Herts FA Charter Standard Awards 2004

For the third year running City Youth picked up an award from the Herts FA in the Annual Charter Standard Awards.

For their outstanding work on the City Youth Base Project, Paul Kirikal and Neil Deacon are the Herts FA Charter Standard Club Administrators of the Year 2004.

City Youth have had some great success in these awards since their inception in 2002. In the first year City youth picked up the Club of the Year award, Club Administrator award (Ian Woods) and Coach of the Year Award (Mark Clark). Last year City Youth became the Herts FA and FA Regional Community Club of the Year in addition to Ian Woods once again picking up the Club Administrator award and Andy Goodchild receiving the Coach of the Year award.

Congratulations this year must also go to our colleagues at Harvesters FC who are this years Community Club of the Year.

SPONSORS NEWSLETTER

Your first chance to read this seasons Sponsors Newsletter

Click here >>>to read an advanced copy

All the latest club news, Highfield progress report, fundraising news and much more.

The newsletter is currently with the printers and will be posted out to all sponsors in the next month. If you would like to order some copies for potential sponsors contact Dave Wray on 01727 858577 Now

Highfield Park & City Youth

THE FACTS

A letter was published in the Herts Advertiser on 19th February from a resident of the Highfield Park area entitled "Takeover bid" (click to read the original Herts Ad letter). The content and tone of the letter may have made good reading however it presented a totally false picture of the facts about the partnership between Highfield Park and St Albans City Youth Football Club.

St Albans City Youth FC have released a statement in answer to the residents letter which outlines the true position and not one based on fabrication and innuendo. To read the statement click here >>>>>>

Once you have read the statement St Albans City Youth FC ask that you e-mail us to voice your support for the project. We will then forward to the relevant Parish and District Councillors. Please remember this project has been nearly five years in the making and is due to open in September 2004.

E-mail City Youth your support.

Summer School for Budding Young Football Coaches

The FA Eastern Region Community Club of the year 2003, St Albans City Youth have been asked to run 2 Soccer Coaching Courses in the summer school holidays from 26th July to 6th August. The Courses will be local and are aimed at 16-18 year olds who are interested in coaching either as a career or as a contribution to the community. St Albans City Youth currently run 30 teams for young boys and girls in St Albans and are always looking for new talent to help on the coaching side. At the same time it is great that we can offer the local school leavers a chance to develop their skills.

The Course will be managed by the uproject and will be offered free as they have been funded by the lottery using the New Opportunities Fund in partnership with Connexions, Barclays Bank and The Watford YMCA. Our aim is to make an annual event.  

If you are between the ages of 16 and 18 (boys and girls) interested in attending the coaching course you should contact Lincoln Beckford, uproject, Watford YMCA, Charter House, Charter Place, Watford WD17 2RT. Alternatively you may register your interest using the City Youth e-mail info@cityyouth.com. You will need to act quickly as there are a limited number of free places available.

Details of coaching courses being run by the Herts FA this year are now available, click here >>>>. As a Chartered Standard Club we are encouraged to get all coaches to obtain the 1^st for sport Level 1 certificate. The Club meets the costs of this. These courses are open to players over 16 years of age who should be encouraged to seek this qualification for their own future benefits. Courses take two whole weekends plus one evening. Please contact  Ian Woods for further details.

£5,000 AWARDS FOR ALL GRANT

The St Albans City Youth Girls section has received a huge boost with a £5000 grant from Awards for All for the development and promotion of the Girls section within the club

Highfield Park - A Home for City Youth

Work gets underway at the Highfield Park playing Fields, you can keep upto date with progress and see the latest pictures from the site by going to the New base Website at www.base.webulike.co.uk

Official Football Foundation Press Release

FOUNDATION SAVE ST ALBANS PLAYING FIELDS

The Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity, has stepped in to renovate disused playing fields in St Albans, turning the Highfield Lane Playing fields into a state of the art football facility. The Foundation has provided the Highfield Park Trust, in partnership with St Albans City Youth, £90,313 to restore the fields and to create nine new community pitches at the site.

 The new pitches will cater for players of all ages and abilities and will create a new home for the St Albans City Youth FC, which currently runs 30 junior teams. Membership is expected to rocket particularly from amongst budding female players in the area.

 The site will become a regular venue for boys and girls mini soccer, junior football and girls only teams. Junior players will be offered football skills training, small sided football and coaching sessions. A mid week league for girls teams will be established and during school holidays the club will offer a host of opportunities to play and learn about the game.

 The Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modem football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in communities throughout the country. Funded by the FA Premier League, The Football Association, Sport England and the Government, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity with £79m already invested into the heart of football.

 Peter Lee, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, welcomed this boost for grass roots sport:

“I am delighted that this previously unusable land will soon become a focus for grass roots football and a modern home for St Albans City Youth FC. Our sincere congratulations go to the club and to the Highfield Park Trust for their hard work and determination in securing this money.”

A spokesman for St Albans City Youth FC said,  "this is excellent news,  the £90k from the Football Foundation on top of the £60k we have already raised means that we can start work on the site and at long last City Youth will have a home they and the people of St Albans can be proud off."

Lee Dixon Celebrity Golf Day - £15,000 raised

Football Association

Regional Community Club of the Year 2003

St Albans City Youth FC have been named as the Football Association Regional Community Club of the Year 2003