Sadly home fixtures and all Bolton Council Pitches are OFF for the weekend the 19th/20th February. The weather has been against us for the last few weeks but as a club we are not overly concerned for the completion of all fixtures. We have managed to play lots of games through November, December, January and the start of February. The league factor in that we would normally lose 6 to 8 playing weekends in a season and the fixtures all extend until May. No team will miss out on any fixtures as these will be made up at the back end of the season. We will be meeting with FA facilities team on the 22nd Feb to try and push for improvements in the drainage on the Pavilion. This may need match funding and we will update you al once we have discussed with Facilities team. We will also be putting our strong case forward for our own 3G as we are nearly at the FA threshold for a 3G pitch for 65 teams. We have a large number of U7s starting in April/May from the natural progression from the Little Green Dragons.
In early March we are also meeting with our newly appointed FA investment ready consultant were we are looking at everything to do with Moss Bank Junior Football Club from development plans to Charity status, and everything else that is incorporated in running one of the biggest grassroots football clubs in the North West. The club are in a good position given that the FA chose Moss Bank Junior Football Club out of around 80,000, over 10,000 clubs grassroots football teams across the English FA. That was whittled down to 500 who applied for the Investment Ready programme following a comprehensive assessment then finally looked at by the FA and our club being one of the final 200 clubs finally chosen. Again we will update our members once we have met with our FA mentor.
The New Lease Agreement for the Pavilion and Captains Clough is nearing completion and we are on the look out for a commercial Solicitor who can cast a eye over it before signing. Is there any solicitors in the club that could help us with this? We would be most grateful.
Our application for Girls Wildcat status has been successful and you will hear more in the next couple of Months before it’s official launch. Exciting times at the club with lots going on particular in girls football and the Euro’s coming to the North West for the Women’s Euro’s. We want to set up a recreational women’s team also and again we will update our members once we are back at The Pavilion in the spring. We are fortunate to have Kelly Boag as Head of the Girls section and she is very committed to providing girls football across the club and the North West. We also have a Walking Football Team and if there are any older members that wish to join the team please contact the club.
We have a superb set of volunteers at the club including over 90 coaches. Everyone plays a part in running of the club including the Head of Age Groups and welfare teams. We are also fortunate to have Goalkeeper Coaching provided by Nigel Hampson and Cat Whelan who both do a superb job for all our goalkeepers at the sessions. We take great pride in running the football club and are always looking for extra volunteers. This may not be full time basis and maybe only for consultation or support. We will be sending a skill set questionnaire to all our members in the coming weeks so we hope you can help us in some way no matter how big or small.
We have over the course of the season had various invites to Bolton, Man City and Man United for games and coaching. These are specifically been requested by Bolton, City or United on age groups and teams. Bolton, City and United have indicated that all Moss Bank teams will at some point over the season get the experience of attending a coaching session. We again will update the age groups/teams that Bolton, City and United are requesting. Teams will not miss out.
We would like our parent group to grow and support in organising events at the club. We would also welcome a mentor who could support a Moss Bank Junior Football Club Youth Council. There will be more updates to follow. We continue our partnership with Whysup and we hope to undertake some sessions on addiction in different forms, gaming, respect and teamwork in the summer months. We also recognise that our young members at the club have also experienced the pandemic and what this as done to their mental wellbeing over the last 2 years with the lockdowns and isolation. We are now seeing the effects of the pandemic on some of our young members and on this we have now appointed Alex Mort who is an experienced and qualified mental well bring practitioner. Alex is also an under 11’s Coach. Alex has over 15 years of working within Mental Health and over 8 years as a qualified nurse within Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS).Alex understands the importance that has a football club we offer a child a safe and nurturing environment to help a child thrive has a person and not just a footballer. Alex is currently an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Wigan CAMHS so he has been able to gain a wealth of knowledge and resources that can be used to help your child. Alex will be available for advise, resources and signposting. Alex cannot undertake direct work with young people but we hope to utilise his skills and also to undertake some group work with teams and parents. Again we will officially announce this in the coming weeks with more detail and a video interview with Alex.
In the next few weeks our club shop online will also be open were you will be able to order goods directly. On some of the items there will be a waiting time as these will be, bespoke. Again we will announce this when it is up and running. Also at the end of April we will be starting our Moss Bank JFC Hatchlings group based at 0-3 year old babies and toddlers with a football and Moss Bank theme. Again we will announce this nearer the time. It will be run on a Monday morning at the club either inside or outside (weather dependent) and in the winter at a local hall.
