Evergreen FC History

Evergreen Football Club is an FA Charter Standard Community Club based in Abbots Langley and started as a church side in 1970 changing its name to Evergreen the same year. In 1980 the club amalgamated with Leggatts Way Old Boys and Abbots Langley Rovers Youth to form the large club it is today. Evergreen now runs 34 youth sides, including girls' teams, Saturday and Sunday senior sides, ladies sides and Power chair teams. Evergreen has its own ground, clubhouse and changing rooms which were comprehensively refurbished in 2017 with the support of the Football Foundation in addition to its own 3G Astroturf.

Club philosophy

In an age of social change, where there are a lack of modern day role models and the dawn of celebrity, there has never been more of a need for deep rooted philosophies, values and principles that strike a chord with the England of yesteryear. In Hertfordshire sits a developing Adult, Boys, Ladies & girls Football Club that believes in a philosophy centred on inclusion, fun and making life-long friends.

Evergreen FC is a Charter Standard Community Club and first kicked a ball in 1970. The club has now grown to accommodate 400 boys and girls on their books, from the U5's through to seniors and have 65 FA qualified coaches running their teams. Their aim is to provide every boy and girl that has an interest in football with the opportunity to play and enjoy the game. Becoming a member of the club is not bound by ability or background, but is open to all, providing a haven for young people to grow and develop, make friends and have fun.

Ideal Experience

For every child who is part of the club, new or existing, the ambition is to give them "What they expect, and a bit more". Coined as "The Evergreen Experience" by the team coaches through to the committee of the club, there is a strong feeling of team spirit and lying beneath that, family. If the coaches can have a positive effect on the life of a player as a whole, then it's a job well done. The club try to do this by making sure that coaches know the names of the children quickly, that the coaching sessions are fun and inclusive and that the approach to games is around participation rather than winning.

Setting the right example

Evergreen FC strives to make football much more than just a sporting experience. Their approach to developing children through fun reverberates throughout the various age groups and it is clear to see that they have adopted many of the philosophies and principles closely associated around player development. To see growing numbers of their ex-players take on the coaching route is testament to this. Football can be deceptive in its structure and it is easy to look at the professional game to try and gain a destination for young developing players. However, underneath the surface, the worlds of grassroots and professional football are very different, verging almost on being alternative sports. Sometimes we look at top managers and see their outward displays of passion and zeal and feel that this should be replicated on a grassroots stage. However, when dealing with a 7 year old who is playing because he or she wants to be with their friends, rather than a professional who is playing in a competition worth millions of pounds to his club, the goalposts must change.

Grassroots football needs to look elsewhere for its role models and within that the philosophies in which it manoeuvres. The classroom is often a good place to cast an eye on how to deal with difference and get the best out of young people. Teachers employ a range of teaching strategies to involve but also challenge all. It is hard to think of a modern day primary school teacher bellowing at a child because they made a mistake in mathematics, or miss spell a word in English. Schools structure their philosophies around working together and trying your best, rather than winning at all costs.