The start of a new week means another ‘Your Club in Focus’ feature, right here on LincolnshireFA.com.

This week, we catch up with Marlon Fell, Club Chairman at Appleby Frodingham FC...

What is the background to your club?
 
We’re a club from Scunthorpe. Our home grounds are Brumby Hall Sports Ground & Redbourn Club. We have 26 teams in the club; 5 Senior Teams, Mens 1st Team, Mens Reserves Team, Ladies Team, Veterans Team, U18s Team, and 21 Junior Teams from age groups U17s down to U7s (we have teams in each age group). We also have a Saturday mini soccer club which operates from Redbourn Club. This is free to U4s upwards to play football. 

We create a fun atmosphere, encouraging football for all walks of life, whether as a committee member, manager, coach, player, helper, volunteer or fan. We have teams representing our club in a number of leagues in Lincolnshire and have just achieved our Community Charter Standard status as a Club.     

How long have you been involved at the club? 

10 years. 

How and why did you get into grassroots football? 

I started as a player and had a passion for the sport and still play in our Veterans Team. In 2010 I started managing youth teams at App Frod and still manage a team at U17s. I became the Club Chairman 3 years ago with the aim of regaining our Community Charter Standard and wanting to promote a pathway in football within our club for all to have an opportunity to be part of the game. All football starts at grassroots and I want to make sure this is never overlooked.  

Why do you think grassroots football is important to so many people?

For many, grassroots football is the start of being involved and playing the game. Grassroots can be a link to meet and greet new faces using football as the common interest and can bring many people from all walks of life together. It brings a feel-good factor and promotes youths to be one of those lucky players to become a professional. For those who don’t make a professional, grassroots still gives them a chance to play the game.   

As a club, what do you feel you do best? 

We welcome all to our club and give opportunities to be part of football in any role. We provide good facilities at both our grounds, making it a safe environment for our player to play the game. The club give good support to all our members both on and off the field of play, to help to make sure they are able to play their football.  

What achievements are you and the club most proud of? 

We are proud of regaining our Community Charter Standard. We’re proud of success on the pitch with our Junior Section going strength to strength. We are also proud of our club expansion, adding an all ladies team and veteran team. We are happy we have been able to slowly improve our Club facilities and this is ongoing. 

What are your areas for development as a club? 

On the football development area – we have created a pathway for our youth to progress into senior football. We have created a mens Sunday team and are looking to develop a senior reserve team for Saturday (this is to give youth players a chance to keep playing football with the club if not going directly into our 1st team). We want to develop girls football and currently have mixed teams but would like to create an all-girls team at foundation level. 

Grounds Development – At our Redbourn Club grounds we need to improve our changing areas for mens / Ladies and U18s football. At the moment this is in a very poor state with our toilets vandalised and smashed. This will come at financial costs. We are proud as a club to host charity matches and awareness matches and recently promoting awareness for mental health. 

This is a very difficult period for grassroots football as a whole. What measures are being adopted to see the club through these challenging times? 

Our biggest challenge is promoting the club and pushing out positive messages during this COVID19 pandemic. Football has come to a halt and this has had a financial impact on professional Clubs so for grassroots club we are now fighting to survive. The club have pulled together to support each other as members and keep the club going by applying for grants and increasing our presence on social media.   

If somebody wanted to join the club, in either a playing, coaching or volunteering capacity, how should they get in touch? 

They can contact me - Club Chairman on phone. Look us up on our website (our website is improving) Look us up on social media – here is our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/applebyfrodinghamfc/ 

You can visit our Saturday Club at Redbourn Club, bringing children (ages 4 to 7) to participate in fun activities with qualified coaches. This is for free. We have committee members there who will be happy to answer any questions. 

Address – Redbourn Club, Cemetery Road. Scunthorpe. 

Visit our Brumby Hall site and go into the office. Brumby Hall Sports & Social Club Ashby Road. Scunthorpe. (Open from 9am to 4pm Mon to Fri) Ask about our football section.

Or visit Brumby Hall Saturday afternoons – watch our Mens 1st team and see our committee members there to ask questions or on a Sunday where we host our Youth, Ladies Veterans football.