What a brilliant school I was invited to last week! I had the best time. Fantastic kids. Fantastic staff. Edible school dinner. What more can a visiting writer ask? It’s meeting classes like this that make me wish I hadn’t left teaching… but if I hadn’t left teaching, I wouldn’t meet classes like this…

A big hello to all of you. Mrs Green, don’t forget to read your Y6s ‘Simone’s Diary’ -  I promise they’ll be bouncing into secondary school in September if you do!

U11s with trophies

U12s celebrate in style

I had the honour of presenting the end of season awards to the Lincoln Griffins Ladies FC last Friday. I’ve never done anything like this before and thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I did make a mess of the few words I uttered!  There are several squads in the Griffins, as the table buckling under the weight of all the trophies testified.  Before each squad was presented with their trophies, their coach said a few words about how proud they were. Every eulogy was genuinely heartfelt and moving and made me realise just how much the players meant to the coaches and the coaches meant to the players. In the recent issue of fairgame magazine Mick Mulhern, the Sunderland Women’s coach, was asked why he still worked in the women’s game (after 10 seasons with them) His reply was:  ‘I have been asked to work in the men’s game and did so a few years back but I was frustrated and felt limited because even though the guys get paid, they’re just not as committed as the girls.’

I saw the results of that kind of commitment last Friday. Well done to all the Griffs; managers, coaches, secretaries and parents and good luck next season.

I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. The first book I had published,Vicious Circle, is going out of print together with Jade’s Story. Their sales just don’t cut the mustard.  It’s a shame but it’s the way it is in publishing. Bookshops only have so much shelf space and unless you are in the Premier League of children’s writers, what happens to midlisters like me is that when we have a new title out our old title is taken off the shelf. Few people know of my earlier stuff unless I do a school visit. Ironically Vicious Circle sells the best then! Everyone is eager to know what homeless Louisa May finds in her mother’s mangy old fox-fur.

I’m sad to see Jade’s Story  withdrawn, too.  In Jade’s Story, Jade’s father has a breakdown and she is full of resentment towards this man who acts so weird she can’t take friends home. I know, I know, I can see you rolling your eyes and thinking dreary real-life stuff no wonder it’s going out of print.  But mental illness is very common and anything that helps a child cope with it can’t be a bad thing. I had one moving letter from a 13 year-old girl I’ll treasure forever.  ‘I just wanted to say thanks for writing Jade’s Story. It helps me to cope. You see I am a bit like Jade. my mum has a long term illness and I care for her. I found this book in the library. I had searched before for a book like this but couldn’t find one. I was ecstatic when by chance I found Jade’s Story. It’s brilliant. I think more books should be written on this topic because I am sure there are many people it could help.’

Ah well.

I’m sorry, readers, but you’ll have to bear with me as my blogs become more and more football focused. I’m a bit immersed in it at the moment but I promise to flag up when I return to dragons and fairies. In the meantime, it was the Women’s FA Cup final yesterday (May 4th 2009)  Two million people watched it on TV and over 25,000 went to Pride Park, home of Derby County, to watch it live.  FYI Arsenal Ladies beat Sunderland Women 2-1 to take the cup for a fourth successive time. Not that you’d know it from the coverage in the newspapers today. Of the seven pages dedicated to football in the Times, the women’s match managed a short report covering a fifth of one page. No picture. No crowd attendance. Not even the correct team name (the reporter named Sunderland’s team Sunderland Ladies, not Women). OK, this might seem picky but would he have called Newcastle United Newcastle City?  I think not.  And Peter Lansley’s match report was one of the better ones.

In my mini survey, costing me almost five quid, I bought several other papers to compare coverage. This was, after all, an FA CUP FINAL. The Daily Mail carried a small picture of Arsenal’s Jayne Ludlow kissing the cup and a five line summary.  The Sun (I can’t believe I bought the Sun - sorry Liverpool) had the same picture, only smaller but with a slightly fuller report.  The Independent’s was about the same as the Sun’s but with a thumbnail picture of Arsenal’s retiring coach, Vic Akers, instead of Jayne Ludlow. Lamest of all was the Daily Telegraph’s mention; a derisory 2 x 2 inches infill among all the hype for Arsenal’s match against Manchester United tonight. ‘Take note, Arsenal men…’ Oh, come on!  What year is it again?

The best coverage of all was in the Guardian.  It carried a great 8 x 6″ action shot of Sophie Halliday and Gemma Davison competing for a header and a full report by Tony Leighton with post match quotes an’ all.  You know, like a proper report for a proper match. Good on you, Tony. As for the rest of you… must do better.

PS  I haven’t got a picture of the match so I’ve stuck in one I took when I watched OOH Lincoln Ladies play Nottingham Forest in the 5th round proper back in January.  I thought the page needed something to break up my in-depth research and commentary! The reds won that day, too.

Girls FC logo (registered trademark)

Here come the girls! My new series for 8-12 year olds is now significantly advanced enough for me to write about.  The covers are done, the launch is being planned, the characters are all set… wahoo!

Based around an U11s girls’ football team, the Parrs, the series is a mix of my usual reality-bites-but-with-laughs story-lines. It kicks off with 9 year old football mad Megan Fawcett. All she wants is to get five minutes on the pitch for her school team but Mr Glasshouse, headmaster and coach, believes only the Y5s and Y6s should play in the first team.  He barely notices her, even when she wears fairy wings and a tiara to training.  So, after a chance meeting with Hannah Preston from the senior women’s squad, Megan starts her own team. A team just for girls; some from school, some from after school club and one from Lornton FC’s ground caught nicking stuff from the changing rooms!

So (drum roll please) It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Parrs U11s

Megan Fawcett (goalkeeper) Dynamic, a born organizer but gets very nervous before a match

Petra Ward (defence) Megan’s best mate. Joins the team to be with Megan rather than to play football. At home she feels she is in the shadow of her pony obsessed sister Charlotte.

Lucy Skidmore (defence)  A natural athlete. Loves all sports.  Mum and dad have just split up which proves a problem for weekend matches (among other things)

Daisy and Dylan McNeil (wingers)  Crazy identical twins not quite on the planet

Holly Woolcock (defence) Step-mum is a dinner lady at Megan and Petra’s school. Self conscious about her weight

Nika Kozak (midfield) Newly settled from the Ukraine trying her hardest to fit in

Jenny-Jane Bayliss (midfield)  Known as Ball Hog Bayliss because once she as the ball she won’t let go.

Tabinda Shah (midfield) Dad sponsors the team

Gemma Hurst (central midfield)  Extraordinary talent but with a secret she doesn’t want to share

Eve Akboh (striker) Makes everyone laugh.

Amy Minter (anywhere) Known as Li’l Posh. More into fashion than football; she drives the team mad by not taking things seriously enough.

The first four titles - Do Goalkeepers Wear Tiaras?  Can Ponies Take Penalties? Are All Brothers Foul? and Is An Own Goal Bad? are all due out on August 3rd published by Walker Books. Watch this space!!