Gianluca is leaving
Our Italian coach Gianluca Frijia has been with us for the last year, trying to install some Italian technique into the team. He is now leaving to take up a University research post at Potsdam University, near Berlin, Germany. We would like to thank Gianluca for his help and wish him well in the future. I am sure he will be keeping a close eye on our results!
Ex-Rovers Player Brendan Armstrong Selected for Vancouver Whitecaps
Brendan Armstrong who used to play for Charlton Rovers, and attended Holy Apostles School with many of the current team, has been selected to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps Prospects U11 team. He will be touring Europe with the Whitecaps during the summer. The Whitecaps are Vancouvers premier professional team and recently played against LA Galaxy and David Beckham! Since moving to Canada Brendan has been playing with the Dunbar Soccer Club from U7 onwards and is currently in the U12 Gold 1 team.
Charlton Rovers Rainjackets
Many thanks to Mike Conway and Camargue PR 
for supplying all the players with a Charlton Rovers Rainjacket.
If anyone else wants to order Charlton Rovers kit please follow the following link: http://www.academysports.org.uk/clubs/charltonrovers/shop/ or contact Donald.
Fitness Testing
We have recently been conducting fitness tests using the BEAP TEST. This is a Multi-Stage Fitness Test (MSFT) used to monitor the development of an athlete's maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max). This test is very good for young football players as the short turns are specific to the nature of the sport. The test involves running between markers spaced 20m apart to a set of timed beeps, starting at Level 1. Each level lasts about a minute. The interval between each beep get shorter for every level, which each contain about 8 sets of 20m, with more legs for the higher levels. Results of the latest beep tests were in order of ranking (higher score is better):
Sam Jones 3.05
James Weatherley 3.05
Andrew Bower 4.02
Ed Middleton 5.01
Tom Daubeney 5.01
Jack Godwin 5.05
Louis Cambridge 5.06
David Brighton 6.01
Eugene Noguera 6.01
Henry Winters 8.01
Max Conway 8.06
Aidan Laker 8.07
Michael Sprason 9.01
Joel Payne ?9.01 (did not attend but does the same tests for squash)
Josh Leighton 9.02
Ronan Laker 10.01
Louis Brown 10.03
Dominic Woodcock 10.05
Click here for a larger image beap test chart
Tips to improve your score
1. Maintain a steady pace
2. Make sharp turns
3. Take deep breaths and keep relaxed
4. Push yourself through the pain barrier - if you are mentally strong you can get a better score for the same fitness level
5. Don't eat a large meal before the test
Some targets to aim for!
The world average for an adult professional footballer is apparently 13.1 (so U-11 Charlton Rovers players should aim to reach level 6-9)
The Charlton women's football team scored between 8 and 12 (June 2007)
The entry level for the British Army is 10.02
The entry level for the London Fire Brigade is 8.06
The entry level for the Australian Army Reserve is 7.05
What does your score mean?
Your scores can be used to calculate VO2 from the following website by clicking here http://www.topendsports.com/testing/beepcalc.htm
You can also use the links on this page to compare your VO2 score to that of professional athletes.
