TUESDAY evening marked a big day for Dawlish United Youth FC. After much hard work by the committee, the club has attained the FA Charter Standard.
Representatives from Devon FA were at the playing fields to present the club with its official certificate.
The charter means that the club is now recognised as a well organised club. All the coaches, managers and helpers within the club have been vetted to work with children, which means parents can leave their children at training or matches in the knowledge that they are in a safe environment. In addition, all the coaches have passed their basic FA Coaching badges, ensuring they get the best training. Steve Clarke, manager of the under 12s, has gone one better and gained the badge for the next level which is a great personal achievement as well as being a big asset to the club.
Paul Jackson, chairman of the club and manager for the under 13 side said: ' I am immensely proud. A lot of hard work has gone into achieving this and it now means that we are a recognised club by the FA. I am very pleased as this is very important to us.'
Dawlish United has been going for more than 10 years, and was formed by Jeff Davies and four dads, Graham Tribble, Rob Coleman, Kevin Mogg and Tim Bradshaw. It has grown steadily ever since, with younger brothers wanting to play and more sides being formed. These do not look after themselves and chairman Paul Jackson would like to thank all those people who have contributed over the years. A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes to ensure the teams can turn out on a weekend.
Dave Keast, the football development officer from Devon FA said: 'Devon County Football Association are delighted to be here tonight to present the certificate and wall plaque to Dawlish United Youth and Mini Soccer Football Club, who have put a lot of hard work in during the past 12 months. Certainly on the administration side, with the constitution and the codes of conduct that are very important to us, the club has done very well.'
This season the club will sign on some 250 youngsters to play in leagues ranging from under-eights right up to under-16s. In addition to this there are children as young as five who attend training every Sunday. It really makes for quite a sight on a Sunday morning to see so many children involved, with as many as six games going on simultaneously.
Local sports kit company Pro Line were also at the playing fields to show off some of their goods. They very kindly donated a pair of Adidas Predator boots (like David Beckham's) which enabled the club to hold a raffle to raise funds for the club. The lucky winner Jason Brimecombe, 13, from Dawlish, will also have his name stitched into the boots. Our thanks go to Martin Lake and Ian Cornish, of Pro Line.
Fund-raising is another area where the club excels. Whether it's raffles or party nights, the generosity of the people and businesses in the town is fantastic and the committee would like to thank everybody for their continued support. By far the biggest event of the year is the annual Sportsmans Dinner, held each year at the Langstone Cliff Hotel. This year's event takes place on Friday, December 5 and features former England number one Peter Shilton, along with sports impressionist Aaron James and local comic Tank Sherman. A great evening is guaranteed and details are available from Paul Jackson 07860 544946. Unfortunately this is a male-only evening.
The chairman would like to take this opportunity of thanking the committee for all its hard work in achieving this Charter Standard but in particular two people who have been at the heart of it all – Graham Tribble, the club secretary, and Ray Hodgson, the child protection officer. Without their dedication the club would not have attained this honour. They do not even have boys playing for the club any more.
Training for all age groups is now under way for the new season and new players will be made most welcome. Contact Paul and he will pass on your details to the relevant manager.