The League Season has now been completed. Congratulations to all the Divisional Winners and the Cup Winners. The stand out club/team this year has been Standish St Wilfrids who have won both the Premier Division and the Guildhall Cup and their Reserves won the Lancastrian Brigade Cup.

If any teams require additional medals for players for winning the Divisions please let me know and I will order them for you.

FRANK CURRY MEMORIAL TROPHY

There is one Trophy still to be played for and that is the Frank Curry Memorial Trophy between New Longton Rovers and Southport and Ainsdale Amateurs Reserves. This will be played on Thursday 15 May at New Longton Sports Club , kick off 6.45pm.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the League will be held in June. The provisional date is Thursday 26 June and this will be confirmed in due course. If any clubs have any issues to raise either for the AGM itself or for a more general discussion after the meeting please let me know.

NEW CLUBS/CLUBS LEAVING

We have had a number of enquiries from new teams/clubs looking to join us for next season. Equally we also find that some teams/clubs decide to leave us. The registration/affiliation process for 2025/26 commences on the 1 June . If any teams/clubs are looking to leave us please let me know by the end of May. 

FINES

One of the features this season has been the number of fixtures which have not been fulfilled. There were quite a number in April/May and a full list of fines has been emailed out to clubs. Please ensure that these are paid promptly. 

If anybody has any questions please let myself or other members of the Management Committee know. Otherwise to all our clubs have a good break over the summer and we look forward to seeing you at the AGM and next season.

Appley Bridge capped off a sensational 2024/25 campaign by lifting the Division One trophy in front of jubilant players, staff, and supporters. The trophy was presented by Peter Jones, League Fixtures Secretary, to team captain Dan Atkins following the final match of the season.

Dominant from the start, Appley Bridge stormed to the top of the table with an outstanding record — 16 wins from 18 matches — showcasing consistency, quality, and grit throughout the league season.

But it wasn’t just in the league where Appley Bridge made headlines.

They also flew the flag for the Mid Lancashire Football League in the Lancashire FA Amateur Cup, becoming the only team from the league to reach the semi-finals — a tremendous achievement in a highly competitive field.

Their impressive cup journey included:

• Round 1: Home walkover against Milton FC
• Round 2: 4-2 away win vs. Preston Wanderers
• Round 3: 3-0 away win vs. Thornton Cleveleys
• Round 4: 5-2 win over Pennington Reserves
• Quarter-Finals: 4-3 victory over Blackpool Wren Rovers Reserves
  Their run ended at the semi-final stage, but not without leaving their mark on the competition.

Appley Bridge also enjoyed a strong showing in the Guildhall Cup, battling through to the quarter-finals:

• Round 1: Away walkover vs. Bay Rangers FC
• Round 2: Penalty shootout win (4-2) after a 3-3 draw against Cherrybrook
• Round 3: 6-3 triumph over AFC Ainsdale
• Quarter-Finals: Narrow penalty shootout defeat (3-2) following a 1-1 draw with Shevington

With silverware secured and deep cup runs under their belt, the 2024/25 season will go down as one of the most memorable in Appley Bridge’s history. Congratulations to Dan Atkins and the entire squad on a truly exceptional campaign.

There were jubilant scenes for Marsh United and Marsh United Reserves as both squads were presented with their respective league trophies, capping off a sensational season for the club.

League Secretary Alan Stuttard was on hand to present the Division Two Champions trophy to Marsh United captain Matty Rawes, while Theo Callender proudly received the Division Three Champions trophy on behalf of the Reserves side. The Marsh United Reserves also took a moment to pose with their silverware in a team photo full of pride and smiles.

It’s been a season to remember for both squads.

Marsh United – Invincible Champions and Cup Finalists

Marsh United stormed to the Division Two title in dominant fashion, finishing the league campaign unbeaten across all 14 matches. But the accolades don’t stop there—they’ve also blazed a trail in the Guildhall Cup, toppling teams from higher divisions on their path to the final.

Their cup run has included emphatic wins over:

• Westgate Hawks (Div 2) – 8-0
• Sir Tom Finney (Div 1) – 8-0
• Tarleton Corinthians (Premiership) – 7-3
• Eccleston and Heskin (Premiership) – 2-0

Marsh United now prepare for their toughest test yet as they take on a third Premiership side, Standish St Wilfrids, in the Guildhall Cup Final on 29th March at the County Ground, Leyland.

Marsh United Reserves – Champions and Lancastrian Brigade Finalists

Not to be outdone, Marsh United Reserves clinched the Division Three title with an impressive record—15 wins, 2 draws from 18 matches—and they’re still chasing more silverware.

In the Lancastrian Brigade Cup, the Reserves have already claimed the scalps of:

• Sir Tom Finney (Div 1) – 2-1
• Walmer Bridge Reserves (Div 3) – 2-2 (won 4-2 on penalties)
• Wyre Villa Reserves (Div 3 Runners-Up) – 2-0

They’ll face Standish St Wilfrids Reserves in the final, set for 29th April at Sir Tom Finney Stadium, Bamber Bridge.

With both teams lifting trophies and heading into cup finals, Marsh United are proving to be a dominant force across the divisions this season. More silverware could be just around the corner.

Two years ago, Donna, our website administrator, lost her mum to Alzheimer’s. Since then, she has been dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the cause through events like Cupcake Day and Memory Walks. This year, she’s taking on an even greater challenge: the Trek26, organised by the Alzheimer’s Society. Donna will be walking 13 miles across tough terrain with a total elevation gain of 559m (1,833ft) along the Ullswater Way path.

Though she’s never done anything like this before—aside from a spontaneous mountain climb during her holiday in Santorini last year—Donna is determined to make a difference.

She would be incredibly grateful for your support. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help her reach her goal and make a meaningful impact. Thank you for your generosity.

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ellis Folkard from Shevington FC at the age of 24. Ellis joined Shevington at the beginning of the 2024/25 season and quickly became a valued member of the team. His dedication and passion for the game were evident in every match he played, and he will be greatly missed by his teammates, coaches, and all who knew him.

During his time at Shevington, Ellis featured in 7 matches, starting 3 of them, and proudly scored 1 goal. While his time with the club was tragically short, his impact both on and off the pitch will not be forgotten. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to Ellis’s family, friends, and everyone at Shevington FC during this incredibly difficult time.

Rest in peace, Ellis.

It is with great sadness that the League has been notified by Ribchester Rovers FC of the passing of club legend Peter Hargreaves aged just 38.

He was and always will be a key player in the club and represented them as a regular attender at the League Meetings. Peter undertook many of the essential jobs behind the scenes spending hours of his free time providing for others to make sure the club could function. This is work which many volunteers across all our clubs undertake to ensure that grassroots football continues to thrive and Peter’s commitment to Ribchester is the perfect example of this.     

The League would like to extend its sincere condolences to his friends and family and to Ribchester Rovers Football Club.

His funeral will be held on Sunday 19 January.

On behalf of the League Management Committee can I take this opportunity to wish all our clubs, players, team officials, volunteers and match officials , best wishes for the Festive period and the New Year .

For the first half of the season the weather has been very kind to us and fingers crossed that will continue into 2025. Operating in grassroots football can be very rewarding and at the same time requires a lot of work from both the clubs and the Management Committee and I would like to thank everyone for all their support and hard work.

Please check your fixtures for the 4 January. Peter Jones the Fixtures Secretary, has had to make a few changes due in part to some of the venues where we play our games not reopening until until the 6  January even though we restart on the 4 January.

January will be a busy month with League Fixtures, County Cup Fixtures (good luck to our clubs who are in the final stages of these cups), and our own Guildhall Cup (3rd Round) and Lancastrian Brigade Cup (1st Round).  

Best Wishes,

Alan Stuttard
Secretary/Treasurer
Mid Lancashire Football League

This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday in memory and recognition of the service and sacrifice of those who have served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations over the years.

The league would ask that all teams observe a minutes silence prior to the games on Friday 8th (Vetarans) and Saturday 9th.

Thank you,

Alan Stuttard
League Secretary/Treasurer

As we gear up for the start of the 2024/25 Mid Lancashire Football League season this Saturday, 17th August, we’d like to remind all team contacts of a few essential guidelines and deadlines to ensure a smooth start to the season.

