Clock Face Miners awarded £2,000 in community sports kit
Clock Face Miners ARLFC, one of St Helens’ long-standing community rugby league clubs, will receive £2,000 of sports equipment after being named winners of the St Helens Star Win Kits for Kids competition.
The competition, run by the St Helens Star earlier this year with support from Fairfield Independent Hospital, encouraged junior teams across St Helens to collect special tokens printed in the newspaper. Tokens handed in to clubs were tallied as points, and the prize pot was increased from £1,000 to £2,000 in the final week.
The club says the windfall will be put straight to use across its age groups, from its youngest players up to the Masters side. For grassroots teams that operate on tight budgets, kit donations of this size make an immediate difference to match-day experience, training and a sense of identity.
- Winner: Clock Face Miners ARLFC
- Prize value: £2,000 of sports equipment
- Sponsor: Fairfield Independent Hospital
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Club | Clock Face Miners ARLFC |
| Prize | £2,000 sports kit |
| Sponsor | Fairfield Independent Hospital |
The club — described in coverage as the oldest in St Helens — gave a statement expressing how significant the award will be to members and families. They emphasised the emotional as well as practical value of new kit, from the first jersey a three-year-old pulls on to the pride of older players and Masters maintaining their connection to the club.
“We’re absolutely delighted to have won the Kits for Kids competition…This means so much to everyone at Clock Face Miners ARLFC, and especially to our players.”
St Helens has a long tradition of community rugby. Local clubs operate as volunteer-run hubs where young people learn the game, parents build networks and older players stay involved. Investment in kit and equipment helps keep clubs sustainable by reducing costs for families and ensuring teams can present themselves professionally on the pitch.
Stephen Yardley, executive director of Fairfield Independent Hospital, offered congratulations to the club in a comment released alongside the announcement, thanking the St Helens Star for organising the initiative and backing youth sport in the town.
For Clock Face Miners the prize comes at a useful moment: grassroots clubs across the region have been navigating rising costs and the need to expand opportunities for younger players. The £2,000 package will be applied where it is needed most, the club said, helping with kit provision and supporting participation across all age groups.
Local competitions like Win Kits for Kids have a double effect: they provide direct material support and also spotlight the voluntary effort that underpins community sport. Clubs rely on parents, coaches and committee members to run training, fixtures and fundraisers. A visible prize like this not only supplies equipment but raises the profile of a club in the town, potentially attracting new players and volunteers.
Clock Face Miners’ win will be welcomed by families who use the club week in, week out. In practical terms, new kit reduces the immediate financial pressure on households and gives young players the pride of wearing their club colours. On a wider level, it is a tangible reminder that St Helens’ grassroots rugby system remains active and supported by local businesses and media.
Organisers of the competition have said the initiative was designed to reward community clubs and encourage engagement with youth sport. For Clock Face Miners, the reward is a boost to both kit cupboards and club morale – a sizeable helping hand for a club that says it serves members from toddlers to long-standing masters players.
The prize-giving highlights the ongoing partnership between local press, healthcare sponsors and community sport, and underscores the value of small-scale campaigns in keeping St Helens’ sporting life healthy and inclusive.
