RANGERS RALLY IN SEARCH OF CHAMPIONS TO SUPPORT NEW FERRY COMMUNITY CLUBHOUSE
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RANGERS RALLY IN SEARCH OF CHAMPIONS TO SUPPORT NEW FERRY COMMUNITY CLUBHOUSE
Hundreds of young people have passed through the doors of the well-known Beb Youth Club , it ’ s been serving the community since the 1960 ’ s . As the largest volunteer group in the area , community organisation and football club New Ferry Rangers , took responsibility for the building from Wirral Council in 2016 with the hope of making it viable for the future .
Chairman Simon Crabtree told Wirral Life it ’ s all about the final push before the whistle blows …
The last few years has been a bit of a whirlwind , hasn ’ t it ?
Absolutely ! We said yes to the council as it was a great opportunity to have the club in the hands of the community that benefits most from it . It was an incredibly daunting prospect , the thought of trying to raise £ 1 million as a small football club , but we did it , securing funding from Sport England and Wirral Council .
We ’ ve got lots of great facilities for the local community to use , including five-a-side football pitches , a gym and a community café . It ’ s all about health and wellbeing , and we want to keep it affordable for people so it ’ s a genuine investment in the community .
How did New Ferry Rangers football club expand into this area ?
We have teams going from Under 5 ’ s to adults and are well integrated into the local community . I think that was the main reason why we were best placed to move forward as a registered community charity and take on the plan for the clubhouse .
New Ferry has been through a lot since this project began . New Ferry is already one of the most deprived areas in the region . We had the explosion in 2017 and then we ’ ve all been through the pandemic so it ’ s time for a bit of positivity .
We hope the new revamped club will entice teenagers to come and do something constructive and we ’ d like to offer more hours dedicated to the youth of New Ferry . But it ’ s not just about young people , giving older people a place to meet helps tackle isolation , something we saw a lot of during Covid .
How can people help you ?
It would be amazing if we could open in September , but we are appealing for support to be able to do that . We ’ re in a catch 22 situation .
We successfully bid for funding to get the physical space how we need it to be , but right now , despite having committed volunteers and great ideas , we aren ’ t sustainable yet .
That means we don ’ t have the money to keep everything running , such as paying for equipment , staffing costs and insurances we need . So far , what we ’ re finding is that we ’ re unable to bid for further funding in relation to running the clubhouse because we ’ re not open yet , but that will be an option further down the line .
So ironically , we can ’ t become sustainable and bring money back into the organisation without being open , have people using the facilities , hiring the five-a-side , using the gym , going to the café , but we can ’ t open without running those things . It ’ s a bit of a paradox .
What are you hoping for ?
We appreciate that especially with the cost-of-living crisis , this is a big ask , but our hope is that by telling people about what we ’ re trying to create for New Ferry and the impact it could have on our young people , it might prompt local funders or businesses to help us get the doors open . Maybe there ’ s something we aren ’ t aware of .
If we can work in partnership with local businesses or other organisations and offer sponsorship or advertising opportunities - maybe even something that would fit in with a business ’ s social responsibility , we could give New Ferry something the people can be proud of . Come and have a look and see what you think !
For further information or to offer your support , you can contact the New Ferry Rangers Community Clubhouse via their website at https :// www . newferryrangers . com /
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