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Club History |
Priory Parkside Colts Football Club is entering
its 24th season.The objectives of the club are to promote the
game of football for the enjoyment of boys and girls in St.Neots
and the surrounding area and to maintain the highest possible
standard within the capabilities of the boys. The club originated
in 1978, founded by a group of enthusiastic parents, who formed
a committee and named the club after the groun where the games
would be played.Initially, it was intended that competitive
football for boys aged eleven and twelve would be arranged,
resulting in several friendly fixtures being scheduled and the
beginning of fund raising.After negotiations with the town council,
it was agreed that Priory Park could be used and although at
that time there was no junior pitch, the parents set about designing
their own goal. Goal posts and corner flags were made, nets
were purchased and pitches were marked out every week to accommodate
games. For the first few weeks the teams even had to share one
match ball.Priory entered the Bedfordshire Colts League, represented
by teams at under twelve, thirteen and fourteen. With the under
elevens still playing friendlies. There was a great deal of
early success, winning the league on two occasions and taking
the league cup twice.Soon after the Priory club transferred
to the Cambridgeshire league, which was both better organised
and more competitive.Over the years, several players have been
selected for the League representative sides at many age levels,
some going on even further and signing for Football League Clubs
on schoolboy terms. Arsenal, Luton, Perterborough, Watford,
Tottenham, Cambridge and Colchester have all had Priory players
on their books and Lee Philpot went on to play professionally
in the Premiership for Leicester City.Three teams have engaged
in foreign competitions, with two travelling to the USA and
another to Germany. One of the American clubs was able to return
the complement by visiting St.Neots the following year. All
of these activities have been self financed, with the teams
and parents working hard with sponsorship and fundraising efforts.The
club has been a regular competitor in the East Anglian Cup since
1981 and won the under elevens five - a - side tournament in
1984.For the first time, at the end of the season, a 5-a-side
competition is to be organised with invitations being sent to
many local colts clubs. Also there is an annual awards evening
with presentations to the team and individual honours for `players'
player of the year and sportsman of the year.The club has gone
from strength to strength in recent years and now runs 19 teams
in the Cambridgeshire Colts and Hunts mini Leagues.A particularly
successful venture has been the Coca Cola mini Soccer which
runs on Saturday mornings for twenty weeks a year. It provides
football for regularly over 100 boys and girls aged five to
ten. This is the introduction of organised football to most
of the youngsters and enables the club to develop players for
future teams and provides a great deal of enjoyment for all
involved.The club continually needs financial support to build
upon its success since 1978.
Many fund raising activities have been undertaken and we have
been fortunate enough to attract sponsorship from a number of
local businesses. We very much appreciate the support given,
however, we need to continue to attract sponsors to the club.The
cost of running Priory Parkside Colts Football Club is challenging
as the under noted examples of some of the typical expenditure
for an average season illustrate.Team Strip (1 team) £500
(19 teams £9500)
Pitch Fees £1700
Training Facilities £2500
Insurance £300Like a well run business, Priory Parkside
Colts Football Club has specific aims for achievement over the
next five years. They are to:-Continue promoting football for
under 8 to under 16 age groups.Continue providing the introduction
to football for 5 year olds.Become the first choice and most
successful junior football club in the St.Neots area.Maintain
a highly professional approach to football club management.Recruit,
promote and support local sponsors through vigorous sporting
activity.Ensure young people have every opportunity to enjoy
football. |
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