found the right man for the job until Rutkjær became available. He had, of course, spent time as a scout in the country, and got to know the country's football scene like the back of his hand. This would not have been lost on the KAK. In any case, it didn't take long for the Greenlanders to sound out Rutkjær, and it took still less time for the Dane to accept the manager's job: "I was asked if I wanted the job. I said yes in one second," he said.

He signed a one-year, part-time contract until after the 2021 Island Games were due to take place in Guernsey, but the Coronavirus put paid to those plans when the Island Games Association postponed the biennial event until 2023. His answer to the question of whether the KAK will extend his contract until at least 2023 was short and to the point: "I don't know. But," he continued, "I hope I can get the chance to be Greenland national coach for many years so that I can help to lift the standard of football. I see so many possibilities in Greenlandic football."

"The Island Games is one thing, of course. To build up the Greenland national team, to help the players get into better shape, and to build up a style of play for the national team are also all very interesting [challenges]."

Rutkjær will continue to be based in Denmark - he is married and has five children, so is understandably reluctant to move lock, stock and barrel over to Nuuk, and, of course, he already has a full-time job at Holbæk's sports academy - but plans to travel several times to Greenland between now and the summer. "The plan is that I travel six or seven times to Greenland so that the team can be together and train together."

Rutkjær hasn't let the grass - artificial or otherwise - grow under his feet since becoming Greenland manager last August. He visited Nuuk, Maniitsoq and Ilulissat a matter of days after his appointment, and his first impressions of the current set-up in Greenland, regarding both players and infrastructure, were very positive indeed: "I was very impressed with the football pitches the clubs [together with the municipalities] have built. The players are very good. I will try to get the national side to train hard to get into good condition. It is also my hope that the [Nuukstadion] will get a roof so that the players can train all year round."

The KAK have tended to concentrate on developing Futsal in the country during the last few years, but Rutkjær's appointment will be seen as a shift in emphasis bt the custodians of the Greenlandic game. He said that "the KAK really want to get the outside game back [to its traditional pre-eminence] in Greenland. So, it was a new start for them by hiring me. Now it's my responsibility to build up a good team and create a culture around the national team."

In October, the KAK appointed Nukannguaq Zeeb as Rutkjær's assistant manager. Zeeb, former captain of Greenland and someone who needs no introduction to anyone in Greenlandic football, spent most of his career with G-44 and played at four Island Games tournaments, the most recent taking place in Gotland in 2017. Zeeb now lives in the Faroe Islands, but will be travelling to Greenland to assist Rutkjær, who told Sermitisaq newspaper that it was important that his assistant was someone professionally skilled who was well-acquainted with the game in Greenland.

At the same time as Zeeb was appointed, the KAK also brought in Morten Hamm, UEFA A coach and a former Superliga player, as video analyst, which really is a first - and something which heralds a sea-change - in Greenlandic football culture. Rutkjær worked with the former Hvidovre, Viborg and Frem player at Nordvest, and said that Hamm's appointment was important in order to analyse the players and to improve their individual performances. "It is of great importance for the positive development for Greenlandic football that a foundation is built, that there is a strong team around the national team. Here, the coaches in the clubs are important, but also the the team and specialists around the team", Rutkjæer told Sermitsiaq.

Rutkjæer, who lists spending time with his family and friends, running and travelling amongst his hobbies, will be doing a fair bit of the latter between Denmark and Greenland over the next few months if the Coronavirus allows, but he hopes to be doing much more of the same in the next few years on KAK duty if he gets his way. The Island Games might be out of the question, at least for now, but he hopes that his team will play UEFA opposition such as Iceland and the Faroe Islands. And that's not all. He has an ambition which might surprise one or two people: for Greenland to join CONCACAF, and not UEFA as has always previously been mooted.

