Marine FC’s charitable arm is scoring big off the pitch with the opening of their new community centre. It promises a lively new space, packed with activities for all ages.
The launch is the culmination of around four years worth of work for the charity, which started operations in 2018 and managed to complete the centre within budget.
With it being so predominantly community-focused, the hub will offer activities across a wide range of age categories; walking football groups for both men and women alongside a choir, a youth club and much more.
Marine in the Community’s Director Graeme Gardiner said: “It gives us a real foothold to control our destiny.”
The sentiment makes a great deal of sense; Gardiner explained that after the historic nature of the football club in their 2021 FA Cup run, the charity was struggling to find its footing amid the club’s subsequent expansion. He said:
“The club’s become a victim of its own success. Before the Tottenham game I could use whatever room whenever I wanted. They upgraded all sorts of facilities and moved the academy on-site Monday to Friday. Suddenly, we’re squeezed out. We really needed this base to offer us that consistency.”
The area that they are using, which was used by the BBC for the coverage of the famous game, is the only area Gardiner believed they would be able to make work without moving off-site.
“When we played Tottenham, this was a concrete base”
Marine in the Community began under Gardiner’s tutelage in 2018, with the former teacher finding out about the club’s need for the position via an advertisement. Of its inception, he said:
“I took on the role six-and-a-half years ago. It was a blank canvas; there was nothing in place, it was just an idea. We just started going. We had a £3,500-4,000 overdraft. I was working sessional to see how it went. It was a day-to-day situation. We had our first grant from the lottery which got us going. From there, everything has been on an upward curve. The role that I do now is full-time. We now employ coaches and staff. We’ve gone from a £4,000 overdraft to a £750,000 turnover in the last six years.”
The director sang the praises of the generosity of the contributors, with the vast majority of the funding for the centre having been done through grants from the likes of Sefton Council, Awards for All and the FA.
The COVID-19 pandemic was make-or-break. Originally thinking that the primary demographic for them would be children of school age, the pandemic saw Gardiner and the charity deliver 7,000 free lunches and find a collective in the older community.
“We stepped up to the plate when other places were closing down.”
Offering quizzes, health classes, group discussions and online activities for older people, Marine helped many get through the isolation of the pandemic, much of whom are still involved with the club in a wide array of capacities.
Detailing the impact the charity has already had, Gardiner explained:
“I feel a bit like Cilla Black at times; we’ve got several couples in the senior ages who have lost their partners and have found friendship. I had one woman come up to me and thank me for saving her life. I asked what she meant and she said: “I had sat in for two and a half years after losing my husband three years ago. I’m not seeing anyone, I’m not doing anything, and I made the big step of coming along on one of your walks. From the walks, I now volunteer at the cafe, from there I joined the table tennis and from there I found a different partner. Now my life is a completely different life.”
The charity has seen a major rise in recognition for their work; they have been mentioned by MPs in the Houses of Parliament and have had articles circulate nationally about the work that they have been doing.
Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside Julie Lawson, BEL DL, said of the event: “Lovely. It’s a lovely morning and a fabulous base offering amazing facilities for everyone. Very inclusive.”
Gardiner, who is on the Crimestoppers board for Merseyside, stressed the importance of building a strong foundation for the young people who will come down, saying: “We’re going to be offering talks to local schools about how we can support them in their education. We’re involved in the Four Club, One Goal Project which is all the clubs standing against crime; knife crime, gun crime, drugs etc., and getting that message out to the kids.”
While the hub has only just opened, plans are already underway for future projects which could see the charity go from strength to strength.
