Footballers in Kendal were celebrating today following a £5,000 Grow the Game grant awarded by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity.

The funding boost will allow Wattsfield and Kendal County to continue the growth of there already very successful partnership as a FA Charter Standard Community Club by starting off two new teams, Wattsfield have been able to start a new under 7 team and Kendal County have linked up with the last years Wattsfield under 16’s to provide a transition from Junior’s to Adult football by starting a Kendal County Under 18 team.
The main beneficiaries of the grant will be anyone in school years 2, 11, 12 and 13.

Participation at the two clubs is set to grow significantly with an additional 50 players being able to access new opportunities to play football in their local area.
The grant will boost the number of teams ran at the club from 12 to 15.
The club will now be able to train 4 or 5 additional FA qualified coaches, improving the quality of the coaching experience for participants.

Since joining as a FA Charter Standard Community club in 2009 formally and informally of years gone by the teams have gone from strength to strength with more and more players joining the club and making it a successful, welcoming club with a very good reputation. Wattsfield now have teams right through the age groups in the local league with all managers and assistants having all the acquired FA standard coaching badges and relevant qualification. Kendal County have recently progressed as well joining the FA National pyramid on joining the West Lancashire Football League which has enabled them to access a better standard of both playing abilities and facilities with the reserve team being the stepping stone from the under 18s to provide the club with a continuous flow of new players coming right through the teams from under 7 hopefully going on to play for the under 18’s and the into senior football for Kendal County.

Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government via Sport England, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 8,000 grants worth more than £420m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £520m.

Phil Hodgson, a committee member at Kendal County said” I am delighted to have been able to access this great grant through the Football Foundation which has supported us brilliantly on developing the two clubs. We now have a structure enabling players to keep playing at the same great facilities from the age of 6 right through to senior football. The under 18 team will supply the 1st and 2nd team with good players and coaches to help the club rise up the national pyramid.

Phil Cottam, development officer at Wattsfield said “The grant will give us much needed assistance with forming and sustaining our two new teams which is a fundamental part of our overall football development plan.”

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said: “We warmly congratulate Wattsfield and Kendal County and the Westmorland County FA for their hard work and dedication in securing this award.”

“Our Grown the Game scheme helps fulfil one of the Foundation’s core objectives, which is getting more people playing more football. During the 2009-10 season, Grow the Game projects attracted more than 21,000 new players to our national game.”

“This new project in Kendal is but one example of thousands across the country that the Football Foundation is supporting with money provided by our funding partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government.”

For more information contact:
• Phil Cottam on 07980527889 or phil.cottam@tiscali.co.uk
• Or Daniel Ferguson on 07890569636 or daniel.ferguson@westmorlandfa.com
• Rory Carroll on 0845 345 4555 ext 4280 or rory.carroll@footballfoundation.org.uk

In the 2009/10 season Wattsfield had their most successful season, with the
Club winning every Kent Valley Junior Football League title in which they had
a team entered. They also won every League Cup Competition and every
Westmorland FA Cup Competition.

Pictured above with trophies: Wattsfield United U16, Wattsfield United U14,
Wattsfield Wanderers U13, Wattsfield U12, Wattsfield United U11 and Wattsfield
U10 with their managers and assistants. Centre back: Jim Troughton, Club
Chairman.

Runners-up – Wattsfield Town Under 9′s (pictured in navy blue with Manager, Rob Casson)

Pictured from left to right (back row):  Rob Casson, Oliver Tickell, Josh Casson, Alvin Wong, Alex Birkett, Matt Kennedy, Will Booth, James Halton, Stef Otway, Thomas Graham, Phil Graham

(Front row): Ben Dixon, Bailey Kenny, George Tickell, Liam Bell, Joel Nicholson, Jack Howson, Joe Carradus, Thomas Moore.

A double success for Wattsfield with the Under 10′s team beating the Under 9′s team 4-0 in the final of the Westmorland Fire and Security Cup in May 2009.