Aberdeen Ladies under-14s have been nominated in the 2023 Aberdeen’s Sports Awards Team Performance of the Year catergory following their double trophy triumph.
In their debut season at U14s – and 11-a-side level – the youngsters won their first bit of silverware when they lifted the North League Cup after beating Turriff 4-0 at Balmoral Stadium in May 2022.
They followed the cup win up with the league title in November, winning the North Rachel Corsie U14s division with one game to spare, and eventually finishing the season seven points clear at the top of the table.
Aberdeen Ladies U14s coach Neil Adam was delighted with their achievements over their first campaign as a squad, especially considering the quality of football their opponents offered up.
Our U14s finished their successful League campaign in a back and forth game against Grampian Utd, edging a 4-3 win. A stand out match for girls football at any level. Time now for a break before the step up to U16s. @afcl14s @FcGrampian @ScotWFootball @Jax_Mc_Media pic.twitter.com/Rk8Dsd5cpW
— Aberdeen FC Ladies (@aberdeenfcl) November 12, 2022
He said: “We merged two 7-a-side teams to form the U14s and, although they maybe didn’t get on the best at the start of the season, they work together brilliantly as a group now.
“Our expectations at the start of the season were just to see how we got on and to always make sure we made training and playing fun for the girls.
“We had aspirations to do well, so I thought we could be there or thereabouts at the top of the table, but winning the league and the cup exceeded all of our expectations.
“It was a really exciting and challenging season. The league was really close and the quality of football was really high and the games were very competitive.
“It was entertaining for us all. The parents, who have been through youth football with older siblings said they hadn’t seen anything like it before and were really impressed with the standard of all the teams.”
So, what was the key ingredient for Aberdeen’s success?
Adam believes creating a respectful and positive environment played its part, as all the players were given an opportunity to make their mark during the campaign.
He said: “We try to make sure everybody is involved and gets game time. The girls are motivated because they know they have all played their part.
“I think that’s a special message, because it involves those who might want to make football a career and those who are playing for the social aspect, and might not have those future aspirations.
“Our team is built on respect – we respect the girls and they respect us as coaches. They have an input with things at training, so we listen to them and if it’s a good idea then we’ll do it.
“Our only condition is you show up, are ready to train and do things to the best of your ability.”
Trophy parade at Pittodrie an ‘unbelievable’ experience
Following their trophy success, the U14s team were invited to Pittodrie in October when Aberdeen Women played at the club stadium, and did a lap of honour at half-time with their League Cup silverware.
Adam said: “The girls were so excited to go to Pittodrie – they were jumping up and down, it was an unbelievable experience for them.
“This season was the first time any of the girls had won a trophy in football, so it was completely new for them to be invited to those sort of things.
“They’ve been along to take park in younger teams’ training, too, and they’re just not used to that kind of adulation – they’re normally the ones looking up to other players.
“It was great to be there when Aberdeen Women’s team played at Pittodrie because it gave our girls a chance to see what they could potentially be doing four or five years down the line.”
Next season, the U14s will make the step up to U16s where they will be one of the youngest squads in the league, but coach Adam says his side will be ready for the challenge.
He said: “We’ll be a really young U16s team, so the girls will be coming up against girls who are older and bigger than them, it’ll be a physical challenge, but technically, we should be fine.
“We want to push the girls to improve, so if they can have a good year at U16s early in their development, it sets them up well for when they move up the other age groups.
“Hopefully it places them well to go on and play national performance, and maybe even for the Aberdeen Women team in the future.”
Aberdeen’s Sports Awards 2023
The 2023 edition of Aberdeen’s Sports Awards, the annual celebration of Granite City sporting success, which will take place P&J Live on Thursday, March 23.
For more information, visit: www.dctevents.com/event/aberdeensportsawards
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