Westhoughton Lions

16/09/2026

Everyone at Westhoughton Lions is saddened to hear of the passing of Bolton’s deputy mayor David Chadwick.

David was a valued supporter of our club and devoted many years to serving Westhoughton as a local councillor. We are grateful for his support and for everything he gave to the town and its community.

On behalf of our players, volunteers, committee and supporters, we send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Val, his family and friends.

Rest in peace, David, and thank you for your support of the Lions. 💛💙

13/09/2026

🦁🏉 JUNIOR WEEKEND ROUND-UP 🏉🦁

Another Sunday done. Another few hundred miles added to various parents’ cars. And another weekend where absolutely nobody involved in junior rugby got a lie-in. 😂

The Lions were out in force again today, with our younger teams apparently conducting a full tour of the North West — Wigan St Pats, Thatto Heath, Blackbrook, Accrington and Crosfields all getting a visit. 🚗🏉

Plenty to celebrate too…

🟢 Under 10s picked up another great result with a win at home against Orrell St James.

🟡 Under 11s came away from Halton Farnworth with a draw after another good performance.

And then there are our Under 13s…

🔥 STILL UNBEATEN IN THE LEAGUE! 🔥

Another excellent performance at The Den saw them beat Portico Vine 28–6, continuing what is becoming a fantastic unbeaten run.

Week after week they’re getting the job done, but more importantly they’re doing it together — working hard, developing as a team and representing the club brilliantly.

Keep it going, lads! 👏💙💛

And while the scoreboard shows defeats for our Under 12s and Under 14s, it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story.

Both teams have shown massive progress compared with previous meetings and results. That’s exactly what junior rugby is about — learning, developing, closing those gaps and seeing all the work being put in at training start to show on a Sunday.

Sometimes progress comes with two points. Sometimes it comes with a much closer scoreline than the last time you played them.

Both matter. 💪🦁

We’re incredibly proud of the progress being made across those teams. Keep working, keep improving and keep going — the results will follow. 💙💛

And, as always, a massive thank you to our coaches and volunteers who make all of this happen, and to the parents for the lifts, encouragement, washing and for somehow remembering which part of Lancashire they’re supposed to be driving to at 9am on a Sunday. 😂

Most importantly, well done to every Lion who pulled on the shirt this weekend.

Another weekend of junior rugby in the books.

ONE CLUB. ONE PRIDE. 💙💛🦁

12/09/2026

🏉 THANK YOU FROM WESTHOUGHTON LIONS 🦁

A huge thank you to all eight teams from seven clubs who joined us at The Den today for the North West Counties Under 12s Finals Day.

👏 Pilkington Recs A.R.L.F.C
👏 Thatto Heath Crusaders
👏 Orrell St James ARLFC Golds
👏 Halton Farnworth Hornets
👏 Blackbrook Royals JRLFC
👏 Crosfields Rugby
👏 Orrell St James ARLFC Blues
👏 Wigan St Judes ARLFC

Four finals, eight teams and a full day of junior rugby league — and every club contributed to a brilliant atmosphere.

Congratulations to all of today’s winners, and to the runners-up, keep your heads up. Reaching a final is an achievement in itself, and every player who took to the field today should be proud of what they’ve done.

A big thank you as well to all the coaches, parents and supporters who travelled over and backed their teams so well throughout the day.

And finally, a massive thank you to our own Westhoughton Lions volunteers who helped make the day happen — parking, catering, bars, clubhouse, changing rooms, pitch setup, cleaning and all the other jobs that somehow “just get done”. 👀😂

We hope everyone enjoyed their day at The Den.

That’s what junior rugby league is all about. 💙💛

09/09/2026

🦁💜 GIRLS’ RUGBY – NEW PLAYERS WANTED!

Are you in School Year 5, 6 or 7?

Our Westhoughton Lionesses are looking for more girls to join the squad — and absolutely no rugby experience is needed.

Never picked up a rugby ball? Perfectly fine. Come down, meet the girls, join in with a session and see if you enjoy it. No trials, no pressure and no need to know what you're doing before you arrive!

🏉 School Years 5, 6 & 7
📅 Every Tuesday
⏰ 6:00pm
📍 The Den, Cunningham Road, Westhoughton
💷 Training is completely FREE

Rugby is a brilliant way to get active, build confidence, make new friends and become part of a team — and our girls would love a few more Lionesses to join them. 💜

Parents are welcome to come down, meet the coaches and have a chat while the girls give it a go.

Interested? Just come along on Tuesday or message the club page for more information.

