Long Melford FC Colts will be running 15 teams for the 2007/08 season, beginning at Under 8's level up to Trevor Warren's Under 18's team - who play in the Ridgeons Youth League South Division.

The club also runs a Saturday Soccer School, for 5 to 7 year old boys and girls. Training sessions take place on Saturday mornings under the expert guidance of qualified FA Coach Mark Roberts.

For the first time this season the Colts will be running a Girls team. Phil Grindrod is their manager, and the team will compete in the Under 16's division of the Suffolk Girls League.

The remainder of the Colts teams will, as last season, compete in the Colchester & District Youth League. The exception is of course Dave King's Under 16's team who, after a successful 2006/07 in which they finished 3rd in the highly competitive Under 15's A League, have been accepted into the Eastern Junior Alliance. They will compete in the Northern Section against the likes of Heybridge Swifts and Newmarket Town, and all concerned are relishing the prospect of testing themselves at a higher level.

Colts matches are played on Sundays, with the occasional midweek match. Home matches take place either on the main Stoneylands pitch, the adjacent cricket pitch or Bernie's pitch. Refreshments and programmes are available, and everybody is welcome to come down and watch the Colts sides play.

The Colts organise a wide range of events, including the annual Stallions Tournament at Easter when the managers get a chance to show the youngsters their skills , and the Presentation Day at the end of every season always provides a great variety of attractions. They also organise many trips and tours. For example, at the end of April the then Under 13's and 14's spent the Bank Holiday Weekend in Barcelona. They had a coaching session under the expert guidance of the Espanyol coaching staff, enjoyed a tour of the Nou Camp and watched Espanyol take on Athletico Madrid.

Long Melford FC Colts represents a vital aspect of the club as a whole, and is run very closely alongside the First Team and Reserves. The lads currently playing in the Colts sides represent the future of the club, and there's no reason why many of them can't go on to make the First Team.

A good number of our current First Team players progressed through the youth ranks (Liam Cawtheray has played over 400 games for the club at the age of 18), and by all accounts they enjoyed every minute of it as well as receiving an excellent footballing education.

We are fortunate to have such a healthy and vibrant youth section, and hopefully 2007/08 will be another successful season for Long Melford FC Colts.

Fixtures and match reports will appear on this section of the website throughout the new season, as well as a weekly round-up of any news and all the latest league standings.

For further information on Long Melford FC Colts please contact Chairman Dave King on 07974 251150 or at kingarchitectural@yahoo.co.uk.