LUFC U8 Reds Sunday team are seeking additional players to join their team in preparation for moving up to 9 a-side format next season. A dedicated goalkeeper and more players with defensive experience would be ideal, but players of all abilities are welcome to try out for the team. FA-qualified coaches manage the team and have developed well from previous seasons, forming a good, friendly group of players with supportive parents. Contact coach Mark Dean for more information: markd@rfsinstall.co.uk / 07855 327049

Happy New Year to all of our teams, players and families. Unfortunately, as we start the second half of the 2023/24 grassroots football season, we are plagued by bad weather, causing matches to be cancelled due to unplayable pitches. We hope this terrible weather period does not continue for much longer so our teams can return to playing football. We wish all our teams luck and success in the second half of the season. In addition to regular football, we are planning several exciting club events this year and bringing back old favourites from previous years. We will announce events as soon as they are finalised. As always, if anyone has any questions or suggestions, please contact us at leightonunitedfc@gmail.com or use our online contact form.

As the first half of the 2023/24 football season draws to a close we begin to settle down to celebrate Christmas and New Year with friends and family. The club will be closed over the festive period and will return when school restarts in January 2024. Our various LUFC teams have had good campaigns so far including all the newly formed teams. Despite the weather causing cancellations it hasn't dampened the enthusiasm from our young players and coaching teams. As our remaining matches are played out and our last training sessions for this year are finishing, all of us at Leighton United wish all of our players, families and coaches a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year! We look forward to football restarting in 2024!

Leighton United U11 Reds is looking for a goalkeeper to join their team. Established five years ago as a brand new team, they have developed into a good, friendly team of players and families. They play match games on Sunday mornings at our facilities in Tilsworth and train on Wednesday evenings at Cedars 3G . After successfully transitioning from the Beds Mini Soccer League, this is the team's first year in the Chiltern Youth Football League. The team focus is on developing football skills and knowledge while maintaining a strong emphasis on having fun. If you are interested, please get in touch with Coach Trevor Bromley at trevor.bromley@sky.com or 07956 896613‬

Leighton United were proud to hear news of one of our ex-players successfully continuing to pursue their footballing journey internationally in America.  Charlie Wells - who spent more than 12 years at the club - recently completed his Sophomore Year (2nd year) at Neosho Community County College in Chanute, Kansas, USA, playing football within the NJCAA Soccer Organisation. This year, Neosho won their Conference Title and followed this up with winning their Regional Championship, with Charlie playing a vital role as centre-back. He was subsequently recognised for his achievements when the league announced that he had been given the State Conference Defensive Player of the Year award. Furthermore, with Neosho posting 0.42 goals against average per game, which was the best across the whole of the American national NJCAA Soccer Organisation, his impressive defensive performance record led to Charlie being named as one of the 11 players to be confirmed in the 2023/24 NJCAA All America Team of the Year. These 11 players (only 3 of which were named as defenders) were selected for their season’s performance from all 217 College Soccer Teams within the same NJCAA D2 funding category across the whole of the United States, so being named as part of the 23/24 All America Team of the Year is a stunning achievement for Charlie’s ongoing footballing journey over in the States. Leighton United are incredibly proud of his achievements and dedication, continuing to build upon the Leighton United DNA developed during the time he was with our club. Congratulations, Charlie, and keep the Leighton United flag flying high over in America.

After much anticipation and planning, we are please to announce that we have new LUFC merchandise available for purchase at the club Tea Bar. The new products brings back an old favourite with our teams that was available many years ago and adds new products which will fit in with any footballing kit. We can now offer players: Water Bottle Gym Bag / Backpack Metal Key Rings Plastic Key Rings All branded with the Leighton United Club Badge. All products are good quality, sourced and printed locally. The prices of the items are: Water Bottle = £5 Gym Bag £5 Bundle Deal (Bottle + Bag) = £8.50 Metal Key Ring = £5 Plastic Key Ring = £3 All products are available while stocks last from our Tea Bar.

Every year the whole of football in England unites to promote Play Safe – The FA-led countrywide campaign to focus attention on the vital importance of safeguarding across our national game. The FA's Play Safe campaign is endorsed by the NSPCC and was supported across every level of English football, including the Premier League, EFL, Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclays Women’s Championship, National League and across the grassroots game. This year’s Play Safe campaign focussed on the safeguarding role that everyone can play – coaches, players, parents/carers, spectators or volunteers – to keep children and young people safe, no matter what the football setting. There will be several Play Safe Weekends organised through the season to ensure we keep safeguarding and welfare top of mind when participating in grassroots football. In addition, as part of this year’s Play Safe campaign, The FA are also promoting a free online Safeguarding Awareness Course for Parents & Carers to raise awareness around safeguarding and how to report any concerns. The aim is for 100,000 people from across the game to have taken the course, which only takes 30 minutes to complete, by the end of 2024. The free course provides important information that guides parents and carers through questions they should ask to ensure the club or venue where children play football has the correct safeguarding policies, people and practices in place.

Young Isobel gains a coveted place at Arsenal FC Youth Academy! Young Isobel Rawdon just loves playing football! She spends every moment either playing football or thinking about football - yeah she loves all things football and with the rise of the women's game has become more excited. She current plays in our U8s mixed team for her dad who is the coach of the team and proud as any parent could be of her achievement. Isobel was initially selected to go through the Beds FA England Lionesses Pathway scheme for up and coming female players. After successfully progressing through this Isobel was spotted by Arsenal and invited to trials for their youth academy. After three weeks of trials, Isobel got selected and was offered a place playing up a year in their U9 academy squad! Leighton United FC has a historic relationship with Arsenal FC having held charity and memorial matches at our grounds that featured ex-Arsenal players so it is fantastic to see the next generation of footballers continuing the relationship. Massive congratulations Isobel! Well done - we look forward to seeing you in Arsenal Ladies First Team!

Impromptu tournament at LUFC to celebrate International Women's Football. Celebrating UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Two girl’s teams from Ajax Sarkkiranta, a large football club based in Kempele, a town in the northern part of Finland were in Milton Keynes to watch Finland’s group games in UEFA Women's Euros 2022 being played at Stadium MK. At very short notice, we were able to organise a three-way tournament at our Tilsworth ground for the Finnish girls, and a fourth team from St. Albans. The Ajax teams also played MK Dons Girls during their stay in Milton Keynes. Jo Baggaley, Leighton United’s Events Manager said "It was a fantastic day. The Ajax coaches said how much they appreciated seeing all the Finnish flags when they arrived at the ground and the welcome and hospitality they received." "It was also a great experience for our girls, who acquitted themselves really well. For some, it could have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience playing against girls from another country. They will have taken away memories that will last for a long time. It was really interesting to see that the teams were evenly matched." Thanks to St. Albans for their support and to all the club volunteers for their help on the day.

To cap off a successful 2022-23 season, LUFC u12 Girls win the League Cup! The Leighton United u12 Reds (girls) team started the 2022-23 season by integrating quite a few new players, mainly from last season's Blues team. Austin Jones and Ash Smith formed a new coaching partnership aiming to take the team forward and build on the hard work of former coaches Kevin Roche (Reds) and Naomi Knight (Blues). The league season started well with a thumping 14-1 win away at Kempston Rovers, and the result set the tone for the rest of the season. A notable 3-2 win for the team against a high calibre Flitwick Eagles Blues side in November showed the team could potentially mix it with the big guns, and when the teams met again in January, LUFC Reds came out on top once more with a tight 5-4 win at home. The team only lost one game all season, with the title being wrapped up with 4 wins and a draw in May 2023. The team finished the league season with 16 wins, 5 draws and 1 defeat. The League Cup competition was a fun and exciting journey. The team was quite fortuitous at times and had to hold their nerve in 2 penalty shootouts. A penalty shootout win against Wixhams Wanderers in the first round was followed by a 5-2 win in the quarter-final against Wootton Rangers. LUFC was then drawn away against Flitwick Eagle Blues in the semi-final. The match ended 3-3 after a last-minute goal from Leighton's Emma Jones, and then, LUFC carried on the momentum to win the penalty shoot-out emphatically. The final was held at the FA's 4G facility at Cranfield. The match was a nervy affair, and after conceding an early deflected goal, LUFC went into halftime 2-1 up due to 2 goals from Rosie Raybould. A 3rd goal in the second half from Evie Ashpole made the game safe. However, Luton scored with 10 minutes to go, which led to a nervy last few minutes. LUFC eventually held out with a rearguard action and prevented conceding any more goals to lift the cup. All of the players in the squad made a fantastic contribution to the team's success this season. The "goal machine", Rosie Raybould, scored an incredible 56 times in 23 games (that is a remarkable average of 2.4 goals per game!). Hollie Ansell netted 13 goals, and Evie Ashpole and Shay Odukoya had 8 goals each. 2023 u12 Girls Team: Izzy Hayes-Johnstone (Captain and goalkeeper), Indie Wainer, Maisy Neal, Evie Smith, Shay Odukoya, Ellie Doherty, Lara Jones, Mia Ivory-Lewis, Evie Ashpole, Lily Edwards, Jasmine Okoh, Hannah Gibson, Hollie Ansell, Emma Jones and Rosie Raybould. More photos from the day... https://i.imgur.com/Y9LK6ze.jpg https://i.imgur.com/v0TT3rb.jpg https://i.imgur.com/gROpwbR.jpg https://i.imgur.com/2ktl0NN.jpg