Standard set by South Chiltern

The South Chiltern Minor League has become one of only a handful of Leagues in the country to receive the prestigious Charter Standard League Award. 

The Charter Standard League award is a flagship initiative for The FA, and assesses the ability of a League to provide a high quality, safe and enjoyable football experience against a standard set of criteria. It also encourages the League to continually develop, through ongoing support from the development team at the Berks and Bucks FA and the review and ongoing development of a League Development Plan.

The League was formed in 1970 to promote youth football in villages and towns around Reading and Berkshire. Since then, the league has grown to now accommodate over 140 teams across 17 divisions, running league for boys (Sunday) U7s to U17s and Girls (Saturday) U10s to U16s.

As part of the criteria to attain the League award, clubs have also had to become Charter Standard Clubs and therefore undertake some key areas of development in their operating standards. Each club must now have in place amongst other things, a Club Welfare Officer, a Child Protection Policy, all volunteers have CRB checks, managers/coaches to have appropriate coaching, Safeguarding Children and Emergency Aid qualifications.

Paul Backman, Football Development Officer for the Berks and Bucks FA, said: “The South Chiltern Minor League is a perfect example of the huge contribution a small number of volunteers make within the local community. The hard work and dedication of the league committee has now led to the league providing quality opportunities for young people to play football, raising the standards of delivery across the area.

"A big mention must go to all of the clubs in the league, who have also played a huge part in bringing the league to the position it is in today. Their individual commitment to provide high quality opportunities within their local communities is a reflection of some of the fantastic volunteer work being done across the county within our local clubs.
 
"Achieving the Charter Standard League award will help the league and its member clubs to continue their development and gain greater access to funding.

"Berks and Bucks FA have also made a commitment to the league and agreed a support package to aid the continued development of the league and its clubs. This will mean that together they can continue to raise standards and provide opportunities of the highest quality to all of those who are involved in football within the area."