By Nick Palmer, Club President of Hassocks Junior Football Club
2020 was understandably quite a year for Hassocks Junior Football Club. But the effects of the lockdown didn’t deter either the club or the local youth from getting back to footballing activities and, by September, Hassocks Junior FC had signed a record number of 352 players to the club representing 21 different teams across the U5 to U16 age groups and playing in four different local leagues.
And it’s not just the boy’s either that make up the majority of players as the club is extremely proud to now have three girl’s teams as well in its ranks representing the U10’s, U12’s & U13’s age groups.
“Having girl’s teams in the club has been a target of ours for a number of years”, says Jason Roberts, our current Club Chairman, “And I’m delighted to now be able to say that we have no less than three of them, two of which are currently representing us in the Sussex County Women & Girls Football League.”
But getting players to sign up to the club is only half the battle as nothing we do could happen if it wasn’t for the numerous people that work tirelessly by giving up their time to make the world of youth football a reality for so many of our local youngsters. An army of volunteers make Hassocks Junior FC the club it is today. And let’s not forget our sponsors and the local authorities who have also helped us to make it all possible.
Like other sporting clubs, everyone at Hassocks Juniors takes the threat of COVID-19 very seriously and we did a great deal of work in 2020 to ensure footballing activities could take place in a safe environment for coaches, players and their families. From COVID officers being present for matches to the issuing of full PPE for all team managers, the club worked incredibly hard to keep young players playing football. And 2021 will be no different, the safety of everyone involved with our activities remains of paramount importance and will continue to do so for as long as is necessary.
But everyone at the club remains optimistic for the future and if there is one thing that we all learned from 2020 it’s that the appetite for getting young people off their games consoles and outside participating in healthy sporting activities has never been stronger. That’s probably why we have a record number of players now signed to the club.
These are challenging times right now but we know full well the positive impact that team sport has on young people not just from a fitness perspective but teaching them invaluable life skills as well such as teamwork, fair play, hard work and pride. In addition, the need for positive mental wellness in our youth has never been more important and we’ll endeavour to keep Hassocks Junior Football Club providing this as well as remaining an integral part of our community.
For more information about the club please visit our website www.hassocksjuniorfc.co.uk or contact Nick Palmer at president@hassocksjuniorfc.co.uk