My Passion with Nigel Bullas: Getting a big kick out of teaching youngsters the skills of soccer

Nigel Bullas, managing partner at accountancy firm Clough & Company, based in Cleckheaton, talks about his passion for coaching football.

I’ve always had a passion for football and I have passed on my love of the game to my two lads, which is how I first got involved in coaching.

I have such an enthusiasm for the sport and if I’m not coaching, I’m playing or watching it.

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Junior football has been played in the Huddersfield area since the 1880s and there are more players now than ever before.

My eldest boy started playing for Upperthong at the age of seven and before I knew it, I started coaching the team – a job that lasted nine years, plus three years as the chairman.

When my younger son started to play, he joined Honley Junior Football Club. I wasn’t involved in coaching his team for the first few years as I was still involved with my eldest son’s team, but I took on the role at the beginning of last season after the existing coach had to stand down to take an assignment overseas.

I coach the current under-14 team who have a squad of 15 lads who pitch up religiously every week for training and turn out to play every Sunday.

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It’s a big commitment as we travel all over the county for matches, but it’s extremely rewarding for everyone involved.

We are part of the Huddersfield Junior Football League which is the biggest junior league outside of London, with more than 400 clubs. We are currently playing in division two of the under-14 section.

As a club, the under-15 age-group get to tour Europe, playing football in either Germany, Belgium or Holland.

It’s a tremendous opportunity and experience, but costly, so the challenge over the next 15 months or so is to raise sufficient funds to enable them to go. Sponsors are now an essential element of the game at all levels, but in the current economic climate, the task to raise funds will be even more daunting.

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A great deal of dedication and leadership is needed to ensure things get done properly, and it’s great to see so many people giving up their time and energy to be involved in something so worthwhile.

Still, some people ask me why I do it, as you do get a bit of stick on and off the pitch, but I enjoy seeing the lads build on their skills and develop a fantastic team spirit.

My eldest is at university now but he is still in touch with the lads he played with because football has a way of fostering bonds which last a lifetime.

The discipline and competitive nature of the game also teaches the lads from an early age how to commit and succeed.

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As well as coaching I also play five-a-side and have been a Huddersfield Town season ticket-holder for 40 years, so you could say football is not just a passion but a bit of an obsession. My wife would certainly say that it was.