COLFC VS SQUIRES GATE - MACRON CUP

macron cup second round city of Liverpool v squires gate

saturday 10th november 2018 kick off 3:00pm club sponsor

MATCH BALL SPONSOR

THE HALLMARK SECURIT Y ALL LEAGUE FOOTB

N . W. C . F. L

Proud sponsors of The Hallmark Security League

THE HALLMARK SECURIT Y ALL LEAGUE FOOTB

N . W. C . F. L

Live View CCTV & Alarms | GPS & Asset Tracking Security Patrol Dogs | Manned Guarding Retail Security | Mobile Security Patrols Key Holding & Alarm Response Bailiff Services Hallmark House, Constance Way, Waterloo Road, Widnes, WA8 0QR Tel: 0151 257 9996 Website: www.hallmark-security.com email: info@hallmark-security.com

2

Welcome to the TDP Solicitors Stadium for our Macron Cup second round game against Squires Gate.

me!

ga e th joy n e ll a ou y e Hop

#UpThePurps

CONTENTS 5 - CHAIRMAO Paul Manning’s welcome to this Macron Cup Second Round game…

7 - ROBBO SAYS Meet the new manager…

9 - WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS A brief history of Squires Gate…

11 - UP-COMING FIXTURES Get your fixture diaries up to date…

17 - THE NEW CAPTAIN Meet the new Captain…

26 - KITS 4 KIDS A feature on a fantastic initiative…

27 - COLFC FOODBANK How and why you could make a massive difference to people who may be struggling in these dark times…

28 - HOW THE TEAMS LINE UP

Don’t miss any action if you can’t get to the match!

Keep updated with live commentary on…

A REASON TO BELIEVE...

3

CITY OF LIVERPOOL FC 427 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 2JL Chairman: Paul Manning Deputy Chairman: Peter Furmedge Club Secretary: Peter Manning Club Welfare Officer: Mike Caulfield Club Director: Cathy Long Supporters Council Chairman: Paul McGrady Supporters Council Secretary: Fran Stanton Programme Design & Production: David Marsh at Artomattic PURPS FM: Ste Martin, Jay McKenna Flok Information: Paul Squires Gatehouse: Peter Furmedge, Howard Klarfeld, Paul Manning Hospitality: Leanne Brady, Amanda Manning, Maria Manning Stewards: Mark Howard, Owen Manning, Peter Manning, Ste Martin, Paul Squires, Lee Thwaite, Seana Thwaite, Gary Walthew, Colin Wilcox, Howard Klarfeld, Stephen Hesketh.

Volunteer Co-Ordinator: Mark Howard Website: Paul Manning, Paul Squires COLlotto: Andy Lavin, Lisa Lavin Purps TV: Jason Morland Merchandise Table: Sue Roberts, Amanda Manning, Olivia Manning, Robyn Manning Charity Co-Ordinator: Amanda Manning First Team Craig Robinson (Manager) Tony Dunne (Assistant) Tom Spearritt (1st Team Coach, physio) GK Coach: Craig Horner Phil MacDiarmid (Coach) Dean Jones (Kit Man) Reserve Team James Walsh (Manager) Sam Hoare & Danielle Rutter (Coaches) Ladies Team Harriet Miller (Manager) U19’s Dave McDiarmid (Joint Manager) Dave Rowe (Joint Manager) Cover and Robbo photo credit Karl Brooks Photography

oFFICIAL GoALKEEPING PARTNER oF THE HALLMARK SECuRITY FooTBALL LEAGuE. prouD SpoNSor oF THE rEuSCH CHAMpIoNS Cup, GoALKEEpEr oF THE MoNTH AND GoALKEEpEr oF THE YEAr AWArDS

For more information, visit www.reusch.com www.facebook.com/ReuschUK www.twitter.com/ReuschUK

hallmarksecurityleague.com Official Website of The Hallmark Security League

For the latest League & Club News & Info, Fixtures, Results, Cup Info, Stats & Archives Follow us on social media Search ‘Hallmark Security League’ on Twitter & Facebook 4

CHAIRMAO Notes from the little Purple book of COLFC Chairman, Paul Manning.

