 The history of the club as seen through the eyes of George Holcroft, founder member and Honorary President: After many enjoyable years of playing football locally and overseas, George finally hung up his boots in 1966. From then until 1974 the only sport he took part in was snooker in the Formby League and the Liverpool Business League Following 8 years of sporting inactivity he decided it was time to get out of the armchair and once again become involved in football. He was aware that an ex-Birkdale Athletic playing colleague, Frank Warner, had formed the Dales Football Club for boys and he encouraged George to assist with the running of one of his teams during the 1974/75 season. The experience gained was invaluable and George decided to form his own team, from the Redgate area, for the following season. He had always harboured an ambition to run a team and he was mindful that such a team would be encouraged to play with skill and flair - the main aim was that those involved would gain the maximum enjoyment from the sport. He always felt that anyone who played in his team would have to maintain a high standard of behavior both on and off the field of play. It is extremely gratifying to be able to note that the Redgate Rovers Club has upheld these traditions right up to the present day. So, on the 17th June 1975, Redgate Rovers Junior Football Club was born. The boys who played in the first season chose the club name and despite several discussions on the subject over the years, the club name remains in respect of the founder members. During the 1975/76 season, the club played friendly matches at under 10 and under 11 operating from George's front room. The first team ever to represent the club in a friendly match against Smithy Green on 06.07.1975 was: - Simon Hammond, Paul Mills, Gary Hurst, Steven Moores, Peter Jones, Ian Fewtrell, Stephen Sutcliffe, Richard Holcroft, Robert Allen, Andrew Holcroft, Peter McGreevy. Subs - David Mills, Ian Catherall, Gary Greer We lost by 12 goals to 10, with goals from Peter McGreevy (6) and Steven Moores (4) In a return match on 10.07.1975, with the addition of Neil Bickley, Mark McGreevy and Andrew Brunskill to the squad we earned a 6 - 6 draw. We gained entry to the Craven Minor Under 11 section for the 1976/77 season and we also continued to play friendly fixtures for our Under 10's. Because of our inexperience we had a difficult start to the season, but we gradually improved to finish in a creditable 4th position in the league and we reached a Cup Semi-Final. It is interesting to note that Peter McGreevy scored 60 goals in the first competitive season. The 1977/78 season saw the club expand to 3 teams, under 10, 11 & 13. At this juncture it became obvious that it was not possible to run the club in an informal manor so a formal committee was formed. Fred Jones was the club's first Chairman, Mike Croughan (Treasurer) and George Holcroft (Secretary). Several interested parents also came forward to join the committee. From that moment we became a democratic organisation that provided a formal structure with a view to the future development of the club. From these early beginnings we have expanded to our current position with a vibrant committee of dedicated members. We have benefited greatly from running an "open" system of management, which has placed the club on a sound basis, with new members coming along each year with new ideas, enthusiasm and innovation. The committee meets monthly to clear a heavy agenda of items and all matters are discussed openly. Decisions are reached either by unanimous agreement or by a vote. We hold an Annual General Meeting when the club plans, ideas and future developments are discussed. Audited accounts are presented to the meeting and officers are elected for the coming season. About fifteen years ago we were given the use of the playing field, situated off College Path, by kind permission of the Mill Hill Fathers. This base primarily used for training mini soccer from the age of 4 up to 7. A great deal of effort has gone into the development of teams at the lower age range. (i.e. Age 4 to 11). A total of 45 FA Level 1 qualified coaches undertake the training and our match results have improved greatly to reflect the level of coaching involved, which strengthens the future of the club. We also have 2 level 2 coaches and 1 level 3 coach. On the playing side the club has 24 (both boys and girls) teams playing competitive football from under 7 to under 18 sections, also included are 2 Open Age teams. The current playing membership is in excess of 450. Our Annual 7-a-side tournament is held at the College Path Ground each May. The tournament has become a prestigious event for teams at under 7,8,9 & 12 sections, for both boys and girls. Approximately 50 teams enter the competition over 2 days and we welcome over 1500 visitors to the event every year To fund an operation as big as Redgate Rovers J.F.C. requires an Annual turnover of £ Money is raised from several sources:
In November 1996, the club celebrated its 21st Birthday at Formby's Royal British Legion Club with 150 members, both past and present in attendance. Our 25th Birthday Celebration took place on the 13th October 2000 at the Prince Of Wales Hotel, Southport. In conclusion, George was delighted and honoured to be made President of the club in 1986 and still attends every monthly meeting, and as many games as he can to see the lads. |
History of the club |