A JUNIOR football club which has tripled the number of youngsters playing won praise from its latest recruit - local MP and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Bedale Junior Football Club now has more than 375 members aged between four and 18, 80 of them girls. Mr Sunak said it has set a tremendous example by growing its membership and applauded ambitious development plans and moves to encourage more girls to join.

The club is now looking for a sponsor to help support it over the next three years. Improvements have been made to its ground and infrastructure paid for through volunteer funding as well as grants, including new grass pitches in 2017. The club now has further ambitious plans to improve the clubhouse and is part of a consortium looking to bring a 3G pitch to the town. They have tripled the number of members since the existing clubhouse was opened in 2007.

The club played host to Mr Sunak at the Dobson’s field ground in Firby Road, giving him a chance to try out his footballing skills against some of their young players taking part in a girls’ training session with members of the club’s U10s/12s and U14s teams.

During the visit he also met club officials, representatives of the Football Association and the Football Foundation, which supports grassroots football facilities across the country.

Mr Sunak said: “What the club has achieved in engaging so many local young people in the nation’s favourite game is phenomenal given that the club is run entirely by volunteers.

“They have done an amazing job and the club’s plans for the future are equally exciting. It is also great to see so many young girls involved, across the age groups.”

Many of the club’s improvements have been backed by funds from Football Foundation grants, Mr Sunak said last year the Government allocated a further £230m for grassroots football.

Chair of the Football Association Debbie Hewitt, who also attended the event, said: “What has been done here at Bedale Junior Football Club shows what can be achieved at grassroots level with government assistance. Plans are in place for more investment in grassroots football facilities in this part of North Yorkshire.

“This is a big year for women’s and girls’ football, because England will be hosting the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 this summer. We want to use the tournament as a springboard to inspire girls in North Yorkshire, and across the country, to play football.”

Since 2000, the Football Foundation, which is funded by Government, the FA and the Premier League, has made 185 grants for new football facilities in Mr Sunak’s Richmond constituency worth a total of £3.9m with another 18 projects set to go-ahead.

Alan Moodie, chair of Bedale Junior Football Club, said: “Recently we had over 600 children using our pitches as part of a District Schools competition, that would not have been possible without the grant support of Hambleton District Council and the Football Foundation, this helped us buy additional land and convert it for use as pitches. We have a team of dedicated volunteers but they can only do so much and grant aid is essential to build new facilities and upgrade existing ones allowing all children in the community to participate in grassroots sport.”

The club has now launched the search for a new club sponsor up to 2025. Businesses interested in should contact vice-chair Glyn Horner at glyn_horner@hotmail.com or go to www.bedalejuniorfc.com