Handsworth FC recently won £50,000 in the Budweiser Club Futures programme and Ladies Team Manager Tim Rowland told us about the award and hopes the club may yet add the £100,000 prize.
SK: Tell us a little of the history of your girls’ section
TR: Our girls section was formed in 1999 with two teams playing in the Yorkshire Electricity Ladies League at U-10 & U-12 level. So 2014 is our 15th anniversary year.
Our Ladies were formed in 2005 and won the Sheffield & Hallamshire County League & Cup double in 2013 and were promoted to the North East Regional League. This season has been difficult as we have a very young squad with an average age of 17/18.
In 2013/14 we have fielded eight teams from U-9s through to U-16s and Ladies. Next season we are looking to recruit at the missing age group of U-10s, a new U-9s team, plus Ladies Reserves. Our ‘dream team’ are the U-12s who have never lost a competitive game in four years!
SK: How did you and the club feel when the £50,000 funding was confirmed?
TR: The club were delighted with the £50k funding, (although a grant for the Senior team), this will benefit all at the club including the girls’ section, with plans to renovate the old stand, perimeter fencing, a new pathway, boiler and resurfacing of our training pitch.
As a club, we are always looking at external funding and have had several knock backs in recent years what with the recession and demotion of our men’s first team from the North East Counties League. That’s another story which would fill an entire book.
Our club has grown from one boys team in 1986 to twenty-five teams currently at the club, with only two full sized pitches, one three-quarter field and two mini-soccer pitches.
SK: What more could you do if you won the £100,000 prize?
TR: We are looking for another venue to accommodate all the teams closer to our spiritual home, Handsworth and the club is in advanced talks with the council over a site. The plan is to build a 3G facility for training and games, as there are many ‘matched funding’ grants out there, so £100k would be a massive start. This would also be made available to the local community, whom we are looking to for support.
Given the season that we have had, we also need to seriously look at improving the drainage of our pitches. Additionally, we are looking to bring disability football to our club, which would need some financial investment. This is a grant to benefit all at the club and our local community, as we look to grow still further in the future.
Handsworth are one of eight teams up for the super grant and instructions on how to vote for them can be found here: www.sm4bpages.co.uk/handsworth.php
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