EAST RIDING FA CLUB OF THE MONTH - march 2022

The East Riding FA Club of the Month award recognizes the clubs in our county who are going above and beyond to create a fun, safe and inclusive environment for people to play and enjoy football.

These clubs are doing extraordinary things to support their community and are supported by volunteers who work tirelessly for the benefit of others.

The winner of this months award is Howden AFC who are credited with providing opportunities for people of all ages and abilities with the opportunity to play football in East Riding.

Howden AFC are a Two Star England Football Accredited club with nearly 200 registered players and 20 affiliated teams.

The volunteers at Howden AFC have worked hard to provide a safe and inclusive environment for people to play and enjoy football. The club is at the heart of the community and have demonstrated great determination to create an inclusive football offer. They have enjoyed tremendous success with their foray into pan disability, adult female and walking football and are striving to be the best they the can be for the community in which they play.

At the heart of the club is a dedicated band of volunteers and when asked why they devote so much time to the club Club Secretary Keith Tinkler said; "Put simply it is the pleasure of seeing the kids enjoying themselves with their friends, whilst also developing not only as footballers but also as people as they develop socially. It is also great to get increased involvement from the adults both male and female."

The infrastructure and support network the club has created means that they are now in a position to look at facility development which will not only benefit Howden AFC but the wider community as well. As a club and group of volunteers they have shown tremendous resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and have come out the side a much stronger club.

When asked about future facility developments club secretary Keith Tinkler said; "There are several benefits to these developments. On the footballing side of things it will give us better pitches to play on as well as changing and refreshment facilities to the benefit of players and supporters. Going forward we will be able to offer other community groups a place to meet and possibly hold small functions. Of course this will hopefully generate additional income to continue with improvements."

With the club currently boasting 20 teams and of course looking to expand Keith thinks the Club of the Month award is fantastic recognition; "We are enormously proud to be nominated let alone actually win the award. It recognises where the club is now, how it is run and what our aspirations are. It is also fitting reward for the time and effort put in by all of the coaches, trustees and other volunteers, and of course for the players, parents and supporters and sponsors."

Howden AFC will now receive a nomination for Club of the Year at the 2022 FA and McDonalds Grassroots Football Awards.

If your club deserves recognition for the work, it does then please click here and make your nomination for next months award.