"My plan is for Greenland to play lots of games against good opposition, so that the Greenland team - and the public - will have some good experiences. [We can] hopefully be a part of the CONCACAF League, and part of CONCACAF, maybe in a year or two. In my opinion, this is very important for the the players to have something to look forward to. If they get to play these matches, the players will get better. That's my ambition, and all shall end well if it's possible."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Morten Rutkjær for his help in assisting with the above article. Any errors or omissions shall, of course, be gladly amended. All photos supplied by Morten Rutkjær.

THE PFBBA THINGY RESULTS

Over the past few years, the fine art of blogging has been pushed aside by, amongst others, vloggers, podcasters and Instagram accounts all aiming for the general public's attention on social media, and, quite often, the bank-card in the collective wallet as well. The patient, written word has been pushed aside in favour of the perhaps visually more attractive but increasingly breathless, inane and vacuous goings-on of folk on camera, many of whom started out as bloggers but who have become sole traders.

That is all well and good, and many people will be of the opinion that times change and that social media must change with it, including how a message is delivered. But, I'm still someone who prefers reading a book to perusing an Ebook, and will rather listen to a CD than to YouTube (although I do both with relish), and will rather read a blog than watch someone rabbit on about something which doesn't interest me.

The trouble is, blogs - and good blogs, in particular - are becoming increasingly rare. Even the Football Blogging Awards are now called the Football Content Awards, and blogs are increasingly hard to find in amongst the bells and whistles from vloggers, podcasters and other content creators. For a while now, I'd thought about creating a one-off process solely aimed at raising the profile of small-scale bloggers, and recently hit upon hosting a virtual vote and, in a moment of blinding originality, calling the whole thing the Pat's Football Blog Blogging Awards. I also wanted to give a leg up for categories other awards operations normally ignore, such as football shirts, Subbuteo, walking football, match programme reviews and so on.

Most of the nominations, including some which had to be rejected, were known to me, but quite a few weren't. Some of them were rejected because they plainly weren't blogs, but websites. It's quite difficult to accept a nomination when a website describes itself as a website.. 

Others were rejected because they sought payment in return for access to certain articles, or because they published a magazine to complement their site; they are no longer blogs in my eyes, but businesses. Still others were refused consideration because they were essentially podcasts or vlogs, or used video interviews or podcast material to an over-large degree. 

One or two people were put out by their nominations being refused, but I wanted to give a chance to pur sang bloggers (and this was explained to them at length), although I did try to give those blogs which used match highlights a bit of leeway. 

The Pat's Football Blog Blogging Awards was a small-scale operation for small-scale blogs, and the number of people who voted reflected this, but, pleasingly, a number of blogs did attract new followers and get some welcome exposure. That was the whole objective of the exercise. I also discovered several new blogs and got to know several more a bit better, and every one of those blogs (and websites and podcasts) nominated had a lot to offer and are well worth delving into.

There were originally twelve categories for which nominations were accepted, with a minimum of two nominations per category needed in order for a public vote to go ahead. In the end, nine categories were opened; no nominations were received for the Subbuteo, Walking Football and Non-English Language categories.

NOMINATED BLOGS

GENERAL: The 94th Minute; Gareth's Football Travels; The Left-sided Problem; The Lonely Goalpost; Jimmy Sirrel's Lovechild; And Still Ricky Villa; A Sticker's Worth 500 Words; The Welsh Goalkeeper

FOOTBALL SHIRTS: The Global Obsession; World Shirts; Soccer Sartorial; Adam's Shirt Quest

UK & IRELAND NON-LEAGUE: AFE Football News; The 94th Minute; The Terrace Traveller; The Welsh Goalkeeper; The Cold End; Gareth's Football Travels

INTERNATIONAL INTEREST: Gareth's Football Travels; English Abroad, Far Out Football; The Cold End; Playing Away From Home; Living In Montserrat; Menorca Football; Pasifika Sisters

NEW BLOGS: The Left-sided Problem; The Soccer Mentor; A Sticker's Worth 500 Words; The Welsh Goalkeeper

