Tag: Grassroots

Getting to Know: Bedfont and Feltham FC

The FA Cup, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world, it can be the difference between a good year and an awful year for most Non-League clubs if they get a good run.

Sadly this year a number of clubs that finished in positions in their respective leagues, where they should have been invited to the competition haven’t. The FA have said that this is due to “over-subscription” and criteria being decided on PPG across the divisions rather than position, meaning teams in more competitive leagues are more likely to miss out.

One club that has sadly missed out despite finishing 5th in the Combined Counties League is the subject of today’s ‘Getting to Know’ Bedfont and Feltham FC.

‘The Yellows’ based out of The Orchard, were only founded in 2012 following a merger of Bedfont FC and Feltham FC, after the latter merged with their former landlords as Bedfont could no longer field a team due to financial restraints.

The new side took the place of Feltham FC in the Combined Counties League and featured as Feltham in their debut season as the club had already entered the 2012–13 FA Vase under their name.

Despite being a fairly new club, ‘The Yellows’ have already developed a ‘family club’ feeling down at The Orchard, hosting a whole host of youth sides from under 7’s through to Under 16’s. As well as running a vast amount of teams, the club is FA Charter Standard and has been since its inception in 2012.

Despite not being able to compete in the FA Cup, Bedfont and Feltham still have the FA Vase and League competition to look forward to and from everyone here at Climbing the Ladder would just like to wish everyone at ‘The Yellows’ all the best for the upcoming campaign.

Getting to know: CSM London FC

Today’s ‘Getting to know’ is another club that’s fairly new to the ‘Beautiful Game’.

Formed in 2018, CSM London FC is a grassroots football team and the flagship project of the CSM Foundation. The club started with the idea of trying to make competitive football as accessible as possible for local individuals. The forefront of this idea is to make competitive football affordable and enjoyable for young people. Therefore, this club is more than just a football team, it’s all about the community.

Champions of the Division Two Cup.


Finishing second in the Essex Alliance League Division Two, and winning the Division Cup, its very obvious that the club has had a good season and that the local community really are getting behind the idea of ‘affordable football’.

With the club gaining promotion this season, the lads down at CSM have organized a pre-season tournament featuring teams solely in the Essex Alliance to prepare, the tournament will be over four weekends in August, perfect for pre-season before the step up to Division One.

The CSM in the clubs name stands for Centric Sports Management Foundation which is a non-profit subsidiary of Centric Sports Management with charitable objectives to alleviate barriers by creating pathways to long-term, sustainable sport and physical activity participation for individuals.

The foundation develops projects and works with a number of partners in order to make sport easier to access for those who currently don’t participate because of whatever factor. Furthermore, CSM work with the community’s most vulnerable groups to influence behaviour and attitude changes by using sport and physical activity as a tool for positive social impact.

After a brilliant first ever season, everyone here at ‘Climbing The Ladder’ would just like to which everyone at CSM London FC all the best for the step up next season, after seeing some of your friendly results we are sure you will be fine!

Charity Partner Announcement!

Everyone here at ‘Climbing The Ladder’ is delighted to announce that we have teamed up with the charity “The C9 Foundation” as our new Charity Partner.

The charity’s main aim is to tackle mental health within grassroots football, something that we as a website felt we could help them achieve thanks to our main audience being people involved in grassroots.

All donations recieved are used to run matches and events, where they raise awareness, and encourage everyone to speak out when they are feeling low. C9 also host free to attend coaching nights, where they talk about Mental Health, the signs to look out for, and how you can help those you know.

C9 run two amateur football teams for if people need an “escape” or a social group to feel comfortable in. The foundation also run a Facebook page and their own blog where people can anonymously (should they choose) discuss how they feel.

Finally, founder Colin Crawford runs C9 clothing, a brand that is completely in aid of the foundation.

We would just like to thank everyone at C9 for all their hard work and we hope that we can help spread the great things these guys do! Links to all of the C9 Foundations pages will be below #ManUpSpeakOut

https://twitter.com/C9Clothing

https://twitter.com/C9Development

https://www.c9foundation.com/blog/2019/3/14/c9-foundation

https://www.facebook.com/C9Foundation/

Artificial Pitches in Non-League.

The vast majority of leagues outside of the Football League allow games to take place on artificial surfaces, however the danger comes if a club is too successful.

Artificial pitches are allowed as high up in the football pyramid as the Vanarama National League, they are also allowed to be used in the FA Cup, in the Football League however they must play on grass, a rule that has been debated since articifical pitches became a reality.

Admittedly most football league clubs don’t need the extra income of people using their pitch through the week and other clubs renting it out if they can’t for whatever reason use their own facilities. But what about clubs in the Non-League?

Most Non-League clubs are ran by volunteers, where budgets are tight and a successful season can be the difference between a good next few years or bad ones.

This is where the danger of being too successful comes in, currently there are three artificial pitches in the Vanarama National League, the top division of Non-League football, owned by Bromley, Maidstone United and Sutton United. Clubs that need the income that the ‘3G’ pitch provides as it can be used all week every week, if they get promoted again, they would be forced to rip up their main income provider and install a grass pitch a cost which Im sure they would all struggle with.

Currently under National League regulations, any club which wins promotion but does not install a grass surface to comply with EFL rules would subsequently be demoted to National League North or National League South, and could also be fined. Ridiculous really, but regulations all three sides play under.

So, an artificial pitch, worth it or not? It depends how ambitious your club is.

Getting to know: Old Centralians AFC

One of Leeds oldest clubs going in a brand new direction?

Old Centralians AFC one of the oldest clubs in Leeds and the club based out of West Park is set to go in a completely new direction.

The appointment of a new young dynamic committee, has seen the club attempt to establish links to junior football. Gaining players taking steps into adult football may reveal a gem or two to help Centralians achieve their ultimate goal of the first team getting promoted.

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Thanks to the new committee Centralians are set to reveal plans to run a u21/Academy team in the 2019/20 season, this new team alongside the three teams that the club already runs is vital to what the club prides itself on and that is “offering football for all abilities and people of all backgrounds”.

A new receipient of FA’s Charter Standard award, the club now boasts a full roster of FA qualified coaches at all of their teams and will training sessions currently being free as the club look for new players.

Having two players make roughly 1000 appearences for a club at any level in football is something that you dont really see, however Old Centralians have two such players in Brian Peel and record appearence maker Kev Knowles. As a club very proud of their history, maybe a new veterans team is on the horizon?