Finally a massive thank you to all our members who continue to make the club grow and be successful. Its not just a football club it’s a community and without your involvement the club would simply not exist. Please keep supporting the club. Could we all follow the club on Social Media and subscribe to our MossBankTV channel on YouTube:
TWITTER: @mossbankjfc
INSTAGRAM: @mossbankjfcofficial
Facebook: Moss Bank Junior Football Club (2 groups)
Youtube: MossBankTV
Website: mossbankjfc.co.uk
Regards
Marcus and Andy
Dear members
We are sure you have all heard the news that Bolton Council have withdrawn plans to build a new school on our Captains Clough Playing Fields.
Throughout this whole process we have kept a dignified stance with the local community and our landlords Bolton Council, whilst also attending meetings in relation to the protest to build the school on our football pitch green space. We have always refuted any rumours that we had communication with Simon Bramwell and his Academy Trust. We maintain this and throughout this whole process we have had no contact with him or the Academy.
We have updated our members accordingly throughout the different stages and have voiced our views and concerns initially to Bolton Council, Robertson’s, our residents, campaigners, protest meetings, Roger Heyes local councillor and Chris Green MP. From having being informed 3 weeks prior to a football season to move over 10 teams away from our venue we feared for the clubs identity for these teams who are all part our our wonderful club and the logistical nightmare this caused in the reconfiguration of our pitches and formats. This not including other factors it caused from a financial implication.
We have always maintained both sites to an exceptional high quality standard and have great working relationships with our residents particularly those houses that back onto our sites. Both sites have been kept in immaculate condition since we took the lease over in 2017 and the club have invested large amounts of members monies to keep both sites highly maintained. These positive relationships with our local residents have continued throughout the campaign. We thank them for their support. We hope to have our lease back in the coming weeks for both sites. This is imperative for our growth as a football and sports club; and for our community who use the facilities. Our 650+ young people deserve this!
We do hope in the future that those very people who have objected, attended protest meetings and signed petitions to stop the school being built and for signing the petition for village green status will support our wonderful football club in the future. The very fact that the 2 sites were used extensively for football and sport have certainly been a big part of the decision for Bolton Council to pull the plans. During the process Roger Heyes our local Liberal councillor visited our club on a packed Saturday morning and saw first hand the work we do for our young people and members. Roger was very impressed with Moss Bank Junior Football Club and hopefully going forward we can work more closely with Roger and our local elected party in maintaining these relationships.
We now move forward with our plans. We would like to thank each and everyone of our young people, parents, carers, coaches and volunteers for their support and understanding of our stance throughout. Let’s now get back to football and doing what we do best by serving our community with football, sport and activities. Thank you.
Moss Bank JFC
#MossBankJFC any potential sponsors interested in sponsoring our club coaches kit? We are the @LancashireFA Club of the Year 2020 you will be supporting an evolving grassroots football club with over 80 coaches, 50 teams and 600 plus members – please see details below
https://www.facebook.com/groups/134696637059005
To all our members
It is hard to believe that another year has passed by so quickly, and despite the ups and downs of a year, we continue to pull together and provide football for over 600 young people.
During this year, we have lost loved ones and we have in some way all been affected by the pandemic. At this time of year, we must think about them and others who are not as fortunate, whilst we enter the festive period. We would also like to thank, all of you, for continuing to support the club in every way. We would like to thank ours coaches and volunteers who we are indebted to for their hard work and commitment. Without you this club would not function.
Although the coming year may be a little uncertain with the pandemic, we are looking forward with yourselves, to continue with our great work and making this club the best in Bolton, the best in Lancashire and the best in the North West. Can we thank you all for your continued dedication.
Next year we have some exciting projects to progress in 2022 including the FA investment Ready initiative which only 80 teams were chosen in all of England. We were chosen because of the fundamentals of the club offered numerous pathways for football, community cohesion and the infrastructure to support this alongside an incredible member base. More news will follow on this in the New Year.
Could we all ask to support the club and follow the Social Media platforms;
Twitter – @mossbankjfc
Instagram – @mossbankjfcofficial
Facebook- Moss Bank JFC (2 pages)
YouTube- MOSSBANKTV
Website – mossbankjfc.co.uk
We hope all our members liked their #MBNK SnapBack Caps and these will be available for sale in the New Year along with the Moss Bank bobble hats. Both priced £10. We have had numerous enquiries from parents to purchase these.
We will provide an email update for the new year which will cover more details in relation to last years events, developments and future plans.
Look after yourselves and your families, stay safe, enjoy Christmas and we will see you all in the new year!
Best Wishes
Marcus and Andy
Update reference: Captains Clough.
