MANY of Saddleworth 3Ds team will no longer have a nomadic existence as the club has found a new home in the area.
The club’s ground development team had been working for years to bring the 11 a-side junior and adult teams back home and into one location.
After unsuccessful funding applications to the Football Association and Football Foundation to improve pitches at the Woolpack in Dobcross and at Grains Bar, the club has finally secured a place to call home at the Waterhead Academy Sports Centre on Counthill Road.
Most of the club’s 11 a-side teams have long played outside the borough, with the first and reserves teams playing in Milnrow, the Under-17s in both Rochdale and Ashton and until this season the U15s were playing in Tameside. With the move to Counthill all the teams will now play their home matches locally which is a massive positive for the club.
In 2019, the club formed a working committee to look at all available options. The club brought in FundMe4Sport to look after and manage funding requests and worked with Oldham Council and local councillors in searching for locations.
In early 2021, the club approached Waterhead Academy who own the former Counthill School Sports Centre and pitched both a short and long-term proposal.
The long-term proposal will continue to be reviewed as the school returns after the summer break. Dates for the next steps on the project are due to be scheduled for September with Waterhead Academy, the School Trust and FundMe4Sport.
In the short term, both Saddleworth 3Ds and Waterhead Academy have been busy working together to get two pitches ready for play this season. New goals purchased, rugby posts removed, an old artificial cricket strip removed, the changing rooms cleaned and prepared for use.
Club chair Steve Laithwaite said: “This is a very exciting time for Saddleworth 3Ds and this joint working project with Waterhead Academy and FundMe4Sport and will hopefully in the long term give the football club a base for all our teams including the football academies, vets, junior and adult teams.
“Not only will the club benefit, but Waterhead Academy will also benefit from improved facilities at Counthill Road as well as the local community. The move to Counthill Road will also extend the club’s catchment area for new players allowing the club to grow.
“We are in the early stages and there is a long way to go and a lot of hard work and commitment will be required to move this project forward, but you do have to aim for success on and off the field.”
• Saddleworth 3Ds U12s, school Year 7 in September, need a goalkeeper for 2021-22 season
They will be training at Mossley Hollins on Monday evenings and play in the East Manchester Junior Football League and were cup winners last season.
• The U7s, Year 2 in September, also have a handful of spaces available.
For further information, contact saddleworth3ds@btinternet.com or visit https://saddleworth3ds.club