GROUNDHOPPING: The Terrace Traveller; Manchopper's Ventures; Gareth's Football Travels; Topliss At The Turnstiles

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL: Pasifika Sisters; This Fan Girl; Dare 2 Blog - Women's Football

NON-FIFA/MINNOWS: Pasifika Sisters; Living In Montserrat

MATCH PROGRAMME REVIEWS: Gareth's Football Travels; The Cold End; Jimmy Sirrel's Lovechild

On to the results of the public vote, and, in the main, those who won their respective categories were deserving of their finishing top of the pile, and the list of winners is below. Many congratulations to them all!

PUBLIC VOTE

GENERAL: The 94th Minute

FOOTBALL SHIRTS: The Global Obsession

INTERNATIONAL INTEREST: English Abroad

NEW BLOGS: The Left-sided Problem

GROUNDHOPPING: The Terrace Traveller

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL: Dare 2 Blog - Women's Football

NON-FIFA/MINNOWS: Living In Montserrat

UK & IRELAND NON-LEAGUE: The Terrace Traveller

MATCH PROGRAMME REVIEWS: Gareth's Football Travels

I had a good look at the nominations before, during and after the voting, and decided that I would give my own "awards" in addition to the public vote; a kind of "Patman's Choice", if you will. One or two results are a little different to those of the public vote, but my choices are purely personal, of course, and might radically differ from the PFBBA proper. I also wanted to recognise one or two blogs with virtual awards away from any voting process.

My own choices allied mainly with the public vote, with Clint Jones' 94th Minute coming top of the General category because of a wonderfully eclectic mix of writing matter, written in Clint's own inimitable style. The Global Obsession wins the Football Shirt section, but by a whisker from Adam's Shirt Quest and Sartorial Soccer. 

My choice of Menorca Football for the International Interest category might surprise a few people, but I like what they are trying to do in promoting football in an ignored and overlooked corner of footballing Spain, and it is comprehensive in its approach. The Left-sided Problem concentrates on top-level football, but with more of a historical bent, and does so comprehensively. It deserved the New Blogs award, but The Soccer Mentor, A Sticker's Worth 500 Words and The Welsh Goalkeeper are original in their outlook, and all four are worth reading (and following). I see much potential here.

All four nominations for the Groundhopping category have lots of plus points, but no-one does it quite like The Terrace Traveller. Those of you who know his work won't need any further explanation. Those who don't just have to head over to his blog to understand why. 

Only three blogs made it through to be nominated for the Women's Football section; This Fan Girl seemed to have shut down for Christmas, as had Pasifika Sisters, and neither took an active part in promoting their chances, but both offer interesting reading matter (on radically different areas of the women's game) and are well worth following. Terry McFadden's Dare 2 Blog - Women's Football is a down-to-earth blog with few frills but lots of good articles and match-reports, which in the main shine a much-needed spotlight on lower-league women's football in England, and made him a deserving winner in a small but high-standard field.

Just two blogs took part in the Non-FIFA/Minnows poll, which was won by Living In Montserrat. The name correctly suggests that it's more than a football blog, but Craig Brewin's blog was given a chance due to it being the only blog I know which reports regularly on football-matters Montserratian (and it's worth checking out for other bits and pieces to do with life on the Caribbean island). Pasifika Sisters, meanwhile, is a relatively new blog, which covers women's football in the OFC region and elsewhere in the Pacific, and does it well. I couldn't decide between the two; a joint award it is.

Gareth's Football Travels won the public Match Programme Reviews award, and wins this one, too, but it was a close thing between Mr. Williams and The Cold End for Patman's Choice. Both are very informative, but Gareth breaks down the content and gives his articles a little more of a personal touch.

