Promotion from the Senior Division of the Bristol & District League is the target of Coalpit Heath, who are enjoying one of the best seasons in the club's history after reaping the benefits of a comprehensive youth development programme.

A team photograph taken in front of the Manor Hall indicates the club dates back to 1901, but little is known of the early years and chairman Alistair Higgins (07702 275835) would welcome any information or pictures from the past.

It has been suggested that Coalpit Heath had successes in a local league during the early 1930s and also finished runners-up in the Kingswood and District Challenge Cup, but this cannot be confirmed by the GFA's historian Colin Timbrell.

The club won the District League's Division I title in 1946 but later struggled to survive and disbanded in the 1970s.

The present Coalpit Heath club was reformed in 1990 by Sandra Randall and Lesley McCarthy, two mothers with sons at the Manor School, to give local boys the opportunity to play football and a team was entered in the Bristol Junior League.

Sandra was also secretary for many years and received the District League's E G Neal Award for efficiency in the 1999/2000 season.

Among the early officers was Melvin Bisp, who helped run the Under-12s. That squad included his son Alex, who is now the club's longest serving first-team player.

As the juniors graduated to youth then senior football, a reserve side was added in 1998 under the charge of Bisp, who was also chairman for 12 years until being elected president in 2005.

In 2002, his brother, Terry Bisp, became manager of the first team, who have since been promoted five times in six years, starting as Division V champions in the 2002/03 season.

Terry Bisp's sons, Tim and Steve, play alongside Alex and are joined in the first-team squad by goalkeeper Matt Rodrigues, Ashley Hawkins, Shaun Aldom, Carim Randall, Stephen Hill, Aaran Fry, Darryl Puddy, Andrew Hamilton- Dunn, Barney Yates, Ben Smith, Terry May and Owen Clark.

The officers are justly proud of the fact that Coalpit Heath became only the second club in the Bristol area to achieve Charter Standard Development status in 2006.

The first team and reserves are based at Kelston Close, Yate, while the 10 junior and youth sides play at either the Manor School, Coalpit Heath Cricket Club or Newman's Field, but all should soon be united under one roof. The club hope to move to the grounds of the old Hortham Hospital next season, but extensive work will be needed to prepare suitable pitches.

The club officials are following the FA's school-club development programme to promote football for a wider community and would like to attract more girls into the game.

"We are working to promote strong school-club links locally and to encourage more participation by girls," said chairman Higgins, whose son Steven plays in goal for the reserves, managed by Paul Blackwell.

He is joined on the management committee by Adrian Cooke, treasurer Mark Poarch, Avon Youth secretary Richard Bruton, and Hanham Minor secretary Steve Begbie-Dilks, who is also a qualified coach.

Other committee members include school liaison officer Karen Mitchell, child welfare officer Julia Jones, fund-raising/social secretary Claire Higgins and membership secretary Sue Cooke.

The club chose Cancer Research UK as a charity partner, after losing coach Ray Barlow to the illness in 2006 and more than £1,700 has been already raised this season.

Coalpit Heath will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their relaunch next season and, with many promising young players pushing for first-team places, the future looks bright.

1946: First team, District League Division I champions; 1994: Under-15s, Bristol Junior Cup winners, Under-14s, Junior league Division II champions; 1995: Under-16s, Bristol Junior Cup winners, Under-12s, AYL Division II champions; 2001: Under-10s, HML Division C champions; 2003: first team, District League Division V champions; Under-10s, Bideford tournament winners; 2004: Under-12s, Brixham tournament winners; Under-7s, Stapleton tournament winners; 2005: Under-7s, Stapleton tournament winners; 2006: Under-15s, AYL Division III champions; 2007: Under-15s, AYL Division II champions; Under-10s, Oldland tournament winners; Under-9s, Quedgeley tournament winners; 2008: first team, District League Division I runners-up (promoted to Senior Division).