'We provide a place where kids can follow their dreams' - Walsall football club wins bid for home ground
Mark Adams formed Rushall Village Football Club last year and has just won a bid to lease the club's own home football pitch which he's hoping to have ready for matches before the start of the new season.
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The not-for-profit club consists of four male sides and two female sides with a club ethos to create a place that people from all walks of life can get involved, making sure kids have access to football should they wish to take it up as a hobby or professional career.
During its first year the under 9s team won its first tournament and its under 13's won the same one for their age group, proving to be a talented squad able to take on teams who had been up and running for years longer.
But one thing has been missing since they first launched, their own home ground, a place where they could start to build a real place in the community and become a bigger name in the Black Country.
Up until now the team has been using a pitch at Rushall Cricket Club, but with the amount of teams they are currently starting, they need to find a home and landed on an old football pitch in Mossley, Bloxwhich, named Abbey Park, which was 'perfect' for the club's size and plans for the next five years.
Mark, 39, from Walsall, and the rest of his team jumped straight into a bidding war and thankfully were offered the pitch, which means the club now finally has place they can call home.
Admitting the pitch is in a bit of a sorry state at the moment, Mark said he thinks he can get it ready in time for the next season to start, having already contacted workmen in the area for quotes on what needs to be done - aiming to fundraise to be able to complete the job.
Speaking exclusively to the Express & Star, Mark, said: "When we first started the club it was really important to us to create something that was good for the area, something that kids could make the most of and develop their skills to ultimately follow their sporting dreams.
"We have had a brilliant start, two of our teams won a tournament in our first season which was a remarkable considering we had new players coming in and have even attracted players from other clubs because of the way we run things here.
