Author: Michael Wilson

Next meeting of the Supporters Club

Shildon AFC Supporters Club will be holding a meeting on Sunday 12th December 2021 at 11:00pm in the Blue Diamond Social Club at Dean Street.  All supporters are welcome to attend.

As a result of the membership’s vote to adopt a formal constitution, membership of the Shildon AFC Supporters Club is now charged on an annual basis. Membership is £5 Adults (over 18) and £3 juniors (under 18).  Only current members will be able to vote at the club AGM. The renewal date for membership is the month of September.

For further details on the meeting or membership applications please contact Russ Henderson on 07538 789464.

New Management Team for Reserves

Shildon AFC is pleased to announce Wayne Gredziak and Steven West as the new management team for Shildon AFC Reserves.

Wayne is currently the manager of Darlington under 16’s academy and will be well known to Shildon fans and followers of north east football having played for Shildon, Bishop Auckland, Bedlington Terriers, Hebburn Town, Chester Le Street, Northallerton and Darlington RA.  Wayne has also gained experience in management with spells at Durham & Wolviston.  Wayne will take on the role of Reserve Team Manager.

 

Steven, also well known in local football, having played at Bishop Auckland, Whitby, West Auckland and Crook, works with Wayne at the Darlington under 16’s Academy and was assistant manager at Bishop Auckland when they won the Durham Challenge Cup.  Steven will be Assistant Manager of the reserve team.

 

 

Darren Tait (Shildon AFC Director & Director of Football – Bishop Juniors) said, “I’m really pleased with the appointment of Wayne & Steven. As well as coaching/managing at a Northern League Level they will also bring in a wealth of experience from their playing days.  They both understand the importance of the role & where that lies within the partnership pathway but have also already identified players that they would like to bring into the Club”

Darren continued, “I would also like to say a huge thank you to Wayne Claydon, who along with Mark Hallimond & Lee Bendelow, had a very successful first season gaining promotion to Wearside League Division 1.  I’m also very pleased that Mark will be staying at the Club to work with the new management team”.

Wayne and Steven will be starting work with Shildon AFC Reserves immediately.

We’re backing Play Safe

Play Safe is being run in partnership with the NSPCC and has the full backing of the Premier League, EFL, Barclays FA Women’s Super League and the FA Women’s Championship. It’s also supported and being run across every other level of the game.

The main element of Play Safe is a series of short films which emphasise the importance of clubs such as ours having safeguarding as an everyday reality. The films also explain to parents/carers and children themselves what to do if they feel unsafe or worried, because nothing matters more than making sure football is safe for everyone, especially children and young people. You can see these films on the front page of our club website.

“As a youth team coach, I will be working with my club to ensure we support the Play Safe messaging,” says FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham. “I am also pleased that the campaign has the support of the former footballers with lived experience of abuse in football, who are on our Survivor Support and Safeguarding Advisory Group. The Group has collectively said:

“Learning from the past is crucial, so that we can prevent the horrific experiences that happened to us and so many others in football, from happening again.

“As a group of survivors, we fully support the ethos and important messages that Play Safe conveys – whether to club officials, parents/carers and or vitally, children and young people themselves. Equally important is that Play Safe is not a one-off campaign – it will be used at key points in the football calendar to remind everyone in football, that children’s welfare and keeping them safe, should be at the heart of all that we do.”

As the Survivor Group points out, you’ll see Play Safe appearing at various points throughout the season to keep safeguarding front of mind in football. Together, we want to do everything we can so everyone – particularly children and young people – has a consistently positive experience of our great game.

Vacancy – Reserve Team Coach/Manager

Shildon AFC are seeking a coach/manager for their reserve team.

Shildon AFC is a charter standard club with its first team playing in the Northern Premier League East Division (Step 4 of the national league system), with its reserve’s playing in the 1st Division of the Wearside League.

The Club is looking for a passionate and enthusiastic coach/manager to work within the club’s team structure to support the development of players, supporting the first team and helping support the proven partnership pathway within the Club from junior football through the reserves and into first-team football:

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You will hold the relevant FA coaching badges and be willing to commit 1.5 hours during the week and of course matchdays during the season.

This is an ideal opportunity for anyone looking to gain experience and development in football at a high level and the Club will provide opportunities for support, development and progression within the football club for the right candidate.

The Club is asking all potential applicants to email, Darren Tait, at: daztait@googlemail.com with a covering letter and CV before the deadline of 5pm Tuesday 23rd November 2021.

