We are delighted to announce the appointment of Neil Drummond as Head of Junior Football at Heaton Stannington FC.

Neil comes to the Stan with a huge wealth of experience in the Junior game – having spent the last 10 years at Killingworth Young Peoples Club. He has worked in a number of roles including a Coach, Secretary, Chairman and will remain as a fully committed Trustee of the club. Neil has helped to significantly grow many areas including development of teams, facilities and working practices.

Both Neil and his Dad are currently season ticket holders at Grounsell Park and are already familiar faces around the Club. We are delighted to have someone of Neil’s experience on board to help guide us through the process of developing this new part of our Club.

On his appointment, Neil said:

“As a staunch supporter of the Stan I am delighted to have been asked to support the implementation of the Junior set up. The family aspect of the club is what made we want to be involved, both me and my Dad have been welcome since we set foot in ground to watch Senior football again almost 3 years ago now. I will give 100% and use my extensive knowledge to help get the juniors off the ground and enable the Stan to be successful in setting up a long-lasting Junior Club.”

Welcome to the Stan, Neil!

Heaton Stannington FC are excited to share with you our plans for Heaton Stan Juniors!

As part of our long term growth strategy, we have made the decision to begin the process of implementing a junior setup at the Club. Following sustained development of the first team, the Heaton Stan A team and the Club off the field in recent years, we feel this is the natural next step in further growing the Club in the local community.

The core objectives of Heaton Stan Juniors will be to:

• Provide a safe, inclusive and fun environment for kids to play football, regardless of ability.
• Establish ourselves as a key part of the local community.
• Inspire the next generation of Heaton Stan players, supporters and volunteers.

It is important to us that, as we grow, we continue to maintain the brilliant culture that exists at Grounsell Park. We have therefore developed the following Guiding Principles which we commit to following as we embark on this new journey:

1. Do things the right way, first time round. No “quick fixes” which we will need to correct later.
2. Set solid foundations for the future – people, facilities, teams, processes. Make sure they are workable and well organised.
3. Ensure we grow at a sustainable pace.
4. Integrate Heaton Stan Juniors into the Club. We are #OneClub and will live by that ethos.

The timeline we are aiming to work to reflects our guiding principle of “Do things the right way, first time round”:

• Season 2022/23 – focus will be on implementing the behind-the-scenes structures including securing a home for Heaton Stan Juniors and appointing key personnel into key roles.
• Season 2023/24 – aim will be to launch a number of teams in leagues.

We will release further details in due course as we navigate the next steps in this project. 

The Heaton Stan Committee