Still, if you're looking for a blog which would be the ultimate representative for English non-league football, you would be hard-pressed to find a generally better, more comprehensive, more informative one than The Cold End, and author Barry has been keeping up the same high standard for years. I only hope he finds the time to add to his programme (and other) writings, some of which he hasn't done in a while, and can also find space on his home page to showcase his articles on the Belarussian Premier League. I think he was robbed in the UK & Ireland Non-league public vote, but he's Patman's Choice in this category, and by a distance.

Because of the astounding amount of top-quality work Barry has produced since 2009, making him one of the longest-serving bloggers I know of (a year longer than yours truly), he richly deserves a PFB award for Services to Blogging, such as it is. I recommend his work in writing about and promoting non-League football, and commend him for being one of the few bloggers to comprehensively cover football in Belarus this past year, helping - alongside the one and only Chris Walker, the man behind CW Sport Radio - to provide a football fix for lovers of the ball which is round during much of lockdown, and all at a consistently high standard.

Finally, a word for all the nominees for the Football Shirt category. Those who collect shirts are a misunderstood but close-knit community, who look out for each other in many ways. The four nominees, Adam's Shirt Quest, Soccer Sartorial, The Global Obession and World Shirts, took part in an extremely sporting section, and deserve an accolade for their fair-play during voting.

PFB VOTE

GENERAL: The 94th Minute

FOOTBALL SHIRTS: The Global Obsession

INTERNATIONAL INTEREST: Menorca Football

NEW BLOGS: The Left-sided Problem

GROUNDHOPPING: The Terrace Traveller

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL: Dare 2 Blog - Women's Football

NON-FIFA/MINNOWS: Living In Montserrat/Pasifika Sisters

UK & IRELAND NON-LEAGUE: The Cold End

MATCH PROGRAMME REVIEWS: Gareth's Football Travels

PFBBA FAIR-PLAY AWARD: The Global Obsession/World Shirts/Soccer Sartorial/Adam's Shirt Quest

SERVICES TO BLOGGING AWARD: The Cold End 

Whether or not any of the blogs nominated for the PFBBAs receive any more accolades in the future is mainly up to them, but I was very happy to discover a number of new blogs, and not just those which were nominated, but also a few others which left comments and which would have been excellent nominations for any blogging awards. There was something for everyone in the PFBBAs, and I hope that the blogs involved develop, evolve and prosper in the future. Give them your support.

I thank every one of you who took an interest in the PFBBAs, every one of you who nominated a blog, whether it was your own or that of someone else, every one of you who voted, every one of you who commented on or supported this little venture in any way. I'm only sorry I have no trophies or mementos for the winners, but I think every blog which has taken part has won in its own way. If nothing else, my little project has shown that there is a lot of good writing to be discovered out there, a lot of good writers to be showcased and supported. Let's find them and help them out. After all, if we can't go to watch football, we can at least read about it.

FOOTBALL RALLIES ROUND TO HELP THE ELDERLY AND VULNERABLE IN ARTSAKH

The past couple of months have seen a conflict break out in the breakaway republic of Artsakh (better known as Nagorno-Karabakh), nestled in the southern Caucasus Mountains between Armenia and Azerbaijan. An Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the days of the USSR, surrounded by Azerbaijan but mostly populated by people of Armenian stock, it broke away from Azerbaijan at the beginning of January 1992 following an independence referendum (which was boycotted by local Azerbaijanis).

Since then, of course, two conflicts between Artsakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan have followed, with the second ending last month with Azerbaijan regaining just about all of the territory outside Artsakh it lost during the first war, which ended in May 1994 following a ceasefire. The ins and outs of the two "Nagorno-Karabakh Wars" are already being discussed and argued over elsewhere; there is no need to go over them here.

During the second conflict, Artsakh's capital, Stepanakert, came under daily attack from Azeri artillery and aircraft. As the city slowly began to empty during the latter stages of the conflict, it became clear that the elderly and vulnerable, as in every war ever known to man, were suffering greatly, despite the efforts of NGOs such as Kooyrigs. The fact that the Corona virus, was, and remains rampant in the southern reaches of the Caucasus region as a whole, only exacerbated the problems experienced by those who remained.

