Football Focus Issue 65 | Page 66

Paringdon Youth FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/FOOTYFOCUSMAG Paringdon Youth FOOTBALL CLUB F irst established in 2013, Paringdon Youth Football Club was set up in order to give children from the age of five and above the chance to play football. It is affiliated to the Essex County FA and is an FA Charter Standard Club that is run by youngsters giving up there time in order to give youngsters a chance to get into the game. Based at the Paringdon Sports Club on Paringdon Road in Essex they have certainly come a long way since first being established and now have more than one hundred players registered. This means that they are always on the lookout for volunteers and welcome anyone with an interest in getting involved. They state on their official website www.paringdonfc.com that they are built around the ideas of, “fair play, enjoyment and respect for everyone” whilst providing “a safe, fun learning and playing environment for all.” It is important for football in the country as a whole to be attracting youngsters into the game and Paringdon Youth FC is clearly a club that does a fantastic job in this regard. It will certainly be exciting to see how their players are able to develop in the coming years. All of their players take part in weekly training sessions under the supervision of their team managers at excellent floodlit 3G Astro Turf facilities. They also have the opportunity to play structured football matches on a Saturday or Sunday 66 Issue 65 depending what league they play in with many also entering additional competitions and tournaments including their own annual tournament which is growing year on year. It has developed a reputation of being one of the best in the area. The younger ages compete in or close to Harlow with some of the older teams going further afield for their fixtures. The separate teams have their own identities, taking names from the “Big Cat” family such as Lions, Tigers or Pumas. Paringdon Youth FC is a voluntary organisation that supports itself financially to provide teams with football kits, training kits, first aid kits, footballs, bibs, cones, annual County FA registration, league registration, pitch fees, training facility fees and ref fees. Whilst doing this they make every effort to keep player subscriptions as low as possible. In order to do so they lay on fundraising events throughout the year and this helps to ensure that they are able to make the game accessible to all. Obviously the more support they receive the better and they will always encourage players, parents and members of the community to take part. There is much to admire about the fine set up that Paringdon Youth Football Club currently has in place and this is thanks to all of the hard work that has gone into make them a success. Clubs such as this are vital to the future of the game in this country and hopefully they will be able to continue in the same manner for many years to come. Everyone at Football Focus Magazine wishes them the best of luck.