One Two Magazine Edition 1 December 2015 One Two Magazine Edition 1 December 2015 | Page 16

Featured clubs

Featured clubs
Keyworth United
Football Club
Keyworth United Football Club have a long
and proud history, being one of the first
nationally to achieve Charter Standard
status. Located in a quiet village on the
outskirts of Nottingham, they host hundreds
of aspiring young footballers involved from
the Young Elizabethan League through to
Central Midlands. Their home ground and
excellent facilities have seen the Club host
the likes of Nottingham Forest’s young
players and many social events.
Whereas the boys game thrives at all ages,
the opportunity for young girls to become
involved is severely limited. During the
Spring of 2014 David Parker’s daughter
Jessica decided that watching her brother
play football was not fulfilling enough.
Instead she would compete with them. So
Jess decided on a pair of brightly coloured
football boots and Sunday mornings was to
change for good. Gone were the “what can
we do?” or “I’m bored” torments, replaced
with fun team games and learning basic
techniques of football without even
realising they were such. Initially Jess was
one of 3 girls, but within weeks the girls
outnumbered the boys.
Within a very short period of time Keyworth
United Girls formed a large enough group to
become its own distinct team, the only one
of its comparative age in the Midlands. The
girls moved from ball-related fun games to
the finer details of football and its strategy.
Their enthusiasm was boundless. They
began to play matches against older girls
and against the boys. The scores were, and
are, irrelevant. They played because they
enjoyed their time together.
In April 2015, David coordinated a Festival
of Football for Girls at Keyworth United.
With the support of Nottinghamshire FA and
in recognition of Nottingham’s award as the
first ever national ‘City of Football’
embracing #thisgirlcan, he involved almost
100 young girls between the ages of 6 and

16

www.onetwomagazineonline.com

10. There were bouncy castles and icecream vans and more for all to enjoy. The
event was a major success for Keyworth
United and the youth girls’ football game as
a whole. But neither of these were the
purpose. This group of girls and the friends
that they had become were overwhelmed
by the support that they received. The Club
were rightly proud of them all. The girls’
parents chanted, waved and bounced along
the touchline as they competed against
their older peers.
The girl’s first end of season was met with a
hint of sadness, and a presentation night
attended by Tyler Walker, a current
Nottingham Forest professional. The girls
proudly sported trophies, having swapped
their muddy kit and football boots for
flowing dresses and hair bands.
The progress for this group of girls at
Keyworth United has been phenomenal.
They have attracted the support of
Mansfield Town and Notts County Ladies,
have featured within local press and Radio
Nottingham and have recently been
nominated as Nottinghamshire Sport’s
‘Team of the Year’.

Basildon
Soccability
Academy
We are Basildon Soccability Academy and
we are a pan disability club in Basildon
Essex who provide football opportunities for
children and adults with special needs.
Our Club was formed in 2007 and since that
date we have gone from strength to
strength and we have achieved the FA
Charter Standard award for both our Adult
and Youth groups. We run teams at Adult,
U/16 and U/13 age groups and play in the
Essex and Surrey Disability Leagues, we
have also received a number of fair play
and respect awards from both the leagues
in which we participate. We have no club
sponsor and have to rely on donations for
parents and supporters for our funding.
All of our volunteers are passionate about
our players having fun and learning new
skills both in football and social etc.

No longer do they need to promote what
they are doing and achieving. The girls
drive their own progress, not the coaches.
In 18 months this group has swelled to
more than 30 between the ages of 6 and 9.
We asked David about his group and he
added “This group of girls make me so
proud. They arrive in number week in,
week out, with such broad smiles. We
have played in all weather far and wide
and our numbers continue to grow month
by month. All girls should experience
friendly, healthy, team sport in an
environment such as this”.
David can be contacted through Keyworth
United Girls Facebook page

Penn
Rovers
Formed in 1998, Penn Rovers have had
up to 5 teams at various age groups
over the years. Now down to just 1
team at U21s age group