Welcome everybody to today’s Macron Cup tie with Squires Gate.

absolute fundraising machine, who recently raised something like £50,000 for the charity through an auction – amazing! Today she is doing a bucket collection and selling the famous McVeigh Foundation T-Shirt “and it’s off to the match I go” in a special limited edition Purple.

Squires Gate hold a somewhat notorious role in Purps’ history, being as they are the ONLY club to have done a league double over us, the absolute cheek of them!!

A 1-0 home defeat and a 3-2 away defeat last season wrote this particular chapter in our history and the 3-2 away defeat was a particularly bitter pill to swallow, being of course 2-0 up at Half Time. Fair play to the Gate that day as they came roaring back in the second half and did us.

Thankfully, we got some pride back in Blackpool earlies this season with a very good performance and 5-1 win in the FA Cup in the so called “Six Grand Shootout” match. Hopefully today we can at least get a win in the Macron Cup, which we would absolutely love to win again.

Gate got off to a great start to the season, then seem to have had a bit of dip due to injuries and suspensions, but now seem to be back to winning ways again, so we know we are in for a tough afternoon and will need to be at our best if we want to progress.

We have always had a friendly welcome at the Brian Addison Stadium and so today I would ask that our tea ladies, instead of being their usual surly and unco-operative selves, extend some warm scouse hospitality to our visitors from Lancashire, especially the Chairman Tony, who is a funny fella and does a mean scouse accent.

Also at the ground today are the McVeigh foundation, who are a partner charity of ours and who have in the form of @goobervision (Sarah) an

All things being equal, Kevin McEllin will make his 100th appearance for the club today and we will be celebrating that fact at Tuesday’s game against Charnock Richard, with a presentation and a commemorative match programme.

Well done Kevin.

We also solemnly remember the fallen soldiers of the First World War today with a minute’s silence.

The British Soldiers who were lucky enough to survive the horrors of WWI returned home and radically changed the face of British society by demanding and winning better conditions for the working classes.

I am mindful of the words of the greatest of all anti-war songs “And the band played waltzing Matilda” when after leaving Australia to go to fight at Gallipoli to cheering and screaming and support, the writer returns home after losing both his legs to a bomb “but nobody cheered, they just stood and stared and turned their faces away”.

The futility of War and the sacrifice made by so many millions of young men of all nations in order to protect the empirical demands of Nation states, rightly gives us cause for reflection and gratitude and respect for the sacrifices they made.

Good luck to both teams today, but here’s hoping for a Purple victory and a place in the next round.

#UTP

Paul Manning 5

THE BEST

CLUBS WEAR

MACRON WHY DON’T YOU? CONTACT US FOR A QUOTATION CARDIFF

Riverside Garage - Cardiff Road Taffs Well-Cardiff - Cf15 7Rf

CHESHIRE

17 Beeston Court, Stuart Road, Manor Park - Runcorn - WA7 1SS

MANCHESTER:

Unit 1a, Bright Street - Bury - BL9 6AQ

STOKE

Unit F2 Trentham Business quarter Bellringer Road Trentham Stoke on trent Staffordshire ST4 8GB

SEE WHO ELSE HAS ALREADY CHOSEN MACRON: www.macron.com

ROSS

6

F

C

PressBoards MFC Logo A1P.indd 1

08/02/2010 11:31

managers notes I set them a target of six points before the West Didsbury game and they’ve stepped up again!

Welcome to today’s Macron League Cup game against Squires Gate.

more with missed chances and their keeper making some good saves. Although they went close to scoring a clean sheet was also pleasing and theses games are never easy as last season we struggled at times against these types of teams and let ourselves down so I’m pleased with the lads. We lost John Mac early to an injury that we are assessing so we are unsure how long he will be out but fingers crossed he want be out too long. We have Kevin and Karl back who have been away an Willo now has hopefully cleared his injury up so it is pleasing to have them back! Hope you enjoy the game and thank you for your support!