CLUB STATEMENT: We would like again to reiterate to the general public that Moss Bank JFC have had no communication at any level with either Bolton Council, Vantage Academy Trust or Simon Bramwell prior to any proposed plans for Captains Clough or thereafter. We have had no deal, negotiations or correspondence with Vantage Academy Trust or Simon Bramwell over this matter despite people’s assumptions, reports previously published in the Bolton News and any discussions in any of the “Save the Church Road Playing Fields” group meetings or online. Please Mr Bramwell stop using our football club as a pawn in this game. We will respond with our own actions with the support of our own governing bodies when the appropriate time is right. We have spoken to our local councillors, immediate residents who are fully aware of our current position and fully understand our current stance on the matter. Thanks.
Update reference: Captains Clough playing fields.
A representative from the club attended the meeting at the Triangle Church on Thursday evening. From this, Moss Bank JFC are arranging to meet directly with Chris Green M.P. as to which is the best way forward for Moss Bank Junior Football Club. We, our governing bodies, the FA and Sport England cannot take any action until the feasibility study and surveying has been completed. If the Project goes to the planning stage it is then when we can officially lodge any complaint or protest. But at present we have to let the process take its course so at this present time Moss Bank JFC will not be supporting any petitions or action groups. We understand that residents will have a different view but as a club we are advised to follow the legal and procedural process from our governing body the FA and Sport England. Thanks all.
CLUB STATEMENT:
Just to clarify on the report in the Bolton News tonight and the Council announcement of a potential new school site on the Captains Clough pitches.
The Council approached us on the 10th August and told us they would NOT be renewing any lease on that land because of the “new potential project” which now transpires to be a new school. This left us in a very difficult position in terms of finding a short term home for 10 teams ranging from U11s to U14s both mixed and girls teams starting their season in September. Our lease ended on the 31st August.
We have been in direct communication with Bolton Council, our local councillor and Sport England/LFA in separate meetings. These early talks were to assure us of an immediate facility for the 10 teams using Captains Clough and our decision to reconfigure the Pavilion thereafter to make sure that every team at the club still continue to play and represent the club. We have at no time known that this was happening until that time.
We have had assurances off the Council that if a decision was made to build “the new project” the Council would have to provide us with 2 alternate better standard grass pitches with drainage or a 3G equivalent in the immediate area of the club base. However Sport England nor the LFA can come into this equation until any planning permission to build on Captains Clough as gone into planning. If this does this will trigger their official capacity in fully supporting the club. We cannot take no action until then and that’s when our membership base will have a big say in the future. Until then we wait until the surveys and groundwork’s on the site are completed and any decision is made. It might even mean they don’t go ahead with the project and they return the pitches back to us. The Council have already assured us that The Pavilion side will not be touched and our long term lease will continue.
Can we be absolutely clear that despite what the report states we have had no discussion with the Council or the project trust about what the project was as they would not disclose, no discussions on parking, a winter training all weather pitch, changing rooms or how this would fit into Moss Bank Junior Football Club and the community. We pride ourselves on having good community relationships. We fully understand the worries of those houses directly facing the back of the Pavilion and Captains Clough in the area. Some of these are current and past members of Moss Bank JFC. We have special trusting relationships with these people and this transparency is what we aim to continue to do. We have always maintained our pitches to the highest condition and have prided ourselves as having a superb facility for the 500 young people of the area not only with football but other sport.
For us we have to think of a short term pain is a long term gain. One of the main worries as a committee and club was to lose that identity and move teams out to other areas of Bolton and not feel part of the club. This will not happen. They are our DNA! All the older teams have been at this club since 5 year old and we will not allow us to be divided. We will keep you all fully updated of any news going forward but we could not officially announce anything until the Council did their official announcement. You as members are our blood line of this wonderful club and we need to STICK together as we will need each other in the future. Please do not speculate on Social Media because as a club we are fully aware and in complete discussions with all parties #upthebank
SPECTATORS
On 7th April the Government updated its guidance in relation to spectators at events from Monday 12th April.
This confirms that if viewing recreational or organised sport that is taking place in a public space, e.g. a park, at Step 1b or Step 2, *IT IS ALLOWED* in groups of up to 6 people or 2 households and multiple groups in a park or public space.
Also adults needed to supervise under – 18s for whom they have a responsibility, or providing care or assistance to a person with disabilities participating in an organised sporting event or activity are allowed.
*PLEASE REMEMBER FOR ALL SUPPORTERS AND SPECTATORS* They should maintain social distance and not mix with other households.
This allows people to view recreational or organised sport that is taking place in a public space (all Moss Bank JFC venues), now at step one b or Step two, in groups of up to six people or two households.
PARENTS/CARERS
Where clubs and facilities can accommodate this safely, parents and carers are permitted to be present at football activities, although they must observe the relevant Government Covid-19 guidance, including those on social gathering limits for spectators.
Please check out our updated COVID RA on our website and also remember that NOTHING has changed within the clubhouse and previous rules remain.
https://mossbankjfc.co.uk/covid-ra/
Detailed FA Guidance Here