About Us - Our History
The Start
Chellaston Boys FC was formed in 1992 by Greg Gaskin and Chris Edwards. Greg had always been active in Chellaston as a volunteer at both junior and adult events. He had previously been the head at the Beaver Cubs and an active member at the Community Association. Chris was a close friend and had children of a similar age.
They both decided it would be good to set up a friendly football team for the boys in the Chellaston area who had never been able to get in to the other nearby clubs in Derby. Both of their sons were keen to play, so they went about finding a training venue and started training once a week.
It was basically by word of mouth that more and more boys attended and a team was entered in to the league the following season. New teams were established each year so by the end of the nineties there were around 8 teams at various age groups playing in the Junior leagues.
None of the teams did particularly well, but the clubs main aim was, and still is to provide football for all abilities. Many of our better players moved on to more successful clubs as they probably thought they would not be able to achieve any honours at Chellaston.
The Next Steps
Chris stepped down as club Secretary in 2000 to be replaced by Kendal Hodder and Greg stepped down as Chairman in 2002 to be replaced by Shaun Martin.
As the club grew more parents and helpers became involved with training. In 2002 Brian Bignall joined the club and established and ran our Soccer School for 3 years, raising the bar with the standard of training the players received.
As the Chellaston area grew, so did the club. The decision was made for all teams to wear the same style kit, creating a club look. We also started putting our team managers through the FA’s Level 1 Coaching Course so the level of coaching improved. As a result the teams started winning trophies and Chellaston Boys FC was finally on the map.
What About The Girls?
After several attempts to start a girls team within the club, 2005 saw the formation of Chellaston Girls FC, it started off slowly but with hard work and the guidance of Steve Hiley our 1st girls team entered the league.
At the end of the 2010/11 season we became an FA Charter Standard Club and plans are not for it to stop there as we strive to ensure our players are given the best opportunity to develop and enjoy their football.
A Merger
During the summer of 2011 AFC Redstar joined us as they too were based in Chellaston, this saw team numbers rise to 22 boys teams and 4 girls teams.
In the 2012/13 season the club achieved FA Charter Standard Community Club status, which put us alongside the top Grassroots clubs in the country, and in the same season we were also awarded Derbyshire FA Charter Standard Club of the year in recognition of all the hard work in helping children play and enjoy football.
The club continued to grow with 30 teams representing the club during the 2013/14 season.
Nathan Doyle was a player who once represented the club and went on to play Premiership football, so the sky is the limit.
When Greg started the club, he wanted children of all abilities to be able to play and enjoy football, and this is the belief we try to maintain in all we do at the club.
New Name
January 2015 then saw the biggest change in the clubs history. The club officially changed its name to AFC Chellaston. This decision was not taken lightly, but it was felt as we represented both boys and girls the boy/girls tags weren’t needed.
In July 2016 Shaun Martin stepped down and Paul Jackson took over the role as Chairman.
A Secure Home and Expansion
In July 2017 Chellaston Leisure Limited (CLL), headed by AFC Chellaston volunteers Paul Jackson, Craig Froggatt and Simon Fisher, signed a long term lease for the running of Chellaston Park. This prevented the council mothballing the facilities and secured a long term home for the club.
In 2019 funding was secured for two new 3G courts at the park and these were promptly built, providing the club with excellent winter training facilities. Not stopping there CLL secured funding, for expansion of the pavilion, adding a fourth changing room and opening a bar, The Crossbar, at the park. CLL have also secured a funding for a six year pitch improvement programme from the Football Foundation.
The Wildcats
On the field things expanded to, the success of the soccer school, run by Doug Blanc and Russ Muir for several years, meant a steady supply of U7 teams being launched each year.
The club became an FA Wildcat centre in 2019 and was able to launch a plethora of new female teams on the back of this, introducing nearly 100 girls to football in its first season. As a result, the club now has over 550 registered players and 50+ teams playing across the midlands.
Our Tournaments have grown massively and in 2021 we hosted 196 teams and about 2000 players across four weekends. Not bad for a club started by two blokes who just wanted a team for their sons!
The Future
No one can tell what the future will bring of course, but one thing we do know, we can’t do it without you. Join us today.