In September 2007 One Touch Football was launched by Glenn Vaughan. The concept was simple: to provide fun school, after-school and club sporting activities around the area. In that first month Glenn delivered sporting sessions to around 100 primary school children. Fast forward 10 years and Glenn’s ‘team’ is now delivering a range of sporting activities to over 1,000 children each week. And, the One Touch success story shows no sign of stopping…
Despite the name, One Touch Football delivers a vast array of sports and activities delivered by experts in their field. “We aim to offer the best services and experiences for all our players and students. We work our way up from the bottom. I feel so proud to see kids active and inspired,” commented Glenn.
However, football remains a key focus of One Touch. After Glenn decided not to pursue a career in professional football, he still wanted to play a key part in the sport and the development of children of all ages and abilities. Glenn currently has ‘One Touch’ teams ranging from Under 6s through to Under 14s, all competing in local leagues and playing professional club academies. Whilst Glenn prides himself on seeing children progress as footballers, he has seen a number of his players progress to professional academies.
“A good coach is someone with the ability to not only progress a player’s ability, but to also spot talent and help develop that and provide an opportunity to take their footballing to the next level. One Touch has enabled a mass of players to join professional club development squads and academies, and our close affiliation with these clubs mean we regularly play academies,” said Glenn.
One such player that Glenn coached is Morgan Penfold who has signed a professional contract with League One high flyers Peterborough United.
So, what next for One Touch? Well, this month (almost exactly 10 years to the day that One Touch was founded) Glenn has launched a 16+ Football Academies, in Netherton, Peterborough. These academies provide post-GCSE students with a chance to receive UEFA coaching and conditioning, whilst studying a BTEC in Sport at either a level 2 or 3 (equivalent to 3 A Levels). Sessions are delivered by UEFA qualified staff, taught by experienced teachers who have been rated OUTSTANDING by OFSTED.
One Touch also supports many charities and has hosted a number of charity events such as a 24-hour Football Match for #TeamGeorge, our own campaign ‘Boots For Buddies’ and supporting one of our own who used to play for One Touch ‘Work Hard Aim High – The Seb Gould Trust’.
So, does Glenn plan on taking his foot off the gas? “Not a chance! I never thought what was a personal passion, hobby of mine and just a dream as a young lad would become a reality. I never dreamt of having the success One Touch has and I am proud of what I have achieved. It’s something that I want to continue to build as I feel that often physical activity and exercise in children is forgotten about. I hope my story inspires those who don’t make it as a professional footballer to realise that there are other ways to be involved. I look forward to what the next 10 years brings.”