The Final Whistle - Surrey FA Podcast

In this episode of The Final Whistle, we were delighted to be joined by England Cerebral Palsy International Harry Baker. Harry has represented England in seven major tournaments, including three World Championships, an Intercontinental Cup, and a World Games. As well as recently being called up for his third European Championship.

Harry shares his journey in Cerebral Palsy football and the impact this has had on his life. He also covers his experiences playing for England on the international stage and what preparations have been like leading up to the 2023 IFCPF Euros.

Stay tuned for 'Talk Footy', where we will cover the final league positions across the Surrey leagues for the 2022/23 season, and for 'Surrey Summarise', where we will focus on the major events in the Surrey FA County Cup Finals.

In this episode of The Final Whistle, we are pleased to be joined by Darren Sarll, manager of National League side Woking FC. Darren has extensive management and coaching experience, including spells at Stevenage, Brentford, Rotherham United, Watford, and Yeovil Town, in addition to his present position at Woking.

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week 2023, Darren shares his experience with mental health in football, what he has learnt from these experiences, and his connection with Dr Allen Johnstone and the League Managers Association (LMA). Darren also provides some insight into his managerial journey, reflections upon this season at Woking and his future aspirations.

Make sure to stay tuned in the second half of the episode for ‘Talk Footy’, in which we will review the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, also, for ‘Surrey Summarise’, where we will share updates on the Surrey County Cup Finals.

In this episode of ‘The Final Whistle’, we sit down to have a chat with Michael Hamilton, the Academy Manager and ex Academy Head of Coaching at AFC Wimbledon. Michael provides some great insight into the life of academy players, mainly between the ages of 16-18 years. He speaks about the process of players joining grassroots, semi-pro, and pro academies and breaks down the competitive nature of them progressing into adult teams. Finally, we also discuss what lies beyond academies and how they can stay glued to the game.

Make sure to stay tuned in the second half of the episode for ‘Talk Footy’, in which we will review the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as ‘Surrey Summarise’, in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA. 

In this episode of The Final Whistle, we are delighted to be joined by Helen Ogle, star striker for Fulham FC Women and Football Development Workforce Officer at Surrey FA.

Helen shares her journey and playing career through grassroots football from Crookham Rovers and Fleet Town LFC to Fulham FC. We explore her experiences at Fulham, along with how she has provided some inspiration for the next generation of young female football players. In addition, Helen discusses her thoughts on the positive growth of women's football and gives some insight into her role at Surrey FA.

Stay tuned in the second half of the episode for 'Talk Footy,' in which we will cover the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surry Summarise,' in which we will share details on the latest activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In this episode of The Final Whistle, we sit down to talk with Michael Harrington, the Disability Manager and ex-Deputy Head of Sports & Well-being at the Palace for Life Foundation. Michael gives us great insight into the world of disability sports and Powerchair Football. He breaks down the intricacies of Powerchair Football and talks about the disability provisions they offer, how it impacts the community, what it is like to deal with technology, and the challenges they face on a regular basis.

Make sure to stay tuned in the second half of the episode for ‘Talk Footy’, in which we will review the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as ‘Surrey Summarise’, in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In this episode of The Final Whistle, we are delighted to be joined by Danielle Boyd, who is part of the coaching team for Tottenham Hotspur Women U21's and a Business Support Officer here at Surrey FA.

We cover Danielle's journey from a having football scholarship in the United States to ultimately acquiring her current placement coaching role at Spurs. Additionally, we will get her thoughts on the Lionesses' win in the 2022 Euro's, the effect this has had on women's and girl's grassroots football, and the excitement in the build-up to the Women's World Cup this summer in Australia & New Zealand.

Stay tuned in the second half of the episode for 'Talk Footy,' in which we will cover the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surry Summarise,' in which we will share details on the latest activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In this episode of 'The Final Whistle', we sit down to talk with female referee Elle Kaplicz, who officiates across both the male and female game. Elle has had ten years of refereeing experience, obtaining Level 5 in men's football and Level 3 and 2A in women's football. Elle discusses her journey as a female referee, the challenges she faced along the way, and how she maneuvered through them. She also shares some of her highs and best moments as a referee.

Make sure to stay tuned in the second half of the episode for 'Talk Footy', in which we will review the weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surrey Summarise', in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In this episode of The Final Whistle, we are delighted to be joined by the CEO & Vice Chairman of Sutton United Football Club, Adrian Barry.

Adrian grew up as a childhood fan of 'The U's' and has ultimately become a vital member at the club. Adrian discusses his journey and role as CEO of Sutton, their impressive rise in fortunes in both league and cup football in recent years, the transition into the English Football League, work with the local community, and the future ambitions of the club.

Stay tuned in the second half of the episode for 'Talk Footy,' in which we will cover the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surry Summarise,' in which we will share details on the latest activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In this episode of The Final Whistle, we sit down to talk with Luis Melville, an FA mentor and futsal Coach.

