Sport North East ISSUE 01 | Page 27

Redcar Athletic “I first got involved with the club through my son playing for the 1st team. Jordan Rivis is a central midfielder for Redcar Athletic Football Club and has been playing for the past two years. I used to play in the Northern League myself for Southbank until they went bust, I had a season with them and played at a high level in Australia. We have been a sponsor of Redcar Athletic football club for this season, I sponsor the polo shirts the players wear, sponsor Jordon as a player and also have an advert in the club’s programme. I would like to wish the club all the best and the group of lads are fantastic. Everyone should be proud of themselves down at Redcar Athletic.” Darren Rivis, KMS Brickwork BRICKWORK SUBCONTRACTORS All bricwork and stonework 30 years of trade experience New builds, extensions, garages etc Proud sponsors of Redcar Athletic FC Email: [email protected] “We took our time to settle in the Northern League following our promotion, we set out with the target of not getting relegated. Having taken so long to get promotion we didn’t want to throw all that hard work away in one season. “We didn’t have a great start and if I was honest there was a point when I was a little concerned but the Management and Players have been fantastic and have hit a real purple patch winning plenty of games and we currently sit 6th in the League, a fantastic achievement. We have really enjoyed visiting the new grounds and the people in the Northern League have been fantastic and have really made us feel welcome; it is an excellent, well managed League. “We now plan to finish as high as possible in the League then we will sit down and plan season 2019-20. Season 2019-20 is going to be interesting as the FA plan to introduce a new Step 4 League which may have implications on the promotion/relegation issues within the Northern League so we need to be at the forefront of these developments and ensure that we keep abreast of the situation. “We will be hoping for more improvement next season on the pitch which will probably mean adding one or two to the squad so we will sit down with the Manager and see what his thoughts are. Off the pitch, we want to continue to develop the ground which has undergone a huge transformation in the last few years and we plan to add another seated stand, toilets/snack bar within the ground perimeter and add more hardstanding around the ground. We have a five and ten year development plan for the Ground which would see us develop the ground every year. “We put a huge emphasis on youth development within the Club and this message is enforced by the 1st Team Manager Steve Connolly who is a massive supporter of recruiting players from within. Over the years that has not always been the case and it is disappointing when you see a young player who spent all of his youth playing at our club now doing well at another Senior Club. “We will be doing our best to ensure that in future our Junior players are given every opportunity to continue their football career at Redcar Athletic FC. We run teams at U17/U19 level and also have a Senior Reserve side so there are lots of opportunities for young players to gradually develop into the 1st team. All those teams train together so the same football philosophy is spread throughout all of the teams and wherever possible all the teams play the same system, again ensuring a smooth transition into the 1st team. “We are an FA Community Club in the true sense of the word, Redcar Athletic FC exists for the community of Redcar, we make football accessible to all and we are very proud to represent Redcar. The club’s legal entity is a registered charity and its work involves creating opportunities for people that are hard to reach which involves going out in the community and working with these people. They are then given opportunities to join the club. “In the next five years we hope to be promoted to Northern League Division One, that all of our Junior Teams continue to develop, attract more volunteers and just continue to improve year on year.” www.sportip.biz 27