Football Focus Issue 71 | Page 57

North Greenford United This Season “This time around the season settled down over time; we changed managers and are mid-table so hopefully will have a platform to build from for next season as we’re looking to push for promotion. It can always be hard to rebuild after relegation and there’s so much competition from clubs around us that there are always other options for players.” Youth “Youth football is really important. We just run an U18 side at the moment and are looking for additional pitches to allow us to expand th at section of the club. We just need to have the facilities in place which is hard here in London. Football has the potential to have a really positive impact by giving children an outlet to enjoy and we’re working hard to make sure that we can offer that.” Community “We consider ourselves to be a community club and work hard to play an important role in the local area. The local school hold their sports day here and it is an area which we are looking to continue to develop. It can be difficult to attract new support because there is so much competition around here.” Challenges “The biggest challenge that we will face over the coming years is to make sure that the club keeps going. We have a good committee but the worry is that when people stop doing it who is going to come in behind us. We’ll keep going as long as we can; the club has been here since 1944 so has been providing people with a chance to play the game for a long time. We’d encourage anyone with an interest in getting involved to just come along and watch a match; just see how you find it and I can guarantee you’ll get a warm welcome.” Ambitions “I’d love to see the club playing in the National Leagues one day but that will obviously be difficult. Basically, I want us to be as high as we can be and next season we’re aiming to be pushing hard for promotion. We have everything in place off the field to make the step up so hopefully we’ll be able to look forward to a bright future.” Marc Todd of club sponsor Hazgreen Ltd recently took the time to tell us a little more about his company and the positive association he has with North Greenford United. He told us, “Hazgreen is a hazardous waste management company that specialise in hazardous waste management for the UK Film and Construction industries.” “Many companies don’t understand the correct way to store hazardous waste and we will come in and look at what they are doing to make sure they are in line with regulations and law so that it is one less thing for them to worry about. The advisory service that we offer is free; the only fee we take is for the disposal of hazardous waste. “My Son, Lewis Todd, was at QPR from the age of 13 in the academy. He was the youngest goalkeeper ever to start for the QPR U21s at the age of 16 and that was on a tour in Italy. When he was sixteen he was offered a scholarship but decided that he wanted to go and play regular senior football in the non-league. “North Greenford took Lewis on and in February 2016 he made his debut at the age of seventeen becoming the youngest first team goalkeeper in the Southern League, going on to win the club’s Player’s Player of the Season award. “It’s a big family down there and from that period I’ve got to know the people really well and decided I wanted to be involved. That’s why I’ve put up the sponsorship and have since been made a club patron. “It’s been a hard season to be honest but I think moving forward we have the right set up in place to enable us to move forward. We feel we’ve got a great opportunity to push on and do well. The club gave Lewis and a chance and I’m delighted to be a part of the set up they have in place now.” Proud Sponsors of North Greenford United FC For more information visit our website www.hazgreen.co.uk www.footballfocusmag.com 57