Player Registration and Eligibility

Before fielding any players, it is crucial that all teams double-check that their players are fully registered and eligible to play. This includes ensuring that no players are currently suspended. Playing an unregistered or suspended player could lead to serious consequences, including fines or points deductions, so please take the time to verify your squad’s status.

If you encounter any issues or have questions regarding player registration, please reach out to Albert Newton as soon as possible. He is available to assist with any registration concerns.

Upcoming Fixtures

The fixtures for the remainder of August have been released and are now available on the league’s official website. Teams should prepare accordingly to meet all match obligations.

Please note that the first round of the Guildhall Cup is scheduled for 21st September. Teams involved should start preparing well in advance to ensure they are fully ready for the competition.

Post-Match Responsibilities

After each match, teams are required to follow these steps:

1. Score Submission:
   • The match score must be uploaded to Full Time within 60 minutes of the match’s conclusion. This can be done via text or through the league website.
2. Team-Sheet Submission:
   • Teams have a window of two days (48 hours) post-match to upload their team-sheet to Full Time. This submission should include details such as the goal scorers, times of goals, and substitutions used during the match.
   • Failure to submit the team-sheet within this timeframe will result in a fine. Please ensure your team avoids unnecessary penalties by adhering to this deadline.
3. Referee Scoring:
   • As part of the team-sheet submission process, teams are also required to score the referee. This step is mandatory and must be completed before the team-sheet can be officially uploaded.

Photographs for Weekly Roundup

If any teams have photographers who capture matchday moments, we encourage you to share these images with us. Please email your photos to web.admin@midlancsfl.com so they can be featured in our weekly roundup. Make sure to include the photographer’s name so we can give proper credit.

Thank you for your attention to these details, and best of luck to all teams as we kick off what promises to be another exciting season of football in the Mid Lancashire Football League!

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For any questions or further assistance, please contact your league representatives or reach out to Albert Newton for player registration queries. Let’s make the 2024/25 season a successful one!

Streamlined Divisions Set for 2024/25: Ensuring Fair Play and Reducing Travel Strain

DIVISIONS

The League Management Committee met last night to consider the make up of the Divisions for 2024/25. A number of options were considered one of which being the option of a North/South split. However this proved very difficult for a number of reasons :

1. With the increase in the number of teams it would be difficult to run an end of year play off particularly if the weather was anything like last year.

2. The North option resulted in a Division that was not balanced in terms of the teams for example two clubs each with a reserve side would be in the same Division, the teams that were added to make up the North would be travelling long distances every other week for their away matches with very limited local matches. 

3. There is a rule in SCOR (Standard Code of Rules) which allows two teams from the same club to be in the same Division but does not allow the interchange of players other than by transfer of the player. This could work against players in Reserve sides being considered for the First team on merit, also some players maybe restricted on where they can play due to work (eg they can only play home games).

Therefore we decided to run a straight 4 Divisions. The allocation of clubs for the Premier Division and Division 1 was straightforward. The allocation between Division 2 and 3 was based on where teams finished in their respective Leagues last year (Mid Lancs, North Lancs, Wigan Amateur etc) and an assessment of completely new teams.

The Divisions for 2024/25 are below.

AFFLIATION

Again thank you to all those clubs who have completed their Affiliation.

A word of warning for those that haven’t in terms of playing football, friendlies, pre season tournaments. If you are not Affiliated, you are not insured and you should not be playing football until you are Affiliated. For example this could have consequences for your club and players if there are injuries.

Based on the current information on the Whole Game System the following are not currently Affiliated (there are a couple in progress so I have excluded them from the list):

• Castle FC
• Cherrybrook Reserves
• Cube FC
• Fleetwood Hesketh
• Ribchester Rovers
• Preston Wanderers
• Standish St Wilfrids
• Wyre Villa

Please could I ask that you complete the Affiliation as soon as possible.

LEAGUE MEETING OF CLUBS

The next League Meeting of Clubs will be held on Thursday 8 August  7.30pm at Bamber Bridge County & Catholic Club, Brownedge Road, Bamber Bridge , Preston PR5 6TA. 

The main purpose of the meeting will be to run through all the arrangements for the start of the new season.  Further details will be sent out nearer the time.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Alan Stuttard
Secretary / Treasurer
Mid Lancashire Football League