Juniors/Devils Community Foundation

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Skate_It_Off!!!

New Member
#81
#81
As a partially interested observer, I've noted over a period of time that the Junior Section/DCF have provided a number of players to the elite league, in fact 2 of the 10 players now signed for this coming season have come through this route. There is a likelihood that others may well be signed or at the very least be on a 2 way contract with the NIHL 1 team.

My point being that PR has effectively carved up the creditability of the DCF by allegedly using some of its funds to pay for the elite league team's business debts whether they are players wages or paying local suppliers.

It is imperative with any sports team that have aspirations to support it's junior/youth players, the club and it's erstwhile (long suffering) supporters should take a look at providing some support over this difficult period particularly as the subs paid by either the juniors parents and NIHL 2 players have been allegedly re- directed to keep the club afloat rather than pay what they were meant for namely Ice Time.

I have faith that the new committee will act in the best interests of theJuniors/NIHL teams especially with the likes of Nigel Davies and Rob Shanahan being involved however it would be beneficial for the CDRA to have some liaison with the new committee in the interests that they are aware of any immediate difficulties the new post holders face and provide/offer any assistance where possible.

In the long run the club will be stronger from top to bottom and as it has been stated already on a number of occasions this is not the fault of the kids or NIHL 2 players who paid their subs into the DCF account in good faith.
 
K

Kipper

Active Member
#82
Thread starter #82
Skate_It_Off!!! said:
In the long run the club will be stronger from top to bottom and as it has been stated already on a number of occasions this is not the fault of the kids or NIHL 2 players who paid their subs into the DCF account in good faith.
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That is the point. I pay my son's monthly subs in good faith for his NIHL2 training. That being so, why has my money not been used to pay for his ice time when thousands of pounds were/are owed to Planet Ice? It is something the Trustee should look into................oh wait!!

When my son has played for NIHL1 he has paid his match fees.

Good luck to the parents who have volunteered to form the new committee. Having chaired CJIHC I know it is a thankless task. The one thing I do know is I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole with any involvement from Ragan or his plants.
 
W

willpower

New Member
#83
#83
Mooney#16 said:
I think you would also be over egging the pudding on the relevance of fan support. Do people go and watch games. As commented the relevance of the 50/50 to the juniors is in question. The parents are paying a lot of their money to fund their kids to play hockey. Not sure it's fair to blast them all just because Ragan kept an involvement. Fan base support for the juniors in reality has little to no implication.

You can make it political and about Ragan if you wish but the importance is the kids not acceptance of Cardiff Devils fans. The DCF needs increased accountability and traceability in its administration and people to call out any potential misconduct but it needs to also find a re focus in what it is. It's a kids sports club. It is there to allow kids access to a sport and help and nurture them to the best they can be. For that the simple focus of that committee should be to strategise its coaching policy and work on getting the best possible development procedures and cultures in place. It's not even about winning. That's a secondary product. Get coaches who want to teach all the kids the joy of the game and help them get out of it what they have. Coaches who know the path to success and focus on the correct parts of the game and offering the same development path to all kids irrespective of ability.

The DCF should not be a parents wallet comparison country club. It should be all about development of young athletes. If Ragan wishes to be involved along with all others they need to re evaluate what they are there for and set the wheels in motion of change that sees the juniors become a energetic environment where hockey is all encompassing.

Rant over.
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What a post !!!!! could'nt agree more, Andrew Lloyd et al would do well to read this and take heed,The DCF is far from perfect, they are coaching the joy out of the game and the emphasis is all about results. There is far too much favouritism and the man management of the kids is farcical. My youngster is 14 and he has had the same coach since he was 7.
Imagine having the same teacher all the way through school !!!. Ragan should have gone, the favouritism shown to his boy last season was an absolute joke. The DCF as an organisation needs drastic change and new coaches given a chance to shine
 
S

showboat

Member
#84
#84
As I have mentioned, not enough age group coaches, Lloyd has not the experiance , most of the coaches have left due to internal politics, ain't a cheap sport so juniors deserve better .
 
C

Cardon

Member
#85
#85
Andrew Lloyd took the under 14s from - only missing out on being relegated last year because Romford folded, to finishing 3rd in the league this year. He puts in an enormous amount of time and effort into his coaching which he does for free. Without people like Andrew Lloyd there would be no Cardiff Junior Devils. How many of you work for free?
 
B

Budgie

Member
#86
#86
Andrew Lloyed has played hockey ever since the ice rink opened in Cardiff, and has always been an intelligent hard working player?
That work ethic I believe is carried on in his coaching!

People should remember if it wasn't for people like Andrew them youth teams wouldn't survive, and when Andrews boy grows put of the system he will leave a massive hole, so make the most of him while you got him

I suggest those who are complaining are the parents who think their child is possibly better than they actually are and should open their eyes and mind as it's not a free ride the kids either have it or they don't, if they do then great if they don't just let them enjoy their game as very few players make it to the top level, but hundred play in minor or recreational teams and are having a great time!

DON'T SPOIL IT FOR THE KIDS THEIR HAPPINESS IS YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY :RAWK
 
Y

Yoda

New Member
#87
#87
Showboat and Willpower get your skates on and get out there! lets see what you can do!

Have you volunteered to help or run a team as you can clearly do a better job of coaching a group of mixed ability kids than Andrew Lloyd or any of the other coaches whilst keeping all the parents happy (impossible) ? Did you put yourselves forward for the committee to help the club through this difficult time ? why are you airing your personal grievances against Andrew on a public forum behind a pseudonym ?

Says more about you than him.
 
Foxy

Foxy

Well-Known Member
#89
#89
Reading this I understand why parents shouldn't coach there own kids!!!!!!! Not feasible i know but there will always be these type of accusations otherwise.

Didnt the juniors have their own professional coach a few years ago? What happened with him?
 
Y

Yoda

New Member
#90
#90
They cost money the service isn't free, Brent was head coach and was paid. Jamie Elson took over and was also paid but based only on what I have heard the council pulled the funding that paid this position recently so Jamie has left with no ongoing involvement with The Juniors.
 
Finny

Finny

Well-Known Member
#91
#91
I noticed the latest account for the DCF have been made public this week, and although I admit not understanding everything fully it does seem to back up my worries:

http://apps.charitycommission.gov.u...tHandler.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1126298

Obviously the ice rental is quite high (£91,000), but what on earth is rent and rates of £38,000 for? Is that the Fees that Ragan/Cardiff Ice Arena were charging them?
Nearly £4000 in Advertising?!?!?!?!?
£3000 in Miscellanous?
And then there is nearly another £4000 for Deprication of Plant and Machinery? Surely that would be Planet Ice's responsibility?

In total that's around £50,000 a year the DCF were charged by 'the club' to run it. If the club are no longer connected to the Juniors, who will be getting that £50k a year now?

It also confirms that the DCF were more than £10,000 in debt by the end of last summer.
 
S

Skate_It_Off!!!

New Member
#92
#92
The link works fine until pressing the view button for the most recent accounts at which point the page entirely disappears, though I can view the previous years accounts via their individual view buttons; has a block been put on this since Finny uploaded to this thread?

I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing to see how this 'charity' spent its funds, given the alleged amount of debt it now faces.
 
Wannabe2

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#95
#95
Even Lucifer himself would be red faced looking at those horrific figures. Time to go down a different safe road methinks.
 
G

Gingers Husband

Active Member
#100
#100
It's the van and the inflatable shooting cage I believe. Considering it's a registered charity the accounts have always made horrific reading and have got worse year after year. It should just die a death before too long but at what cost to the junior section? I don't currently have any children in the system but have seen, through other junior sports, how infighting and parental point scoring destroys clubs, good relationships sometimes built over years and the kids enjoyment of the sport. The parents involved at the moment need to have the determination to firstly, organise another vote for every position and make sure it is carried out properly. Every parent votes and the votes are handed in (or posted) to an independent source for counting and announcing. Speaking from experience, a lot of parents need to have a good hard think and maybe admit that their kid isn't as good as they have made him or her out to be and shouldn't be an automatic pick, may be an idea then to just let the coaches pick the teams. The kids should be seen as equals by the parents and, initially, the coaches for the greater good. Remember folks, they won't be kids for long, get as much enjoyment out of it as you possibly can, for your sakes and for theirs.
As an aside, how long will they be permitted to use the name "Devils Community Foundation" now they are not associated with the Devils?
 
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