Date: 30 December 2025
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Andover Town Youth Football Club (ATYFC) regrets to inform our community of a very serious situation. The club has been the victim of a significant fraud, resulting in the estimated loss of over £30,000 from our accounts. This money was intended to cover essential costs such as pitch hire for training, games and referees, and its loss has placed the club in an extremely challenging financial position.
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Our priority remains the children. We are doing everything possible to keep football activities running and ensure teams can continue playing for the remainder of the season. Training will continue as planned; however, some matches may be disrupted while we work to stabilise finances. We are actively pursuing emergency funding and launching a crowdfunding campaign to support coaches and volunteers who have paid upfront costs from their own pockets.
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There is an active police investigation underway. To protect its integrity, we cannot disclose further details or speculate on individuals involved. We respectfully ask that our community refrains from sharing names or speculation. Premature disclosure could compromise legal proceedings and reduce the chances of recovering funds.
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We are deeply grateful to ASC (Charlton Astro), Knights Enham and John Hanson schools for their generosity and understanding, which will allow football to resume in January despite outstanding debts. Their support reflects the true spirit of grassroots football.
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A JustGiving page has been set up to help the club through this difficult period. While we are not asking parents to donate as subs have already been paid, sharing the link within the wider community would be an enormous help.
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https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/andovertownyouthfc
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We understand this news is upsetting and may raise questions. Please direct all queries to the club committee via committee@andovertownyouthfc.co.uk or through official Facebook updates. Coaches and volunteers have been asked not to respond outside of these channels to prevent misinformation.
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Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support as we work together to protect the future of ATYFC and the children who love this game. Andover Town Youth Football Club Committee
