Morning everyone, happy Easter from all at SYACL, all the eggs will need exercising off before our first matchday.

Here are the details:

Please arrive at Concord Sports Centre on the 11th April for the 7-a-side fixtures at the following times:

13.00 –    Bradford City Amber. Bradford City Blue .  Bradford City Claret.
          Aston Swallownest Blue.    Brunsmeer Awareness.  Sheffield White.

14.15 –    Aston Swallownest Red.  City Knights Blue.  D.Dooley Kicks.
              D.Dooley Orange.  Sheffield Red.  Titans Red.

14.45 –    Sheffield Black  &  Wheatley Wanderers.

15.25 –    City Knights Black  &  Titans White.

The league will still not provide bibs for kit colour clashes this season, so please take your own if needed and ensure they are not shared between players at any point during the day. 

Matches requiring bibs :

D.Dooley Orange  v Aston Swallownest Blue

D.Dooley Kicks  v  Sheffield Red

D. Dooley Kicks v  Sheffield Black

Sheffield Black  v Sheffield Red

As previously mentioned to team representatives at the update meeting a few days ago – spectators will still not be permitted into matches for the remainder of this season; and each team is limited to a maximum of 10 players and 2 officials. Any parent/carer travelling will have to wait in their vehicle in the carpark due to Covid regulations.

If you have any queries please contact Mike for clarification or Covid related it’s Colin.

An update: Colin’s Super 7 for Autism fund raising 7k walk, 7k run & 7k cycle has been completed. Anyone wishing to make a donation the fundraising page will close at midnight on Tuesday 6th April 2021.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/colins7for700kforautism

Virtual meeting welcomes new Committee members.

With 7-a-side action scheduled to restart on Sunday 11^th April, in line with Government guidance, the organising committee of the South Yorkshire Ability Counts League met virtually on the 30^{th of} March to plan the return to competitive action, writes Margaret Gregory for SYACL.

Chairman Mike Stylianou introduced our new secretary, Paul Jubb from Bradford City Disability FC, and a new Treasurer, Tony Pratt, a trusted former colleague of Mike’s from the education sector.

Darren’s widow, Sharon, will continue to be point contact for any safeguarding issues raised at any of our participating clubs.

With the safeguarding of young people and vulnerable adults very much in the public eye, clubs were reminded of the requirement to review their safeguarding procedures in line with current FA guidance, and to document permission to the SYACL website to post images of participants on-line and on social media.

FA Guidance is available at https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/safeguarding/section-10-safeguarding-adults

The SYACL has reviewed its Covid Risk assessments and shared these with Concord and Goals Sheffield.

Although FA guidance permits the return of a limited number of spectators from 12^th April, the SYACL Committee had decided to continue with its restrictions on the size of squads for match days for the final round of 7-a-side matches on the 9^th May, and the final round of 5-a-side matches on 23^rd May. This decision was endorsed unanimously by the participating clubs, and so 7-a-side squads remain limited to 10 players and two coaches, and 5-a-side squads restricted to 8 players and 2 coaches.

The meeting reviewed the SYACL’s existing protocols for match days, including temperature checks on arrival, the wearing of masks and the strict separation of squad bubbles.

Mike was able to update the Committee on consultation with the FA over dispensation for mixed gender adult football.  “I’m pleased to inform you that the FA have this morning agreed to our request to continue mixed gender adult football for next season,” Mike explained. “Due to the difficulties of the last year, they recognise and accept that it would be almost impossible for new female teams to be formed.”

“Female players will continue to play with the male players for season 2021/22, in the South Yorkshire Ability Counts League. However, for safeguarding reasons it will only be in the 5-a-side league and will not be permitted for 7-a-side.”

For further details on the 7-a side restart, follow:

www.southyorkshireabilitycountsleague.com

or check us out on Twitter @SYACL 

It was a wee bit cooler for Colin today as he completed his 7k walk in aid of Autism. A just giving page has been set up at :

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/colins7for700kforautism

Here are the photos of all the challenges.

First the 7k walk, followed by 7k bike and then the 7k run.

Well done Colin.

Hello All,

As some of you know I have the privilege of helping with an open-age football league for adults with learning difficulties and autism called the SYACL and with a disability service provision in Rotherham called Social Eyes.

This week ahead  is World Autism Awareness Week so I’ll be running 7k cycling 7k and walking 7k for Social Eyes.

The 7 represents the fact that 1 in 100 folk in the UK  has some form of autism – 700,000 people.

You can check Social Eyes out at www.socialeyesrotherham.co.uk 

and the SYACL at www.southyorkshireabilitycountsleague.com

If you can support this fantastic group by sponsoring me that would be great, but if you can’t just give me some words of encouragement! 

To support just drop me a note @ susancolinm@gmail.com or visit the just giving page that has been set up https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/colins7for700kforautism

best wishes and thankyou, Colin

ps Walk and run completed, walk ahead.

An invitation has been announced on Twitter today [twitter.com/SHCFA/status/1370630722248138752] to find out who you nominated to become our heroes of Grassroots Football 2020 and who the winners are.

You are invited to join them virtually to celebrate the amazing people who go above and beyond to make football for all.

If you have Twitter, hop onto @FA at 8pm on Tuesday 16^th March and celebrate.

A spoiler alert of the winner of Grassroots Coach of the Year Adults section, it’s our Darren.

