Community football project aiming to produce Brimington's Little Stars

Brimington Little Stars has been founded by coach Lewis Preece and is currently aimed at training youngsters aged between five and ten-years-old , with the potential to have teams playing in competitive leagues in the future.

But for now, Lewis says the project, which is free for all to attend, is about the players having fun, with the occasional matches being put on accordingly.

He said: “I moved to the area a couple of years ago and hadn’t seen much in terms of community football initiatives, and with my dad running a junior team in Sheffield I thought I’d go down a similar route.

"We don’t yet have teams in particular age classifications, nor are we at the stage yet where we can start entering teams into leagues given the extra coaching, fees etc that would be required .

"But we’ve played a few matches and are unbeaten in the last seven games and have entered into some upcoming tournaments .

"We also have lots of sponsors, including Woodheads Cafe who have provided kits, coaching tops, tracksuits and even flasks to keep parents warm while they watch. We’d welcome more sponsors if people are interested.”

Lewis, who has also been nominated for Community Hero of the Year in Chesterfield FC’s 2022 Community Awards, says he hopes that in time the project will grow but that there is no rush and that the onus is on enjoyment for the children.

He said: “All the age groups train together and they love it. It’s great to see smiles on their faces. We may end up competing soon but you can’t force too much on players that are so young so it’ll be when they’re ready.

"It’ll remain free for everyone, but obviously once you get into leagues you have pitch and ref fees, match fees and so on, so we’ll need to be able to fund that when the time comes.”

Little Stars train on Sundays at Manor Road Recreation Ground. For more information, or if any individuals or businesses want to help sponsor the project, contact Lewis Preece on 07903 704186 .