Bleak Hill Rovers Football Club is based in Eccleston, St. Helens, in N.W. England. St. Helens, which is undoubtedly best known for its centuries-old association with the glass industry and for its top-flight rugby team St. Helens Rugby League Football Club “The Saints”.
St. Helens is situated around 10 miles from Liverpool and around 20 miles from Manchester, so it’s hardly surprising that the majority of our young footballers’ heroes are the stars of the surrounding Premiership clubs such as Liverpool FC, Everton FC, Manchester United FC, Manchester City FC, Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic.
Bleak Hill Rovers FC is affiliated to Liverpool County F.A. and play in local Junior Leagues but most of our teams play the Warrington Junior Leagues. Our home ground is Ecclesfield, Recreation Ground in Eccleston, St. Helens.
Each weekend about 380 youngsters play for one of our teams or learn the basic skills of the game by attending our Skills Groups. Teams are supported by around 80 volunteer coaches who give many hours of their time to help the youngsters play football.
Bleak Hill Rovers FC has a long history of providing well organised junior football to literally thousands of youngsters for over 40 years. The Club has always tried to encourage its players to develop good ethics and a sound attitude to competitive sport. Our Constitution sets out the Club’s aims, objectives and policies relating to Equal Opportunities, Anti-Discrimination and Child Protection Procedures, to help ensure that we provide well-structured football activities in a safe and healthy environment.
Bleak Hill Rovers FC is a friendly Club that caters for boys and girls of all ages from Under 5s through to Under 18s. It’s a club that prides itself on ‘forging long-lasting friendships’. Many of our players have gone right through from U5s to U18s and many past-players are still firm friends today in their late thirties.
Whilst the Club welcomes sporting success, the Club does not promote a ‘win-at- all-costs’ attitude that places undue pressure on young heads and denies enjoyment. Enjoying the highs and experiencing the lows in junior sport, is one of its valuable strengths in preparing us for the competitive adult life ahead and the challenges it will pose. After all, football should be fun, and it can be, provided we strike the right balance.
We will encourage all youngsters, irrespective of ability, to join us and we will endeavour to develop their skills. Our over riding concern is for the safety of all youngsters. We would ask parents to remember that, whilst we are not trying to win at all costs, many of the teams we play do have that philosophy and this can lead to safeguarding issues for youngsters whose skills are still developing. We ask parents to respect our coaches decisions as they endeavour to keep all youngsters safe but, at the same time, give everyone an opportunity to play in matches, albeit that some may be friendlies.
Most of our teams are made up of players with varying abilities but, as a club, we believe it is important for youngsters to play with their friends rather than play in graded teams.
We have important “rules” around the behaviour of coaches and parents and will take action against any coach or parent who “abuses” a referee of gets involved in arguments with opposition coaches or supporters.
Our vision is to be:
A community club where football can be enjoyed, irrespective of ability.