It was then that a group of football fans and players came together to form Football For Artsakh, better known via social media as Footy4Artsakh (and named as such hereafter), a small organisation dedicated to raising money to aid the elderly and vulnerable in Stepanakert. Many of those involved in Footy4Artsakh have an emotional bond with the nation and its capital, and this is unsurprising, given that they attended last year's CONIFA European Football Cup, which was held in Artsakh, in one capacity or another.

In a statement, released early last month, they referred to the affection and care shown to them during their stay in Artsakh, and said that they, "as part of the global football community, want to give back to the hosts, Nagorno-Karabakh. We celebrated together and now we must also be together for these hard times."

The statement, released on 5 November, and signed by CONIFA and WUFA member associations, amongst others, is provided in full below.

FOOTY4ARTSAKH STATEMENT

"A deadly war is raging in the Southern Caucasus since 27 September 2020. The small unrecognised Republic of Artsakh, also known under its former name Nagorno-Karabakh, and its 150000 inhabitants have been under attack for more than a month now. An estimated 6000 lives have been lost and over 90000 Karabakhtsi are taking refuge in Armenia. The citizens that stayed behind in the war-zone are often the elderly who [are unable to evacuate to Armenia]. They have been spending their days and nights in bomb-shelters or basements for weeks now.

"As all local shops are currently closed, the humanitarian situation is getting worse by the day.It is up to individuals and small civil organisations like Kooyrigs, who distribute supplies, to bring relief during times of war. Kooyrigs are more than humanitarian fighters in a war-zone that many call home - they are our allies in showing that football still has the massive power of solidarity. That's why we are collecting funds to help them on their mission to help the civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Many of us were heavily involved in a football tournament [the CONIFA European Football Cup] organised in Nagorno-Karabakh just last [year]. We, as part of the global football community, want to give back to the hosts, Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We celebrated together and now we must also be together for these hard times. We stand in solidarity with Nagorno-Karabakh and every single civilian who cheered us or our brothers and sisters last summer.

"This crowdfunder is for all of you. While we use our global football community to raise awareness and co-ordinate this call, we don't donate to a football team or player here - but to civilians in danger. This cause should concern everyone, globally.

"Thank you for your role in fighting a humanitarian disaster in the making with your contribution. Please spread the word, about this campaign and the horrible war that is already being forgotten."

SIGNATORIES

ORGANISATIONS

Barawa Football Association; Chagos Islands Football Association; International Football Surrey; Football Federation of the Republic of South Ossetia; Matabeleland Football Confederacy; Football Association of Panjab; Pohnpei Soccer Association; Seleção Paulista; Yorkshire International Football Association; Midfield Generals

INDIVIDUALS

Sascha Düerkop; Jens Jockel; Pat. McGuinness; Liam Potter; Séamus Travers; Paul Watson; Noah Wheelock

Albumin, part of a consignment of medicine recently delivered by Kooyrigs to Stepanakert (Photo courtesy of Kooyrigs)

Footy4Artsakh raised almost €1000 via a football-shirt auction which was held last month, and donated the money to Kooyrigs, a female-run Armenian NGO which distributed food, water and blankets to many of those who were left behind in Stepanakert and who were forced to hide in cellars and bomb-shelters. The operation was suspended when the city was almost completely evacuated last month, but, now that Stepanakert is starting to fill up again, slowly but surely, the assistance given by organisations such as Kooyrigs is needed more than ever, due in no small part to the onset of winter.

Mariam Avagyan, one of Kooyrigs’ directors, gave a detailed account to Pat's Football Blog this evening of the work the organisation had done during the conflict, saying that they had organised relief operations in various locations throughout Artsakh, including Stepanakert, Berdzor, Kovsakan and Qarvachar, to name but four.

