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1978Established
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40+Teams
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3–17Age range
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FAAccredited club
Great Wakering Colts YFC is a community youth football club based in Great Wakering, Essex. It was founded in 1978 and has grown into one of the larger grassroots clubs in the area, running more than forty teams for children from the age of three right through to seventeen.
The Panthers are one of the club's Under-11 sides, playing 7-a-side football. At this age group the club competes in the South East Essex Primary League, which covers mini soccer from Under-7 through to Under-11. As players get older they move up into 9-a-side and then full 11-a-side football in the Southend and District Junior Sunday League.
How players progress
The club is set up so a child can join at almost any age and keep playing all the way through. The youngest start in Mini Kickers, the club's introductory sessions for pre-school children, before moving into a development squad at Under-6 and then into competitive teams from Under-7 upwards.
- Mini Kickers — first sessions for the very youngest, from age 3
- Under-6 — development squad, learning the game without league pressure
- Under-7 to Under-11 — mini soccer, 5-a-side and 7-a-side, in the South East Essex Primary League
- Under-12 to Under-17 — 9-a-side and 11-a-side in the Southend and District Junior Sunday League
Coaching and safeguarding
Every coach at the club is FA-accredited, first-aid trained and DBS-checked, and the club maintains published codes of conduct, club rules and child welfare policies. It holds FA accreditation, which sets standards for how a grassroots club is run — coaching qualifications, safeguarding, and how players, parents and volunteers are expected to behave.
Our approach
The club's aim is to develop young players and build a genuine love of the game, in an environment that supports children of all abilities rather than only the most talented. For the Panthers that means everyone gets a game, effort counts as much as the result, and the point of a Sunday morning is that the children enjoy their football.
Getting involved
The club is always looking for new coaches and volunteers, and no previous experience is required — the FA qualifications and training can be done through the club. If you'd like to join a team, help out, or find out about other age groups, the main club website has full details and contacts.