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Club History |
The objectives of the club are to continue the provision of active sport through soccer and the progression of the club to maintain the position as the foremost youth soccer club in the Melton and Asfordby area.
The club was founded in 1983, joining the Leicestershire Junior Football League, commencing at Under 10 level. The club has continued to expand and through maintaining a sound organisation and a high profile in the local area more teams have been encouraged to start. At the present time, the club currently maintains fifteen playing squads ranging from the age groups Under 8 to Under 17. The teams all actively competing across the County in Mini-Soccer and full 11-A-Side matches, on Sunday mornings and afternoons in the Leicestershire & Rutland County F.A Junior Football Leagues, representing a regular weekly involvement of in excess of 180 boys and 20 girls.
The teams also train once a week, during the winter months, at the Melton King Edward VII School all weather facility, or sports halls, with training during the light nights at the Asfordby Hill ground. Throughout this period, the club has maintained a very high profile in the town and in 1994 the club decided to pursue a new initiative for the Melton area to encourage even younger children.
The English F.A, in association with Coca-Cola, were keen to promote the development of younger age groups and through a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola, introduced Mini Soccer Centres throughout the country. Mowbray Rangers F.C applied for and were granted a licence to run the Melton Mowbray Mini Soccer Centre. This Leicestershire & Rutland County FA affiliated Mini Soccer Centre, held on Saturday mornings, runs for two twelve-week sessions during the year. It caters for both boys and girls between the ages of five and eleven, all enjoying the basic development of soccer skills. This programme now involves between 120 and 150 children playing on some 10 to 12 mini pitches. The extensive preparation, administration, organisation and supervision being staffed by FA registered experienced adults within Mowbray Rangers F.C.
The club also provides an element of sponsorship to club teams that participate in Tours during the Easter or Summer holiday periods at various holiday venues around the Country.
Throughout this period of time, the club maintained it's playing base at the Asfordby Hill County Primary School playing fields, based on a long association with the school Head and Governors. The club during this time continued a preventative maintenance programme of the very old changing room facilities, maintenance of the ground, pitch marking and the provision of new safer goal posts. Members also incorporated a Tea-Bar in the pavilion which provided refreshments for home and visiting supporters whilst generating additional income for the club.
The club continued to pro-actively consider it's future plans. Projects included the award of Charter Standard Club status, proposals to enlarge and regenerate the existing ageing pavilion along with improvements to the playing surfaces and the provision of additional changing facilities for our younger teams.
The club's intentions were to apply for related grants from existing sports bodies underpinned by a sound financial base which the club had at this time. The club had moderate funds and was prepared to further invest, in line with the thirty-year lease it now had in place with Leicestershire County Council enabling the Club to maximise the potential money available through various sports or lottery grants.
Mowbray Rangers Football Club is a well respected, progressive member of the Leicestershire Youth, Junior and Mutual Sunday Leagues and intended to continue operating from the Asfordby Hill base, with improved and increased facilities. The club considered that, in providing in excess of 250 local children the chance of playing football with improved facilities, it would only enhance the children's opportunity of going on to senior football within Melton or professional levels.
The club has an enviable success rate locally and recently has had many players, that have gone on to taste the fringe of professional football life. David Saddington and Richard Orme in the YTS Scheme at Leicester City. Robert Aldridgeattended the West Bromwich Albion Soccer Academy, Stephen Burgess Peterborough Utd, John Richardson at Sheffield Utd and several of our young eight and nine year olds have been tracked by Leicester City, Derby County and Barnsley United Football Clubs. One of the Club’s original nine year old goalkeepers, was taken into the Leicester City Soccer Academy and is now in his fifth season with the club – surely a great prospect for the future.
Robert Aldridge, who attended the West Bromwich Albion Soccer Academy was selected to represent a SNICKERS, England, Street Zone Soccer select for a tournament in The Netherlands. This was following a promising club sponsored tour with our then Under 14 squad to the Easter Festival of Soccer Tournament in Weston Super-Mare.
Mowbray Rangers FC maintains a close link to the Walkers Stadium Club with Managers and Coaches attending sessions organised by the Academy Staff to supplement training.
Since then others have gone on to test their skills at Football Academies across the country with one player, Aaron Ridout actually turning out as a full professional for Scunthorpe United.
It was at this time that the club decided that to progress any further and meet the demands of a growing club it had to obtain a new modern and safe environment for the kids to enjoy their football.
It was decided in 2000, after signing a thirty year lease with Leicestershire county Council on the ground, that it started to explore funding opportunities for enough money to modernise the existing 1950’s cricket pavilion it used.
Initially a planned application for funding through the FA mini-soccer initiatives was muted and looked a real possibility. However changes at the Football Association in London, which was to benefit the club, meant that it had to wait another year before a serious set of plans could be drawn up to maximise funding.
In 2003 the newly re-formed Football Foundation became aware of Mowbray Rangers application for a new six roomed changing facility. A full and exhaustive application was made and planning permission sought along with applications for additional funding from the Borough Council., The County Council and assisted funds from the Melton Building Society.
In October 2003 the club received the great news that its application for funding had been successful with the Football Foundation, now the largest charity providing funds for Grassroot Football Projects, providing a massive 84% grant of £247, 000. With other funding a total of £293,000 was ready to be spent building one of Leicestershire’s most impressive Youth Football facilities.
The new facility was opened by Councillor ……………. in June 2005.
The Club continues to flourish with Saturday Mini-Soccer schools, sixteen teams competing well in both Leicestershire and Grantham Leagues. It successfully retained its Charter Standard Community Club status, the pinnacle of quality required by the Football Association. Since 1998 the club has won a major league or trophy or been runner up in one age group or another, every year.
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