South Park Rangers History

South Park Rangers FC was formed for the 1971/1972 Season to provide Youth Football for children in and around Maidstone. The first senior side was formed in 1997 to provide an outlet for the under 18s and joined the Maidstone and Mid Kent Sunday league. A senior Saturday side was formed for the 2005/2006 season and joined the Maidstone and District Football league.

Our driving ambition is to ensure that we provide football for all, irrespective of age, sex, colour, religion, disability and just as importantly, ability. It is not the winning that counts but inclusion. To further this ambition, in 2005/2006 the club introduced 3 sister clubs playing under the South Park Rangers umbrella, South Park Royals, South Park Raiders and South Park Rascals. This allowed us to enter additional teams at under 8s and under 9s playing as South Park Royals, a disability team South Park Raiders, and a girls team South Park Rascals. At the end of season 2003/2004, we had 6 teams, one Club Committee and about 70 members. At the start of 2006/2007 we have 17 teams and well over 250 members and have restructure the committee into 4 separate committees from the Executive, through to the Team Managers to the innovative Social and Volunteer Committees, bringing direct focus to these key functions in the enlarged operation.

Alongside this tremendous growth, during a 12 month period in 2004 and 2005 South Park Rangers achieved all three leves of the FA's Charter Standard

In March 2004, we were able to achieve the FA Charter Standard Club Award.

In September 2004, we were voted the Kent Charter Standard Club of the Year for 2004/2005.

In November 2004, we were successful in obtaining the FA Charter Standard Development Club Award (only the 17th Club in Kent) and the FA Charter Standard Adult Club Award (only the 6th Club in Kent and the 1st in Maidstone).

At the end of 2004, we were announced as the KCFA winners of the 2004 FA Fair Play Award in Kent for the Club's progressive development and positive attitude towards grass roots football.

After much effort on the part of the SPR Executive Committee, we were confirmed as achieving the highest award, an FA Charter Standard Community Club (the 1st in Maidstone) in March 2005.

In September 2005, we were voted the Kent Charter Standard Community Club of the Year for 2005/2006.

In November 2005, we were established as the first amateur Ability Counts Football Club in the South East and only the 3rd in the whole of the UK.

During 2005 and 2006 several members of the club received regional and national awards (See the awards page for details).

Finally, at the start of 2006/2007 South Park Rangers launched their football partnership with Maidstone United FC with the consequence that South Park Rascals and South Park Raiders will play as Maidstone Rascals and Maidstone Raiders respectively.