Gary, who played top-flight football in England, Greece and Sweden, has joined The Wire in the hope of elevating the club’s profile and aiding their plan to reach the Football League.
Securing the former Penketh High School Student’s services means that the club can now call on his contacts, knowledge and experience to help them with off the field activities.
“People think of Warrington as a predominately rugby town, but we’re here to let them know it’s not. Everyone in Warrington wants to have good standard parks, shopping centres and rugby team, so why can’t it be the same for the football team?”
The former England under 21 international joins up with ex Everton and Stockport Striker Brett Angel, who is a coach at the club.
Having the two former professional footballers at Cantilever Park is a major step in the Football League direction for The Wire, but Gary is quick to point out that the progression will not take place over night.
He said: “It is going to take time, but hopefully we can get out of this league, then out of the next league, and keep moving forward through raising the profile of the club, which will attract more players, more money and crucially more support.”
Warrington entertain Ossett Town this Saturday in the FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round at Cantilever Park, with club Chairman Dave Hughes expressing his delight at the appointment of Gary Owen and issuing a rallying call to all the fans.
He said: “It’s fantastic to get someone with Gary’s contacts onboard as an ambassador for the club. We are hoping that he can raise our profile, which will push the club onto bigger and better things.
“Warrington is a great footballing town, 3,100 people turned up to watch Liverpool Reserves, so why do we only get 100 people down here? We’ve got Ossett on Saturday, who are not the only Uni Bond side in their town, and between the two teams they manage to get more than 300 people to their home games.”
Dave added: “If we can beat Ossett on Saturday, we are then at the stage where Conference teams come into the competition which is a huge incentive.
“If the club is to progress we need a good fan base. The team are doing well at the moment and it is great opportunity for people to watch a live game on a Saturday afternoon.”
