Youth Voice Committee: we want 10 to 12 members aged 14 to 18
By Jim Ruddick
A new committee with a real route into how the club is run. Monthly meetings, governance training that counts on a UCAS form, and a budget to turn your own ideas into something. Open to any member aged 14 to 18, player or volunteer. Applications close Friday 9 October.
We are setting up a Youth Voice Committee this season: a real seat at the table for young people to help shape the club they play and volunteer for.
Why we are doing this
Young people who have grown up at Summertown Stars understand this club in a way the adults running it simply cannot. We want that understanding in the room when decisions get made, not as an afterthought but as a standing part of how the club is run.
What the Committee will do
- Meet monthly, with a standing link to the club's leadership
- Bring ideas straight to the people who can act on them, a real voice rather than a suggestion box
- Work on projects that matter to members, backed by the club with training and a budget to bring ideas to life
What you get out of it
- Governance training, useful on a UCAS form or a CV
- A real understanding of how a football club is run, from the committee room to the touchline
- The possibility of working alongside Oxfordshire FA and, for those who want to take it further, a route to the national FA Youth Voice Committee
Who can join
Any Summertown Stars member aged 14 to 18, whether you play or volunteer. There are around 10 to 12 places.
How to apply
Email John Kelly, who leads this for the Committee, at john@summertownstars.org and tell him why you would like to be involved and what matters to you at the club. A few sentences is plenty. There is no form and nothing to fill in.
If you are not sure whether it is for you, email him anyway and ask. That is a perfectly good first message.
Applications close Friday 9 October, and the first meeting is the week of 12 to 16 October. There is more detail at summertownstars.org/youth-voice.