Kent Football Utd
Kent Football United folded their Mens Senior Team shortly after the start of the 2022/23 season.
They released this statement on August 23rd 2022
We are writing to you this evening with the regret and heavy heart of having to withdraw Kent Football United from the SCEFL League with immediate effect.
Unfortunately due to personal and professional circumstances we are now unable to sustainably run the club at The Efes Stadium and the assets of the club are being put up for sale. As you may or may not know I have recently taken up a head coach position with Ebbsfleet United with our entire female section moving across. This has removed 95% of our volunteer base from the club which includes myself. In addition, with me having started a family in the last four months my time available to support on a Saturday is now less than minimal. This leaves my dad on his own which is an untenable situation to conduct football at this level.
We are immensely proud of our clubs progress in the last seven seasons and feel we have come such a long way with no support of grant funding or external capital loans. We have achieved everything we set out to and with that hold no regrets for the journey we have been on.
There are ups and downs in this game as a football ground landlord and it certainly isn’t smooth running. However, building a ground to the grade we have and playing in the FA Vase will remain fond memories and achievements for the rest of our lives.
May I take this opportunity on behalf of both of us to thank the SCEFL board for their support during our tenure with the league. Without the assistance of volunteers such as yourselves the platform to play football wouldn’t exist and for that we thank you immensely. We wish you all the very best in your personal and professional futures.
To the clubs in the league we have had the pleasure of hosting and visiting, thank you for your support and being a part of this journey with us. We hope you go on to achieve all your goals and aspirations for many seasons to come.
Finally, we would like to thank all of the management and players past to present who have represented our club. Your dedication and service allowed us to compete at this level for the past ten seasons.
Kent Football United are now open to offers for the assets at the football club or the club in its entirety. Any enquiries should be sent to s.macneil.kfu@gmail.com
Yours in sport and with thanks Sam MacNeil & Roy MacNeil
KFU - CLUB HISTORY
Kent Elite Football Club (K.E.F.C) was formed in 2010 and incorporated the Kent Elite Football Academy, Kent Elite Goalkeeper School & Kent Elite Soccer Schools to its organisation. The club was setup with the aim of improving the knowledge, technicality and application of its players by providing a high class of FA to UEFA Academy standard coaching.
The name was subsequently changed to Kent Football United on reflection with contradictions with another company.
As part of our community links the Kent Soccer Schools continued to flourish running additional coaching courses throughout every half term and school holiday. The Advanced Skills Academy providing excellent additional technical work and the newly named Finger Tips Goalkeeper Academy also continued to grow and become ever popular within the area.
In August 2011 we were accepted into the South East London & Kent League (SELKENT) for our inaugural season as a competitive mini-soccer and youth club, fielding on team at U8s and two teams at U10s level. Our new official club kit was launched in September 2010 in the colour Royal/White hoops and after a successful beginning as a club we opened the Soccer Tots providing coaching for 4-6 year olds. The first Kent Soccer Schools course was in the October half term and we expanded by not only doing our Erith course but also venturing into the Medway, completing a course at Princess Park in Chatham. The 2011 campaign finished and we successful begun a new Under 9s team leaving us with four competitive teams in the SELKENT League for the 2012 Spring season.
After the Christmas break started the rapid expansion of Kent Football United. Sponsorship deals with Toga Sports & Orbit South were secured for next seasons kit and equipment. Furthermore, team development grew with 5 teams coming across to join Kent Football United at Under 11s, Under 12s, Under 17s & Seniors. Gary Jeffrey was announced as Marketing & Communications Director for the club, initial negotiations began regarding the lease proposals for a large area of land in Southfleet focussing on future ground development and the opening of our Under 7s & Under 8s Academy at Malt House Farm, Green Street Green Road, Darenth, Kent.
The club was celebrating at the end of April 2012 as the club achieved its FA Charter Standard Award presented by the Kent County Football Association, recognising the club's hard work in grass roots football in the community. United began the season with the senior team incorporated into the Kent Invicta League Step 6 and representing in the FA Vase being eliminated 3-2 AWAY to Surrey based Farnham Town. The U8s, U10s & U11s were competing in the South East London & Kent League (SELKENT)and our first ever girls side at U14s in the Kent Girls & Ladies Football League. The girls team made history by making the Kent County Cup Final for the first time in the clubs history after defeating Hawkinge Youth from Folkestone 7-2 in the semi-final managed by Maria Tomkins, Sam MacNeil & Lee Cockeril.
The end of the 2012/13 season saw the Senior side finished in a respectable 11th place in the Kent Invicta League and the club established the Excel Soccer Academy aimed at bringing through youth players aged 4-6. The Under 11s became the clubs first ever SELKENT League winning side finishing with a 100% record.
2013/14 saw us continue our groundshare with VCD Athletic FC as they entered the Ryman League North Division. The management team of Sam MacNeil and James Cole guided the team to an excellent start to the season securing a top four finish up till December and Quarter Final places in the League Cup, London Senior Trophy and Hospital Cup. The club however continued their bad form in the FA Vase going out in the first round again, this time 5-4 on penalties to Lingfield with former Premier League strike Jamie Lawrence bagging Lingfields winner. We also won our first ever County Cup with the Under 15s girls defeating Tunbridge Wells 3-1 in the final at Sittingbourne FC.
The 2014/15 season marked the biggest part in the clubs history finding our own home at The Glentworth Sports Club after completing our groundshare with VCD Athletic. We had a record 10 youth teams along with our Seniors side and newly formed U21s. Numerous new sponsors and started partnerships with McDonalds and various other sponsors.
In 2016-17 Season the newly named SCEFL First Division the club finished in an impressive 4th place.
It would have been a repeat of 4th place in 2017-18 but point deductions saw Kent Football United finish in 9th place. Within the squad was the Top Scorer for the Division, Tunde Aderonmu, who hit the net an impressive 40 times during the campaign.
Under the threat of relegation for not complying with ground grading regulations a period of intense hard work went on at Glentworth at the end of that Season and now the home ground can boast a full set of floodlights and a standing covered terrace.
Season 2018-19 was a stop-start one for the club with a change of Manager taking place and a 14th place finish as a result. It was a similar story of change in 2019/20 and 2020/21 but we didn't even get to finish those seasons due to the Coronovirus Pandemic.
Shortly after the start of the 2022/23 season Kent Football United closed their senior mens section of the club and are now no longer part of the SCEFL.