It’s a cup game we want to win and get in the next round to keep our winning mentality going and also a chance to win silverware come end of the season!

The players have shown a great attitude and mentality so far this season, I set them a target of six points before the West Didsbury game and they’ve stepped up again and done as I asked again with picking up three points there then at home against Abbey Hey winning 3-0! I felt it could have been

Robbo

7

Regenda Homes is one of the main sponsors of City of Liverpool Football Club. It is a housing association with 10,000 properties across the North West, with over 1,500 in Liverpool and 1,700 in Wirral.

“BNENC is a place to come to have a laugh, enjoy yourself, make friends and be safe. That’s what this community is”, says Dot, a local Regenda Homes resident.

Dot has been attending BNENC for over 18 months, and has seen her life turnaround thanks to the support she gets.

If you would like more information on BNENC, visit their website www.bnenc.org or call 0151 2888400. You don’t have to be a Regenda Homes resident to enjoy their facilities.

If you are looking to move home in the North West, Regenda Homes offers a wide range of properties, from apartments and houses, to independent living schemes for older people and those who need support. Take a look at the website www. regenda.org.uk for further information.

If you are looking for a private rented property or a property to buy, Regenda’s subsidiary company, Redwing Living, can offer quality homes in the North West www.redwingliving.co.uk.

For further information please call 0344 7360066.

Regenda Homes has a unique partnership with a local community centre, the Breckfield and North Everton Community Centre (BNENC). Over the past 16 years, this partnership has been a real success, seeing a huge number of local residents access an abundance of services and training opportunities.

BNENC is a safe and fun place for local residents to visit, and offer a wide variety of classes and activities, such as – • ICT courses.

• First Aid courses.

• Hanging basket workshops.

• Access to a gym.

• Exercise classes such as chair based exercise.

• Bingo.

• Afternoon tea.

• Health walks.

• Access to the nature trail.

• Community trips.

8

squiresgate Blackpool & District Amateur League: 1958 to 1961 Squires Gate were formed in 1948 as Squires Gate British Legion FC and competed in the Blackpool & District Amateur League. They won the leagues Rawling Shield in their first season. The name of the club was changed to Squires Gate FC in 1953. They won the leagues First Division in 1955–56 and 1956–57; also the Blackwell Cup in 1958–59 and 1959–60.

They spent the 1960–61 in the Fylde District League, winning the Fylde Cup and losing finalists in the Bannister Cup.

had originally been promoted as Division Two champions. They reached their highest league placing in the 2005–06 season also reaching the quarter finals of the FA Vase then last season, under the Management of Andy Clarkson, Gate improved still further on their best ever placing, finishing sixth in what is now the Premier Division.

On 10 March 2007 Squires Gate played a home match against FC United of Manchester at Curzon Ashton F.C.s ground. The club had approached Blackpool F.C. about playing the game at Bloomfield Road but the ground was not available. And so they played the match in Ashton-under-Lyne, as it was felt that FCUM fans were more likely to attend with the match being staged in the Greater Manchester area. A crowd of 1,650 saw Squires Gate lose 0-1 and Squires Gate earned about £7,000.

To cap a very impressive 2007-08 season, Squires Gate were delighted that no less than nine of their members were honoured with long service awards: Albert Hamer, George Diggle, Roy Westhead, Brian Hugill and Brian Addison all collected Football Association Order of Merit mementos for 50 years service; and Steve Bellamy, Mick Farrer, John Maguire and Tony Hornby received 30 years awards from

West Lancashire League: 1961 to 1991 The following season they moved up to the West Lancashire League where they spent the next thirty years. From 1961 until 1980 they were in Division Two and were promoted in 1981 as champions. In the 1986–87 season they won the Richardson Cup. North West Counties Leage: 1991 onward They were elected into the North West Counties Football League for the 1991– 92 season, joining Division Two for the 1991–92 season. Squires Gate won the leagues Fair Play Award for the 1993–94 season and were losing finalists in the 1997–98 Division Two Trophy.

