SADDLEWORTH Rangers’ Shaw Hall Bank Road ground is to be renamed after club chairman Shane Wilson in a tribute to honour his memory after he died in December 2020.
New signs will be erected to welcome visitors to the ‘Jocky Wilson Stadium’ as a lasting tribute to the man who devoted much of his life to the club and he was the driving force behind the building of the new clubhouse.
Shane’s wife Karen, who is one of the club’s welfare officers, said; “As a family we’re proud and honoured that the ground is to be named in Shane’s memory.
“It will be nice for Freddie and Francesca when they visit the ground that they will be able to see their dad’s name.
“It will also be comforting for me, Shane’s parents, his brother and nephew that he is not forgotten.
“Shane’s ashes will be laid to rest at the club so it’s a fitting tribute and a lasting legacy for the club he loved so much.”
Shane had just turned 50 when he died on New Year’s Eve after a long battle with cancer. A party to celebrate his life is being planned for later in the year.
The committee agreed the tribute, alongside a plan to commission a special kit for the 2022 season, a further tribute to Shane.
It will be a black and white striped retro shirt with ‘Jocky Wilson’ on the back.
Treasurer Karen Thompson, who proposed the renaming of the ground, said: “It was felt that we should have a permanent reminder of our beloved chairman, so it seemed fitting to name the ground after him. The ‘Jocky Wilson Stadium’ will now be the home of Saddleworth Rangers.”
Within the ground, it will continue to be the Grimwood Family Stand, named in memory of former club president Chris Grimwood and his son Phillip who died when he was a teenager.
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