Children over 14 can volunteer for their bronze, silver or gold Duke of Edinburgh badges with the club. However, the number of volunteers the club can take is limited, as the children form part of the “safe ratios” of children to adults. Places must be pre-arranged with the club centrally to make sure that every one gets a fair opportunity to take part.
Watch out for more information about Duke of Edinburgh volunteers. The High School sign up month is October 2023 – several months earlier than usual, so the club is taking a moment to respond and change things up in response. It is likely that demand will be higher than the number of places available. Some children may need to wait their turn until January/February before starting their 3 month (Bronze) placements.
If your child decides to volunteer in football, please bear in mind your child should be supported to agree some simple goals and objectives with the main coach before they start, using the resources sent in the welcome pack (or from the Duke of Edinburgh webpages). For example, after 2-3 weeks of settling in, your child may offer to lead the warm up, or design and lead a specific drill in a section of the session.
Adults and children under 16 should not contact each other directly, so parents will deal with the coaches at all times. Just as with training, it is courteous to confirm that your child can attend each week, and to let the coach know if they cannot.
For gold award volunteers, who are over 16, a DBS check must be performed and the young person must complete a short e-learning. Under 18s should not be contacted privately by their coach mentors, but if the parent/child wish it is possible for the coach to communicate jointly to the child plus their parent or carer (so the parent can monitor). This is optional but permitted, for example, if the child feels it would better help them to develop their communication and planning skills to be able to share a session plan or idea with their coach mentor in advance of the session.
An alternative Duke of Edinburgh idea to consider is refereeing, which your child could learn as a new skill. Referees are paid a match fee for their time, but the training course and insurance come at a cost. For more information about current availability, see Liverpool FA (for Saturday refereeing in Warrington Junior Football League) or Manchester FA (for Sunday refereeing in Timperley Junior Football League. Courses are generally at weekends or in school holidays.
Lymm Piranhas JFC 