The Final Whistle - Surrey FA Podcast

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.