Middlesex FA would like to congratulate Acton Ealing Whistlers, who have recently renewed their Two Star England Football Accreditation status and are now in the process of working on their next steps to continue developing the club.

Acton Ealing Whistlers are one of 42 clubs in the County to be a Two Star England Football Accredited Club. Thanks to the great work from their club workforce, they now offer a complete Female Playing Pathway, have recently added Disability provision and are just one team away from completing a full Male Player Pathway.

We recently caught up with Simone Asquith and the club committee at Acton Ealing Whistlers and their youth section to find out how they retained their Two Star status and their plans for the future.

What does being an England Football Accredited Club mean to your club?

Being an England Football Accredited Club is a badge of honour and quality assurance for us. It shows that we're committed to providing a safe, enjoyable, and inclusive environment for all our young people to play football. It validates the hard work of our committee, volunteers and coaches, and it gives parents and players confidence that we're a well-run and reputable club.

For us, Accreditation is more than just a status – it's a commitment to continuous improvement. It helps us to ensure we're following best practices in everything we do, from coaching and safeguarding to club administration. It also opens opportunities for funding and support that can help us grow and develop even further.

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How did you go about retaining your club's Two Star Accreditation status?

Retaining our Two Star Accreditation is a team effort. We started by reviewing the accreditation criteria and identifying any areas where we could improve. We then put together an action plan and worked together to implement it. This involved things like:

• Updating our policies and procedures 

- Ensuring they were in line with the latest FA guidelines.

• Providing training for our coaches and volunteers:

- Making sure all our coaches and volunteers have the necessary skills and knowledge, with the help of our Head Coach providing in-situ visits. 

• Gathering evidence to demonstrate our progress:

- This included gathering feedback from players parents and guardians on an ongoing basis to ensure we provide the best, most inclusive and safest environment for our players and wider community. We also make sure we engage with our members throughout the process, keeping them informed of our progress.

What support did you get from your County FA/The FA during this process?

Our County FA were incredibly helpful throughout the accreditation process. They provided us with guidance and support, and they were always available to answer our questions. They also offered workshops and training sessions that were valuable for which we had a good take up. 

We appreciate their help with all aspects navigating our way through this process. Their expertise and support were essential in helping us to retain our Two Star Accreditation.

What are your club's ambitions for the future and do you have plans to become a Three Star Accredited Club?

We are ambitious for the future of our club with targeted growth in widening participation. We want to continue to grow and provide opportunities for even more young people to play football, regardless of their background or ability. Our recent successes over the past few years were the setting up of our girls' football and in the near future relaunch our open age women’s team so the girls have a full pathway. 

We plan to restart our men’s open age team next season as we have two U18s teams for players to join which will also give them a continued pathway into the men’s game and would be the last piece in the jigsaw in hopefully achieving our 3-star goal.  More recently we have taken on Comets Disability Football Sessions which are up and running currently at Rectory Park on Wednesdays and these are going really well. These are the things we as a Club are committed to and we will continue to build on these foundations. 

In terms of Three Star Accreditation, it's definitely something we are working very hard on achieving in the future. We believe it's important to always strive for improvement and we're confident that we have the potential to reach that level. For now, our focus is on consolidating our current achievements and continuing to provide a high-quality football experience for all our members.

If your club would like to find out how they can progress through the Accreditation Star levels or develop, please contact development@middlesexfa.com for further information.