Could you summarise the key highlights and successes for the Crawley Jets this season?

The highlight last summer was finishing runners-up in National League 1. (Level 3 of 5).  This was a 3-round tournament, the Jets won all their games in the first two rounds but unfortunately lost them all in the last round.  This was due to player unavailability due to holidays, and losing their influential captain Chris Middleton, who suddenly had to move to Newcastle just before the final round. The other highlight was the Crawley Jets “development tournament” at the start of this year.  Held at K2 and sponsored by Greenaway Residential, we had five other teams visit us for a really competitive and enjoyable festival.

How has the team adapted to any new strategies or changes in training this season?

Prior to this year, the Jets had one or two outstanding players who drove the team on the pitch (Chris Middleton and Trish Duffy), with the other players fitting in around them.  Chris unfortunately has moved away and Trish moved to play for a top team in a higher league although she still trains with us and helps coach the team. The squad has had to learn to play without them and are much better as a result. Everyone has trained really hard and improved.  As a team, they now have many more threats and strategies in attack and are more cohesive in defence.

What are the biggest strengths of the Jets that you’ve noticed this season?

Fitness, we probably have the fittest athletes in the entire club, no other team we play can stay with us in the second half. Strength in depth, we play 5-a-side with rolling subs.    We have a matchday squad of 10+,

Facing the challenges of a competitive league, how did the team manage to stay motivated and focused?

Great team spirit, they really help each other and if something is not right, they don’t hold back and let the coaches know.

As you prepare for the next season, what are your primary objectives for the team’s growth and development?

We play all year round and what we need are more fixtures at a variety of levels.  We have a block of hard “league” tournaments which suit the more experienced athletes and then a block of “Development” tournaments that suit the less experienced. We are working with the other clubs that are relatively close to us to mix it up more, so everyone gets more frequent competitive game time at a level where they can develop without pressure.