"During the war, we were regularly shipping several tonnes of food to Stepanakert. While people from Stepanakert were slowly fleeing [the city], people from the nearby villages were gathering in Stepanakert as it had better bunker infrastructure. We regularly shipped food for all those people throughout the war. We were in touch with the Municipality of Stapanakert throughout. They were telling us how many people there were there and how much food they needed. Then, our team would [deliver the food] and make sure that the people got it. We also send 20 tonnes of flour, salt, yeast and oil to bake [enough] bread for one month for all of the people in Stepanakert."

"Regarding the situation now, conditions are very tough, especially for old and vulnerable people. They barely have electricity - it's often gone for 7-8 hours, and it's very cold there. There is no [gas supply],....because all the pipes have been damaged. The internet connection is on and off. One person contacted us from Stepanakert today saying that [the people still living in the city] need food and very basic necessities. A very harsh winter is upon the people of Artsakh."

Avagyan said that Kooyrigs will be delivering aid to Stepanakert in the coming week, and gave a quick run-down of what has been delivered so far, and said that more of the same will be delivered:

"1: Food to Stepanakert: As I mentioned, during the war we constantly sent food to Stepanakert - rice, pasta, beans, fresh vegetables, 20 tonnes of flour, salt, oil, and yeast (enough to bake bread for everyone sheltering in Stepanakert for a month), canned meat, and other fresh and non-perishables. As people of Stepanakert and nearby villages were sheltering in bunkers (children doing schoolwork in bunkers, even women giving birth in bunkers), they had no way of going and getting food on their own. The stores and markets were destroyed.

"2: Medication to Stepanakert and Goris hospitals: We were in direct touch with the Stepanakert and Goris hospitals and delivered medication they asked for. Much of it was blood-loss medication [Albumin] that was life-saving for the wounded civilians as well as soldiers. Other medication sent to people in and from Artsakh included Argosulfan (used for treating burns) diabetes medication, Colchicine, etc. 

"3: Project Mayreeg (support for pregnant women): When delivering winter boots, we noticed many pregnant women did not have warm clothing, food, or access to Doctors. We started a project where we provide pregnant women a box of necessary items 1 month post-partum (baby bottle, diapers, nipple pads, etc), as well as help with finding doctors, appointment assistantship, and medication/vitamins. In our experience, this group was the most vulnerable as most of them had lost either their husbands, brothers, or fathers. We currently have 131 pregnant women from and in Artsakh who are receiving aid.

"4: Support to individual families: Because some families in Artsakh (as well as those who fled Artsakh) were completely isolated, had no transportation, clothes, or shelter, we provided food bags that last 2 months, warm clothing (blankets, winter boots, etc), and medication. This is extremely important because winters are brutal in Armenia and Artsakh, yet some people fled wearing flip-flops and pyjamas. [We will be delivering more ] blankets and winter boots for women and children. There are almost no men left in Stepanakert.

Avagyan thanked those who have donated to Footy4Artsakh, adding, simply: "Your donations literally saved lives."

The Footy4Artsakh campaign has gone rather quiet over the past couple of weeks, but with Christmas and the New Year approaching, the work still goes on in Stepanakert and other parts of Artsakh, mostly unknown and unheralded. The elderly and vulnerable, those who are unable to fend for themselves, still need the support and succour of others. Footy4Artsakh is a non-partisan effort where all monies raised go to those most in need, and there are many of them. Whatever you can give, however little, will go a long way and will be gratefully received. 

The global footballing community has shown that it can come together to make grand gestures. It can also surely come together to make a small one, too, one which will make a big difference to hundreds, maybe thousands of people in a place ignored and unheard of by many.

To donate to Footy4Artsakh via PayPal, kindly copy and paste the link below:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVYKJNMW3M3QL&Z3JncnB0=

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many thanks to Mariam Avagyan, director of Kooyrigs, for her contribution to the above article (and her patience).