Beverley Lions Grant Aids Colts Development

Beverley’s newest senior football side is aiming to turn a welcome grant from the Beverley Lions into a real community booster.

The Humber Colts, founded just last July, stand on the verge of a remarkable first-season promotion from Division 5 Wyke of the Hull Men’s Sunday League, standing four points clear at the top of the table with two games to go.

And they hope a generous £360 grant from the Beverley Lions can help them become an even more powerful force in local football, as well as helping the local Swinemoor Estate community.

Co-founder Rob Hunter, 39, who is landlord of the Humber Keel – the base of the Colts – applied for funding from the Beverley Lions, and the club is now able to send two members of their staff for Level 1 FA coaching badges and seven players for their first aid certificates.

It’s an important step forward for the Colts, but Hunter also believes the grant will be of wider benefit for the estate.

Hunter said: “ We could have applied for funding for kits and so forth, but we wanted something that could be of longer-term benefit for those involved and the local community.

“So now we will send manager Tony Henderson and coach Steve Buckley, both local lads, for their FA badges, which will provide more knowledge of training techniques and man management. This will be of great benefit down the line.

“Seven of the lads have been selected to do their first-aid badges. This not only means we will have cover whoever is available for a match, but they will be able to take those skills out into the community if needed.

“We put things back into the community. Two of our players are helping St John’s Primary School prepare for the Catholic Cup, and we have, hopefully, created a club that local youngsters can aspire to play for.

“I would like to thank everyone involved with the Beverley Lions – they do a great job. They are not always appreciated by everyone, but they certainly are by us and we will do everything we can to help them in the future.”

The next aim for the Humber Colts is to secure funding for a container for their Burden Road pitch, which will give them a permanent place to store their match-day equipment.