Wigginton Grasshoppers Football Club, established in 1982, is a community-oriented F.A. England Accredited football club based in Wigginton – four miles north of York. The club, which promotes grassroots football, has grown substantially since its inception, offering football education and opportunities for children and adults in a safe, enjoyable and nurturing environment. With “Success Through Endeavour” as the club maxim – over the years, Wigginton Grasshoppers FC has achieved notable success, including multiple league championships and recognition as the FA Charter Standard Club of the Year in 2018. The club continues to be an integral part of the local community teaching footballing skills to its members with an ethos of fairness, respect and fellowship with competitors.
U8/U9 Girls’ Debut Match
As touched on in Solinear’s round-up of 2023, the Solinear team has been following the progress of the Wigginton Grasshoppers U8/U9 Girls Greens for many months now and decided to sponsor the team last year.
The U9s, in their Solinear branded kits, played their debut match – a friendly against fellow new team, U9 Grasshopper Whites – on a bright but chilly Saturday in early November last year.
Expectations were that both teams “would shine” and the girls “didn’t disappointed” with both sides putting in an “amazing performance”, giving it “their all” and playing “their socks off”. Although there would be healthy competition, it was definitely about the taking part and, although they’re on opposing teams, the players are all friends.
The match featured some excellent footie skills by both teams and there were too many moments of greatness to mention so highlights had to be condensed; Maisie played in her favoured midfield position and scored a hat-trick whilst Esme W recognised opportunities and helped “make the magic happen”. Sophie was unstoppable – running for the entire game, launching some brilliant tackles in defence, and appeared to teleport herself around the pitch earning ‘player of the match’ for the Greens whilst Rhea displayed versatility playing in multiple positions and excelling throughout earning her ‘player of the match’ for the Whites.The girls, although they must have been exhausted, relished the penalty shootout to finish.
A much-deserved “well done” to all the players.
A New Year, A New Season…And A Pitch Invasion!
The girls continue to be put through their paces, playing several matches this year including home matches to Huntington U8s (friendly match) and Bishopthorpe White Rose – a tough game that marked the beginning of the spring season – and away matches to Huntington, Heslerton, Brooklyn and Brayton Belles – the last game of the spring season and another difficult but rewarding one.
Despite some chilly temperatures and winds, rain and poor visibility, the players have performed with enthusiasm and vigour making their matches hugely exciting for fans and spectators. In fact, the excitement was all too much for one errant pup who escaped and staged a pitch invasion in the middle of a game!
A number of players have been selected as ‘player of the match’ or received special mentions over the past few months for making “great runs”, scoring goals as well as some very close calls, “lovely dribbling”, outstanding tackles, “pushing hard”, exploiting and creating great opportunities, resilience in the face of adversity and phenomenal goalkeeping but, without a doubt, all the players have excelled, performing solidly and working as an amiable but formidable team even when playing big games against players older than them.
There are further friendly matches as well as tournaments over the summer so follow their Facebook and Twitter pages to find out more.
Why are community sports clubs so important and how can you help them?
Organisations like Wigginton Grasshoppers Football Club benefit individuals as well as the wider community in many ways helping people find their place in the community and society through the medium of sport. Without them there may be very few community facilities offering sporting and leisure activities, organised outdoor pursuits, and associated social events that cater for both adults and kids, bringing people together, promoting a healthy lifestyle and sporting camaraderie and potentially nurturing the sporting heroes of the future
The knowledge, dedication and support of friends, family and supporters, the local community and, of course, coaches, volunteers and staff are vital for community sports clubs which in many cases, would not exist or be able to offer suitable facilities and function to their full potential without them. Those involved give their time and, in some cases, endure all weathers to ensure that training and matches can proceed – including groundskeepers who have the arduous task of maintaining pitches in sometimes difficult conditions.
Although grassroots clubs can usually obtain funding from organisations such as Sport England, National Lottery and local councils, they often need additional financial support for equipment, facilities, and operational costs which can be realised in a variety of ways including charity events and fundraising, donations, legacies and sponsorship, so donating money or prizes for raffles and events, leaving money in your will or sponsoring a team can greatly help towards the outlays of clubs.
Sponsorship can be beneficial to both the team and the sponsor:
- Access to Better Resources: With additional financial backing, clubs can invest in better training equipment, kits, and facilities, improving the overall experience for players. New kits can also display the company logo or name of the sponsor.
- Community Engagement: Sponsors often bring increased visibility and credibility, attracting more participants and supporters from the community.
- Development Opportunities: Sponsorship can help clubs organise more events and competitions, offering players greater opportunities to develop their skills.
- Overall, sponsorship helps sustain and enhance the club’s activities, fostering growth and development in grassroots football.
Solinear is proud to sponsor Wigginton Grasshoppers U8/U9 girls’ team and we have it on good authority that the players enjoy wearing their new kit as the Girls Junior Secretary, Lauren, contacted us to let us know that “… they were absolutely thrilled with how smart they looked, and they really do think they’re the bee’s knees…again, a massive thank you for being the girls’ sponsor. It means an awful lot to us as coaches but even more to them!”
Ultimately, for Solinear, the most important aspect of sponsoring the team – aside from ensuring they have additional financial assistance in conjunction with the incredible support they already receive from the club – is following their progress and seeing their unwavering enjoyment of playing football.
THESE GIRLS CAN!
Did you know?
In the UK, the number of girls playing football is on the increase, though there still remains a sizable gap compared to boys with the latest research revealing that 47% of girls aged 5-16 participate in team sports, including football, compared to 69% of boys.
This signifies progress but highlights the ongoing disparity in sports engagement between genders.
Specifically, the number of girls playing football has risen substantially and since 2017, there has been an increase of 100,000 girls participating in football. This increase is partly attributed to the success of the Lionesses and efforts to promote equal access to sports in schools, however, despite these gains, boys are still more likely to be active in sports, with a 5% higher participation rate overall so it’s vital that girls are encouraged to participate in sports like football -which have traditionally been considered a male dominated game.
Wigginton Grasshoppers on the lookout for new players
The U8 mixed (next seasons U9’s) are looking for a couple of new players to join, so that they can continue to run three teams as they make the transition to 7v7.
They had teams competing in the trophy finals day in Division A, Division B and Division D, therefore they have an offer for all abilities.
To enquire, please complete this short form.
Training will commence 6-7pm on Wednesday 10th July.
