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| Hinksey Park Football Club |
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Hinksey Park Football Club was formed back in 2001 by a local group of parents to provide family-friendly football for their young kids.
At the start there was only the one team of Under 8’s. From such a modest if admirable start, over the past 10 years the Club has matured into one of the largest amateur football clubs in Oxford. Originally the Hinksey Park Intergalactic Warriors, the Club has lost its “Intergalactic Warriors” sobriquet but gained over 170 youth players from the local community along the way. Teams now span age groups from Under 5 to Under 16, playing in the Oxford Mail Boys League or in the case of the Under 16’s, the Oxfordshire Invitation Youth League.
The Club’s Tenth Anniversary is set to become a landmark year for Hinksey Park FC. Whilst remaining firmly rooted in the local South and East Oxford community, the Club has just been awarded FA Charter Standard Award – genuine recognition by the FA of the quality and commitment within the club – and is to launch its project for a new club house at Grandpont Recreation Ground, an essential facility for a club of Hinksey Park’s size which welcomes scores of visiting parents and players every weekend during the football season, and one which the community will share.
All these achievements do not come easily. Hinksey Park FC is run by a group of highly committed volunteers: coaches, managers, committee members, referees, car park attendants, the list goes on. In all over 35 people give up their time on a weekly basis to help propel the club forward. “This Club wouldn’t exist without the huge effort put in by our volunteers” says the Club Chair, Jim Smith.
So, the future looks bright for Hinksey Park FC: official recognition from the FA, and the prospect of fine new facilities for the Club and community. However, one ongoing challenge Hinksey Park and many other amateur football clubs face is keeping their players in the game into their teen years, as competing interests come thick and fast. Here at In Oxford we would like to help reverse this trend. If you have a football mad son looking for a weekend challenge, particularly if he is going into Year 10 this September, contact Hinksey Park FC Secretary, David Macdonald, at info@hinkseyparkfc.org.
Hinksey Park FC is always on the lookout for sponsorship, so please do get in touch at info@hinkseyparkfc.org if this is something you would like to pursue. |
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