History Of Lostock St Gerards FC

The History of Lostock St Gerards Football Club goes way back to just after the Second World War.

Four acres of land had been donated to Our Lady and St. Gerards Church as a recreation area for members of the Parish, probably sometime between the two World Wars, by a local land owner (we think it may have been the Kevill family).

After the Second World War efforts were made to form a team and the newly formed Football Club joined the old Preston and District Catholic league (currently known as the Churches League) and remained there for several years with varying amounts of success. Later on, a junior side was introduced and ran along side the senior side again for several years. Both teams were managed by men from the Parish.

This situation continued until the early eighties when the then Central Lancashire Development Corporation (CLDC) compulsorily purchased the land. The clergy at the time recognising the football teams would have nowhere to play entered into a lease back arrangement with the CLDC and promised the clergy and promised the club because of the benefits that had accrued from the sale of the land that the parish would pay the £100/year rent. This was fine, until in the mid eighties the parish clergy changed and for whatever reason the new priest was not prepared to pay the rent. It was also about the same time that the CLDC decided that the land was not now needed and was put back onto the open market. In the light of previous experiences, the football club became concerned about the long term future of the land and decided to attempt to repurchase it, but in order to ensure it would no longer be threatened or sold off, the club would set up an independent charitable trust which would become the owner.

To cut a long story short, the trust purchased the land with help and grants from various organisations. New changing accommodation was provided with again assistance from South Ribble Borough Council, The Sports Council and the Harris Trust.

Through the nineties improvement work was undertaken to the ground and the club constantly strive to improve the facilities, work undertaken to date is there for all to see and is much appreciated by the local football community as a whole.

When it comes to semi-finals and representative games, local leagues turn for assistance to Lostock St. Gerards, whenever possible the response from the club is positive.

Lostock St Gerards FC now run two senior teams and an u18's Youth Team, with a total of 70+ players registered.

The club is hopefully giving many people a chance to participate in football at several levels.

The futures bright ...... its black and white