Shanklin Voluntary Youth & Community Centre and Shanklin Football Club have been recognised for their significant contribution to the local community, after winning an award at the prestigious Sported Awards in London.
The annual ceremony – held on Wednesday (11th June) – celebrated grassroots sports clubs and organisations across the UK that are making a real difference in their local areas.
Shanklin Football Club and Shanklin Voluntary Youth & Community Centre were presented with the Outstanding Collaboration & Partnerships Award, acknowledging their work in uniting sport, youth engagement, and community initiatives.
Founded in 1888, Shanklin Football Club includes Youth, Women’s and Men’s teams and hosts the Isle of Wight’s ‘Uniformed Services Side’, IW Women’s Team, Darts Teams, and other local community activities.
Through joint fundraising and skilled volunteer input, the Club has invested £50,000 into new changing rooms, £20,000 into a new Clubhouse, reinstated floodlights, upgraded storage, acquired new youth equipment, and launched the ‘Out of the Blue’ charity for emergency service personnel.
Pete Wilson, from Shanklin Football Club, has said:
“We have a collaboration between our youth football teams and youth club. It’s a very community led team and club, and we’re trying to bring it all together.
“The biggest challenge is volunteers, getting people to volunteer and give up their time. We’re very lucky that on the Isle of Wight and at Shanklin that we’ve got enough volunteers, but we are always crying out for more.
Article continues below this advertisement “Sported have been amazing, they’ve helped fund through Barclays the refurbishment of our changing rooms at the football club which has enabled us to introduce more youth teams to give more kids the opportunity to play sport.”
Gil Robertson, Sported’s Regional Manager for South East England, has said:
“To have a club from the South East and Isle of Wight celebrated for the great work they do is encouraging for the whole area.
“Sported’s nation-wide network of sports groups and clubs impact communities and lives across the UK, so to have Shanklin Voluntary Youth & Community Centre and Shanklin Football Club recognised for what they do is inspiring for organisations across the region. They’re so deserving of the award and I’m incredibly pleased for them.”
Shanklin’s success came against competition from clubs across Sported’s UK-wide network of 5,000 groups. The ceremony, hosted by TV presenter and Sported trustee Jill Douglas, took place at Barclays’ Canary Wharf headquarters, highlighting the ongoing partnership between Barclays and Sported through the Barclays Community Sport Fund.
