Fylde coast amateur football: New Fit Football league coming to Blackpool, two Sunday Alliance matches defy Storm Dennis

A new men’s football league with a difference is to be launched in Blackpool next month and players are welcome to join.

The Fit Football (health and wellbeing) league is designed to promote physical and mental health and is aimed at individuals who would like an opportunity to play.

Fit Football already operates successfully in Preston and is looking to expand around the north-west – the Blackpool launch is among several planned for 2020.

The Blackpool Fit Football League is due to begin on Tuesday, March 24 at PlayFootball on Garstang Road West. Open days for team selection will be held on the previous two Saturdays (March 14 and 21).

Fit Football founder Paul Mountford said: “We are a membership league and cater solely for individuals who don’t have the opportunities to play in a team any more.

“Fit Football was created to get men back playing football. As we get older, men tend to move away from playing football – mainly because they can’t keep their team together, or because they can’t find a team or aren’t comfortable asking to join one.

“The reason for the success of our Preston league is, I think, because it’s a simple process to get playing football, without the pressure of having to find a team or relying on people turning up to play. You can just sign up on your own and our qualified coaches put you in a team.

“In a year and a half in Preston, we have been playing every Wednesday and Saturday and have not had to postpone one session because of a shortage of players.

“We have more than 70 members in the Preston League and I really think the Blackpool centre can attract even more. It can be a great platform to reach out to the people who want to get back playing the game they love and improve their overall fitness and wellbeing.”

Fit Football is fully supported by the FA.

For more details visit www.fitfootballfc.com

Storm Dennis wreaked havoc with the weekend’s amateur football, with West Lancashire League fixtures wiped out and only two surviving in the Blackpool and Fylde Sunday Football Alliance. These were both in division two, where leaders FC Fleetwood stretched their advantage with a 2-1 win over Foxhall.

Foxhall have been on an improved run of form but Fleetwood took the points with goals by Danny Sumner and Chris Bond .

That stretches their lead at the top to 10 points after second-placed Ancy Belle Vue Rangers slipped up against Little Black Pug by the same scoreline in the only other game to beat the weather.

The win lifts Pug two places to third

And after the previous Sunday’s washout, Alliance teams have some catching up to do.

The BFSFA is on the lookout for new sponsors for the league and for its flagship cup competition, long established as the Gledhill Cup, for next season.

Any interested parties are asked to contact league secretary Frank Kennedy via email to [email protected]