By DAVID COULTER

Published at 09:09, Monday, 09 July 2012

PRUDHOE Youth Club FC have become the third football club from the Tyne Valley to be awarded the prestigious FA Charter Standard Community Club status in 2012.

Trophy triumph: Prudhoe YC U15 Reds scooped the West Division Cup last season.

It has been a remarkable year for the district’s teams and Prudhoe join neighbours Hexham and Corbridge United in acquiring the highly sought after award.

Since gaining FA Development Club status three years ago, members at the club have worked tirelessly to meet tough criteria to reach the next stage.

The community club status is given to members who have a high quality, multi-team set-up with excellent social, training and playing opportunities for all.

Just 16 clubs across Northumberland, which also includes Ponteland United, have gained the status such are the tough guidelines.

The kite-mark is the pinnacle of the Charter Standard development pathway and will be a significant factor in assisting the club with funding applications.

A statement from Prudhoe YC said: “The club are delighted to have received this award which follows years of development and hard work by many people connected with the club, past and present.

“This award recognises Prudhoe YC’s commitment to providing football opportunities and facilities for use by the entire community.

“Congratulations go to all associated with the club. All managers, coaches and club officials are unpaid volunteers, and the club expresses their sincere thanks for their dedicated efforts.”

To achieve the community award, Prudhoe needed to demonstrate they had over 20 FA qualified coaches, all CRB checked and First Aid trained.

In addition, they needed to show they had in place a functional constitution, management structure with regular meetings, a five development plan, sound finances, effective policies and coaches attendance at Northumberland FA coach training events.

For the upcoming season, the club will run 23 teams, from U7 to senior level, with more than 350 members involved.

But they still do not have anywhere they can call home, with teams spread out over six separate pitch locations, some five miles outside of Prudhoe itself.

However, the youth club hope that the community club status may help them in their bid to build a clubhouse and pitches in the near future.

The club statement read: “The future provides exciting challenges ahead. Demand for football in the area appears insatiable and the club face severe strains to provide pitch and training facilities and resources to keep pace.

“The future vision for the club is to grow the number of boys and girls teams in the next five years to keep pace with demand, and to establish a new build central base providing social facilities with multiple pitch facilities.”

For the here and now, though, the club’s U12 Blues team will host a tournament at the town’s former Eastwoods Middle School tomorrow.

Starting at 10am, the host club will welcome teams from Stocksfield, Amble, Heaton Hawks, North Shields, Newcastle Futsal Club, Cullercoats and Killingworth.

Following that, Prudhoe YC U12 Reds, of Pin Point Recruitment Junior Football League Two, will hold open training sessions at Eastwoods on July 14 and July 21.

The two sessions and practice matches will both be held between 10.30am and midday. For further information, contact Steven Robson on (07814) 961142 or Tim Bloomer on (07766) 511236.

l Players for Prudhoe YC U16 Yellows are needed before the 2012-13 season gets underway. Coach Simon Williams can be contacted on (01434) 682426 or (07828) 556216 for more details.

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk