Club History

ASPULL & THE OSTRICH

An Ostrich has been a heraldic symbol of Aspull Village for over 600 years. Aspull Urban District Council chose it as a symbol because since 1371 it has appeared on the coat of arms of the Earl of Crawford, who later occupied Haigh Hall and became the chief landowner in Aspull.

The bird has a key in it`s mouth because it was believed to be capable of eating iron and so became a symbol of strength.

The Clubs` Formation -1997

A football mad parent in the summer of 1997 decided to try and start a junior football team for his young sons to play in.he felt that a football team would give the children of Aspull an interest and also keep them out of trouble. The name of that parent was Steve Fishwick.

The response from Aspull was amazing, and at the start of that first season there were 12 children of various ages attending training sessions, but this number was growing weekly.

Our 1st sponsor, Jim Parr of Parr Brothers Electrical enabled us to purchase a kit and some equipment, and Aspull Rugby Union Club agreed to let Steve play their matches on their practice pitch. Thus the name and club ASPULL JUNIORS FC was born.

The 2nd Season - 1998/99

With the first season succesfully completed, the number of children attending training had now risen to over 40.It  was obvious that Steve needed additional help in these training sessions, and also the running of the club. That help came in the form of Rob Billington, Neil Ellison and Manny Flores.

Aspull Juniors FC had been busy in the summer discussing the possibilities of a Mini Soccer Football League with like minded clubs. From these discussions the Mid Lancashire Colts Junior Football League was born and Aspull Juniors FC kicked off the new season as a member of this new league.

The Under 10`s that season enjoyed their first league experience and finished in a respectable 3rd place.

During the season Rob Billington was appointed as the Clubs` first Chairman. His first priority was to ensure that the other age groups should be allowed to maximise their playing potential in a competitive environment, rather than ad-hoc friendlies.

Competitive Football- 1999/2000

Our 1st 11 a side team entered the Leigh League, playing on a newly created 11 a side pitch at Aspull Moor.

We also had 4 teams in the Mid Lancs Colts League (2 @ U`9 and 2 @ U`10 age groups).

This season also saw the start of our succesfull Academy. This catered for children from the ages of 4 to 6 years old and for many was their first introduction to football. Tony McGarr and Neil Ellison were our first Academy coaches.

The Club was continuing to expand and we felt that our coaches needed better knowledge, so we invited all of our coaches at the time to attend an FA Coaching Course. One of the first "graduates" was Rob Lancaster.

The First Committee - 2000/01

The start of the new season, once again saw the number of members growing. With this influx of players, we also saw an increase in volunteers which allowed us to form our first Committee.

Ann McGiven and Pauline Billington were our first "official" Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

On the playing front, we had now grown to 9 teams, from Under 7`s to Under 12`s.

Fundraising and sponsorship becoming an integral part of the Club, plus the introduction of Codes of Conduct, a Club Constitution and the first AGM.

Regular Managers Meetings and Committe Meetings also appeared in the diary for the first time during this season.

Membership passes 150 - 2001/02

The Club continued to grow and we had approximatley 180 members at the start of the season.

Our main proablem was space, both in terms of pitches and training venues. We had to leave the borough for training, as we took the opportunity to train in Winter at Bolton Arena. An association which continues to this day.

Progression Continues - 2002/03

The start of the 2002/03 Season saw our first venture into Open Age football. It wa felt at the time that it would enable our future Under 16`s an opportunity to continue playing football for Aspull Juniors FC.

We ran teams from U`7 to U`10 at Mini Soccer level and from U`11 to U`14 at Youth Soccer.

Our popular Under 6 Academy continued to flourish in the capable hands of Tony McGarr.

This season was to be our most succesful  in a our short history winning 8 different League and Cup titles across all age groups.

Aspull Civic Centre started to be used regularly by our teams on a Sunday to provide refreshments and hospitality to both our own teams and our visitors.

The pitches at Aspull Moor received considerable attention this season with the Club  giving the Leisure & Culture trust a sizeable amount to improve conditions.

A meeting by the Club Committee later in the season and the first discussion on the FA Charter Standard. Gary Hopkins now Club Development Officer was entrusted to find out the details!

Winter Training a Challenge - 2003/04

A full complement of teams again this season, plus our Open Age team competing in the West Lancs Football League.

The Academy was proving to be even more popular and for the following season it was decided to run a "In House" league for what would be our U`7s.

Winter Training was becoming a problem for the Club. With so many teams and so few venues. We were using three venues this season spread around both Wigan and Bolton.

To protect the investment on the pitches we purchased movable goalposts for both the Full Size and 3/4 size pitches.In fact the issue of Pitches and Aspull Moor Sports Ground in general were to dictate a large part in the Clubs` future in the next 18 months!.

FA Charter Standard - 2004/05

This was a momentous Season for the Club. Behind the scenes Gary Hopkins and Rob Billington were gathering all the vital information on our application to gain Charter Standard.

Further developments at the Club included the appointment of a Mini Soccer and Youth Soccer Co-ordinators. John Parker and Rob Lancaster were the people to step forward and fill this roles.

We also appointed Tracy Flores and Val Mercer as our 1st Child Protection Officers.

Andy Webster was running our "In House" league for the Under 7 age group, and the large number of children playing at this age group would eventually see us having 3 teams in future years.

At Open Age, we entered a "Reserve" side into the Leigh League as a feeder to a 1st Team in the West Lancs League.

So as the season progressed, the Club, still rapidly expanding, we awaited news from The Lancashire FA on our Charter Standard Application.

Finally the letter arrived.

 WE HAD DONE IT!

.Aspull Juniors FC were now an official Charter Standard Club.

FA Charter Standrad Logo - The Club can now use.

All Change at the Top - 2005/06

Season 2005/06 was to see the Club change in many ways. The Club was to continuing to grow, but our Open Age team had, had a difficult season both on and off the pitch. This culminated with their disbandment at the end of the previous season. Our short spell with Open Age teams had led to many problems for the Club,and it was starting to impact on our thriving Junior section.

Club Chairman Rob Billington and Treasurer Pauline Billington resigned from their positions towards the end of the previous  season. Without their hard work, dedication and perserverance over the years the Club would not have grown to it`s current size.

The Club were fortunate that John Parker was able to devote time to his new role as General Secretary to review the Club operationally and recommend improvements. Having been in the role since Rob Billingtons` departure, he was officially elected at the AGM.

Also at the AGM , Manny Flores became Club Chairman and Rob Lancaster Vice Chairman.

SEASON 2006/07

Organised and Structured

The Club started the 2006/07 Season with a new Committee, already in place were Manny Flores, Rob Lancaster, John Parker, Gary Hopkins, Tracy Flores and Val Mercer. They were joined by Neil Hesketh, Steve Fairhurst and Tony McGarr who were elected as Committee Members at the AGM.

Both Managers Meetings and Committee Meetings became more focussed and structured and it was evident that a lot of work was taking place "behind the scenes" to ensure the Club was running efficiently and effectively.

On the playing front the Club continued to prosper with teams represented in The Mid Lancs Colts, Bolton, Bury & District JFL and the Central Lancs JFL. The Club  were not represented in a Wigan League due to differences between the Club and the Wigan & District Youth League.

At the end of the Season we had an  impressive array of silverware won by our teams during the season in both League, Cup and Tournaments. The highlight probably being our U`16s success in the Umbro International Tournament in July.

Our Social Events were the best attended to date with "Sold Out" signs,  up weeks before the events.

The Season culiminated with 2 Presentation Evenings. Due to the size of the Club, the venue was the Waterside Conference Centre in Wigan, which was able to accommodate over 300 members and their families/relatives over the two nights.

The Committe were all re-elected at the AGM, and the Club enters its` 10th  footballing year, with the future looking very healthy indeed.

Our U`16s celebrating their Umbro International Cup success.

SEASON 2007/08

First Girls Team & Further FA Recognition

The Club entered their 10th full season, full of optimisim, with 17 teams and ther first ever Girls team.

We were represented in 3 Leagues across the North West as we continued our remarkable growth.

As the season progressed the Club membership continued to grow and we had to review how to ensure every member enjoyed their playing experience with their respective teams.Our Academy once again were in a position to "give us" 2 Under 7`s  for next season, with Volunteers stepping forward to run these teams.

As well as the progression on the field, the Committee were working hard behind the scenes off the field to ensure the long term future of the Club, would enable us to meet with our playing demands.

We were invited to join the Wigan & Leigh Football Forum, as well as our involvement with the Wigan Sports Development Team.

Our improving relationship with Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust saw the first signs of an Aspull Sports Trust being discussed. The Club hope this exciting opportunity will become reality over the next few years.

Talks with our neighbours Aspull Rugby Union Club, saw us enter into negotiations with them  over Mini Soccer pitch space, and the Club will be hoping to make an announcement on this during the next season.

The highlight of our season was the recognition and award of the FA CHARTER STANDARD DEVELOPMENT CLUB AWARD.

Another great honour and achievement for the Club.

All of our Club Events were well supported and we ended the season with two fantastic Presentation Evenings at the JJB Stadium.

Next season will see our first ever "Youth" team at Under 17 age level, playing in the South Lancs Counties Football League.

Committee Members receiving our FA Charter Standard Development Club Award

SEASON 2008/09

European Adventure and 1st U`17 team

The season started with the wet weather stopping the majority of our teams playing until October!

Our U`16s had the privelege of representing the Club on our 1st European Team Tour to Hungary during the summer. Played in great weather and in some aspiring stadiums, the team reached the Final, only to lose on penalties to a team from Spain. Unfortunatley the U`16s season was curtailed in the CLJFL and the team only played 8 League games. They did however capture the Cup in the last season.

We saw 2 new Girls teams representing the Club in the newly formed Wigan & District Girls Development League. The "Belles" and "Canarinhas" both enjoyed good seasons. To support the growing interest in our Girls Section, the Club appointed a Girls Liaison Officer - Sandra Simpson.

The Club also appointed a Referee Co-ordinator(Emma Ainscough) to enable all of our Home Mini Soccer games to be officiated by a qualified referee. The Club sponsored 8 new referees on their courses at the LFA.

The Social events were well attended again, with our 10th Anniversary Dinner & Dance celebrating our anniversary at Aspull Village Club.

Developments were also being made towards our facilities at Aspull Moor. A working party was set up to look at all the avenues and opportunties available. This group are still meeting regularly and we expect to make some announcements this forthcoming season.

On the playing front, we saw our U`13s win the League and as well as the U`16s winning the Cup, we also saw our U`10s Rovers win their respective Cup in dramatic fashion at the Reebok Satdium.The U`14s Sunday side finished Runners Up, but were beaten in a Promotion Play Off.

Our first U`17s side had a good season in the South Lancs Counties FL, and will be looking to improe next time around.

The season was rounded off with another 2 great nights at the DW Stadium as all the teams and members enjoyed our Presentation Evenings.

U`10s Rovers Celebrate their Cup win at the Reebok Stadium

SEASON 2009/10

A Year of Frustration

The season review will appear here shortly.