Winchburgh Developments Ltd has announced a new sponsorship deal with local football club, Winchburgh Albion Youth FC, worth £4,700 to the new club
This new partnership will see Winchburgh Developments Ltd become the main strip sponsor for Winchburgh Albion Youth FC. The club, which celebrated its first anniversary last month, offers football coaching and opportunities to play in the local leagues for both boys and girls from the ages of 3-10 years old. Currently 96 children from the local Winchburgh community are members of Winchburgh Albion Youth FC, and the club is supported by 22 coaches and volunteers.
The launch of the football club last year was warmly welcomed by locals, who have been without a football club for most of the last 20 years since the original Winchburgh Albion FC folded in the late 1990s.
Tonight (Wednesday 5th June), the youngsters met with some former players from Winchburgh Albion’s original cup winning teams of 1969 and 1971 who made names for themselves when they won the Scottish Lady Darling Cup.
Kevin Jempson, Chairman of Winchburgh Albion Youth FC said: “We were blown away by this kind donation. On behalf of all the kids and coaching staff at Winchburgh Albion Youth FC, I want to pass on our heartfelt thanks to Winchburgh Developments Ltd. We are incredibly proud to partner with them as our main strip sponsor. The children are so excited to get their new kit.”
The new sponsorship deal with Winchburgh Albion Youth FC is part of Winchburgh Developments Ltd’s wider commitment to work with the local community. From the early stages of the planning process, the company has sought to build a relationship with the community to involve them in the important decisions being taken that will shape the future of the area.
John Hamilton, CEO of Winchburgh Developments Ltd, commented: “It is a great privilege for Winchburgh Developments Ltd and its investors to provide support to Winchburgh Albion Youth FC. Over the last year we have seen how the club has grown to now have over 90 youngsters supported by committed new coaches and volunteers. I’ve really enjoyed meeting the current team tonight alongside some of the original Winchburgh Albion team and who shared some great stories about the glory days of the 1960s and 70s. It’s fantastic to see the club re-established and we are proud to support this new generation of young players to follow the footsteps of these former players whose names have gone down in local history.
John Hamilton added: We’ll be putting our support behind the Scotland team as they head off to the World Cup. The young girls in the Winchburgh teams are delighted to have new kit and we’re glad to support this local club which will give them a great start to their footballing careers, with many of them already aspiring to wear the coveted Scotland shirt. Winchburgh Developments Ltd is happy to play its small part in ensuring they have that opportunity through this partnership.
Speaking on behalf of the original Winchburgh Albion Football Club, Jimmy Porteous who played in the late 1960s and was involved in the club until it folded in the late 1990s said: “It is fabulous to see the club resurrected and see these youngsters play tonight in our village colours. Knowing first hand how much it takes to run a club I wish the new volunteers’ huge success. To see the name Winchburgh back in local football is a real joy to those of us who have been in local football all our lives. With our village growing around us I truly hope that we see a thriving community club and the assistance of Winchburgh Developments Ltd will go a long way to help them grow and be sustainable long term.”
Winchburgh Albion Youth FC has already achieved the first level of the SFA Quality Mark and is entering into a lease with West Lothian Council to establish a long-term base at Tippet Knowes Park and welcome the development of the synthetic pitches as part of the new secondary school pitches.
For further information about the Winchburgh masterplan visit www.winchburghdevelopments.com.
For more information on Winchburgh Albion Youth FC visit www.winchburghalbionyfc.co.uk or contact Kevin Jempson on 07504 562035.