Parkfield Youth FC

ude a junior set-up. During the early 1960’s a junior section was formed, originally comprising only two sides. This has grown over the years to the present where we have over 20 teams catering for girls and boys from seven to sixteen. Because of the increased size of the junior section it was decided in June 1986 to split from the ‘parent club’.The first major job was to found a new ground, this proved to be no easy task. Eventually we contacted Harrow council with the veiw to using the John Rumney Playing Fields in Hatch End, The only drawback was that there were no changing facilities, undaunted the club approached the council for planning permission to erect a sixty foot portacabin. After some time the club decided that due to the increased number of players and associated parents a more suitable clubhouse was required to replace the old Portacabin. The club’s committee therefore decided to approach the local authorities with a view to constructing a permanent clubhouse with changing facilities. A series of fundraising events such as discos, horse racing evenings and quiz nights, raised the money required. The Managers and parents even ran a service bar at the old Wembley stadium, and through this fundraising £48,000 was raised. The clubhouse you see today was duly built and the club have ambitions to improve the facilities further in the future. We still continue to hold fundraising events each year and these enable us to run the many teams and help provide the facilities on offer. They also provide opportunities for the players and parents to socialise - which is an important aspect of the club. We now have over 200 girls and boys registered with the club who represent the diverse community of the local area. Our teams play in the Harrow Youth League and our Old Boys play in the Hendon District league, with our season starting in September and finishing around the end of April. Over the years we have been very successful winning many trophies. Also, many of our boys have made it to professional level in the Premier League and what is now called the Championship. Current players who started at Parkfield include Jason Roberts (Wigan), Darren Ward (Millwall), Elliot Ward (West ham), Barry Ashby (Gillingham) David Perputtini (Gillingham) and Richard Langley (Cardiff). Other celebs who have played at Parkfield are Audley Harrison the British boxing champion and Mark Ramprakash the middlesex, Surrey and England cricketer. Each spring we take a number of teams on tour with the help of the parents. Past tours have included successful trips to Germany, Holland and Belgium. We also hold a 6-aside tournament each year and this has grown to be one of the largest in the area. Last year we hosted over 170 teams over a two-day tournament event. We have a very committed team of managers and a strong Management Committee which spends a great deal of time making sure the club is run correctly and in the interest of the girls and boys. We are proud of the fact we achieved Standard Chartered Club status. If you would like to get involved with the club as a player or are a parent looking for opportunities for your child you will be welcome at Parkfield.