David Dent

Chairman, Shildon AFC

Groundbreaking Ceremony – Shildon AFC Community Garden

An official groundbreaking ceremony was held today (12th November 2021) for the Shildon AFC Community Garden.  The garden is being constructed on the waste ground at the Dean Street end of the football ground, with work already underway.

Pictured: (L-R) Mark Jackson (Hirebase Gateshead), Beverley Williams (Buildbase Gateshead), David Dent (Chairman, Shildon AFC), Cllr. Shirley Quinn, Andrew Walker (Bishop Auckland & Shildon AAP), Cllr. Samantha Townsend, Cllr. Matt Johnson, Ashley Wharton (Shildon Alive), Tracy Chappell (Shildon Alive), Trevor Howe (Buildbase Gateshead), Mark Charlton (Trilogy Turf)

The Garden was made possible by the Club’s successful bid to the Buildbase Community Club Award, which resulted in an award of £25,000.  The Club were also successful in achieving funding from the Councillors Neighbourhood Budget (which is administered by the Bishop Auckland and Shildon Area Action Partnership (AAP)), which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Councillors Shirley Quinn, Samantha Townsend and Matt Johnson along with Andrew Walker from the AAP.



Beverley Williams, Branch Manager (Buildbase Gateshead) said “As sponsors of the FA Vase and FA Trophy, Buildbase and Hirebase Gateshead are very proud that this year the busary award will benefit the community and locals as well as the Club and players.”

Andrew Walker, AAP Co-ordinator continued “We are delighted that through Councillors Johnson, Quinn and Townsend we could support Shildon Football Club with this fantastic community project.” 

David Dent, Chairman of Shildon AFC thanked everybody involved in helping bring this project to fruition.

“This garden will be a true community asset for the people of Shildon. It wouldn’t have happened without the support of Buildbase and the AAP for which we are extremely grateful. It now provides the Club with a fantastic opportunity to build upon our community work with our partners Shildon Alive and the Solan Connor Fawcett Trust but more so it allows us to have greater reach within our community which we intend to do via our charitable arm, Shildon AFC Foundation, which we intend to launch in the New Year”.

Ashley Wharton from Shildon Alive commented “We are very excited to support this amazing initiative and work in partnership to provide an outdoor space that will not only benefit the wider community of Shildon, but bring all members together and instil pride in their hometown”.

Construction work is being undertaken by Club partner Trilogy Turf with equipment from Hirebase Gateshead and is scheduled to be completed early in the New Year.

Shildon AFC Supporters Club – Away Travel

Shildon AFC Supporters Club are now taking bookings for the following fixtures:

Liversedge FC vs Shildon AFC – NPL East – 30/11/21

Frickley Athletic FC vs Shildon AFC – NPL East – 4/12/21

Pickering Town FC vs Shildon AFC – NPL East – 18/12/21

Please contact Russ Henderson on 07538 789464 to book.

For updates on travel arrangements, please see the Supporters Club Web-page.

Hospitality – Shildon AFC vs Bridlington Town – 13th November 2021

With recent fixture changes there is now the opportunity to book the hospitality suite for the Bridlington Town game this coming Saturday (13th November 2021).  The hospitality suite is proving very popular and is now booked into the New Year so this is a great chance to book and enhance your matchday experience.

Hospitality includes entry to the ground (inlcuding a free programme) and the hospitality suite.  Within the private suite, we offer a fully stocked fridge throughout the game (which can be tailored to guest requirements), the suite has a match viewing area and live BT sports can be shown on the television screen.  There is a choice of meals for guests (choice must be the same for the whole group) and includes: homemade pizzas, hand cut chips, indian banquet, chinese, and traditional english dishes (e.g. fish and chips).

The cost for the day (1:00pm – 5:30pm) is £400 and up to 10 guests can attend.

Booking must be made by the end of Monday 8th November 2021 – and a 50% deposit must be paid.  Please contact:  briarave@hotmail.co.uk

Fixture Changes – November 2021

A couple of changes have been made to our fixture list for November 2021.  Please note the following:

Shildon AFC vs Bridlington Town FC will now be 13th November 2021, 3:00pm at Dean Street.  The tie was originally scheduled for 26th February 2022.

Liversedge FC vs Shildon AFC will now be held 30th November 2021, 7:45pm at the Clayborn Ground, Liversedge.  The tie was originally scheduled for 13th November 2021.

 

For an up-to-date fixture list please check the web-site https://shildonafc.com/fixtures-results/