The FA Charter Standard is all about recognising and rewarding good practice at grassroots football level and this week sees TheFA.Com highlight the initiative’s seven National Award winners for 2007.
All of this week's featured winners will be FA guests at Wembley Stadium on October 13 when England face Estonia and today's story takes us down to the West Country............
Volunteering behind the scenes at a local football club can mean endless hours work for very little reward or thanks but East Coker Cockerels’ Emma Trickey has hit the headlines by winning The FA National Charter Standard Administrator of the Year Award.
Emma became the Yeovil based club’s secretary when her husband, Richard, took over the running of the side with a family friend in 2003 and it’s been full steam ahead ever since with the Cockerels picking up Charter Standard status and numerous funding grants.
Emma explained more about her non-stop role at East Coker: “I really enjoy being a part of the club and keeping everything organised behind the scenes. Most people don’t realise what a busy job it is or how much paperwork you have to complete but it’s just a case of getting on with it because it helps the other areas of the club, such as coaching, run more smoothly.”
Husband, Richard, admits that the club is a 24/7 priority in the Trickey household: “Football has really taken over our lives and we talk about the East Coker Cockerels all the time. If it wasn’t for Emma then the club just wouldn’t be at the level it is now.”
The Cockerels play their home matches at the East Coker Playing Fields and Emma explained that the local Parish Council are right behind the club: “We like to think that we’ve got a big presence in the local community and the Parish Council have been incredibly supportive because we’ve helped to bring sport back to the village.
“In the past, children would have been driven to Yeovil to play football but now they can play locally which is great,” said Emma who is also a Level One qualified coach.
The club have also ensured that they have a steady stream of Mini Soccer referees by training up local pupils from nearby secondary schools such as Bucklers Mead, Preston and Westfield and Emma has been busy exploring the funding opportunities available to grassroots football clubs.
“We’ve accessed two junior kit grants plus £6000 from the Football Foundation and almost £5000 from the Somerset Community Foundation’s Local Network Fund which supports the Every Child Matters initiative.
“I really enjoy the funding side of the job because it’s brilliant when you see all your hard work eventually pay off.”
