Formed just six years ago by a devoted parent and three friends, the evolution of Coundon Court FC is nothing short of remarkable. In October 2008 the club were awarded their first national award, the honour of FA National Charter Standard Development Club of the Year.

Founder members Richard Seedhouse and Barry Morris received the award at Wembley Stadium in front of a capacity crowd before England's World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan. The presentation was made on the pitch prior to kick off by Sir Trevor Brooking and England’s 1966 World Cup winning goalscorer Sir Geoff Hurst.

Club development officer Richard Seedhouse told Coventry local radio how proud he was of all the staff and dedicated the award to Barry Morris, the devoted parent and founder member who first came up with the concept of Coundon Court FC.

On receiving the award Mr Seedhouse called it “a superb achievement and great recognition for the committee, coaches, managers, players, parents and all our volunteers. “

The once one-team club in the English Midlands has now grown into a standard bearer for excellence in youth development, now boasting 11 teams and an extensive community program which champions diversity through a complete sports education experience from first touch to coach. From those humble roots in 2002, the club has remained true to its community ethos and commitment to the constitution of the club and its partner, a local school in the City of Coventry.

Club Development Officer Richard Seedhouse also had this to say about the growth of the club with a hint that more is to come from this ambitious young club.

“In six years Coundon Court FC has grown from 1 to 11 teams. Six of these are girl’s teams making Coundon Court FC the joint second biggest girls club in the Central Warwickshire Girls Football League, a league that covers the whole of the midlands area. Coundon Court FC has not stopped yet and now we have over ten teams playing we will be looking forward to gaining FA Charter Standard Community Status in the very near future” 

Brief History of Coundon Court FC

When the club was first formed in 2002 they began immediately to work towards their goal of earning Club Charter Standard Status. This included the writing of the club constitution in partnership with Coundon Court Comprehensive School. They achieved this Charter Status within that first year, making a firm commitment to their core principles that remain the cornerstone of the club and a strong reason for their success.

* Diversity and inclusion.
* A direct link partnership with their local school.
* Football provision for all at minimal costs.

Since formation, the club has grown from strength to strength, building on those strong foundations and going on to win numerous local and county awards before picking up this first National award.

Coundon Court FC is very committed to supporting girls football as an integral part of it’s overall ethos. Six of their 11 teams are girl’s teams and their link ups with local schools are second to none, providing young players with a career "map" and an "exit route" into girl’s football through Girls only Saturday morning football coaching sessions.

The boys teams are also very successful and a source of pride for Richard and his coaching staff. Another very interesting aspect of Coundon Court FC is its focus on coach development through the Junior Football Organizer courses.

I think this is no small part due to the Seedhouse philosophy of developing the player all the way through to becoming the complete footballer, understanding leadership and coaching the coach. This year Coundon Court FC will have a record breaking eight coaches booked to start their Level 2 courses in 2008 and have two entrants on the new Level 1 GK (goalkeeper) award.

Coundon Court FC have a very rewarding and proactive relationship with the local schools community and remain in close partnership with Coundon Court secondary school and with strong links with five-feeder schools in the Coventry area.

These strong community links along with the hard work and dedication of the staff, and a winning, nurturing philosophy have all contributed to the much deserved success of Coundon Court FC . With this year also seeing their first entrants to the Coventry City Center of Excellence, and with the continued support of their sponsors Mitsubishi Electric and a recent Sportsmatch Grant of £4000, it is a genuinely realistic hope that they will deliver some of the brightest stars of tomorrow.