Penn vs Woodley United

Woodley United FC was formed in 2011 as a result of four Woodley-based football
clubs and Berks & Bucks FA recognising that the provision of women’s and girls’
football in the town would be better provided by one club dedicated to this
purpose rather than the existing clubs each having one female team to satisfy FA
Charter Standard needs but no player progression policy.

During its time as a female club, Woodley United FC saw success on and off the
pitch. This included coaching in schools, supporting the Woodley Community
Carnival inter-school tournaments, being presented by the Wokingham Borough
Sports Council Annual Award for Service to Sport in and the Community in 2014,
winning four Berks & Bucks FA County Cups and the Southern Region Women’s
Football League Cup.

Such were the benefits of working together that two of the town’s oldest clubs,
Woodley Town FC and Woodley Hammers FC in conjunction with Woodley United
FC saw greater opportunities for the provision of local football if the clubs were to
amalgamate. As such a ‘One Woodley’ steering group was created in April 2014
and has overseen proceedings so that from 2015/16, the three clubs have been
playing under the Woodley United FC name.

The purpose of the club is to create opportunities for the community to be involved,
develop and grow through football. To help with this objective the club is an FA
Charter Standard Community Club.

The FA’s national clubs’ manager Mick Backie stated in 2015: “The vision, ambition
and purpose of the One Woodley project is an inspirational football model that
places the players and its community at its core.” Mick’s statement has been born
out with the club being awarded Berks & Bucks FA Grassroots Club of the Year for
2022.

The club provides football from mini-kickers (pre-school), youth through to adults
(male & female) and veterans and has gone on to further be presented with the
Wokingham Borough Sports Council annual award for Service to Sport in and the
Community in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 together with Get Berkshire Active’s
Community Club award for 2019. This men’s first team play in Combined Counties
League Division One having joined from the Hellenic Football League following the
FA’s 2021 restructure of the National League system pyramid, with the ladies team
competing in Division One North of the Southern Region Women’s Football League
(Tier 6 of FA women’s football pyramid) and the Veterans playing in the Hellenic
Veterans Premier Division.

The men’s first team won the Berks & Bucks Intermediate Cup in 2017 which
accompanied promotion to Hellenic League Premier Division as a result of being
Division One East runners-up in 2016/17.