Today’s inspiration steps it up for football, youth and community

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Welcome back to our Step it Up Campaign, where our aim is to inspire others to become more active in charity work by sharing stories of social responsibility.

Meet Andy Millar

Andy is an Engineering Manager for a specialised gas and liquid system design and manufacture company.

What do you do for Charity?
“I volunteer for Somersham Town Football Club. I am currently Chair of the youth side of the club and vice-chair of the overall side of the club. My responsibilities are to help the coaches and members of the club to play football in a controlled, safe manner, with the emphasis being on enjoying the game, not win at all costs.”

football club volunteersHow did this happen?
“Ten years ago a group of Dads got together and decided that we wanted to have our children play for the village they came from, not other villages within the surrounding area. We started with 15 players and 10 years later we have over 140 local children playing for us, from Under Seven through to Under 17. We have been part of the senior club from the second year onward.”

Why is this a good fit for you?
“We have also worked tirelessly to re-integrate the football club back into the community. There was a perception that the club paid players to play and that they were not local men playing for Somersham Town, but for a small wage packet. This situation has been turned around and recently we were at the forefront of the campaign to have a defibrillator installed within the village for the wider use of the community. As a club we have also helped other local clubs  gain their Charter Standard status with advice on the paperwork and control sides required.

What have you gotten out of it?
“I started this role as a passionate supporter of grass roots football and I get a huge amount of satisfaction when I go to the Millennium Field, our home ground, and see numerous teams of local children all playing football and enjoying it.”

What’s your advice to anyone thinking of doing this?
“If anyone was looking at doing a similar start up I would recommend that they do it, rather than be put off by the initial amount of paper work required. The satisfaction of  putting something back into the community is huge.”

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Please check back often for more Step it Up interviews,
and get in touch if you would like to share your own story!

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