A REBRANDING has seen Waterhead Amateur Rugby League Club add ‘Warriors’ to their name.
Club chairman Mick Slicker snr believes it was important to give the Peach Road club a new look after several seasons in the doldrums and back-to-back relegations has seen them plummet to division three of the National Conference League.
Mr Slicker, who recently took over at the helm, is hoping to oversee a renaissance of the club and sees the name change as a first step.
He said: “We see this as giving the club a fresh identity and hopefully it will appeal to the younger fans.
“It gives us a new clothing to brand the club and hopefully this is a step towards becoming more professional throughout the club.”
Mr Slicker is anxious to widen the appeal and would like the facilities at Peach Road to become a community hub which is used 24/7.
He said: “We want to become a community hub and not just a rugby club where locals can pop in for a cup of tea or coffee or a beer.
“We pay rates all year on our facilities so why not try and use them all the time?”
There are ambitious plans to build a new £25,000 gym for which fund raising is in full swing including a first-ever ball which was recently held at the White Hart, Lydgate, which was attended by famous former players Kevin Sinfield, Paul and Danny Sculthorpe, Barrie McDermott and Jordan Turner, and which saw a four-figure sum realised.
And in a drive to raise more funds for the new gym, they are offering the chance to buy a brick for £10.
This can be done online or by sending a cheque to Waterhead ARLFC, Peach Road, Oldham, OL4 2HX.
Once the gym is built, hopefully by the end of the year, Mr Slicker says they will turn their attention to renovating the clubhouse.
Waterhead have had their first match of 2015, an 18-10 defeat against local rivals St Anne’s in the Standard Cup.
They are also trying to arrange another friendly before their league campaign kicks off in early March.
Mr Slicker has managed to lure back a number of the successful under-18 team which he coached a couple of years ago.
He said: “We gave a good account of ourselves given the game came too early as we had only been training a few weeks.
“We are regrouping and rebuilding and we will have a young, committed team. The youth set up is flourishing, but what’s broke is the open-age team.
“I am confident we will get things right and there is a positive feel about the club, though it is not going to happen overnight and will take time.”
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