Many of you may already know Coach Carver, but for those who do not, here is a little bit about our new Soccer Co-Director!:
"I started coaching with BSA in 2021 and have thoroughly enjoyed working both with the dedicated and talented on and off-pitch staff, as well as enthusiastic young players of varied backgrounds and levels of soccer experience. Seeing their progress through a season has been a huge inspiration to me, and I hope for the boys and girls themselves as well.
I’m father to two boys, the eldest of whom plays in the U8s with the younger one seemingly very keen to follow in his brother’s footsteps. I was born and grew up in southern England (so I am bursting at pride at our national team winning a major championship for the first time since ’66 this summer!) and my earliest memories include being taught football by my grandfather – an extremely talented player who could have chosen a professional career had life turned out differently – and taken to matches at Carrow Road, home of the greatest team in the world: Norwich City!
As a kid, I was considered a useful left back, or – given half a chance – an enterprising sweeper. Suffice to say, I didn’t score many goals, but I like to think I frustrated one or two attackers in my time.
My professional life has taken its turns through social housing refurbishment projects, industrial real estate endeavors and TV, radio and digital advertising advocacy work with European stakeholders. These days, I design and build websites.
I hope that I can pass on some of the passion for the game handed down to me by my grandfather (I have many, many things to thank my own parents for, but sportsmen they were not!) as well as what I remember from the excellent coaches I had as a young player. While I have enjoyed playing a variety of sports, for me there has always been something in the experience that transcends the score line. Indeed, I have long been guided by something my grandfather once told me, and that he had slightly adapted as well an Englishman might: “It matters not who won the game, but how you played the game.”