Sporting Bishops Waltham Football Club

Senior football in the market town of Bishops Waltham just took another major step forward. Burridge Youth FC, (under 18’s) has formally aligned itself with Sporting BW to become Sporting Bishops Waltham Youth FC.

Sporting are also applying for Charter Status, a status already achieved by the Burridge Club. Once this status is achieved Sporting will be applying for new streams of grant funding to move the Club forward.

Chairman of Sporting BW FC, Stuart Parrett commented “We have been hampered with the lack of youth coming into senior league football” and he added “and this Burridge alignment will make such a difference”. “We are currently also looking for major sponsors to make themselves known as finance will finally seal our future, and growth as a club”. “Anyone who is interested in joining our club, as players, managers, womens teams, match day helpers through to sponsors, should contact me via our website at www.sportingbishopswaltham.co.uk

Whereas SBW is over 100 years old, Burridge Youth FC was formed in 2002 and has quickly grown to 5 teams of boys and girls but the under 18’s needed to move-on. The U18 players have enjoyed considerable success and needed a senior grade team to move up the ladder and satisfy an understandable hunger for progression.

Pam Janke, Secretary of Burridge Youth FC commented “Every year we hold a Fun Week for the local community. This includes activities and games for children and culminates in a presentation and barbecue for children and parents on the final evening. This was a great fundraiser fund and well as a great social get-together”. She adds “As a club our new under 18’s side had outgrown our facilities and has been looking for a club that can help their progress into a higher standard of football. We are delighted to have found Sporting Bishops Waltham and their facilities”

Pam also comments “Our players are looking forward to the challenge of the season ahead and hoping, in the long term, to progress into the Sporting 1st team. As a club we hope that our other teams, as they progress, will benefit from the partnership between the two clubs and that Sporting Bishops Waltham will become a major force in Hampshire”.

Sporting BW became a natural choice for them and, as Sporting Chairman, Stuart Parrett states, “Hampshire Premier Football League has been upgraded by the FA and is a league that is to be aspired to, just as Sporting aspire to retaining Wessex league status”. He added “With appropriate financial long-term sponsorship the club now has the building blocks in place to attract the right players for forward movement up the footballing pyramid”.

Bishops Waltham will be represented in mens county football once again next season. Over 100 years of football tradition in the Hampshire market town will be kept alive by the formation of a new club: Sporting Bishops Waltham.

The new club has been formed by members of Sporting B.T.C. & Bishops Waltham Town football clubs and will be based at Priory Park in Bishops Waltham. The new club will be competing in the Hampshire Premier League (Saturdays) as well as the Hampshire Youth League (Sundays).