BILLINGE Football Club have this season introduced an under 17s team into The Storks family.
The team kicked off the season with friendly games against Hindley Juniors under 17s last Thursday evening and Pilkington under 17s on Sunday.
The team has moved from Hawkley FC, with four of the current players having been with the team since under 8s; others joined during the under 10s season.
Manager Joe Cunliffe said: “It was with a heavy heart that I made the decision to leave Hawkley FC who have provided me with some fantastic opportunities and memories in youth football and I will always be grateful to Hawkley for this.
“However, when the chance came to join Billinge FC it was an opportunity not to be missed, not only for the players to use the fantastic facilities at Barrows Farm, but also to join a progressive and forward-thinking club supported by a hard working committee.
“On a personal note, the move to Billinge FC feels a little like coming home. I was born in Billinge; my dad was the village police officer in the early 1970s when we lived in one of the police houses on Main Street, my wider family lived on London Fields.
“I am immensely proud to be representing Billinge FC and the village of Billinge.”
To add to the personal feel, assistant manager Craig Dixon’s business, Floor Depot North West, have sponsored the kit for the new season.
Craig said “I am more than happy to have my company associated with Billinge FC, especially the under 17s which I have helped run with Joe since under 8s.
“I have watched the team grow and develop and I am confident that the team will have a successful season.”
The team will play in the Second Division (under 17s) of the Warrington Junior Football League, having secured promotion last season with a third place finish in the Third Division.
The team has been strengthened over the summer with four new additions to the team, and Joe and Craig are confident that they can build on the success of last season.
The players predominantly come from Billinge, Winstanley, Hawkley Hall, Rainford and Skelmersdale and Joe is keen to have a local feel about the team and hopes that local players will continue to play for the team both now and in the future.
Joe would like to encourage new supporters to come to watch Billinge FC under 17s who normally play on Sunday mornings, saying: “Youth football is where it all starts; if you want exciting end-to-end football then there is nothing better than youth football, particularly in the late teen years.”
Meanwhile, Billinge chairman Andrew Vaughan is delighted to welcome the under 17s on board as they look to the future of the football club, saying: “We made a bold move in the summer bringing in a young local first team to compete in the Cheshire League and we have been bowled over with the management and lads’ quality and professionalism. Bringing in an under 17s team along with great characters like Joe and Craig is part of the exciting plan we have at the club.”
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