SMFC Teams @ U10s, 11s, 12s, 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s, Girls U16s & Seniors Men.

St. Matthew’s F.C is an F.A 2-Star Accredited Club (London Charter Standard Club of the Year 2014) but the St. Matthew’s Project is much more than just a football club, delivering a wide range of activities and development opportunities and offering support to young people beyond the football pitch.

SMP FC
Coming to St. Matthew’s has really helped me as a person because playing here is like a dream. In Madrid, I used to play football, but on the streets, so never really in a team. Here, I am playing with other girls, as a team. It’s really nice.

Kelfra

Aged 14
Shared a carriage on the Northern Line yesterday with some happy, enthused and polite young people from this project which made me want to make a donation. Good luck for next season!

Member of the public

Words cannot express my gratitude towards the St. Matthews Project staff. I have two young sons who are benefitting immensely from the project. The health and social implications are extremely positive and I will support “St. Matthew’s Till I Die”!

Father

SMFC U11s

SMFC Club Ethos.

For many youth football clubs nowadays the emphasis is very much on young players ‘getting signed’ or ‘turning pro’, with coaches selling a dream that effectively doesn’t exist. While some of these clubs have a high turnover of boys gaining entry into pro-club academies, the stark reality remains that statistically only 1 out of every 100 players actually signed to an academy will go on to play professionally at any level, from the Premier League down to the National League. And whilst several boys and girls have actually progressed into academies and centres of excellence from the SMP, even gaining scholarships and contracts in some instances, we have also witnessed first-hand the often devastating impact being released from academies can have on young players. The Project Manager was a registered Premier League scout with a London club, covering the Lambeth area for 10 years, so we have a thorough understanding of how academies and scouting networks operate.
U15's winning their league cup final
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Of particular concern to us is the fact that an increasing number of parents and guardians who can ill afford to do so are being persuaded to part with hundreds of pounds in fees to some youth football clubs in pursuit of this elusive ‘dream’.  We are therefore all the more proud that our annual signing-on fee has remained steady at £10 since the creation of SMFC in the 2005 – 06 season.  We effectively only ask people to cover our insurance, and league and F.A admin costs.  It is unfortunate that more and more parents seem to view the selection of a club for their child as some sort of shopping expedition.  They appear to be misguided in their belief that the more they pay, the better the ‘product’ and  subsequently the greater the chances of their child ‘turning pro’ one day.  It is also sadly true that the vast  majority of youth football clubs calling themselves ‘Elite Acadamies’ are neither elite, nor acadamies.

At SMP, our firm, yet simple, belief is that youth football should be about young players of all abilities coming together and enjoying their football as a team and as friends – win, lose or draw. As it becomes ever harder to compete with the so-called elite teams, it is a matter of absolute pride to us that our teams are still more than able to hold their own in our league and beyond.  That said, if all you’re interested in is winning at all costs and getting signed, then we are probably not the club for you.

Player Pathway

For any players who we do believe might have a genuine chance of succeeding long-term at academy level, we have direct referral pathways into Crystal Palace F.C, Tooting & Mitcham United F.C and AFC Wimbledon Ladies F.C. However, we will always take the long-term view and never send players in just for the sake of it in the hope that one might get signed.
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Now recruiting for 2022/23 season.

SMFC youth teams play in the London County Saturday Youth Football League from September to May. Training takes place on Tuesdays & Thursdays all year round except summer holiday period. SMFC Seniors play in the Southern Sunday League from September to May and training takes place on Thursdays.

Home games at Brockwell Park, away games across London. Team training is in Brockwell Park during spring & summer and at Ferndale Community Sports Centre, Brixton during winter (October to March).

2022-23 season: U10s, U11s, U12s, U13s, U14s, U15s, U16s, Girls’ U16s and Men’s Seniors.

Youth: £10 signing-on fee (since 2005/06). Match subs: £3. Seniors: £40 signing-on fee. Match subs: £5.