There are already congratulatory messages flooding in on Facebook and Twitter and for those of you that don’t have the platforms we will collate and post the messages on here in the next few days.

Club Doncaster Titans

Would like to say a massive thank you to everyone for this. On behalf of Darren and this family and all of the body at the club thank you.

Sheridan Batunas

No one else deserved it more. Football was his life and he put so much in to it and that’s why the club is where it is today due to his hard work and his wife Sharon Warner   and all the other amazing coaches/staff there, so a big well done. 

Jane Newbury

Well earned, well deserved.

Darren still winning awards! Legend.

Cameron Mounde

Thankyou Darren Warner.

Cameron Mounde

And thank you for Sharon Warner for letting me play for Club Doncaster Titans.

Martin Taylor

Thank you. 

Bradford City Disability FC

 Darren was a true legend and his legacy will carry on in the club. And we hope to see you all soon.

Kaz Roberts

So so true x

Hope you’re all well and looking forward to better times!

The 7-a-side teams have all expressed an interest in returning to league matches – post lockdown – so fixtures arranged for the 11th April, at Concord Sports Centre, will be going ahead. The last set of league matches for this season can then be concluded in May, either on the 9th or the 16th.

City Knights 5-a-side teams have withdrawn for this season, all their matches against league opponents have been annulled – haven’t played 75% of their fixtures – and the league tables have been amended to reflect the changes. New amended tables on results page.
The remaining 5-a-side fixtures for this season can now be played out on 1 match day, that has been arranged for the 23rd May and the remaining 5-a-side fixtures for April 18th have been postponed until that date.
Full Time has sent out fixtures for the 7-a-side matches in April and the 5-a-side matches in May, to all team administrators.

The league will continue to follow Covid 19 guidelines from the Government /NHS & venues, regarding safety on match days and the risk assessment arranged by the league will be ongoing, until we are told differently. The government’s roadmap out of lockdown gives us some hope that spectators may be allowed from late May.

It will be extremely strange when we restart not to see Darren Warner at the venues, he was ever present over many years and I’m sure many of us and our members will still be affected by his absence – for a considerable time. The league plan to stage memorials at both the 5 and 7-a-side match days, to celebrate the life of our wonderful friend.

It was always going to be difficult to replace Darren in his league role as secretary, but I’m pleased to say that Paul Jubb ( Bradford City DFC) has kindly agreed to to fill that position. Paul has a wealth of experience and knowledge of disability football and team administration and is the ideal person to ensure the smooth running of league affairs. Paul will be taking up his duties in the next couple of weeks, so please do not contact him just yet, if you have any administrative queries. In the meantime, if you have any queries or concerns please contact myself  or Colin.

It’s likely that a Zoom meeting in late March will discuss all of the above, with details being sent out to all in the next couple of weeks.

I hope you, your families and club members are all well !

The League were awaiting the announcement next week by the government on the route out of lockdown, before posting about the possible resumption of League matches in March.

However, now that almost an additional 2 million people have been identified as vulnerable to the virus and added to the shielding group, fixtures scheduled for March have been postponed and moved to April.

The 5 and 7-a-side Leagues have only two match days each remaining for us to complete this season; and although usually we finish by April, our intention is to play this seasons remaining matches in the months when the risk of transmission of the virus is low. The League is willing to conclude this season as late as the summer if necessary, allowing the opportunity to all our members to participate and not miss out due to government guidelines on shielding.

We will continue to monitor the situation, keep you all informed of any changes and have a League meeting a few weeks before any scheduled re-start.

Keepmoat tribute to a Titan of our game.

Last Saturday saw the funeral of Club Doncaster Titans founder and South Yorkshire Ability Counts giant Darren Warner.

Darren’s wife, Sharon, and sons Jordan and Cameron accompanied him to Rose Hill Crematorium, on Cantley Lane in Doncaster, where the regulation small group of mourners paid their final respects.

Covid-19 restrictions preventing the larger congregation at the Crematorium, hundreds of friends and family members paid their own fantastic tribute when the funeral cortege paused at the Keepmoat Stadium, the home of Doncaster Rovers.

For a moment, so many people whose lives had been touched by Darren took the chance to say their thank you and goodbye.

It was a fitting way for them to show how much Darren Warner meant to all of us.

We thank Sharon for her permission to use these photographs and send her and the boys our condolences and best wishes.

Remember, you can still donate to Dannyl Hall’s fundraiser for Darren https://uk.gofundme.com/f/darren-warner-rip. The appeal is fast closing in on its target of £3000. 

SHARON WARNER 

Darren was my true hero, I was proud of everything he achieved in life, my heart is broken but all the lovely comments have helped me though these last few weeks.

Daz, I hope you can see all these lovely comments !!’ And how much people appreciated what you gave.

 I’m so proud to be your wife; thank you for being you xxxxxx

I will always love you xxxxx

Today we publish the tribute Darren’s wife sent to us.

Visit our blog page; click the post “A gentleman of our times”; after reading the post and the club emblems you will find the opportunity to click on comments and view more tributes to Darren.

Today we publish the tributes received on the death of Darren Warner, the secretary of http://www.southyorkshireabilitycountsleague.com

We have received so many messages and tributes to Darren that we have added an extra page to our website entitled Darren Warner RIP.

As you read the tributes please also remember Sharon and Jordan, their families and Darren’s second family Team Titan.