FC Darlington Locomotives named Sports Team of the Year

After being founded in 2021, the club has grown to include more than 300 children of all ages and abilities, the youngest being just four.

Their nomination read: “Promoting female football and offering a positive environment for sporting development in our local community is at the heart of everything we do.

“Nathan, his partner Shona & his brother & parents all have a big part in helping run this amazing club. They run holiday camps which are brilliant to get kids active and very reasonably priced.

“They donate old kit to LENAA soccer academy in Africa to children. They really are amazing and I would love them to know how everyone appreciates them in Darlington FC Locomotives.”

After an outburst of cheers, team members took to the stage to pick up their trophy including founder and chairman Nathan Beadle.

Nathan said: “The club is a massive family, we have people of all ages playing in the same team. We see daughters playing with mums, grandchildren and sisters playing together.

“We were founded from another club, which had boys and girls, where we felt girls didn’t have the right opportunities.

“We had 126 women and girls at the time, and now I believe we support 428.”

Coach Tamasin Vincent added: “I love seeing the progress of the women and girls we have. Seeing them grow and their teamwork is fantastic.

“We have loads of girls growing up who want to be professionals, and they are only in years one and two.”

Host Peter Barron added: “I think the growth of the club really speaks for itself.”