Wins in the accounts and on the pitch, but Club must "kick on," says football club Chair.
Enhancing coaching standards, improving facilities and growing the Club community were among plans revealed by Club Chairman Alex Wagstaff last Thursday (27 February 2025) at Haddenham Youth Football Club's (HYFC) Annual General Meeting.
A small surplus has been recorded for the first time in several years. Increases in subscription revenue, fundraising, sponsorship and other commercial activity has enabled the Club to invest in additional coaching, brand new playing kit for every team and special experiences for players including trips to Wycombe Wanderers, Oxford United as well as Wembley to cheer on the Lionesses.
A new management team is in place for Haddenham Ladies which will now work more closely with HYFC's five Girls' teams. The development of Girls' football has been generously supported by Haddenham Beer Festivals Trust.
Alongside Ladies and Haddenham Hobblers (Walking Football), Haddenham Vets (40+) has joined the HYFC family. Meanwhile, HYFC has taken a leading role, in partnership with other local clubs, in the development of Chiltern Comets PAN-Disability team.
On the pitch, HYFC secured four league trophies in 2023/24. U15 Colts has already booked its place in a cup final for this season. HYFC will be announcing a new programme for pre-school children soon. Meanwhile, player representatives have been elected for the Players Committee which will hold its first meeting shortly.
HYFC will stage its third Festival of Football on the weekend of 30-31 August 2025 at Haddenham Airfield. The Club is aiming to double the surplus generated by its flagship fundraiser which will require an even greater effort from its parent community. The Festival will be open for entries in two weeks.
Alex Wagstaff, Club Chairman said:
"I want to raise our coaching standards even further. We are supporting several of our own coaches to achieve higher level FA badges. We already use full time coaches to support some of our age groups and we have a successful partnership with GK Icon for HYFC goalkeepers. But I want to kick on, so we are developing additional coaching programmes for both our players and coaches."
Alex added:
"We are working closely with Haddenham Parish Council and the Football Foundation to improve pitch maintenance and we have appointed Ade Small as our Facilities Manager to lead this work. But we need to kick on here as well – in terms of the standard of playing surfaces but also in accommodating the growing number of players and teams coming to Club. So, we are developing long term plans and actively seeking new partners to help us deliver the facilities our community deserves."
The Club will be celebrating its 30th anniversary later this year. It is asking former players and coaches to share memories and photographs as well as current players and parents to come forward with ideas to help celebrate the milestone.
All ten members of the current committee were re-elected into their roles for another year, but long-term Treasurer Gareth Cheeseman will be stepping back ahead of next season. The Club is seeking a new volunteer to take on the role.
Committee members appealed for more help to run a bigger Festival of Football, planning 30th anniversary celebrations and maintaining community standards at training sessions and matches. If you can help, please say hello@hyfc.club
In further news ...
Haddenham housebuilder supports HYFC with £1,000 donation
Redrow South Midlands, currently building at The Maltings, on Churchway, has shown its support for a local grassroots football team by donating £1,000 to the Haddenham Youth Football Club's (HYFC) annual Festival of Football.
The club is run by volunteers and encourages children across Haddenham, aged five to eighteen, to be active, supporting them to enjoy the team building sport in a safe community environment. HYFC is home to 400 registered players across twenty-two teams and is the most popular sports club in the village. It also runs senior, ladies, walking and veteran's teams and the club is supported by more than 80 volunteer coaches and administrators.
The housebuilder has donated £1,000 to the club's annual fundraising festival, which hosts 100 local teams at Haddenham Airfield for a football tournament. 1,000 young players from Thame, Marlow, Aylesbury and Maidenhead participate in the friendly event and are joined by coaches and families from across the region.
Alex Wagstaff, Chairman of Haddenham Youth FC, said: "We're delighted to have Redrow South Midlands show their support by sponsoring our fantastic Festival of Football.
"Our club is focused on developing grassroots football, regardless of ability, and providing the younger generation in Haddenham with opportunities to thrive. As volunteers, we rely heavily on the support of local organisations – and on behalf of the whole team, we would like to say a big thank you and we look forward to welcoming the Redrow South Midlands team to come and watch our teams play soon."
Andrew Newman, Sales Director for Redrow South Midlands, said: "Haddenham Youth FC is a well-established organisation and an invaluable part of community life in Haddenham, so we are proud to have supported the club at the Festival of Football as part of our commitment to creating thriving communities.
"Playing sport is a great way to support physical and mental wellbeing and to bring people together through a love for the game. Grassroots football is more than just a hobby, it's a space where children can learn a new sport while developing important life skills, from teambuilding to communicating effectively, that will serve them in good stead throughout their lives.
"The club's dedication to encourage and empower children as young as five to get active and play football is fantastic. It's great to see the team thriving, and we hope they can continue to develop and give more local children an opportunity to try something new. We will be following them throughout the season and wish them luck in their next matches!"
The sponsorship forms part of Redrow's ongoing commitment to promote health and wellbeing in the community.
For more information about Redrow's development in Haddenham, click here
