Winwick Athletic started as a grassroots village football club way back in 1976, playing in Culcheth as Culcheth Terriers, and since then we have developed into a substantial organization representing and working closely with the wider community of north Warrington. We have maintained excellent working relationships with Lancashire County FA and Regional FA Teams for many years and serve as role models when implementing FA grassroots strategies. We promote excellence in coach education, have an emphasis on coach qualification and maintain an extremely fair and positive coaching culture, meeting equality and diversity needs and respecting all in the game.

Moving to Myddleton Lane, Winwick in 1993, and being renamed as Winwick Athletic FC in 1996, we grew into an FA Charter Standard Development Club by 2006, and then a Community Club by 2013, having grown and retained players every year through our safe, child friendly environment. We worked to form school-link partnerships, run after-school clubs, and give guest talks to children at local schools. As an FA Community Standard Club we focussed on every aspect that such status required, and were immensely proud to be able to do so. In 2014 we were privileged to be selected for Nike Partner Club status too.

Winwick Athletic has for many years had some of the best qualified coaches in the North West, recognizing elements of FA initiatives and player progression opportunities essential to grow our national game. We are always pleased to work with local scouts to identify and nurture talented players from an early age too in our U5/U6 academy and U7s to U10s teams initially. As we grew in size we developed working agreements for pitch use with UA Warrington, a local High School, and with University of Chester for open-age. We also developed a centre for girls and were looking to develop disability coaching with other voluntary groups.

As a growing Development Club we won the North West Regional awards three times in a five year period (2007 to 2011) during which time we also became the FA Charter Standard National Development Club of the Year 2009 and consolidated all of this great work into becoming an FA Community Standard Club from 2013, as we continued to promote best practice.

At our peak size around 2010 to 2014 we had over 400 players in 33 teams with an army of 82 Coach Volunteers. We were often viewed by other local clubs as role models and trend setters as we were so well organised and had an exemplary discipline record.

The FA, post-covid, have abandoned their well established Charter Standard Scheme and replaced it with their new Accreditation Scheme, and we continue to ensure that all of our coaches meet the minimum standards required to guarantee safe football for all children in our care. Whilst our Club size is now smaller, with 12 teams and 130 children looked after by 43 coach volunteers, we still retain our grassroots emphasis on football for all in our local community, and have a fantastic working relationship with Winwick Parish Council.