About Us

AIMS

The Aims of Ashridge Park, in conjunction with the FA Child Protection Policy, are:

To develop a positive and pro-active position in order to best protect all children and young people who play football, enabling them to participate in an enjoyable and safe environment.
To provide quality assured child protection information and guidelines in conjunction with social services ,The Police and the FA.
To instigate self declaration procedures for ALL adults (i.e. those over the age of 16) working with young people within Ashridge Park FC. Such information will be confidentially stored and acted on should the need arise.
To demonstrate best practice in the area of child protection.
To promote ethics and high standards throughout football.

PRINCIPLES

The child’s welfare is, and must always be, the paramount consideration.
All children and young people have a right to be protected from abuse regardless of their age, gender, disability, culture, language, racial origin, religious beliefs or sexual identity.
All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

ACTION

All those working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC will be provided with a copy of the Club’s Child Protection Statement.
All those working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC. will be provided with the document entitled “Football and Child Protection”, which they will be asked to read and adhere to.
All those working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC will be given the opportunity to attend an FA Junior Team Manager’s Course and, if available, appropriate child protection training.
All those over the age of 16, working with children and young people within Ashridge Park FC will be required to submit a self declaration document which will be held in confidence but will be acted upon by the Executive Committee of Ashridge Park should the need arise.
Upon receipt of a suspicion, or allegation, of abuse, the Football Association’s Regulations on child protection as defined in The FA Handbook will be invoked.
The Child Protection Statement and the document entitled “Football and Child Protection” will be freely available on request to parents/carers of the children and young people within Ashridge Park Football Club.

Like a number of teams it starts with a parent or two wanting a team for their son or daughter to play football with.

Ashridge is no different, and we have to say a huge thanks to Mr Ian Neilson and David Lindsay who were discussing this exact issue over a couple of drinks with a friend. This Friend was Peter Edwards who ran a Company called Hedley Molineux, and in the middle of this discussion he said "you get the team and I will sponsor them."

This was in 1991 over 13 years ago, and that very first team still has players playing within the Club for a very successful adult team who play in the Bracknell Men's League. The Club is also the only Club to have a team in the Bracknell Boys League who managed to go 44 League games unbeaten over two seasons they remained undefeated winning 41 games drawing three. The Manager Dave Dunham is still with the Club and has himself been with the Club 12 years.

The Club has also been abroad on a couple of occasions firstly playing in an event in Germany where they did well and a few years ago taking a team to France where they played against two French, one German and One Polish team, representing Wokingham they came away victors with the trophy now on display in Wokingham Town Hall.

The club has won a number of trophies at different levels.
We now have a large number of teams playing in a wide range of leagues. A number of different Chairman have come in and helped guide the Club to where it is today. Our current Chairman Iain McKenzie has revitalised the Club and helped us again become one of the most friendliest and successful clubs in the Wokingham area.

The Club now has a structured Coaching program covering the full age range from U7 to adults. The Club is also about to be awarded the FA Charter Status.

A final thanks to those three wise men, Peter , Ian and David, that had the foresight to realise that Wokingham needed another team and I hope they can see that their effort has paid off. (September 2000)