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West London Futsal Club was conceived in 2006, as a result of the considerable success Active Planet found delivering Futsal, to local schools and community groups. With our primary focus being grassroots development, as this is a major part of our vision for futsal in the UK.
In 2007, with the Futsal programme growing steadily, we decided the formation of our own club would facilitate our goal of developing an elite team/club structure, as part of a Futsal development strategy. WLF was born.
With the introduction of a relatively unknown sport, WLF have been at the forefront of the growth and awareness of futsal particularly in London. Through our grassroots school, community, holiday and outreach programs, we have been able to expand the profile of the game and deliver futsal to an audience that it would not otherwise have reached.
At a time when there were desperately few opportunities to participate, we were amongst the frontrunners in England to consistently deliver grass- roots futsal, to compete consecutively in FA National Youth Festivals, to create a dedicated futsal Academy, to co-ordinate competitive adult and youth futsal at County & National level and to compete in overseas competition. As well as to develop a talented workforce of both staff & players that have gone onto achieve considerable success in and outside of Futsal.
Under the strategic guidance of the club board, we have been able to increase participation in one of the fastest growing sports in England. The formation of our club and the quality of the work delivered saw a peak of approx. 150-200 participants per week, across our futsal programs.
A crucial element of this growth was the development of our Academy, providing a previously non-existent progression route for participants, from our primary school and doorstep “outreach” program. Success breeds success, enabling us to extend these programs to include secondary, post-16 and school holiday provision and further increase the “talent” pool available to represent our Academy.
We proceeded to build a well established academy competing in the FA National Youth Festival 2009-2015 and reaching the final of the FA National U19 Festival from 2011-2013. Not to mention, the U11 squad of just 5 players who finished as runners-up in the international Costa Blanca Cup futsal tournament.
Being based in Hammersmith & Fulham, our community program would grow to include sessions in the neighbouring boroughs of K&C, Westminster, Ealing, Wandsworth, Harrow and Brent. A considerable achievement for a small independent futsal club who share the borough with the considerable resource and reach of not one, not two but three professional football clubs (QPR, Fulham and Chelsea).
In 2011, having spent 5 years working at Active Planet, Futsal Dev Manager Gavin Johnson decided it was time to leave his post. After a difference of opinion on the best way for WLF to move forward, Mr Johnson would proceed to take ownership of the club, in an attempt to continue the considerable development achieved in the previous 5 years. Without the assistance and backing of a few key staff members, this would have been the end of the WLF story.
Since 2009, West London Futsal began sessions for over 16s at Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College, as these sessions grew in popularity, we created an elite adult squad to play friendly matches with the aim of entering the FA National Futsal League. This would also align perfectly with our desire to provide progression routes for our academy graduates wishing to continue their futsal participation post-16. At a time when there were precious few opportunities to play competitive futsal in England.
In the spring of 2010 we gained entry into the FA National League, where we competed at the highest level of English futsal for the next 7 consecutive seasons before a short recess. With the addition of U18s and seniors to the pathway, WLF had managed to create the desired club structure from U12s through to seniors.
West London College
Having spent a few years away from Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College, WLF would return to our spiritual home in 2016 to manage/co-ordinate/run a brand new Futsal Academy program to run alongside the existing U19 football, basketball and boxing academies. The academy saw a cohort of 15 students training 3 times a week alongside their BTEC sports studies and compete in the Southern England Futsal league.
The 1st year proved a resounding success with a number of Academy graduates progressing to feature in the 1st team and lead to a partnership with Brentford CSST in year two, ensuring the squad could continue their development by competing in the fledging EFL Trust futsal league. This league would provide the squad with a robust fixture program and competitive matches against a host of professional club trusts from across the south of England.
The Academy would continue into a third year, again in partnership with Brentford before coming to to a close at the end of 2018 season due to financial constraints. In addition, to producing a number of players who would go onto appear in the first team. The academy squad would qualify for the 2nd round proper of the FA Futsal Cup, produce a number of support staff in the National Futsal League and one graduate who received a full futsal scholarship to complete his BSc at Middlesex University.
After a club re-structure and two long years away from competitive futsal, we will return to National League Futsal for the 2020/21 season, where we will compete in the Prem Division South 2.
A major factor in the decision to return at this time, is the addition to the staff, of 3 former WLF Academy graduates. This is exactly the type of legacy that WLF have always been trying to build and we are excited about the potential these young men will bring to the team.
