Veterans in the North West now have the opportunity to join a new footballing family with like minds, in part thanks to Veterans' Foundation funding.
Stockport County and the County Community Trust have launched a brand-new programme, the Stockport County Armed Forces football team, developed through support from a grant from the VF.
The programme provides members from the Armed Forces the opportunity to represent the club in a variety of tournaments and fixtures to be held against other clubs in the North West, giving veterans the opportunity to play football, keep active and socialise with people from similar backgrounds.
The weekly one-hour training sessions are open to all who have served in the Armed Forces and are run by experienced and fully qualified UEFA and FA coaches who will be able to cater for all ability levels.
In light of the funding and the development of the programme, the club has commissioned its own Stockport County Armed Forces Football Club badge, to show support for all who have served in the forces.
Going forward, the badge will feature on a bespoke Stockport County Armed Forces Football Club kit which the team will play in when they represent the club.
The programme is being developed and run by the Community Trust’s Armed Forces Liaison Officer, Mark Ward who is a Military Cross recipient, and a Veteran from the Cheshire and Mercian regiment.
Commenting on the new programme, Mark said: “We are delighted that the Veterans Foundation have agreed to fund this new programme."
"The club and the Community Trust are dedicated to supporting our Armed Forces community and this is the first major programme that we have delivered since the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant at our 140th anniversary game in July," he added.
"We are also pleased that the club have allowed us to produce our own club badge”.
For further information on the programme please contact, Mark Ward on m.ward@stockportcounty.com
This is one of over 420 different small to medium sized projects supported by the Veterans' Foundation since its inception in 2016. Over £18 million has been awarded in grants in that time and that's all thanks to our generous donors, legacy donors and Veterans' Lottery players.
The Veterans' Lottery gave away almost half a million pounds in prizes in 2023 - you could bag yourself a share by playing today!
