East Calder Colts FC join elite band of football clubs in West Lothian!
Full Community Club accreditation certificate presented to emerging youth club by West Lothian Council
EAST Calder Colts FC joined an elite band of youth football clubs in West Lothian when they were presented with their Community Club certificate which accords this relatively young organisation full accreditation by West Lothian Council. The only two other clubs with the same status are Polbeth and Broxburn, which puts in to context just what East Calder Colts FC have achieved in a relatively short space of time. The wording on the certificate outlines just the level of hard work and commitment that is required to get to full accreditation - This confirms that the club has demonstrated appropriate levels of club management and partnership working while fully embracing the ethos of a Community Club’! East Calder Colts' club officials and coaches attended the presentation ceremony in the Resource Centre in the village and the immaculate turnout of all those present was a further illustration of the type of person associated with this emerging youth football club. Community Club status will give this West Lothian club the opportunity to get further help and assistance in their ongoing work to build up a properly structured football club in East Calder. What they (officials and coaches) may find as they progress is that others with more predatory instincts turn up to watch their games and, it is a fact of life in youth football, try to lure their best players away to so-called better clubs, including the Initiative Leagues. It can be soul destroying to a coach who has nurtured young players to lose them without warning and it often results in teams folding! But what better can anyone want than is currently on offer at this club? Apart from good coaching by qualified coaches, East Calder Colts have the use of the excellent facilities and pitches in the public park, and the playing surface on the football pitch is top-class. The club has a structure that is consistent with a well-run organisation and Caroline Lauder, Club Development Officer, further outlined what this club has to offer, saying: “East Calder Colts FC recently welcomed Ruth Pettigrew from the Sports Unit at West Lothian Council following our award of Community Club status. The Club currently has a membership of around 130 players, coaches and committee members, all adults being volunteers from the local community. We have a number of players taking part in Soccer 4s and five teams playing development sevens football both under the auspices of the West Lothian Soccer Development Association (WLSDA), and three teams playing competitive 11-a-side football registered with the West Lothian Association of Youth Football Clubs (WLAYFC). The Club currently leases and manages pitches and changing pavilions in East Calder Park, where all teams within the Club play their home games. We are an active member of the West Lothian Football Forum and Facilities Management Committee at West Calder High School, where winter training session are held. The award of Community Club status shows that the Colts have met required standards in coaching, child protection, first aid and management/administration. Child Protection and Health and Safety policies have been implemented, and all players, parents and club officials have signed up to the Club’s Codes of Conduct. The Club has also demonstrated its commitment to the future of childrens and youth football in the area, and to player, coach and club development, by devising a short-term action plan and a five-year development plan. The next step in the Club’s development is to gain SFA Quality Mark, which we hope to be awarded before the end of season 2007-081!”
Anyone interested in finding out more about East Calder Colts, visit their informative and regularly updated website at www.eastcaldercolts.co.uk.
In reporting on community-based sport for many years, I think it is the golden time in a young person’s life to play along with his pals for his local side, such as East Calder Colts. Within this type of structure, young players are comfortable, get good coaching and the bonus is playing in the same team as their friends. It encourages a real feeling of community involvement and it is so important to society in general. Good role models abound in East Calder Colts FC and their plans for the future are as good as any I have heard of in my travels. I only hope for the sake of this club that parents of kids currently playing for East Calder Colts FC show loyalty when their sons are offered the chance to play elsewhere. Let the kids grow up in the comfort of their own community in East Calder. Within this club, they will have the chance to go on to be the best they can be.
Article reproduced with permission from Iain Mackay of the Pink sports and local heroes
