Project:
To build new changing rooms and grass pitches (South West)
Grant amount
£1,000,000
project summary
In January 2009, Calne Town Council finally opened the gates to its brand new 54 acre facility to the community. The vision began in 1998 when the Town Council went searching for land after research showed a short fall of 26% in recreational playing space within the town. After eight years of hard and dedicated work from the Town Council, Beversbrook Sports and Community Facility was born. The new facility complements a comprehensive range of sports facilities, that includes; eleven top class football pitches ranging from mini soccer to senior pitches, ten grass cricket wickets, three lane cricket wickets, one floodlit MUGA, eight changing rooms, a pavilion hall and a community hall. The whole facility has been designed to be environmentally friendly with a low carbon footprint; from under floor heating to top class pitch drainage – to ensure maximum usage during the wet winter months. The Football Foundation awarded a grant of £948,527 and also included additional support for the employment of Kevin Whitehorn, a Community Football Development Officer (CFDO) over a five year period.
Kevin has nearly completed his third year of employment and has been instrumental in successfully establishing a comprehensive range of football development within the local community. Kevin has been so successful that the football facilities are now operating at a high percentage of capacity with forty one football clubs ranging from under six up to senior teams calling Beversbrook their home. On an average month the facility hosts over fifty league and cup matches and one hundred training sessions. In 2009/2010 season Beversbrook was marked ten out ten in the Midlands Junior League for the outstanding facilities. During this season the facility hosted three hundred and thirty one league and cup matches and four hundred and thirty four training seasons. To accommodate all the training needs Calne Town Council was awarded £9,000.00 from the Awards for All to purchase a set off portable floodlights.
Since coming into post, Kevin has formed strong partnership links with the two local youth football clubs to merge to become one club called "F.C. Calne". The new club has grown in strength and with support from Kevin, F.C Calne has achieved The F.A. Charter Standard Community Award and was awarded the Wiltshire Football Association Charter Standard Award with in the first year. In 2010, FC Calne was announced winners of the Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Partnership Best Sport Clubs Award. FC Calne aims to achieve The F.A. Charter Standards Community Award by 2013.
Within two seasons, F.C. Calne membership has increased from three hundred players to nearly four hundred players. This increase is partly due to the hard work of the Community Football Development team. FC Calne can proudly say the club offers football at every age level from under fours to senior level. The development team has established two kiddies crazy football teams to back fill the under five. Also the development team offers programme such as Footy for Fun, aimed at offering football sessions to young players that are not involved in football, summer camps and links with local the six form students to increase the number of football futures and junior coaching. Other developments includes five a side leagues and coaching pathways with Swindon Town in the Community.
In 2010, FC Calne was awarded £5000.00 from the Football Foundation Grow the Game Award to establish one disability team in 2010/11 season and one ladies football in 2011/12 season. Already, FC Calne has joined partnership with the local disability school and Swindon Town in the Community, where the all three clubs are in the process of establishing a FC Calne and Springfield DFC team. By the end of the 2010/11 season, FC Calne will be offering disability football for PANS Disabilities from ten to sixty year olds and one under sixteen team playing league football.
FC Calne is always looking to building strong links and better pathways for the clubs players. High on the agenda for the forth coming season is developing a better pathway with the local semi pro club - Calne Town Football Club. Both clubs are working together to re-establish the under 18’s team for the Wednesday night floodlight league. Finally, FC Calne is working with the local girls football club Derry Hill Utd FC to develop a pathway from girls’ football to senior football. At present, FC Calne are supporting Derry Hill Utd FC with the existing under seventeen football team playing league football in the Bristol league. This team will form the senior girls’ team in 2012/13 season for FC Calne.
High on the community development football team agenda was to form partnership links with the local schools. This has been particularly successful with the running of football projects within seven local primary schools during lunch time or afterschool. Since January 10, over three thousand young children have taken part in an organised coaching session.
Finally, over the past year the development team has worked closely with the local football coaches and Wiltshire F.A. to increase the delivery of the Coach Education Programme. Nearly one hundred football coaches have gained a football qualification in the F.A. Level One, Safe Guarding Children, first aid and F.A. Youth Awards Modules. In the pre season (2010/11) the development team hosted a referee course, with twenty three new referees gaining the referee qualification.
With all the success, Calne Town Council entered Beversbrook Sports and Community Facility into the Market Town Awards for the best project that a Town Council has undertaken and we are delighted to announce that Beversbrook were the winners of the South West Award.
Name: Steve Bates
Position: Club Secertary of F.C. Calne Football Club
“What a difference a year makes!
“The summer of 2009 saw the merger of two Calne football clubs; White Horse Juniors and AFC Calne. A new club, F.C. Calne, was formed catering for age groups from under 6 to under 15. As a consequence, the last 12 months has seen significant football opportunities created for the local community.
“The creation of F.C. Calne coincided with the opening of the new Beversbrook Sports Facility, funded by the Football Foundation, which has become the new home for the Club. It is a very impressive facility and has been much complimented by visiting teams with its well maintained pitches, clubhouse and changing rooms. It also provides a much needed venue for the running of Calne FC's business off the pitch. Calne FC has also started its own Player Development Centre (PDC), with the support of Springfields School, to focus on the development of individual player skills. It is open to all members of the Club and has attracted high praise from all attendees. We plan to develop the PDC further by putting in place links with other football organisations in Wiltshire.
“On the pitch Calne has made an immediate impact during the season with most teams doing well in the Mid Wilts and North Wilts Leagues and having three age group teams in the semifinals of the North Wilts League Cup. We have also achieved a final place in the under 11 County Cup to be held in May. F.C. Calne is truly a new force in Wiltshire football.
“Off the pitch the club has made great gains, building on the previous work at White Horse Juniors and AFC Calne. Club membership is now over 250, and we have a strong intake of over 30 under 6 players which will ensure the future of the club. We have a dedicated committee and team of coaches and managers. Calne FC secured Charter Standard Club certification in October 2009 just three months after its creation and now has firm plans to gain accreditation to Charter Standard Development Club, with a Development Plan to take the club to the next level.
“The club is now well respected throughout Calne and beyond with a strong reputation for providing football for all, no matter what level of ability. We have a strong network of volunteers and parents whose support is vital.
“A really brilliant 12 months of progress for the Club and the people of Calne!”
Name: Phil Moore
Postion: F.C. Calne Under 10 Manager
"I would just like to say thanks [to the Football Foundation] for all your help and support this season from all our players and parents, we have completed our first season of competitive football and have finished runners up in Division 2 of the U9 North wilts league and a league cup semi final.
"I must say that of all the places we have played football this season nothing comes close to the facilities we have at Beversbrook. Again thanks to you for helping us , with such well presented football pitches and training facilities , it has been great hearing all the parents and coaches of other teams admiring the facilities at Beversbrook."