They won the 2001–02 season Division Two Trophy and then the following season they missed the runner-up spot on goal difference but were still promoted to Division One following the demise of Stand Athletic who 9

Club Honours

the Lancashire FA. All these stalwarts are still active in the service of their Club.

Groundsman Brian Addison was judged the best at our level in the Northern Region, and a magnificent third nationally at the FA Groundsman of the Year presentations in London last September, and his pitch is clear evidence of his commitment. As Chairman Stuart Hopwood said, “We believe in a sure and steady programme of improvement of our facilities, and we now feel that with an award winning pitch, dressing rooms which are amongst the best in the League, and a pleasant, air-conditioned Clubhouse, we have a lot to be proud of, and the future looks good for Squires Gate FC.�

Dave McCann was appointed manager towards the end of the 2012/13 season and has endured premier survival since taking charge. He is assisted by Richard Thomas.

Season 20014/15 was the most successful in the NWCFL finishing in 6th place with a record number of points.

Due to an indifferent start in the 2015/16 season, club captain Danny Penswick took over as player manager and ensured survival with a memorable last game victory at Ashton Athletic.

Danny also ensured premier division status in 2016/17 thanks to a late surge including a victory at home to Runcorn Linnets; this was despite losing the potent strike force of Ric Seear to Colne and Ryan Riley to Bamber Bridge.

League Blackpool & District Amateur League, First Division champions (2): 1956, 1957 West Lancashire League, Division Two champions (1): 1981 Cups Rawling Shield winners (1): 1949 Blackwell Cup winners (2): 1959, 1960 Fylde Cup winners (1): 1961 Bannister Cup runners-up (1): 1961 Richardson Cup winners (1): 1987 North West Counties League Division Two Trophy winners (1): 2002 North West Counties League Division Two Trophy runners-up (1): 1998

10

PROTECT YOUR CLUB WITH SPECIALIST INSURANCE FROM INTEGRO PROUD TO BE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

Our Football Club insurance policies provide wide and flexible cover to meet the needs of Football Clubs of all shapes and sizes. As well as Stadia we can provide cover for equipment, kit, volunteers, events/functions held and more.

Contact us to talk about your insurances.

0161 419 3000 barry.greenlees@integrogroup.com www.integrogroup.com

Integro Insurance Brokers Limited are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Registered Office: 71 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BS. Registered Company in England: 2957627.

#UTP

up-coming fixtures NOVEMber 03 ABBEY HEY H 3.00 HSL 10 squires gate H 3.00 MC2 13 charnock richard H 7.45 hsl 17 padiham a 3.00 HSL 24 congleton town a 3.00 HSL Watch city of liverpool this season adults £6 concessions £3 under 15’s free!

TDP Solicitors Stadium, vesty road, bootle l30 1NY

12

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS

13

Shirt Sponsors 1

9

1

9

Keppie Massie

Jim Price

Adam May

Kevin Short

2

10

2

10

Ste Quinn

Ronnie Mellor

Cathy Long

Patrick Manning

3

11

3

11

Sam Pearson

Ross Flemington

Gary Johansen

Dean Jones

4

12

4

12

Michael Meadows

Kevin Short

Norman Hartley

-

5

14

5

14

Matt Comber

-

Andrew Baker

-

6

15

6

15

Ste Martin

-

Wavertree Ultras

JOHN MILBURN

7

16

7

16

Paul McGrady

-

Mark Howard

-

8

17

8

17

Foto Octo

-

Gary Mellor

-

Come On La… Support The Purps… Sponsor A Shirt for only £30 Send payment via PayPal to contact@colfc.co.uk (state Home or Away & shirt No) and you will receive your chosen shirt at the end of the season

colfc merchandise

https://colfc.myshopify.com

P COLLECTION The new P Collection from COLFC is a range of stylish and timely clothing for Adults and children to be worn to the match and branded exclusively to City of Liverpool FC COMING SOON!!