Luis has been involved with futsal for more than 18 years and is currently the Head Coach of the Women’s Futsal Team at St. Mary’s University, which competes in the BUCS Premier South. Luis provides excellent insight by sharing his journey in football and how he transitioned into futsal. He also covers what differentiates futsal from the conventional 11-a-sided game and why coaches should be more involved in this small-sided format.

Stay tuned for the show’s second half, where we will review the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues in our Talk Footy segment. Along with ‘Surrey Summarise’, with updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

A brand-new year brings more exciting editions of The Final Whistle. In the first episode of 2023, we sit down with Harry Mark, a Football Development apprentice here at Surrey FA, and cover his journey in the lead-up to the National Apprenticeship Week.

Harry has been an apprentice with us for the past year through the Coach Core Foundation. He shares details about how the apprenticeship opportunity arose, how it has aided his personal growth, and, finally, how it paved the way for his future career in the football industry, recently accepting the position of Inclusion Officer at another County FA.

Make sure to stay tuned in the second half of the episode for 'Talk Footy', in which we will review the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surrey Summarise', in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In the fifth episode of The Final Whistle, we had an insightful conversation about Cerebral Palsy & Frame Football with Alex Gowing, coach and recent Chairman of Beacon Hill FC.

As a County FA, we recently celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, where we shined a light and shared case studies of people with disabilities involved in grassroots football across the county. In this episode, Alex provides insight into Beacon Hill's new Cerebral Palsy Frame football team called 'The Flames'. He discusses how they were founded, the funding they have achieved, how they've overcome different barriers and the team's aspirations moving forward.

Stay tuned in the second half of the episode for 'Talk Footy', in which we will review the bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surrey Summarise', in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In the fourth episode of The Final Whistle, we talk with Matt Kiley, a member of the grounds team at Hambledon Football Club. Hambledon FC Firsts currently play in the Premier Division of Surrey County Intermediate League Western (SCILW). In August 2022, Matt Kiley and fellow groundsman Martyn Grove won the ‘Grassroots Grounds Team of the Year’ at the England Football Grassroot Awards for their incredible work.

Matt has been involved with Hambledon FC since he was 16 years old as a player. This progressed into becoming the first team captain and club secretary, eventually getting involved in the grounds team five years ago. He discusses the various tasks and how they typically operate to maintain the pitch and facilities. In addition, Matt walks us through how they’ve transformed the pitch over the past decade. Finally, he wraps it up by providing great insight into the technology they use and how they overcome the barriers they face.

This episode will also feature ‘Talk Footy’, in which we will review bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as ‘Surrey Summarise’, in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In the third episode of The Final Whistle, we sit down with Justine Thomson (she/her), founder of Brighton Seagals FC, which is an independent grassroots football club in Brighton run for and by women and non-binary people. Brighton Seagals FC has an LGBTQ+ inclusive recreational football programme where they run weekly drop-in sessions, as well as a league team. The club is a Football v Homophobia champion club, finished third in the Football v Homophobia 2022 awards in the 'Women's Game' category and was the first in Sussex to become a Kick It Out Equality Charter Club.

Justine discusses how Brighton Seagals FC was born, the barriers faced setting up a gender-neutral team, her thoughts on the Rainbow Laces campaign, as well as her role as the Women's Recreational Football Officer on the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Legacy Programme and being part of the Women in Football x Heineken mentor programme.

This episode will also feature 'Talk Footy', in which we will review bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surrey Summarise', in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

In the second episode of The Final Whistle, we talk with PC Elliot Hartley of Surrey Police and Owais Khan of SBHL about the 'Unite Through Football: Refugee League', which has provided participation and personal development opportunities to a network of refugees residing in Surrey.

PC Elliot Hartley has been a Police Officer for the last eleven years and is currently part of the Safer Neighborhood Team for Mole Valley, based in Dorking. Meanwhile, Owais Khan is the Head of Communities and Customer Relations at SBHL (accommodation supplier for displaced refugees and asylum seekers). They have both collaborated with Surrey FA to develop the Refugee league, which is part of the wider 'Unite Through Football' project. The launch of the league has been a great success, with over 120 refugees from 22 nationalities participating.

Elliot and Owais discuss the development of the league, the benefits, who else can get involved and what the future holds for this innovative project.

This episode also includes 'Talk Footy', in which we will review bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as 'Surrey Summarise', in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.

To kick off the first season of The Final Whistle, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Surrey FA referee Isaac Nsubuga.

Isaac is a level 7 referee who only started his officiating career following the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2022. Isaac tells us about his journey as a young referee, his thought on Black History Month, the barriers he has faced, and what more can be done to improve officiating opportunities for people from a BAME background within grassroots football.

This episode also includes our new 'Talk Footy' segment, in which we will review bi-weekly results, goals, and performances throughout the Surrey FA leagues, as well as our brand new 'Surrey Summarise', in which we will share updates on current activities and campaigns at Surrey FA.