The Club has made great strides since its formation but the board recognise it cannot stand still and that the infrastructure has to therefore support the ambition of playing at the highest sustainable level.
It is an indication of the progress made that attendances have improved to the degree where our facilities at times struggle with providing supporters with the services they deserve.
On the pitch we are knocking on the door of Step 2 football and our community activities have expanded enormously extending the awareness of the club within the borough.
Our academy has been very popular and demand for places exceeds classroom space. Recent planning permission for further cabins to house much needed additional classrooms require us to provide a permanent provision within the next 5 years. The main building at the stadium is iconic and loved by us all but it simply does not have the room to allow the club to grow further.
The directors have therefore decided to explore the possibility of an additional facility within the stadium that will allow us to provide improved matchday facilities, additional classrooms for the academy and a centre for our community activities.
The first step has been to commission the drawing of plans to utilise the area adjacent to the turnstiles and behind the current cabins used by the academy. The club is extremely grateful to Pellings for their support in providing the drawings for the potential new facility to get this exciting project off the ground.
Chair Paul Reed said: “It essential for our future success that we align our growth both on and off the pitch. Given the progress of our football and community activities it is vital that we have the right infrastructure in place to support the development of our club moving forward. With aspirations for our first team to be playing at Step 2 and with a thriving education programme, youth, ladies and community development sections, we feel that now is the right time for new facilities to enable the club to continue to thrive. It’s fantastic to be working with such professional and enthusiastic partners in Pellings and the board have been incredibly impressed with the plans drawn up for us and appreciative of their support. Whilst it’s still early days we’re hopeful that with the support of our local council and other partners we can make this dream a reality”
Pellings’ support has also extended to sponsoring our Community Sports Development specialised coaching sessions for children working with our local NHS Community Paediatric Physiotherapy Teams.
Mark Brown, Managing Director at Pellings, said: “We are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to support such a fantastic charity and to work with Enfield Town Football Club. At Pellings, we thoroughly enjoy delivering projects that positively impact local communities, which is why we are pleased to help provide football sessions that make a difference to young people in Enfield. We look forward to continuing to fundraise for the team at our upcoming events and promoting the team and their work via our social media channels”.
Trustee of ETFC Community Sports Development Paul Millington said: “Pellings support for these sessions is very welcome. Providing the opportunity for children of all abilities to enjoy the game is so important. We have seen at first hand the benefits these sessions have”.
The club will be showing the plans for this exciting new venture at its AGM for Society members on Thursday 2 February at 7.30pm. Membership is open to all supporters and can be purchased on the night.