16

captains notes Here we are again, another three points in the bag and still top of the league unbeaten.

players and would get in any team in the league above. Our midfield is strong as well with Kev now back from holiday and Karl and Joe playing very well we are looking strong all over the pitch, and it’s exciting to be a part of.

Break from the league today but another game we want to win; now we are out of the vase this is the next trophy that we will be aiming to win. This will be another tough game against Squires Gate who are a decent team despite the result against them early on in the season. They had a few key players out injured that day and I’m sure they will be right up for this game and wanting to beat us, so we will have to be at our best once again.

Thanks for all the support, it is appreciated you all coming out on a Saturday afternoon in the cold to watch us kick a ball around, hopefully we can keep playing some good football to warm you up, if not I’m sure the pints will do the job!

Once again Saturday was a tough game against a decent Abbey Hey team, who if they play like that they shouldn’t be down the bottom for long. We had to dig deep and especially first half they could have scored but big Danny Dalton was in the right place to stop it. I thought Danny was brilliant on Saturday and he has been all season, we’ve got a really solid defence unit and the competition for places at the back is strong with Thommo joining us and Willow getting back to fitness, everyone will be fighting for the starting places.

Going forward we are very strong and have the best goal scorers in this league and the league above I think Jamie Mc, Cairnsy, Tom P and Forbsey are all top

Denno

18

Photo: Stuart Roy Clarke

Stories about football are stories about life.

Stuart Roy Clarke’s The Game, on display until 17 March 2019 Open daily, 10am - 5pm Cathedral Gardens, Manchester: M4 3BG 0161 605 8200

National Football Museum is a registered charity no: 1050792

nationalfootballmuseum.com @footballmuseum /NationalFootballMuseum

Artomattic What do we do?

Brand identity Design for print Advertising Web design SEO Online marketing Exhibition and display Photography

Illustration CGI visualisation Animation Campaign planning Promotional products Printing Marketing Football programmes

If you’re looking for cost effective, inspiring marketing strategies to complement and promote your business, come and meet us, we would love to talk to you.

07590 540 944 MARKETING // DESIGN // ADVERTISING

20

FIXTURES & RESULTS 2018/19 Date Comp Opponent Att Result Goalscorers 04/08/18 HSL A 1874 Northwich 433 W 6-3 Cairns (3), Forbes, Clair, McGrath 08/08/18 HSL A Northwich Vics 298 W 2-1 McDonald, Holt 11/08/18 FAC H SILSDEN 630 W 3-1 Holt, McGrath, McDonald 18/08/18 HSL H IRLAM 406 D 2-2 McDonald, McGrath 25/08/18 FAC H GLOSSOP NORTH END 462 D 1-1 Hazelhurst 27/08/18 HSL H BURSCOUGH 404 W 3-0 Peterson (3) 31/08/18 HSL H RUNCORN TOWN 649 W 4-0 McGrath (2), Williams, Hazelhurst 04/09/18 FAC A Glossop North End 348 W 3-2 McGrath, Hazelhurst, Forbes 08/09/18 HSL A Squires Gate 255 W 5-1 Cairns (3), Denson, McGrath (p) 11/09/18 w H WHITCHURCH ALPORT 505 W 1-0 Cairns 15/09/18 HSL A Ashton Athletic 154 W 4-0 Peterson, McGrath, Clair, Cairns 18/09/18 HSL A Barnoldswick Town 135 W 3-2 Peterson (2), McDonald 22/09/18 FAC A Chester FC 1806 L 0-4 25/09/18 HSL H LITHERLAND REMYCA 513 W 4-0 McGrath (3), Hazelhurst 29/09/18 HSL H WINSFORD UNITED 295 W 5-2 Peterson (2), McDonald, Clair, McGrath 02/10/18 HSL A Silsden 242 D 1-1 Peterson 06/10/18 HSL H W DIDS & CHORLTON 346 W 4-0 Clair, McDonald, Peterson, Cairns 13/10/18 FAV A Hebburn Town 1302 L 0-4 20/10/18 HSL H ASHTON ATHLETIC 264 W 3-1 Clair, Cairns, Forbes 27/10/18 HSL A West Didsbury & Chorlton 364 W 3-1 Cairns (2), Own Goal 03/11/18 HSL H ABBEY HEY 308 W 3-0 Cairns, McDonald, Denson

