The East Berks Youth Football League is celebrating after becoming the first League in Berks & Bucks, and one of only a handful in the country to achieve the prestigious FA Charter Standard League award.
The Charter Standard League award is a flagship initiative for The FA, and assesses the ability of a League to provide a high quality, safe and enjoyable football experience against a standard set of criteria. It also encourages the League to continually develop, through ongoing support from staff at the Berks & Bucks FA and the review and ongoing development of a League Development Plan, as part of an annual health check process.
The league now run over 461 teams and provide a football environment for over 5,600 boys and girls, a true success story, where football in the community is definitely the winner.
As part of the criteria to attain the League award, Clubs have also had to become Charter Standard Clubs and therefore undertake some key areas of improvement in their operating standards. Each Club must now have in place amongst other things, a Club Welfare Officer, a Child Protection Policy, all volunteers to have CRB checks, managers/coaches to have appropriate coaching, Safeguarding Children and Emergency Aid qualifications.
Paul Backman, Football Development Officer for the Berks & Bucks FA, said: "What the East Berks Youth League has achieved in such a relatively short space of time is a huge testament to their drive and commitment to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for boys and girls across the area to play football.
"The member clubs have played a huge part in bringing the league to the position it is in today. Their individual commitment to provide high quality opportunities within their local communities is a reflection of some of the fantastic volunteer work being done across the county within our local clubs”
"Achieving the Charter Standard League award will help the league and its member clubs to gain greater access to funding and also supports much of the work we are doing here at Berks & Bucks FA to drive football forward. This will mean that together we can start to raise standards and provide opportunities of the highest quality to all of those who are involved in football within the area"