Youth teams vote to decide who runs Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League

Published: August 11, 2011
by STEVE BARNETT

SCORES of football clubs from across Camden and Islington have had their say on who will be running one of the biggest youth leagues in north London this season.

Managers of more than 40 clubs were asked to vote on who they wanted to run the Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League after a newly formed community group challenged Camden Council’s control of the competition.

The council and new company the Camden and Regent’s Park Youth League Ltd were both asked to put forward detailed proposals for how the 2011/12 campaign will be run.

Their recommendations were given to Steve Smith and Tony Louki from the West Euston Partnership and David Ellis from the Royal Parks, who acted as independent adjudicators.

On Tuesday the results were revealed and, of the 30 teams that voted, 27 opted for a new provider.

In reality, however, there is a very familiar feel to the league. The limited company was set up by coaches Emma Hayes and Ash Rahman, who have both been key members of the league since it launched in 2000.

The first thing they did was recruit former Camden Sports Development officer Will Cave, one of the founders of the league over 11 years ago.

With the action due to kick off on September 10, league co-ordinator mr Cave is counting down the days. He said: “I’m really looking forward to the coming season, it will be exciting to work with a number of new teams as well as welcoming back all our old friends. We’re anticipating our biggest ever turn-out with more than 1,300 children set to take part in the league.

“That’s a pretty big jump from the 50 players we had when the league originally started back in 2000.

“We’ve got a lot of fresh ideas in store too, including an under-7s development programme and coaching workshops to encourage new young managers into the game.

A spokesperson for Camden Council said: “The council is committed to a successful Regent’s Park Football League.

“We have ensured the league did not fragment and remains accessible to people in our local communities. The council welcomes the opportunity to work with the new league provider to ensure high-quality sporting opportunities continue to be available for young people in Camden.”

West Euston Partnership trustee Steve Smith added: “We would encourage the council to continue to support grassroots league football with some of the resources that they would have allocated had they won the clubs’ vote. The West Euston Partnership has a special interest in the league as it managed its creation.”