Runcorn Linnets Ladies

With the recent announcements, tiers 3-6 of the Women's Football Pyramid including the Ladies NWWRFL have been curtailed indefinitely for the 2020/21 season, as a team/club we are working with the respective league to see what can be put in place between the end of March and mid-May to get the Ladies team playing some form of competitive football again.

Government announcements have confirmed we can return to training as of end of March; therefore, the Ladies team will resume training at the Millbank from Wednesday 31st March, any new players will always be made welcome.

The players have been away from football for a while and a few players have confirmed they will not be returning, with the intention of pursuing other options and Coach Lee Buckley, in his second spell with the team, stepped down earlier this year during lockdown to concentrate on his work commitments and family, as a club we wish those players and Lee all the best for their futures.

Team Manager John Pickering underwent hip replacement surgery during March 2021, putting him out of action for up to 12 weeks and we wish him well with his recovery. During John's rehabilitation Assistant Manager James Sidwell and Ladies Media Officer Neil Thornton will take charge of training etc. until John is fit enough to return, although John is very keen to bring in a new long-term coach to replace Lee. If you are interested in this position, please contact the club.

Over the coming weeks as things develop, we will keep everyone informed of new developments that will affect the Ladies team, as we continue to look forward to the future and implement preparations for the 2021/22 season.

Linnets in the Community

Representatives of the club met with the local police and they have provided the club with a Bleeding Control Kit which can be used to treat a knife wound until the emergency services arrive. We obviously hope we never have need to use it but it is always best to be prepared for the worst. We also discussed hosting a football tournament ran by the police during the summer, more details will be released on this at a later date. It was a very productive meeting and we will be working more closely with the police and other community partners in the future.

Halton is the 2021 Borough of Culture and we will be submitting a funding bid to the council that will allow us to work with local schools to create a community garden at the Millbank to celebrate this event.

Community Engagement Manager Josh Christian and Vice Chairman Peter Cartledge represented the club at a community clean up event with local residents, police, and councillors where over 50 bags of rubbish were collected from around Gorsewood Primary School and the surrounding area. Another event will be arranged to take place around the Millbank, the Queen of Hearts pub, and the surrounding woods, in the coming weeks. If you would like to get involved with Linnets in the Community or have any ideas or requests then please contact us below.

Linnets in the Community

Runcorn Linnets Academy

The Runcorn Linnets Academy have recommenced their studies at the ground in the last week and it is great to see them back. I also took part in a recruitment Zoom call with prospective students and their parents/guardians to tell them a little bit about the club, what we can offer them and what the club expects from anyone who represents Runcorn Linnets. It would be great to see more local players making their way through the ranks at the Linnets to play for the first team and hopefully earn themselves a move to a league club.

It is also very important to me that anyone who represents Runcorn Linnets feels that they are part of a club and part of the Linnets family.

As always, thank you for reading this update, keep well and stay safe.

Dave Jones

Chairman - Runcorn Linnets FC