Welcome to the Lancashire Sunday League Website

The Lancashire Sunday League is looking to invite clubs and teams to apply to join us for an exciting 2021 - 2022 season ahead. We have already had a number of applications for membership from both Open Age and Youth teams.

We welcome applications for membership in the following categories:

Open Age Teams (Adults)

Youth Teams
(Players must be over-15 and under-18 on 31st August of the relevant season)

If your club is interested in joining this League which was the FA League of the Year 2014, please contact either:

League Chairman John Gillgrass on 07825 211208 or e-mail john.gillgrass@icloud.com

League Secretary Nikki Nye on 07919 385806 or e-mail nicola.nye@sky.com

Cadley FC Youth Team manager, Carl Busby, is on a mission to help local food banks in Preston and is asking for our help.

As you know the government voted against free school meals recently, potentially leaving many children hungry, a scenario in this day and age which is hard to comprehend.

We are hopefully all fortunate enough to be able to put food on our tables and our children are well fed and happy, sadly this cannot be said for every household in Preston and this is where Carl is asking for your help with the support from within our Cadley FC family.

Carl is asking for the good football people connected with this League to bring food donations to training during the month of November, he will collect and distribute items to food banks local to us.

Collections will take place at Corpus Christi High School, St Vincent’s Rd, Fulwood on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday throughout November from 6.30-7.30 in the evening.

Non- perishable items of food such as tins, packets of noodles or pasta and jars of sauce are ideal and inexpensive options that can be donated to help those less fortunate.

Eamonn McNamara

In response to the announcement from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) dated the 12th October 2020.

We are devastated to find that a decision by UCLan has been made to withdraw the use of grass pitch facilities for clubs in the community at the Sports Arena with immediate effect.

Following a sudden change of strategy, local clubs have now been forced to try find alternative facilities. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the clubs using the facilities were not given the courtesy of reasonable notice and as such have not been able to make appropriate arrangements for the coming season.

The City of Preston and its sporting community who have supported the expansion of the university and its associated facilities for more than 20-years have now been cast aside. Despite previous funding from the National Lottery and Sport England for community use, the University has decided this is no longer a viable option.

At a time when grassroots football and its volunteers are under immense pressure due to the current Covid-19 situation, any further setbacks such as this, will have a detrimental effect on the mental health and well-being of these hard-working individuals.

The announcement has the potential to damage the grassroots game and alter the face of junior, youth, girl’s, and open age football across the city for years to come. In total there are over 25 clubs and more than 1000 participants that the new strategy will impact. The teams concerned have made financial commitments to their sponsors and players for the forthcoming season. Losing their pitches would leave them with nowhere to play, sponsors demanding refunds and long-established clubs having to fold.

We are aware a number of clubs have already paid for the hire of the pitches for this season but there was no consideration in terms of informing the clubs prior to accepting payment for the hire. This approach meant that the clubs were completely misled by the university into believing that they could play their matches at the Sports Arena as they have done for the last 20 years, the university knew full well that this was not the case.

The way this has been handled by the Vice Chancellors Group has been nothing short of appalling. They have given no consideration whatsoever as to the affect this will have on the wider Preston community. The detrimental impact within the local footballing community is immeasurable. The affected clubs were invited into the facility to provide an income but their loyalty over this time has been completely disregarded.

Having considered our position, we are calling on UCLan to reverse their decision and to allow the clubs to continue to utilise the facilities.

The above statement is issued on behalf of the following:

Central Lancs Junior Football League
Lancashire Sunday Football League
Mid Lancs Colts Junior Football League
Mid Lancashire Football League
Preston North End Women FC
West Lancashire Football League

Preston referee Michael Salisbury is celebrating his promotion to SG2 and he will referee in the Championship next season. The highlight of his season as a Football League referee was to be appointed to referee the League 2 Play-off Final …. Exeter City v Northampton Town at Wembley Stadium on Monday 29 June.

Michael is joined on the Championship list of referees by Fylde official Leigh Doughty who has had a meteoric rise with four major promotions in the last four seasons.

Two well known Lancashire Assistant Referees are also celebrating promotions. James Mainwaring has been promoted to SG1 and will officiate on the FA Premier League next season, whist Natalie Aspinall has been rewarded for some excellent performances by being promoted to Championship Assistant Referee.

Eamonn McNamara.