15/08/2026
‼️🚨CLUB STATEMENT🚨‼️
The following statement is from our new Club Chairperson, Phil Lowe.
Dear Parents, Coaches, Managers, Volunteers and everyone connected with GVFC,
I am extremely proud to introduce myself as the new Chairman of Grimsargh Village Football Club.
Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank the committee for putting their trust in me and voting me into the position. It is a responsibility that I am incredibly proud to take on, and one that I will not take for granted.
For those who may not know me, my name is Phil Lowe, and I have already been involved with GVFC in a number of areas. The more involved I have become with the club, the more I have seen just how much potential we have and, more importantly, how much this football club means to the children, players, families, coaches and volunteers who make it what it is.
Before talking about the future, I think it is important to recognise the people who have brought the club to where it is today.
Grassroots football simply does not exist without volunteers. Our managers and coaches give up evenings and weekends to provide training and matches. Committee members work behind the scenes dealing with administration, finances, registrations, safeguarding and countless other jobs that most people never see.
Parents travel to training, stand on touchlines in every type of weather and support their children week after week. And, of course, we have our players who proudly pull on the GVFC shirt and represent our club.
To every person who gives their time to Grimsargh Village FC: thank you.
My Approach as Chairman
I want to be clear from the beginning about the type of Chairman I intend to be.
I am not taking this position because I want a title, and I certainly don't believe the Chairman should try to run every part of the football club personally.
My job is to provide leadership, support the people around me, make sure we have a strong and accountable committee and help create an environment where GVFC can continue to develop.
I want to listen. I want parents, coaches and volunteers to feel that they can approach the club. I want good ideas to be heard. And when difficult decisions have to be made, I want those decisions to be made fairly, transparently and for the right reasons.
There is one question I intend to keep coming back to throughout my time as Chairman:
"Is this in the best interests of Grimsargh Village Football Club and our players?"
Our Players Come First
Above everything else, our players must come first.
For our junior teams in particular, parents are trusting GVFC with something far more important than football - they are trusting us with their children. That is a responsibility I take extremely seriously. Safeguarding, welfare, respect and creating a positive environment for young people will therefore remain at the heart of the decisions we make.
Every child should be able to come to GVFC feeling safe, included and excited about playing football. They should be able to make friends, develop as players, build confidence and create memories that stay with them long after they have stopped playing grassroots football.
Winning football matches is great. But creating that environment is far more important.
One Club - GVFC
Something I am particularly passionate about is developing a stronger One Club mentality.
We may have different teams, different age groups and different coaches, but ultimately we all represent the same football club.
I want our younger players to look at the older teams and see where their football journey can take them. I want our teams to support one another. I want our coaches and managers to share ideas and feel supported by the wider club.
And I want every player, whether they have been with GVFC for years or have just attended their first
training session, to feel that they belong here.
One badge. One set of values. One GVFC.
Phil Lowe
Chairperson
Grimsargh Village FC
