Holsworthy Youth Reports
A Review from the Youth Chairman – Steve Lee
Looking back
At our AGM in late May 2009 it was decided by our Committee to enter the Youth Football into the F.A. Chartered Status Programme. I see this as the best way to raise the profile of our Club and to open up funding streams with an aim to getting our own Youth pitches and changing facilities.
The criteria for this Chartered Status requires all Managers and Coaches to be CRB checked, be First Aid trained, attend a Safeguarding Children workshop and to be a qualified Level 1 F A Coach, and I am pleased to say that all our Managers and Assistants have completed all these courses successfully. I myself completed the Age Appropriate workshop on behalf of the Club and Bev Birch has been appointed as Youth Welfare Officer after she successfully completed the FA’s Welfare Officers Workshop.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank your Managers, Coaches and our Welfare Officer for attending all these courses, all of which were in their own time and a special thanks to our Youth Secretary, Marilyn Chidley, for her tireless efforts that she has put in to organise it all for us.

Along the way our Club has had excellent support from local businesses which all the teams benefitted from. As Youth Chairman I would like to sincerely thank the following for their sponsorships of the training jackets.

Under 15’s Roy Prouse Contractors
Under 13’s Penbode Veterinary Group
Under 12’s Harpers Home Mix
Under 10’s S J Sluggett Transport
Under 9’s LSL Timber
also South West Steel Construction for their sponsorship of a new Under 9’s kit.

We also introduced an Under 13 Girls team to the youth network and we have been successful in securing a £400 Football Foundation Kit for them.
I would like to thank Andigestion at the Holsworthy Biogas Plant for their support over the past few years. This year they have kindly donated a large amount of training equipment which allows all the boys and girls to have a ball each to train with and Managers to have the best training equipment possible.
Keep checking this website for team photos with Sponsors.

At our Presentation event, which I felt was a great success, as did many of the parents from the feedback the Committee and Managers received, I invited a few Town Councillors to attend this event, they were not aware of the size of our organisation. After the Presentation I was invited to a Town Council meeting to speak on behalf of the Youth Football, so Marilyn and I attended. We reported to the Town Council that we had over 100 boys and girls using the Stanhope Park pitch and even with occasional use of the senior pitch at Upcott Field some teams were unable to finish their League programme due to lack of pitches in bad weather. We also reported that we had looked at five sites for a new pitch but all failed due to one reason or another. We also addressed the need for a gate through to the park which would enable the youth to walk to the park safely. I explained I did not want an accident on my conscience. With two teams going both ways with all their equipment and supporters meeting on the bend by the roundabout safety is greatly compromised and became a major issue. We were advised to “put it in writing” but they could not see any reason not to support our application. A letter will be sent soon. 

Looking Forward
I hope that the Chartered Status Application will be successful and The Town Council agrees to support the need for a gate through to the park.

A bigger long term picture is the old show field. We all know it has been set aside for recreational purposes by Local Council, County Council and National Government. According to Local Council there’s a lot of housing development expected in Holsworthy in the foreseeable future, 800 in the next 10 years according to some! I see Holsworthy as a major town within North Devon and North Cornwall area, and looking at what other major towns within this area have regarding sporting facilities and infrastructure I do feel we are falling well behind. Development of 800 houses will undoubtedly bring more children to facilities that are already struggling to cope. We as a Youth Football Club will have to turn children away due to lack of resources and facilities. Maybe one resolution would be for all sporting clubs to get together and speak as one, Youth Football, Cricket Club, Bowling Club, skate boarders, tennis players, joggers, cyclist and all other sporting people need to lobby council and let them know we need these facilities, it needs to be future proof so as to be able to cope not in 1 – 2 years but 10 – 12 years after it’s started. We will only get one chance to use the old show field for what it is intended for and we need to start now to stop it being built on. I cannot think of any other site within the town level enough for sporting purposes.

I ask you to look at other towns and see what they have and ask yourself why Holsworthy doesn’t. We need to start thinking outside the box, thinking of others collectively and thinking BIG!!! We need to start the ball rolling NOW and to keep the focus from start to finish. WE NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT.
Yours Sincerely
Steve Lee
Holsworthy Youth Football Chairman