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ABOUT AFC HENLEY
Name Change
Henley Boys and Girls Football Club has changed
its name. All teams from U15 upwards now play as AFC Henley.
However, Henley Boys & Girls has been providing opportunities for the
children of Henley to develop their
football skills since 1974, and the original club name is still a well known
local brand. Therefore, all teams below U15 will play as AFC Henley Boys (or Girls as appropriate), thereby
maintaining naming consistency. Currently, there are insufficient girls in
the Club to form age-group teams, but the Club welcomes their
participation. Girls can play alongside boys until they are U11.
Mini-Soccer Centre
Over
the last few years AFC Henley has
developed a thriving Mini-Soccer Centre, which serves as the introduction
to the Club. Players may join from age 4 - 9. They are taught the basic skills of the
game by coaches from Reading Football Club and other outside professionals
such as Andy Ritchie (ex-Chelsea, Southampton and Crystal Palace
Youth Team coach) on Saturday mornings from 10 until 11.30. The emphasis is
on skills with fun and enjoyment. All are gradually introduced to
competitive matches at U7 and U8 as they progress, playing a series of
friendly matches against local opposition. The Under 9s play on Sundays in
the South Chiltern Minor League. If anyone
would like to join the Mini-Soccer Centre they should come to the AFC
Henley’s sports ground (opposite Tesco) on a Saturday morning and register at
the gate, or call Trevor Howell on 01491 578850 for details. For 2007/2008
the cost is £5 per session or £90 by annual subscription (optionally £45
per half-season).
Club Membership
AFC
Henley has grown rapidly over the last 5 years and membership now stands at
250 players, of which around 60 regularly attend the Mini-Soccer Centre.
The club fields 16 teams from U9 to U18 across a number of different
leagues, including the South Chiltern Minor League on Sundays, the Hicks
Development league, which organises matches in Reading on Saturday
mornings, the Oxford Mail League, the Oxfordshire Invitation League and the
Woodley Earley League. AFC Henley’s
coaches run after-school football clubs at Trinity and Stoke Row primary
schools. If any new players, budding or qualified coaches, referees,
volunteers or sponsors would like to join in the development of AFC Henley they should contact Club Secretary Peter
Headington:
peter.headington@lionbridge.com
Charter
AFC Henley is an FA Charter Standard Community Club. This
signifies that all club officials have completed child protection training
and have been CRB checked. All
coaches are qualified to at least FA Level 1 standard. Head coach,
Andy McIntosh, recently attained FA Level 3 . He oversees the football
development of all young players in the club. Several other coaches have
Level 2.
Facilities
Off
the field the club is working hard to improve the facilities for players,
parents and supporters. The club has signed a new lease with Henley Town Council for the Tesco sports ground,
incorporating all of the grass pitches. While other youth football teams
and local schools will still be able to use the pitches during the week,
AFC Henley will have priority at the
weekends. This extension of the playing area is essential to cater for the
growth in teams.
The
club has good changing-room facilities and a clubhouse, but these are
located across a busy road by the supermarket. We are therefore applying
for planning permission to build a new pavilion on the grass playing area,
which will provide toilets, referee changing, a first-aid room, storage and
a café. Henley Town Council has been very supportive in developing these
plans, in particular Councillors Gill Zakss and Barry Wood. Subject to
finalising the funding, the Club aims to have this facility open in
2009. Grant applications are being
made to SODC and the Football Foundation, with the support of the OFA.
International
Experience
The
club provides children with the opportunity to test their footballing
skills against international opposition, with tours to Leichlingen in Germany, Nijmegen
in Holland and Caen
in France. There are return tours to Henley by these clubs.
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