BIGGLESWADE FC | FOOTBALL FOR ALL

Division One Central club building on their excellent community work

Biggleswade FC are hoping to embed themselves deeper into the community by putting precious grant funding to good use.

The Pitching In Southern League Division One Central outfit have already used previous money from league sponsors Pitching In’s Trident Community Foundation scheme to put on a matchday experience for students from Ivel Valley School, followed by a summer tournament for disabled children.

Now, club chairman Jeremy Reynolds is hoping a fresh round of funding can help Biggleswade expand their tournament offering and foster even greater links with locals as it seeks a permanent home in the town.

“We are a very local club and very invested in the local community but we are out of town at the minute, playing in Bedford,” he said. “We are doing what we can to really invest in the local community because we need to and we are doing very well. When we go back to Biggleswade we will have really good roots there.

“We have done a lot of work with Ivel Valley Special School and this grant allows us to give opportunities to the children and their families and carers to get involved with football.

“In the first year, we did a matchday experience where they did a tour of the ground, met the players and played a game on the pitch.

“We want to extend what we do and we planned out the next stage of the project. We want to extend the tournament to include other schools across Bedfordshire and nearby and do more work in school.”

The grant funding is part of Pitching In’s multi-million pound investment in grassroots football, with over £500,000 distributed to non-capital community projects at Trident League clubs since December 2020.

While their work in the community is an important part of their overall plans to return home to Biggleswade from their current home sharing with Bedford Town, Reynolds is also determined to open football up for everyone.

“Football should be inclusive,” added Reynolds. “If you are a parent of a child with learning difficulties, sometimes you don’t think it’s for you but we want to make it accessible.

“Non-league should be rooted in the community, so we want to open up opportunities for people who love football but maybe don’t get a chance to get close to the players.

“We want to it because it’s the right thing to do, it’s right for the children and it also builds our case as we look to get a ground of our own in the community.

“From the club’s point of view, we want to grow and develop as an inclusive club. We want to offer other kinds of provision, not just youth football but women’s football and disability football.”

Biggleswade FC hit the road on Saturday as they head to Leverstock Green.

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WORDS: James Reid

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