A Friday night street league football project, which has helped reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB) across the town, has launched in west Warrington following a spate of problems in the area last year.
The project, which is run by LiveWire in partnership with Cheshire Police, was first established at Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub in 2014. It has since grown across the town with sessions also launching in Birchwood in 2015.
On average, 70 young people are now taking part in both the Orford and Birchwood sessions every week and LiveWire hope they can now engage with more young people across the town thanks to the launch of the Warrington West Street League.
The project is now seen as an important provision for young people who find it difficult to access activities where they live and has helped with a reduction in ASB call outs in both Orford and Birchwood.
The Orford Project was originally funded by the StreetGames Doorstep Sports Club Project but due to popular demand, it has evolved into the mainstream LiveWire programme and has been rolled out across the town.
The Warrington West Street League project takes place at Great Sankey Leisure Centre every Friday between 7-9pm, a traditionally peak time for ASB call outs.
Paul Flannery, neighbourhood engagement officer at LiveWire, said: “We’re really pleased to be bringing the Street League project to the west of Warrington. The main attraction for young people to engage with the project is that it’s on their terms. It’s a simple concept whereby friends form a five-a-side team, give themselves a name and then play fixtures against their peers every Friday.”
Sigourney Ridsdale, PCSO for central Warrington, said: “The Friday night football project is very successful from the police’s point of view as some weeks there are up to 150 youths, of all ages and from all backgrounds that attend. The project engages youths during the peak times that we encounter ASB on meaning that it is reduced vastly and the impact on the police is reduced also. It keeps the youths fit and active as well as allowing them to mix with a new group of people.”
