Minister hears how Warrington is more than just a rugby town

WARRINGTON is bucking the national trend when it comes to playing football dispelling the myth it is just a rugby town.
During a visit to Warrington Town FC to hear about the club’s 2020 vision to deliver a Football League Club to the town, Government Cabinet Minister Maria Miller said it was “fantastic to hear” about increasing participation in the national sport in Warrington, at a time when it was on the decline nationally.
The Minister for Culture, Media and Sport was special guest of Warrington South MP David Mowat at the town’s football club which boasts 27 junior teams, along with youth and reserve teams and a first team currently pushing for promotion from the Evo-Stik Division One North.
With the club requiring four promotions in six years to reach the Football League club chairman Richard Sutton admitted the 2020 Vision was “Ambitious but not impossible.”
He then produced compelling statistics to dispel the myth that Warrington is just a rugby town highlighting that the Warrington Junior League is the biggest in the UK, the Warrington and District Adult League was one of the biggest in the North West and that for every child who played rugby in Warrington, six played football.
Sutton told the Minister: “I have a copy of the 2013 FA report on participation levels in football and out of 38 similar sized local authorities across the country Warrington is top of the league.”
He went on to highlight that there were 75 affiliated football clubs in Warrington, with 492 actual teams made up of 87 adult, 218 youth teams and 187 junior/mini soccer teams.
“Across the whole spectrum of participation in football the national average is 5.2 per cent – in Warrington it is 10.6 – more than double the national average.”
Sutton added: “We are passionate about the fact that football as a sport can have a hugely positive effect on the whole community if it can be harnessed in the right way.
“In the last 12-18 months we have been in constant dialogue with the council to try and find a site for better facilities so we can make our ambitions become a reality. We’ve looked at the old Wilderspool Stadium, the Omega site in the North of the town and also explored the Halliwell Jones Stadium. But so far we have been unable to secure any of these options.”
He urged the minister to look at ways to encourage the FA to help fund community development officers at clubs like Warrington Town.
“Despite great support from our sponsors we are struggling to fund community development and commercial roles to help move the club forward.
Sutton concluded: “Vast amounts of money are handed out at the top of our game, where the average player is on £30,000 a week, and some on £30,000 a day. Securing just £30,000 a year would help transform clubs like Warrington Town.”
Commenting on what she heard the Minister said: “It is fantastic to hear of Warrington’s increasing participation in football at a time when it is declining nationally.”
She added that although the F.A did some good work in the community, they had their “strengths and weaknesses” when it came to funding grassroots football.
Mr Mowat, who has already raised the issue in the House of Commons of how Premier League and FA funding is distributed throughout the sport added: “I believe this is a genuine issue for the Government.”

Top picture shows Maria Miller with David Mowat and (right) club chairman Richard Sutton and above with club officials and sponsors.