21

purple statistics 2018/19 appearances/scorers

yellow & red cards

League apps Goals inc playoffs

Cup games in brackets

League League Apps (sub) Goals

Cup Apps (sub)

Cup Goals

Ben Ascroft

14

Craig Cairns

8(2)

9

5(1)

4

Karl Clair

10(4)

4(1p)

4(2)

1(p)

Danny Dalton

14

Alex Davies

0(2)

Luke Denson

14

1

7

1

David Forbes

6(8)

1

1(5)

2

Francis Foy

10(1)

Jack Hazelhurst

8(4)

1

Joe Holt

14

1

Chris Lester

3

Jamie McDonald

9(3)

Kevin McEllin

9(2)

John McGrath

10(3)

Adam Pepper

0(4)

Tom Peterson

9(4)

Craig Robinson

0(1)

Paul Williams

8

Anthony Brown

6(2)

David Thompson

1

Samuel Scarth

7

7

7 4(3)

2

7

1

1(1) 6

5(1)

9(2p)

6(1)

1

4 3

0(2) 10

4(3)

1

4 1

Ben Ascroft Craig Cairns Karl Clair Danny Dalton Alex Davies Luke Denson David Forbes Francis Foy Jack Hazelhurst Joe Holt Chris Lester Jamie McDonald Kevin McEllin John McGrath Adam Pepper Tom Peterson Craig Robinson Paul Williams Anthony Brown David Thompson Samuel Scarth

0(1) 1 1(2) 0(1) 3 3 1(1) 1(1) 1(1) 2(1) 4(1) 0(1) 1 2 1

2 0(1)

Correct as of Abbey Hey on 3/11/18

p = penalty

22

1

0(1)

PREMIER DIVISION TABLE

Premier Division

1 CITY OF LIVERPOOL 2 Congleton Town 3 Runcorn Town 4 Bootle 5 Barnoldswick Town 6 Silsden 7 Charnock Richard 8 Whitchurch Alport 9 Padiham 10 Northwich Victoria 11 1874 Northwich 12 Litherland REMYCA 13 Irlam 14 Burscough 15 Squires Gate * 16 Ashton Athletic 17 Hanley Town 18 Winsford United 19 West Didsbury & Chorlton 20 Abbey Hey

P

W

14 12 14 11 14 10 16 8 15 8 15 7 15 7 15 6 14 7 13 6 15 5 14 5 14 4 14 5 14 5 15 4 15 4 15 2 16 2 15 2

D

2 0 0 4 2 4 2 4 1 2 5 4 6 2 2 3 2 3 2 2

L

0 3 4 4 5 4 6 5 6 5 5 5 4 7 7 8 9 10 12 11

F

A

GD

Pts

GD

Pts

45 12 33 38 33 10 23 33 35 22 13 30 33 18 15 28 32 28 4 26 26 24 2 25 36 26 10 23 28 21 7 22 31 29 2 22 30 23 7 20 22 25 -3 20 24 26 -2 19 26 25 1 18 26 32 -6 17 22 20 2 16 14 22 -8 15 19 36 -17 14 18 40 -22 9 16 42 -26 8 13 48 -35 8

