The season may be drawing to a close, but the doors are always open here at The Club House. Welcome to Club Website's monthly e-newsletter, keeping you up to date with all the latest in grassroots football.

In our featured articles this month we take Derby midfielder Robbie Savage back to his roots, while bringing you an interview with Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe courtesy of FC Business. Graham Poll is back to answer more of your grassroots refereeing queries while Lucozade Sport gives the coaches amongst you an amazing opportunity to get behind the scenes at Manchester United!

Our latest competition gives you the chance to play five-a-side against some legends of the game at Grass Roots Football LIVE, whilst we reveal the winner of our biggest competition ever - find out which team has won the chance to play at Wembley this summer!  On top of all that, we've got our usual monthly round-up of what's been happening at Club Website - www.clubwebsite.co.uk - meaning it's grassroots football all the way right here in The Club House!

Happy reading!

Back to my roots - Robbie Savage

Robbie Savage is the quintessential midfield scrapper. Hard working, committed and aggressive, the Derby player and former Welsh international is a no-nonsense player that opposition fans love to hate and home fans grow to love.

Club Website took Savage back to his roots recently to find out about his early football days and how these shaped his character on the pitch. We hear about the disappointment of not making it at Manchester United and how his never-say-die attitude has helped him forge a long and successful career in the upper echelons of English football.

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Time for Government to get tough with football

The latest issue of FC Business - the trade magazine of the football industry - includes an exclusive interview with Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe which touches on many big issues within the game, from players' salaries to the state of grassroots football.

As calls for greater government involvement in football increase, Sutcliffe gives a clue into the thinking of the government on this topic and what they believe is best for the industry and its stakeholders.

Also, don't forget about FC Business' Player and Coach Development Seminar on 21 May at the Banks's Stadium, Walsall. More info at www.fcbusiness.co.uk/live.

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Graham Poll settles your refereeing debates

There's been no shortage of controversy in football recently. As the season reaches 'squeaky bum time' and the big games come thick and fast, each and every refereeing decision that is short of perfect seems to cause mass debate!

The professional game doesn't have the monopoly on big decisions, however, as referees at grassroots level across the UK are also making huge calls at this time of year. As a result, even more refereeing decisions than usual are being debated in club houses up and down the country, so who better to join our Club House and settle the arguments than Club Website's refereeing expert, Graham Poll.

Email your grassroots refereeing queries or questions on the Laws of the Game to grahampoll@clubwebsite.co.uk and you could win a Club Website football or a personal signed copy of Graham's bestselling book, 'Seeing Red'.

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Get behind the scenes at Manchester United!

Are you a coach of an amateur football team? Do you want to see one of the world’s greatest ever managers in action on the training pitch? Do you want to be more Premier League?

Lucozade Sport and Manchester United are giving you the chance to visit Carrington, training ground of the reigning European and Barclays Premier League Champions, to watch the first team train.

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Join the Club Website Galacticos at Grass Roots Football LIVE

Ever wanted to play football against the pros? Well, now's your chance! The Club Website Galacticos take on the Grass Roots Football LIVE Allstars in a 5-a-side match at Birmingham's NEC next month and we need players!

It's four years since Club Website launched at the biggest event in the grassroots football calendar. To mark the occasion, we'd like to invite a few of our loyal and trusty supporters to join the Galacticos in the big match against the Allstars, who include the likes of Paul Merson, Steve Claridge and Chris Kamara in their line-up.

There are three squad places up for grabs in this competition, whilst every winner also gets four pairs of tickets and a pair of 'Access All Areas' passes for the whole Grass Roots Football LIVE event. Join the Galacticos and join the fun!

Enter here

Frenford Senior FC win the ultimate Wembley experience!

Congratulations to Frenford Senior FC who are the lucky winners of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at Wembley Stadium, courtesy of Club Website.

To celebrate the launch of the new England kit, Club Website teamed up with Umbro to offer one lucky team the full Wembley experience - a guided tour of the stadium, a walk down the tunnel and the crowning glory of a game on the hallowed turf.  It really is a prize that money can't buy!

Thanks to all of you for the tonnes of entries we received and commiserations to those of you not selected, but make sure you stay tuned over the coming weeks and months for many more top competitions from Club Website!

Club Website monthly round-up

The football season is reaching its climax so it's been a busy month at Club Website. Since the April edition of The Club House, we've continued to bring you all the big grassroots football news, including the following (click links to view):

- Winners of the 2008/09 SYFA Cup - a celebration of youth football in Scotland

- Wales' young finest go on show in Under 16 Tri-Nations clash

- National disability football festival kicks off in Wales

- English FA host a UEFA study group and lead the way in grassroots football

- FA Skills Coach Peter Glynn writes about youth football, namely the 'blank canvas of opportunity' for coaches and asks is winning a marathon or a sprint?
- Respect initiative receives international audience

- World 'keepy-up' record smashed!

- Club Website team Tipton Town Ladies promoted to Premier League

- Sir Trevor Brooking and England star present special award

- Alan Curbishley opens £2.5m Football Foundation facility

- News of the Children's Football Alliance consultation

You continue to vote in your thousands in our opinion polls on the big questions in the grassroots game. We found out that, while a fairly healthy 20% of you play Futsal, a whopping 50% hadn't even heard of the game!

75% of you put kids' enjoyment and development ahead of anything else when it comes to how a junior football team should be run, whilst 55% of you believed that Easter should be a free weekend in the grassroots game, no doubt leaving more time for eating all those lovely chocolate eggs!

With "Your Shouts" flying in and our usual pick of top competitions - see our most recent winner above - there's always something for everyone at Club Website!  Visit www.clubwebsite.co.uk to find out more.

Let us know your thoughts!

We're always keen to receive your feedback so if you have any comments - good or bad - on what we feature here in The Club House - or anywhere on Club Website - we'd love to hear them.

Also, we're interested in grassroots football stories from across the UK, so if you have any interesting tales from your football club let us know and we may include them on our website or in next month's edition of the The Club House!

Please email all your comments, news and stories to clubnews@clubwebsite.co.uk.  So, until next month...

Yours in football,

The Club Website Team

May 2009