Woodley United FC Youth coach Stephen Moody has been awarded a Woodley Town Council Citizens Award in recognition of his drive, enthusiasm and commitment to the development of youth football in Woodley.
Stephen joined Woodley Town as a player in the early 2000’s but was forced to retire due to injury. He then decided that he decided he wanted to coach players, and in particular youngsters, and embarked on gaining FA coaching qualifications.
Having gained his qualifications, Stephen is currently the highest qualified coach at the club.
Initially Stephen started his coaching career at u7 level in 2006, taking the team through to u18 football.
As a result of their long involvement with the club and Stephen’s coaching, some of the players that had been coached at the club since young ages have managed to break into the club’s men’s teams, with one making his first team debut as a teenager this season.
Following the creation of Woodley United in 2015, Stephen was very instrumental in overseeing the growth and development of the club’s pre-school – u7 section.
He helped from player development, coach recruitment and education and the design of the club’s coaching DNA and session plans for the younger age groups.
These plans are child centred and the club continues to receive positive feedback from parents on how their children enjoy the sessions.
Under Stephen’s guidance, participation has grown from seven children in January 2016 to over two hundred children now playing football from pre-school to u9 football for the club.
The recruitment of coaches has included giving opportunities to the club’s 16-18 year old players to start their coaching careers and aid them with school education activities.
“Presenting Stephen with a Woodley Town Council Citizens award will be a tremendous recognition of the service he has given to the local community,” said club president Mark Rozzier.
“Even more so given he does this while commuting to London for work and travels twice a week to Woodley from Bramley, Hants, where he now lives to coach, and manages an u7 team.”
