Accredited Club of the Month
Congratulation to Indian Gymkhana, the first winners of Middlesex FA's Accredited Club of the Month, they are the Accredited Club for December 2021!
Indian Gymkhana is a Sports Club based in the London Borough of Hounslow, the club is the largest and longest-standing multiracial Sports Club in the UK having been founded in 1916. They are a multisport club, offering Cricket, Football & Hockey on their site, and are fully aware of the lasting positive effect sport can have on it’s participants of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
The football section of the club was founded late in comparison with its hockey & cricket counterparts, arriving in the mid 1980’s as many second-generation Asians within their community began to show a passion for the sport, having been raised and education in the UK.
Participating in football amongst friends provided a base where likeminded individuals had an opportunity to play, socialise and share common experiences, like many football clubs, the next logical step was transforming their casual setup into something more formal. At this point key members of the group decided to form a team that would participate in officially recognised leagues with the steppingstones having been set by this newfound passion.
The football section of the club currently competes in the Middlesex County Football League. A Step 7 League and one which is part of the official Football Association (FA) promotion structure. The Club have also been awarded and recognised as an ‘England Football Accredited Club’ by Middlesex FA, this award is given to clubs which can successfully demonstrate good governance and administration.
Having grown over the past 40 years, the club has gone from strength to strength, as they now feature 8 youth teams, spanning U7’s to U15’s which also includes girls teams for the first time this season. Alongside this they still offer some informal training opportunities through a health and fitness programme the club offers to anyone interested in keeping fit.
The club have worked closely with Sporting Equals and Brentford FC to help develop and grow to incorporate their newly formed girls team and have also worked with Nike, featuring in their community outreach programme which saw them be featured on social media, helping to attract more players and coaches to the club.
The club utilise their adult players in their youth coaching setup, this helps them to keep the Youth and Adult sections connected and achievable for the younger players, providing them with role models within their community that they are at an attainable level to reach.
On what being England Football Accredited means to Indian Gymkhana, Pinder Kang, Assistant Secretary, said: “It's a massive achievement to be involved in such an organisation, let alone be nominated for an award! We as a club, portray the exact core values that England Football Accredited represent and push towards clubs and the community.”
Finally, on what being named Accredited Club of the Month would mean to the club, Pinder said: “Over the moon! It’ll show how far we’ve come as a club, from just 2 teams a mere 4 years ago, to now having 4 adult teams [playing] throughout Sat-Sun-Mon, a youth section for all ages from 6-16 and lastly a Girls team. This is only the start!”
Find out how you could nominate your club!
