MSB Woolton FC have praised the ‘power of grassroots football’ after the club’s equipment was destroyed in a fire.

The devastating blaze on Camp Hill saw expensive equipment such as goals, poles, cones, and football’s ruined leaving the future of the club in doubt.

But thanks to the kindness of the football community, the South Liverpool club was able to resume with matches at the weekend after the suspected arson attack threatened to derail the season for scores of children.

A  Go Fund Me page set up by club coach, James Riley set an initial £10,000 target  but raised a staggering amount of just over £25,000 from 717 donors.

Donors include Liverpool FC supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly who made a generous £1000 donation that will go towards restoring the hut and equipment that were destroyed in the blaze.

Woolton U7’s manager, Colin Windrow, told Mersey Sport Live that he couldn’t believe the amazing response of the local community that saw clubs from north and south Liverpool rally together: “I had two vans cleaning up and people taking half days off work coming to help us clear the containers out,” said the 52-year-old.  “It’s the power of football, the power of grassroots football, it’s phenomenal.

“All volunteers, people in the community and all the clubs across Liverpool pull in the same direction and it’s hard to put into words how it makes me feel.

“You wouldn’t get this connection in any other city, grown men and women all pulling together because we are all in solidarity.”

Merseyside Police believe the fire on Camp Hill was deliberate and are treating it as arson.

Mr Windrow said the heroic and collective efforts from the local community meant training could go ahead on the Saturday and the match could take place on the Sunday: “For all the carnage and rubbish that has been caused, it’s taken days to go down to the tip and to try and clean the container as much as we can, so the kids have something to play with on Saturday morning.”

He added: “At one point, I was unsure whether our U7’s game was going to go ahead because I didn’t have the proper 7 vs 7 goal, but then I had 10 sets of goals delivered to my house, so we could have the training on Saturday and the match on the Sunday. That’s when I put faith in humanity.”

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