Hurst FC is a youth Football Club with more than 120 playing members.
During the latter part of 2007 we obtained a
planning consent
to enable the Club and its community to train and play Football
in the heart of the Village in
Hinton Road.
Together with a Clubhouse
we will be able to provide the platform
for our fledgling club to grow in line with its phenomenal popularity
locally.
Our aim is to level the pitch to a playable standard for the 2011/12 season,
extend water and electricity to the field
and to have temporary changing facilities and a storage container
added to the pitch.
Phase 2 of the project will also be launched in 2011.
Our aim has been to create an annual fundraising turnover
of at least £6,000 p.a.; through the continued success of
Party in the Park and our eligibility for
Gift Aid
this has now been achieved.
If you have not completed a
Gift Aid form,
please download it from our information page
and pass it to your team manger or a committee member.
Our aim to begin matches on the pitch was possible
but in the end the pitch surface was considered too bumpy
and further work will be done to make it playable for the following season.
However, we did hold the first Family Fun Day on the site in September
and this was a great success.
The football on the day was led by Tim Drake,
the Hurst FC under 13s manager
who co-ordinated four training routines for the players
with the help of the rest of the coaching staff.
These were a chance for kids of different ages
to learn from each other and from a different coach -
to pick up some new tricks and to practice the old ones.
Lots of parents braved the strong breeze as well to come and see the kids
having fun and testing themselves against some bigger
and some smaller players.
This was made easier by the rain staying away until the end of the event
and a supply of tea and coffee provided from the Club committee
made sure everyone was warm enough.
Later the kids split into under and over 9s and played two matches.
This allowed the coaches to give some tips in play
and gave the players a chance to try some different positions
on the pitch than normal.
The new under 7s team,
who have recently begun playing in the local
Berkshire Youth Development League,
were pleased to show off their new kit with the Club sponsor,
Mr Raj Sattar of the
Haweli Restaurant in Twyford
and their manager Jon Mcarthy.
Our original estimated budget of £40,000 for Phase 1 of the project
was reduced and instead we aimed for a more achievable £15,000
to complete a temporary car park and basic facilities
as well as required maintenance to the pitch.
This target was achieved although some of the work
has been held back pending the flattening of the pitch
(see 2010).
The field is regularly cut and looks great.
In August 2009 the pitch was marked out and the first football game
back in Hurst Village was played between the
1st
and
Reserve Teams.
This was attended by our long time secretary, Sylvia Hicks,
and the two oldest players in the village, John Whitfield and Ian McMinn
(John and Sylvia are pictured).
We have formed a fundraising Committee
who begin the enormous task of finding the funds
to make the plans a reality.
We are looking for local people and local companies
to support the project with pledges, donations, sponsorships
or even help developing the site.
We need £40,000 to complete Phase One
which would support the next two years' development
and enable the field to be used for training
with a safe access and "off-road" parking area for all.
On Saturday 19th July 2008 a huge number of volunteers
turned up at the training ground, armed with buckets and wheelbarrows.
The field was covered with a huge number of stones
that had to be removed by hand before the new grass could be cut.
After a couple of hours and a lot of hard work, the vast majority
of large stones had been cleared.
The field has now had its second cut and looks great.
As promised at the 2007 AGM, we submitted a planning application
for the new football pitch and clubhouse at Stow Bridge Field in
Hinton Road. This application has been given approval by
Wokingham Borough Council.
You can view the application details on the Council's website
by clicking the "Search" button below.
The details should appear in a new window.
To find out how you could help with this fantastic project,
enquire about our sponsorship opportunities
or just ask a question,
please
contact us
by
e-mail
or call Tim Drake on 07842 117049.
The field is regularly cut and looks great.
In August 2009 the pitch was marked out and the first football game
back in Hurst Village was played between the
