Fleet boss Dennis Kutrieb and first-team coach Chris Franks were out in the local community again earlier this week, this time donating their time to Swanscombe Tigers FC.
The club’s management staff had previously taken evening sessions with Fleet’s own U15s and the latest linkup saw Dennis offer his expertise and insight to Swanscombe Tigers coaches. He took questions from the various Tigers’ staff, some of whom are taking up their positions for their first season, before he and Chris then took a number of sessions and drills for the club’s U13s and U14s.
With club CEO Damian Irvine also in attendance as well as BBC Southeast TV cameras, it is part of the club’s drive to expand our role and visibility in the local community, through our own academy sides, other local youth sports clubs and further into schools and community groups as we expand the initiative.
Located just up Stonebridge Road and off past Swanscombe High Street, the Tigers are very much a part of a growing and vibrant local community in Swanscombe and the Ebbsfleet Garden City and currently run more than 25 sides including girls, veterans and ability teams, growing rapidly over the last five years to boast a playing roster of 450+ children and adults.
After Dennis took a Q&A session with a group of Tigers coaches, he put the youngsters through their paces in an intensive couple of sessions… only letting them earn their rest when the light gave out and even the Fleet boss conceded that he couldn’t see the shooting practice in the pitch black!
Both Dennis and Chris have a background in youth football, having cut their training teeth with player development, and both were involved with Tennis Borussia Berlin’s younger sides before taking on management of the first-team.
Prior to the Tigers training, the Fleet also hosted BBC News cameras at the Kuflink Stadium where Damian Irvine and Fair Game CEO Niall Couper were interviewed about the organisation’s manifesto launch aimed at improving football governance and finance. That will be part of BBC1’s Politics show this Sunday morning at 8:30am, and viewable on the BBC iPlayer afterwards.
