Meet the managers

Mahesh Bharwaney is the manager of the WFPC Wanderers Under-12s. He was involved as a parent helper and qualified referee before qualifying as a Level 1 FA Coach and becoming manager for the start of the 2006-2007 season. He also coaches Hitchin Town Under-10s.

He stepped up to manage and coach this team when he realised that many of the players were likely to be released as the team moved from Under-10s seven-a-side to Under-11s eleven-a-side and the squad was too large.

Here he answers our questions.

Q: What has been your proudest moment with the club?

A: The first game of the Under-11s season 2006-2007. We had managed to build a squad of 15 players. The weather was beautiful. We had been given a set of second-hand shirts and we played well, won the game and had a great season, culiminating in winning the division.

Q: What has been your worst moment?

A: Telling players that I do not have space for them in the team.

Q: What are your ambitions for next season?

A: To build trust and confidence between the players and increase their tactical and technical abilities so they can enjoy and benefit from football.

Mahesh played Sunday league football and in six-a-side leagues but now referees. He supports Arsenal and has done since 1971. However, he wishes that Premier League clubs and players would take more responsibility for how they affect grass roots football.

D
Denise Miley (right) and Karen French (left) are the managers of Wymondley Park Firesharks, a team that has played in the under-12s age group in the 2007-2008 season. Both have FA Level 1 coaching qualifications and last year were nominated for Hertfordshire FA's coaches of the year.

Their involvement in youth football began through having football mad sons who play forlocal teams. Each has a son in the Firesharks.

Under their management the Firesharks have been a very successful team. At under-9s level, before joining Wymondley Park, they were defeated in just one league match. At under-10s, when Karen joined Denise, the Firesharks did the treble, taking the League 1 title in the CJ7s League, the CJ7s League Cup, and winning the league tournament! Another couple of trophies that season took the tally to five and won them a spot on Anglia News.

The following season saw them come in as runners-up in the Mid Herts Rural Minors League's premier division. The team then joined Wymondley Park are switched to the AVC Chiltern League second division where they are well placed. Next season they will rejoin the Royston Crow League.

Coaching the Firesharks isn't enough for Karen who also coaches and co-manages Whitehill School's football team. Denise is on the executive committee of WPFC and has been acting as child welfare officer.

And what teams - apart from the Firesharks, of course - do these models of cooperative management support? Well, Denise describes herself as "a true blue Everton fan" while Karen - you guessed it - supports Liverpool.