And if you know someone in Years 5, 6 or 7 who might fancy it, please tag their parents or share this post — you never know where our next Lioness might be hiding! 🦁🏉

06/09/2026

🏉 BECOME A WESTHOUGHTON LIONS U14s SHIRT SPONSOR! 🦁

We’re proud to be the only Rugby League club in the Bolton area, and our U14s are looking for support from local community businesses as we get ready to launch our brand-new playing shirts!

We have some fantastic 3-YEAR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES available, giving your business the chance to have its name proudly displayed on the shirts of the next generation of Rugby League stars. 🌟

📍 Your business will be seen all across the North West as our team travels for matches, tournaments and events — and we’ll also give our sponsors plenty of exposure across our social media platforms, helping showcase the businesses that support our young players.

💥 And the best part? The cost is an absolute STEAL for a 3-year deal!

By sponsoring Westhoughton Lions U14s, you’re not just advertising your business you’re investing in local youngsters, grassroots sport and the future stars of Rugby League.

We would be incredibly grateful for the support of our local business community. Every sponsor helps us provide the best possible experience for these young players and keeps Rugby League thriving for the next generation. 💙💛

Want to get your business on the shirt?
📩 Get in touch with us today to secure one of our remaining sponsorship slots!
[email protected] or [email protected]

Let’s get behind the Lions and support the future stars of Rugby League! 🦁🏉

06/09/2026

☔️🏉 JUNIOR WEEKEND ROUND-UP 🏉☔️

Schools are back. Rugby is back. And, right on cue, the rain is back.

Nature is healing. 😂

Another very busy Sunday for our junior Lions, with teams scattered around the North West while parents once again enjoyed their traditional weekend hobby of standing on a touchline wondering why they didn’t bring a better coat. 🌧️

Plenty to celebrate too…

🦁 Our Under 6s played their first official games as a team at Hindley! A brilliant milestone for our newest Lions, many of whom have made the step up from Cubs. The start of what we hope will be many, many years in a Lions shirt. 💙💛

🏆 The Under 10s and Under 11s both picked up wins on the road, at Wigan St Judes and Hindley respectively.

💙💛 And a special mention for our Under 14s.

The scoreboard says a 12–18 defeat away at Hindley, but sometimes the scoreboard doesn't tell you very much at all.

When these two sides met at Westhoughton previously, Hindley won 52–0.

Today? Just six points between them.

Even more importantly, this is a team that nearly folded three years ago after losing players. They've had to rebuild, stick together and keep going and performances like today show just how far they've come.

No win recorded in the results column, but a massive win in terms of the progress of this team. We're incredibly proud of them. 👏🦁

💪 Our U12s had a tough afternoon away at Halton Farnworth, while the U16s came out on top in an absolute cracker at home against Newton with a try in the last seconds in the corner to secure the win, 28-24.

And across the younger age groups, plenty more festival rugby for our U6s, U7s, U8s and both U9s teams. 👏

Huge thanks, as always, to our coaches and volunteers for giving up their Sunday, and to the parents and families for providing lifts, encouragement, washing approximately 14 tonnes of muddy kit and generally making the whole thing possible. 😂

Most importantly, well done to every single Lion who pulled on the shirt today.

Same again next weekend then.

Hopefully with slightly less rain.
Obviously it'll rain. ☔️😂

ONE CLUB. ONE PRIDE. 💙💛🦁

04/09/2026

Tomorrow 🦁🦁

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬!!

Come down to The Den this weekend as our First Team host Wigan St Jude in our last Home game of the season!!

Let’s fill those sideline for 1 last time this Saturday and make some noise!!

04/09/2026

Dont forget...quiz night returns tonight!!! Doors open at 6.15pm, quiz starts at 7pm.

See poster for details 🦁🦁

After a short summer break we are thrilled that Donkey's Family Quiz Night returns this Friday 4th September!!! 😀

You can book ahead via the link below to confirm your team or chance it and pay on the door

https://www.ticketsource.com/westhoughtonlions

Lets get The Den filled up for a great night of quizzing!!

*usual rules apply: see poster for details*

02/09/2026

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬!!

Come down to The Den this weekend as our First Team host Wigan St Jude in our last Home game of the season!!

Let’s fill those sideline for 1 last time this Saturday and make some noise!!

31/08/2026

After a short summer break we are thrilled that Donkey's Family Quiz Night returns this Friday 4th September!!! 😀

You can book ahead via the link below to confirm your team or chance it and pay on the door

https://www.ticketsource.com/westhoughtonlions

Lets get The Den filled up for a great night of quizzing!!

*usual rules apply: see poster for details*