During the 1995-96 Fives Season, the Eton Fives Coaching Agency was launched. Its aim is to enable any school which possesses Eton Fives courts to use those facilities for the purpose for which they were intended, and, indeed, for the coaching and enthusiasm to be supplied on a long-term basis so that the sport would not only survive, but indeed flourish within both the school and the local community.
Traditionally, Eton and Rugby Fives have suffered from total dependence on a Master-in-Charge being available at any given school, who is prepared and able to provide the coaching and enthusiasm which is so necessary. As a result, it has been seen all over the country, that although Fives Courts will stand for a hundred years or so, there may be long spells of time during which no Fives-playing member of staff is available. It is reasonable to expect that there may be ten or twenty years of inactivity on courts and certainly the level to which Fives courts are used will fluctuate in any school, over the years, as with any sport. However, it is very dangerous for any set of courts to become inactive for any space of time, since very short-sighted decisions are often made as to the future use of the courts, or the land on which they stand! So many courts have been pulled down or converted into storerooms (at least this can be reversed!), since there genuinely seemed to be no demand for the sport.
Fives courts are valuable assets. In material costs, they have a replacement value of at best £15K each - and the sport itself is an important part of many schools' history, and should remain an important and valuable part of their future sporting options. Eton Fives is another sport in which schoolboys can find their niche - especially those who are not suited to playing rugby or soccer!
The Eton Fives Coaching Agency (EFCA) intends to ensure that any school wishing to boost its Fives-playing standard and activities, or any school wishing to bring back to life its dormant Fives courts (or storeroomsl) should have a reliable and professional service available which can ensure that the sport is well looked after. The EFCA will provide gap-year Fives coaches who will be residential for the two terms of the Fives season, and available for full-time work on behalf of that school. The main responsibility would be to coach Fives at all opportunities, and to help in every aspect of the game and its administration. Evening classes would be established where possible, by the coach, in order to open the game up to locals and parents, whilst at the same time, generating some income to help offset the school's costs for having the Agency's coach. The gap-year coach would also be put to work by the school in any other suitable activities, ranging from test-tube cleaning, library work, ground staff duties, photocopying, or other specialist skills that the coach may have, such as other sports, or skills in music or languages. The EFCA itself would be responsible for ensuring that such a candidate is head-hunted well in advance for each forthcoming year, so as to guarantee that there is no break in the service from year to year. The service is of course available to any school wishing to build new courts for the first time, and will become available for Rugby and Winchester Fives within the next few years. So far, the EFCA has enjoyed a great deal of interest and activity. From the outset, September 1997 was the intended starting point for the first schools wishing to be served by the Agency. This would allow sufficient time for Bursars to budget for the necessary costs, not only for the annual coaching fees, but also for renovation work to courts where necessary. This time would also allow for suitable 'coaches' to be head-hunted and booked. In some cases, it will be necessary to find someone to order - for example, someone who is qualified in life-saving, and who can assist with soccer and hockey!
It seems likely that by February 1997 there will be up to five schools signed up with the EFCA, of which three have not featured on the Fives-playing map at all in many years! Several more schools intend to get the game up and running again, through the EFCA, within the next three years; whilst some well established Fives-playing schools are interested in using the Agency in the near future; especially where the Masters-in-Charge are Housemasters, and are frustrated at not having enough time available to run the Fives as they would like. Even if only one school takes the Agency on board, this will be a huge success! Should there be no takers for the comprehensive coaching packages, a lot would nevertheless have been achieved. Discussion between the EFCA and numerous schools, on the subject of Fives, has certainly brought to the forefront of Headmasters' and Bursars' minds the fact that they have these facilities, and that people are interested in seeing them being used. Anything that raises the sport's profile will do nothing but good.
School Fives is as healthy now as it has been for many years, with record attendances in each of the past few years, at the National Schools' Fives Championships. However, there are still many schools who are not participating in the sport beyond their own walls. The enormous participation in the sport where there is someone keen to run the game and enthuse the youngsters, shows that the sport still has great appeal to schoolboys, and has the potential for being very popular nationally. Wherever the coaching and enthusiasm is available - the game thrives. The EFCA will be able to supply this essential ingredient anywhere!
The EFCA will look after its pupils' Fives-playing interests, even when they move off to university and employment. They will be kept in touch with the sport, and Old Boys (and Girls) Clubs will be established for them to play in, where such a club does not exist or is run ineffectively. In this way by spoon-feeding opportunities for school-leavers to play as adults, the EFCA will ensure that the healthy Fives-playing climate that is established within one of its schools, will continue for those players as adults if they so wish.
If you feel that your old school needs our help - then please give me a ring - especially if you have any influence there! I would also be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to be considered as a potential coach for one year, either for when they leave school, or university. The work is well paid, and of course, leaves five months of the year free for travelling or job hunting, etc. If you work at a school which has Fives courts, and feel that the EFCA could help there, please contact me.
Finally, if you are a Headmaster who has been secretly wishing to build Fives courts, but was not sure that anyone would run the game effectively - then you must give me a ring!
The formation of the EFCA and the appointment by the EFA of a Development Officer, both within the same year, surely opens what could be one of the most exciting chapters that the Eton Fives world has seen in decades! Hopefully there will be plenty of good news to report over the next few years.
H.M.E.W.
Establishment of the Eton Fives Coaching Agency by Howard Wiseman
Created 11 January 2004 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk