The Club which plays in the Arena at the University’s Bedford campus and coaches the University’s futsal teams was recognised by Bedfordshire FA because “in the past year, futsal has become an increasingly popular sport within the county thanks to the dedication of Bedford Futsal”.

Bedford Futsal and the University of Bedfordshire have worked as one force to help develop futsal in the surrounding area.

We are very proud to announce that we have been awarded Grassroots Project of the year for Bedfordshire in 2019, We would like to thank @BedsFA @sportbeds @uniofbeds for their continued support of the club pic.twitter.com/REAshLpGqz

— Bedford Futsal Club (@BedfordFutsal) July 13, 2019

Carl Tappin, first team player and club Secretary, said of the team’s work with the University: “As part of the partnership, Bedford Futsal coaches the University futsal sides and they support us with the fantastic facility in the arena.

“Many University players also sign to our team, creating a pathway for players who have what it takes to progress. Myself, Louis Porcelli, Jack Stammers and Jeremie Tchibonkola are all Bedfordshire graduates who play for the side.”

Upon receiving the Grassroots award, Carl said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for the club considering we’re only just over a year old. It is our aim to deliver futsal to a variety of different people across Bedfordshire and to deliver it at a high quality.

“This award shows how much hard work, in particular by Ciaran [Alexander, Club Founder], has gone in to creating such a well-respected futsal club. We are truly proud of this achievement!”

Carl began his futsal career aged 16 at Denbigh Football Academy with Malcolm Lay, who is now Head Coach of Bedford Futsal. He went on to play for the University of Bedfordshire Men’s Futsal team, winning two league titles, three ‘Team of the Year’ awards and one ‘Club of the Year’ award.

After receiving the Grassroots award, Bedford Futsal has worked even harder to expand their offerings. The team now has more youth team options from Under 9 – Under 16 and three teams at a senior level (Firsts, Development and Ladies). 

For the first time ever, Bedford Futsal will be working in conjunction with the University of Bedfordshire Women's Futsal side to create more playing opportunities for girls and women, student and non-student.

The team has recently started up their training sessions for the next season and has friendlies arranged with a variety of teams. “We have also applied for our first team and ladies team to be a part of the NFS (National Futsal Series), which is the newly formed FA futsal competition,” said Carl.

“We are crossing our fingers that we are successful in being part of this exciting new movement so we can continue to progress.”

If you would like to join the team, discuss coaching opportunities or sponsorship arrangements, you can contact Bedford Futsal on Facebook or Twitter.