Alright, so my youngest, Tom, started getting really keen on football. You know how kids are. One minute it’s dinosaurs, the next it’s kicking a ball around like he’s gonna be the next big thing. So, we started looking around for a decent club, something a bit more serious than just a kickabout in the park. That’s when I first heard folks talking about Highline Premier Football Club. Sounded fancy, “Premier” and all that.
So, I thought, right, let’s check this out. First thing I did, like anyone these days, was to look them up online. Found a website. It was… well, it was there. Looked like it hadn’t seen an update since the last World Cup, maybe the one before. Took me a while just to figure out who to even contact or where to find details about tryouts for Tom’s age group. It wasn’t exactly screaming “organized” at me, if you catch my drift.
Eventually, I found a phone number. Gave it a ring. And another. And then one more time for good measure. Finally, someone picked up. Sounded like they were in the middle of a hurricane. I asked about the under-10s, how to get a kid involved. Got a lot of “uhhhs” and “umms,” and then they told me to email someone else. So, I did. Sent an email. Waited a few days. Nothing. Sent another. Still crickets.
I’m a bit old school, see. I figured, enough of this digital runaround. Decided to just drive down to their grounds one Saturday morning. Thought I’d catch someone, a coach, an admin, anyone. The place was buzzing, loads of kids, different games going on. Looked impressive from a distance, I’ll give them that. But trying to find someone in charge? That was another mission altogether.
I wandered about for a bit, feeling a bit like a spare part at a wedding. Finally collared a coach who looked like he wasn’t about to blow his whistle. Asked him my questions. He was nice enough, but seemed swamped. Said something about forms on the website – the same website that felt like a relic – and tryouts being “sometime next month, maybe.” No firm dates, no clear process. It was all a bit… vague. You’d think for a “Premier” club, they’d have this stuff nailed down, right?
It reminded me of this one time I tried to get a permit from the council for a small extension on the house. You get passed from pillar to post, everyone says it’s someone else’s job. That’s what it felt like. Lots of activity, lots of shiny tracksuits, but getting a straight answer was like finding a needle in a haystack.
- Website was a bit of a maze.
- Getting someone on the phone was tough.
- Even in person, information was hard to come by.
In the end, we did manage to get Tom into a tryout, mostly through sheer persistence and cornering another parent who seemed to know the ropes. He’s playing now, and he enjoys it, which is the main thing, I suppose. The coaching seems decent enough once you’re actually in the system.
But honestly, that initial process of just trying to get information and sign up? What a palaver. You’d think a club with “Premier” in its name would have a premier way of welcoming new folks. Maybe they’re just too busy being premier on the pitch, and the admin side of things is just an afterthought. Or maybe I’m just getting old and expect things to be simpler. Who knows. Anyway, that was my little adventure getting started with them. Definitely an experience.
