Team Durham will lead our men’s First Team Wearside League Division 1 match programme on a Saturday afternoon out of the £30m Maiden Castle Sport and Wellbeing complex. The ‘Durham as One’ team will run out at the end of August for their first game as Durham United FC, wearing Claret and Amber and sporting the Club Badge; we look forward to seeing our high achieving 16+ boys training with the performance group and playing competitive open age football in the Wearside League that this unique opportunity promotes.

There is a clear cost saving for the club; 1st team cost centre will be re-directed to Team Durham as well as the potential to save more with facility hire and coaching fees. In the last season, Committee Member Steph Makepeace (Women’s and Girls Rep) has aligned our club to the University’s managed Durham Women’s Wildcats affiliation programme, and in showing us the way, we now open a pathway for elite boys’ and girls’ performers as well as enabling the club to tap into more quality coaching and improved facility use.

Our partnership with the University starts now; your committee members Rob Kleiser, Wayne Turnbull and Mark Blackbourne continue those positive discussions on Maiden Castle use, Coaching support, access to summer camps (and other school holidays), promotion of DUYFC football festivals at Maiden Castle, members days at Durham WFC (The Barclays Women’s Championship), ball kids and mascot opportunity at Wearside League games.

If anyone has any questions, please send in your question Contact Durham United YFC (durhamunitedfc.co.uk) or catch up with one of your Committee Members: Graeme Ludlow, Mark Blackbourne, Steph Makepeace (Women & Girls), Thomas Ludlow, Rob Kleiser (Coach Development), Tracy Reid (Members) or Wayne Turnbull (Treasurer).