Whistlers Win 'Club of the Year '

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Local youth football club get coveted award for first time

Acton Ealing Whistlers Youth Football Club has won the Harrow Youth League "Club of the Year" from a field of 75 clubs. Club Chair Margrit Wachnicka said "This award will be held in the highest esteem, as it is not just for one team or an individual player but for every child and adult involved in the club".

This is the first time the club has won this award since Dennis Fitzgerald and friends formed the football section in 1980. The club's original purpose was to teach Irish traditional music, song and dance.

In the first two years over 350 children attended the classes and because of the large numbers, Ealing Council Youth Service was approached, and with their help a Traditional Music School was formed. This was run from the premises that now house the W13 club. Due to the success it was decided that to develop the friendship and happy atmosphere that existed, the school should enter teams in competitions organised by the Middlesex Boys Clubs and also join a local football league.

From these humble beginnings the club has gone from strength to strength. It now runs fifteen teams in the Harrow Youth League (one of the top ten Leagues in the UK). A number of the members have gone to great things. Kevin Gallen went on to play for Queens Park Rangers and Glen Murphy appeared at the Royal Opera House in Carmen.

The club is multi-cultural and has great involvement within the community. Over the years it has won a number of awards, including in 1990 the Middlesex Sports Club of the Year and the Middlesex Youth Club of the Year. As a club they are continually developing. This year the Whistlers U16A side won the European Open (Holland), the U16B side were Runners Up in the Supplementary Cup, the U15A side won the Premiership title and the U15B side won the Third Division title. A number of tournaments have also been won this season by the club's sides.

They are a local club and all committee members are people who supply their time and services free of charge. The club has its own ground at Hillcrest Road in Ealing and is always looking for new players to strengthen their squads.

They are particularly looking for players who are currently in school years 1, 3, 4 and 6 and are also looking for kit sponsors, interested? call Peter on 020 8842 2250 or email peter@aewfc.co.uk.

July 25, 2008