As part of the Watford FC Community Sports & Education Trust’s 30-year anniversary celebrations, a series of accounts from staff, volunteers, partners and participants have been compiled in the ‘30 Stories for 30 Years’ publication, that also includes the annual Impact Report for 2022.
All of the stories, and the Impact Report, can be viewed online HERE. Should you wish to request a hard copy, please email kristian.hitchins@watfordfc.com.
Next up is the story of how the Trust came to be, written by Watford Observer journalist Andrew French...
The story that has taken what was the Watford FC Football in the Community Scheme in 1992/93, to the Watford FC Community Sports and Education Trust 30 years later is one of an altruistic belief that any football club should be the heartbeat of its community.
I recently visited Vicarage Road Stadium to meet with Community Director Rob Smith and discuss that progression.
“When I joined the Watford FC Football in the Community scheme in November 1996, it was still very much in its infancy,” Rob said.
“We were working back then in what was really a broom cupboard! It was just the two of us, myself and Kirk Wheeler, with a desk each and a phone that we shared. In the late 90s, we were predominantly using football as a positive tool and a way to engage people.
“It was very football-based and the sort of activities we were organising were holiday coaching courses for children, after-school clubs and generally the provision of football-based events that focused very much on participation.
“We also did some work at the stadium, and anyone who was at matches in those days will probably remember the legendary half-time penalty shoot-outs with guests from the Balmoral Day Centre.
“The reliance was very much on casual coaches to deliver the courses, and over time we attracted some very good coaches which enabled us to expand. When we moved on to offer more than just football provision, we started to be contacted by third parties who wanted to work with us: the Housing Association, the Police, and the local authority.
“It was around then we started to host programmes that moved into what you might call ‘social value’ projects. Things like addressing the need to get young people into positive activities in their spare time, rather than hanging around on the streets.
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“We started to look at ways of using physical activity generally to help with mental wellbeing, physical health and so on.
“The really big step in our evolution was in 2003/04 when we became a registered charity. That was pivotal. We moved from what was called Football in the Community into what we know today as the Watford FC Community Sports and Education Trust.
“There are two areas that are key to us. The people who participate in what we do, our beneficiaries; and then there are the people who work for the Trust. The target is that everyone who comes into contact with the Trust benefits from their time interacting with us, be that beneficiaries or staff.
“Twenty years ago, we’d never have thought we’d have two community hubs, but we got them because one of our visions was having a bigger impact. I’d like to think we can do more of that. Could we potentially open another hub? I’d also like to see us expand the work we do on health and wellbeing, maybe looking at how we can support cancer charities and organisations, or perhaps bereavement support.
“I believe a football club almost has an obligation to work with, help and support its community, and Watford has always had a very special way of meeting that obligation.
“Football clubs all over the country are doing a lot of excellent work, but because of the vision Graham Taylor had and what he put in place, we all know Watford FC is very special.
“He set the example of having very good people, doing great things for the right reason and always having a positive impact on those they interact with. We are simply carrying the baton for him.”
It’s impressive and uplifting for me to hear from Rob how far the Trust has come from such humble beginnings. With good people working hard to build upon the foundations laid by Graham Taylor, and with his ethos at the heart of all they do, the next 30 years and beyond bode well for Watford’s football club and community.