FIRST DIVISION (N) TABLE

First Division North

1 Longridge Town 2 Carlisle City 3 Avro 4 Shelley 5 Lower Breck 6 AFC Liverpool 7 Prestwich Heys 8 Cleator Moor Celtic 9 Bacup Borough 10 Steeton 11 AFC Darwen 12 AFC Blackpool 13 Garstang 14 Ashton Town 15 St Helens Town 16 Chadderton 17 Nelson 18 Daisy Hill 19 Holker Old Boys 20 Atherton LR

P

W

17 14 16 12 14 9 16 8 13 8 14 8 15 8 13 7 16 6 14 6 14 6 13 5 14 5 14 5 15 4 17 4 14 3 15 2 16 2 16 1

23

D

2 1 2 4 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 2 2 4 2 3 3 2 2

L

F

A

1 71 21 50 44 3 35 20 15 37 3 46 25 21 29 4 28 23 5 28 3 39 12 27 26 4 38 32 6 26 5 28 23 5 26 4 29 21 8 23 7 34 33 1 21 5 32 35 -3 21 5 28 34 -6 21 4 21 19 2 19 7 27 29 -2 17 7 21 33 -12 17 7 37 34 3 16 11 32 43 -11 14 8 16 26 -10 12 10 23 46 -23 9 12 19 57 -38 8 13 15 53 -38 5

16 AlderTraining Picture your Future Liverpool

1,989 likes #workexperience #job #career #business #dental #childcare #propertymanagement #construction #healthandsocialcare Add a comment...

24

25

With the ongoing success of our football for everyone project and our brand-new walking football initiative we are starting to put the wheels in motion for our next scheme, Kits4Kids, a scheme which aims to provide children in the local area with the equipment and kit needed to participate in football.

Families are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head never mind forking out £40/£50 for a pair of boots every year plus shin pads, kit etc, if you have more than one child you’re suddenly looking at spending a few hundred pounds, and that’s before any subs need paying.

An analysis by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reveals cuts to benefits and tax credits under the Tory government will see children hardest hit, forecasting that around one and a half million more under-18s will live in households below the relative poverty line by 2022. The research, which analyses the

impact of welfare reforms between 2010 and 2018, shows households with lone parents and children are set to lose an average of £5,250 – almost one-fifth of their total net income, compared to a loss of £3,000 for couples with children. This will see the child poverty rate for those in lone parent households increase from 37 per cent to over 62 per cent.

These children are of great risk of being isolated and abandoned socially. The life skills learned through football help empower individuals and enhance mental wellbeing, such as increased resiliency, self-esteem and connections with others. These features of football are beneficial to people of all ages, but they are especially vital to the healthy development of young people. We must do more to increase engagement and encourage young people into football, not stand by while they are priced out of the game through no fault of their own.

This is where the fantastic City of Liverpool FC Supporters come in! If there are any old kits, boots or shin pads that your son/ daughter has grown out of then please do not hesitate to contact us and we can arrange a collection or drop them off at one of the home games where one of our Community team will collect them from you.

26

The Food bank at COLFC You might have seen the food bank banner around the ground, or seen the Twitter account and wondered what it is, what it does, where it goes and why?

COLFC was set up as Community Benefit Society (CBS); a supporter owned football club and from the start, the club was quick to work with local charities and establish itself within the community.

Around the same time COLFC was starting on its journey, Fans Supporting Foodbanks was gathering momentum. What started as a chat between Dave Kelly and Ian Byrne on a train back from a Premier League demonstration, they discussed what football fans could achieve together. From that came their project: fans working together to help alleviate food poverty.

Fans Supporting Foodbanks went about building relationships with clubs such as Everton and Liverpool, and very early on came the tie up with COLFC. The two groups sharing an ethos based upon the power of football fans.

In 2017, we were invited to their first AGM up at St James Park, backed by the Football Supporters Federation (FSF), with fan representatives from Celtic, Doncaster, Everton, Huddersfield, Liverpool and Newcastle, a selection of councillors, MPs and journalists.

