It’s quite a big moment for you and your child when they join their first local football team. They’ll find themselves moving away from games in the back garden and into structured matches in which they can put all the skills they’ve worked on so far to use against other children. That makes it an important step on their journey towards becoming the next Virgil van Dijk, Raheem Sterling or Steph Houghton.
Choosing the right club for your kids can therefore be a daunting task. At a young age, it isn’t so much about winning and more developing as a player, learning the game and above all else, having fun.
West London is a huge sporting hub with lots of clubs, weekly sessions, teams and opportunities for all football players. Kingston, in particular, host an excellent array of football clubs of all levels so you are guaranteed to find the perfect football environment for your child.
With that in mind, here are three football clubs in Kingston who can help your child take their game to the next level and take the next step in their football journey.
AFC Kingston Youth
AFC Kingston Youth were founded in 2017 out of a desire to give top-class coaching to children in the area. As a result, the club has a strict recruitment policy when it comes to hiring their coaches - not only must they be FA qualified, but they must also work with children on a daily basis.
As a result, sessions are led by professional coaches and teachers who have a wealth of knowledge, experience and qualifications alongside a real passion for helping children develop.
For the 2019-20 season, AFC Kingston Youth have 100 children playing across 11 teams with the club continuing to grow at an extraordinary rate in what is only its third season in existence.
Kingston Town
Kingston Town are an FA Charter Standard Development Club who run 11 teams across both mini and junior football in the Surrey Youth League. These teams range in age groups from Under 7s right the way through to Under 18s
They’ve also introduced a new Saturday Soccer Club for this season. The idea behind it is to encourage players in school years one and two to take their first football steps outside of a match environment with a view to them then stepping up into one of Town’s teams a little further down the line – an innovative halfway house between coaching and matches.
We Make Footballers
Speaking of a club that sits halfway between coaching and matches, We Make Footballers have just launched their Kingston Academy. They hold coaching sessions every Thursday night for players of all abilities aged between 4 and 12 at the Tiffin Girls’ School.
The indoor and outdoor facilities at Tiffin Girls’ School in Kingston mean that training takes place throughout the seasons and that parents can watch their children develop in a fun, safe and friendly environment.
There are various benefits to be had from enrolling your child with We Make Footballers, including the links that the academy forges with local grassroots and professional clubs. As a result, those players who are ready to join a team are recommended to We Make Footballers’ partner clubs in order to boost their development by taking part in regular matches. Going the other way, players from a local team who may need a little bit of work on areas of their game or who are currently too you to partake in matches can be recommended to We Make Footballers by the partner club.
It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that helps We Make Footballers keep grassroots youth football strong in the Kingston area and that creates opportunities for players of all levels in the game.
The best way to work out which club is right for you and your child is to start having conversations with each one, looking at their social media pages and learning about their club ethos to see which is the right fit. We would also recommend attending open training sessions and speaking with other parents at each club in Kingston to ensure it’s the right option for your player and family. The bottom line is that there are loads of footballing opportunities this side of West London and we wish you and your player the best of luck!
