About Us

Raw Skills is one of the youngest junior football clubs around, but since our formation we have become one of the biggest – and best regarded – clubs in our area.

The club was formed when the first cohort of eight- and nine-year olds graduated from Russ Watkinson’s Raw Skills Soccer School.  Keen to build on the passion for the game that Russ had engendered in the boys, a group of parents decided to enter a team in the Crowborough League under 9 division – and in a way little has changed since then.  Russ’s Soccer School is still going strong, producing a steady stream of youngsters who come into the football club at the age of seven or eight.

But at another level much has changed.  Those eight and nine year olds from 2005 have grown up.  Some have been to university and come out with a degree.  The club now has over 200 playing members and each season fields between 15 and 20 teams, from under 8s playing 5-a-side up to under 16s preparing to make the move to adult football.

Our purpose is simple: to give as many young people as possible the opportunity to play the wonderful game of football in an environment that is enjoyable, supportive and nurturing and yet also demanding and challenging.  We celebrate when our teams win – matches or competitions – but the most important thing is to see all our players enjoying their football on a Saturday or Sunday morning.