Fast forward to October 2018, and the second conference in St Georges Hall was attended by fans from the previous year, plus Clapton, Sunderland and West Ham with Joe Anderson, Jamie Carragher and Peter Moore showing their support.

In the weeks after we saw Leeds, Manchester United, Middlesbrough and Sunderland fans pushing collections to show their support for their local communities. This is something gaining serious momentum.

Why do we need this?

Years of austerity, wages not keeping pace with living costs, combined with reform to the benefit system, namely Universal Credit have pushed foodbank referrals to record numbers with food banks struggling to meet the demand from users. This is a national problem, with the

Trussell Trust reporting 13% more food parcels were given out by their network than the previous year, and this is predicted to rise with the roll out of Universal Credit.

One of the initiatives from Fans Supporting Foodbanks was a tie up with Charles Thompson Mission in Birkenhead. This volunteer set up provides a refuge for people of a weekend providing hot meals, clothing, haircuts, chiropody, and support to those in need. Due to government cuts, there is nowhere of a weekend for some of societies most vulnerable in the Wirral to access help and support; the gap being plugged by volunteers.

What can you do?

At COLFC, the collections at every home game have been well supported by fans, visiting clubs and our sponsor Regenda. However, we need to continue them. The challenge to the UK’s food banks is well documented: we want and need fans to turn up and donate the items that make up a food parcel. Items such as cereal, soup, pasta, rice, pasta sauce, beans, tinned meat, tinned vegetables, tea/coffee, tinned fruit and biscuits. The donation of toiletries is always appreciated, it helps those in crisis to maintain dignity.

So how can you help?

You can help by picking some extras up in your weekly shop, having a clear out of your cupboards, organising work-based collections or collections within your own community groups, and donating to a good cause.

Donations can be left at the turnstile at home games, for the more sizeable donations then please contact us in advance.

If you have any questions or you want to help, then feel free to contact us, we are not hard to find on a match day and we will endeavour to find you the answers.

Mark Howard @colfcfoodbank 27

LINE UPS colfc

(GK) Ben Ascroft Craig Cairns Karl Clair Daniel Dalton Alex Davies Luke Denson David Forbes Francis Foy Fidan Hajdari Jack Hazlehurst Joesph Holt Chris Lester Jamie Mcdonald Kevin Mcellin John Mcgrath Adam Pepper Thomas Peterson Criag Robinson Aubrey Rogers Thomas Spearritt Jeremy Tunzele Manager - Craig Robinson Assistant - Tony Dunne Coach - Craig Horner Coach - Tom Spearritt

squires gate

Ben Fletcher Andy Richards Dave Rossall Adam Sumner Seydou Bamba Matty Kay Dean Ing Joe Booth (C) Ben Reader Gary Pett Brett Dawson Ryan Riley Joey Mullen Ryan Charnley Tarren Moxon Finlay Clarkson Jack Hargreaves

Manager - Andy Clarkson Assistant - Jimmy Salthouse Physio - Lucy Gray

Referee - Karl Buckley Assistants - Joshua Howell & Simon Richmond

WILL YOU COLlaBORATE? COLlaborate is how you join with City of Liverpool Football Club to bring football back to its roots in Liverpool, linking you to a network of businesses, social enterprises, community organisations and other agencies who are committed to working locally and proving that good business is good for our communities.

City of Liverpool Football Club doesn’t want to sell you an advert or a sponsorship package. We want you to join with us in making our community owned football club a vehicle for social value and wider community benefit - delivering your social value through the city’s passion for football.

Social Value is the wider financial and non-financial impact of your work, including the well-being of individuals and communities, social capital and the environment.

COLlaborate will engage businesses alongside community and social enterprises, social landlords and others who share our community focused values and see the value of City of Liverpool Football Club as a means of selling this collective message to a wider audience.

Please visit colfc.co.uk for more information

Thanks to all The Partisans for your support this season - #UpThePurps

community owned… asset locked… scouse forever!

28