As we reach the festive season, I’d like to take the opportunity to reflect on what has been a fantastic year for our club and provide some valuable information and updates. 

It has been another period of growth, achievement and community engagement, and we’re all extremely proud of everything we’ve accomplished together over the last 12 months.
 
Junior Section
 
Our junior section continues to go from strength to strength. This season, we have over 40 teams and over 650 players involved, which is a real testament to the commitment of our committee, coaches, volunteers, parents and the players themselves. 

The dedication and enthusiasm from our youngest members is inspiring! I’m really proud to see so many young people involved in football and other club related programmes.
 
A number of junior teams from our club and other club teams locally have also enjoyed home match days as first team mascots, with more pencilled in for the upcoming games.
 
You can follow the junior teams for updates on X and Instagram: @widnesjfc
 
Women’s Team 
 
This year has been particularly special for our Women’s team, who are enjoying their first competitive season and it’s been exciting to see their progress. 

They play their home games at OCA on a Sunday. Matches are free to watch and fixtures and updates can be found on the team’s Facebook page.
 
We are fully committed to supporting the growth of women’s football with seven other all-female teams in the club and we look forward to seeing what they can all achieve in the coming years.
 
Community Engagement
 
Our club’s commitment to the local community is something we are particularly proud of. 

This year, we’ve been able to engage with two local schools, providing free football sessions for girls, and helping them raise over £250 for football equipment. This initiative has been a fantastic way to support the development of football in the area and inspire the next generation of players.
 
In addition, we’ve provided work experience placements for local students, with more opportunities planned for next summer. It’s essential that we give back to our community, and offering these real-world experiences to young people is just one of the ways we can do that.
 
As part of our commitment to supporting good causes, we also assisted the Rotary Club over two nights with their Christmas Santa Float, helping to raise over £1,750 for local charities. This was a wonderful opportunity for our club to help spread some festive cheer.
 
Additionally, the club sponsored a table and an award at Alfie’s Squad, a local charity supporting families & children who have been bereaved by suicide.
 
This is a cause close to many hearts, especially ours as the founder, Alfie Fitzsimmons, is a former player at Widnes FC
 
We also made a sizeable donation to the Halton Toy Appeal, ensuring that local children in need would have a special Christmas.
 
We also have 18 women enrolled into our walking football sessions, focusing on friendship, improving mental health and getting fit.
 
First Team 
 
The First Team has had an incredible first half of the season, sitting at the top of the league with exactly half the season to go. 
This position, top of the 8th tier in the football pyramid is the highest ever placing for the team. 

The first team was only formed in 2012 so to sit alongside and indeed above some massive and historical non league teams in such a short space of time, is something we are all truly proud of.

Nothing is anywhere near won yet, but it’s a lovely position to be in showing steady improvement after last season’s 9th place finish, where we fell just short of the playoffs. 

Our recent form has surprised a few outside of the club, but with Michael Ellison (Ello) at the helm we are in great shape to push on into next year. 

Ello and his team work as hard as anyone we have come across in non-league and their reward is a team who currently sit six points clear, top of the form table, with a huge goal difference, playing a great brand of football. 
 
With three massive upcoming games at the DCBL stadium, now is a great time to support the lads in their quest for further honours:
 
Boxing Day v Vauxhall Motors, 3:00pm

Vauxhall Motors currently lie 2nd in the league and are also in great form, so this is a really huge game for the club, and sure to be a cracker!
 
New Year’s Day v City of Liverpool, 3:00pm

This fixture is against one of our fiercest local rivals, to be played at the DCBL Stadium as an away fixture as COLFC groundshare there.
 
Saturday 4 January v Runcorn Linnets, 3:00pm

As always, the El Clasitoll derby will be a well contested affair as Linnets are also in great form. It is also sure to be a well attended game as the Linnets fans always travel in good numbers.
 
Widnes FC Pricing:
Adults £10
Concessions £7
Accompanied U16 £2
Club members/players enjoy free entry with a club ticket.
 
Our home league attendance record of 630 was set in January 2023 when we played high flying Macclesfield at home. We are hoping to beat that this season!
 
We have been engaging with HBC Stadium staff surrounding our U16 fans.

We had some issues at the home game against Stalybridge earlier in the season that started with generally poor behaviour by some fans in the ground and culminated in an unsavoury incident outside the ground. 

Whatever the rights and wrongs of that day, the stadium management banned unaccompanied U16 supporters en masse immediately.

This obviously effected a lot of fans that come to support the team and played no part in the troubles that day, but in fairness to the stadium management it was a difficult situation for them to manage too.

We have engaged with the stadium management to agree a free club voluntary junior membership scheme and although we haven’t been able to agree a working solution yet, we are confident we should have something positive to report in the near future.
 
The first team love having the support and do miss the noise the young fans bring. 
That said, to ensure we continue to enjoy that support should we be allowed, we have to ensure the noise is always aimed at supporting the team. 

Young children and adults of all ages go to the games too, so please have respect for everyone else who pays to watch and the team will benefit from that positivity 100% more. 

You can follow the first team on the main club account on X: @widnes_fc
 
Corpy Club & Future Plans
 
It’s been a really frustrating experience since we started the Corpy Project all those years ago, although it does feel like we are nearing the end game now. 

Following our planning application we, alongside our team of experts, are working with different departments at HBC to find workable solutions to existing issues at the site. 

There are understandable concerns and indeed opposition to the project given these issues possibly being amplified if the project goes ahead. 

We are in dialogue with the HBC highways department and had hoped to have a bit more detail to share by now, but not for the first time, we are experiencing really slow progress.
 
The club have compiled a social and economic impact report that shows the club generates £3.9 Million of social value every year with the presence the club has in the local community. 
 
Currently, we are graded level 2 by the FA.
This grading can be enhanced further up to the maximum rating level 3 should we get planning permission and complete the project at the Corpy. 
 
The scheme is fully supported by Liverpool County FA and The FA at Wembley, this support provides valuable access to funding from the Premier League fund and the football foundation.

The full pdf report can be downloaded HERE.
 
As soon as we have a clearer picture of our planning progress at the Corpy, we will inform via the clubs website and social media.
 
As the club continues to develop, we are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who would like to get involved with the club in any capacity.

If you feel you can make a positive difference in any way volunteering, coaching, helping out the first team operations on home matchdays, bringing business or professional skills to help the club, sponsorship and even new committee members or shareholders. The club isn’t a closed shop so if you would like to get involved or know more at this exciting time for the club, please feel free to message me privately ian@hallmark-security.com.
 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our players (and parents!), coaches, volunteers, staff and committee members who have worked tirelessly to make this year a success. Your passion and dedication are what make this club great.
 
A special thanks also to the staff at OCA, St. Peter & Paul High School and the management and matchday team at the DCBL Stadium. Without their continued support, many of our initiatives and successes wouldn’t be possible.
 
Finally, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our fans. Your unwavering support of the First Team is invaluable. We couldn’t do it without you, and we truly appreciate your dedication to the club.
 
I look forward to what we can all achieve together in the coming year, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
 
Thank you

Ian Ross
Chairman