Capability status awarded for community scheme.
Corin Haines, Community Sports Participation Manager for the programme said: "We are delighted to have received charitable status. We have had a busy summer looking after the soccer camps and summer courses and now the schools are back, we are really looking forward to working with the many children we have got to know in the local area.
Football in the Community currently employ 25 staff (6 full time, 19 part-time), ensuring that over 4,500 participants a week work with Colchester United.
They are currently working with 55 schools a week and delivering 300 hours coaching a week, 200 of which are in schools.
The Colchester United Football in the Community programme is currently enjoying unprecedented success in taking out first class sports coaching into the local area, as well as spreading the word on the football club.
"The Football League Trust is looking forward to working with the new charity and I know that excellent work that is already taking place can now be developed to involve even more members of the local community."
"They have fantastic facilities both at the Stadium and at their Shrub End site as well as working at venues throughout Colchester and the surrounding area.
Mike Evans, General Manager of The Football League Trust, said: "I am delighted that Colchester United Football in the Community has become a charity. Colchester United has always been a very active community club and has run a number of projects to engage with the local community.
The awarding of capability status, plus the acceptance of the club's Football in the Community scheme by the Charity Commission, means that the U's are now able to apply for annual core funding to support delivery of their community programmes.
Colchester United’s efforts to delivery first class coaching and community activities across the local area have been given a boost with the news that the club’s Football in the Community programme has met 'capability status' set out by the Football League Trust.
"We are hugely proud of what we’ve achieved in the eighteen months since getting back up and running and now this is the next step for us in a hugely exciting future.”
The Football in the Community programme is one of several ways in which Colchester United reach out to the local community.
The past twelve months saw over 200,000 people benefit from the facilities available at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, with a wide range of activities and events benefitting people of all ages and backgrounds.
Tim Waddington, General Manager at the club, was delighted with the progress made by the Football in the Community Scheme, saying: "It was frustrating and disappointing for the Club to see the Sports Trust close in 2013 and we had to react and set up our own vehicle to ensure that local children did not miss out on the opportunities being delivered.
"That was our primary objective and Corin and his team have put a huge amount of effort into successfully launching the Football in the Community Scheme. It's been an incredible first year and we've seen remarkable growth in terms of the schools we work with and the numbers of children benefiting from the coaching on offer.
"The Football League Trust were hugely supportive of the work we were doing within local schools and encouraged us to set up our own charitable organisation and apply for funding support.
"We’re a small club with limited resources and this core funding opens up a host of opportunities to us to increase the delivery and breadth of our community programmes.
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"It's an exciting step forward for us and an excellent opportunity extend our reach within our local community."