Who are your club committee members and what do they do?

Our Club Committee is currently made up of 5 volunteers. Michael, our Club Chair oversees the Committee and ensures the club runs effectively as we work towards our goals. He also runs our Squad Girls session alongside our U14s Coach. 

Kerry, our Club Secretary and Charlotte our Club Treasurer both have a wealth of playing and coaching knowledge and experiences and are both key in helping to drive our club forwards. Kerry also manages our Wildcats programme alongside other coaching roles across our club. Charlotte is our main driver when looking at how we can grow as a club and offer more opportunities for players, both in and out of football. Charlotte also manages a lot of the behind the scenes stuff to ensure we can operate effectively as a club.  

We also have x2 Welfare Officers, Keely and Liz who, along with dealing with any club welfare issues also sit on our Club Committee. Both Keely and Liz have a vast amount of knowledge in safeguarding coming from a school background and ensure all our policies are robust and adhered to by our coaching volunteers. 

Coming from different work backgrounds, all our committee volunteers share the same passion which is to offer as many girls as possible the opportunity to play football. 

Where are you based?

Our club is based in the S12 area in Sheffield. We currently train and play matches at Sheffield Springs Academy.

What is your club philosophy/Culture?

It is an absolute commitment of the club that no child is ever excluded from playing football for reasons of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or perceived ability as a footballer. We strongly believe that football is a game to be played and enjoyed by everyone, and our success is measured not by the trophies we win, but by the number of children who choose to play for and remain at Charnock Ridgeway Girls FC throughout their childhood. This is notwithstanding children whose natural progression may take them to higher levels of the game. Players who fall into this category can expect the full support and freedom from the club to pursue their ambitions, safe in the knowledge that they will be welcomed back should they wish to return.

Our clubs codes of conduct for officials, coaches, players and parents are not negotiable. They underpin everything we

What is the clubs current female football offer?

Heading towards the 2022/23 season, we are now able to offer a full pathway for female players with teams starting at Under 8s, through to our U18s and Ladies Open Age.
We also offer the following weekly recreational sessions; Wildcats, Squad Girls, Over 30’s Just Play and Mixed Gender 16yrs+ Just Play sessions

What does your club to ensure that it is the great place for women and girls to play and enjoy football?

We ensure we offer more than just football. We work hard to create a safe and positive environment for players and their families to enjoy, and we strive to offer positive experiences, both in and out of football. But most importantly, we make football fun for all. 

All our coaching volunteers are expected, as a minimum to complete a DBS check, along with completing the FA Safeguarding, First Aid and Playmaker online modules. We also ensure that at least one of the volunteers within each team hold a Level 1 qualification in football coaching.
Our Clubs Committee expectations are delivered through the positive attitude our Coaches and Team Managers bring to training sessions and match day experiences as they ultimately set the standard as positive role models.

Why is your club a great place for women and girls to coach/volunteer at?

It can be a big step starting on your football coaching journey however the experiences it will give you and the memories you will make will stay for a lifetime. 

We will ensure any new volunteers are not left alone and across our club we have mix of male and female coaches, all with a vast array of different experiences who are there to support those needing help or advice.

We have a full player pathway and hold a number of recreational sessions and so have many different opportunities for volunteers to get involved at whatever level they feel they can commit to.  As a club, we will also support any new volunteers who are looking to gain further experiences and qualifications or are wanting to advance with their own personal development.

How has the Euro Legacy Pledge affected the club?

Being a host city, and with the group stage games being played only 2 miles from where our club is based, we hope will have a positive impact and increase the number of female players looking to give football as try for the first time.

Our recreational sessions will be our main focus as we head towards Summer where we will promote the opportunities for girls and women to get involved. Through the FA Events platform and utilising our own social media streams, if someone is looking for a football session, we will ensure that ours are visible for all to see.

What are your hopes and ambitions for the future of the club? 

Charnock Ridgeway Football Cub was established in 1984 and has supported a number of male teams throughout this time. The female section of our club was established in April 2016 with the help of an ‘awards for all’ grant from a Big Lottery Fund. 

Since this time, we have grown and now are able to offer football to over 185 girls and women on a weekly basis though our teams and additional recreational sessions. The ability to offer more is always the ambition, whether this is by introducing multiple teams at the existing age ranges or by increasing our offering through our recreational sessions. Mainstream football still isn’t always accessible for all and so our club focus over the next few years is to look at additional dedicated recreation sessions such as a disability Wildcats session, walking football and soccersise to ensure even more can enjoy the beautiful game.