THE VICS COLUMN - By Ian Egerton

LIKE the rest of the UK, the Northwich Victoria Juniors have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.

All of last season’s results and competitions were declared null and void which was absolutely the right thing to do given the unprecedented circumstances we all faced.

After months of planning behind the scenes and the incredible work of the Cheshire FA and the Mid Cheshire Youth League all juniors clubs have been kept up to date and informed of the current situation and, recently supported by the Government guidelines, started to train in the small groups to get the children back involved with football.

Like with the rest of the footballing world they are now just waiting for the green light for when the 2020/2021 season will start.

The Juniors have always been about providing a pathway into adult football and this week in particular we were extremely proud to see local lad Ryan Preston take his first steps into training with Steve Wilkes and the first team to start building that confidence and ability even further.

Ryan has been a part of the Juniors since he was six years old and as he celebrated back-to-back promotions with his now under 17s team the goal now is to see Ryan in a first-team Vics shirt in the years to come along with some more amazing talented players the juniors currently have.

Steve Wilkes always keeps a close eye on the development of the youth players and this pre-season more than ever both the Juniors teams and the first team will use the amazing facility up at the Grange to host training on a Tuesday and Thursday evening, keeping Steve even closer to the amazing talent that we have in our 17 Juniors teams.

More great news this week was announced for the Northwich Victoria Juniors as we are incredibly thankful and delighted to announce a new sponsorship deal with the Golden Egg Recruitment Group.

This deal will allow us to continue to support and develop our junior players and continue to build a grassroots football community and to improve the lives of more young people in our area.

We spoke with Benjamin Kershaw, who in his role as CEO has established the Golden Egg Group as one of the UK’s leading recruitment firms covering all major market sectors, about Northwich Vics Juniors and the place that our club holds in his heart.

“I know that community sport is the backbone of community spirit,” said Ben.

“I was born and bred in Northwich and I know how much I benefitted from sports clubs like this one from a very young age.

“I’m thrilled to be at a stage in my life, and in my career, where I can give something back to the younger generation of our community.”

Ben’s agreement for his company to be our sponsor for the next two years means that we can be confident in our ability to grow and develop the club and its members in all areas, on and off the field. So, here’s to a ‘Golden’ season (or three).

Northwich Victoria Juniors always has its door open to children wanting to join.Contact Rob Walsh on 07812814999 or Ian Egerton on 07515 850020. Visit our website at northwichvicsjfc.co.uk