PREPARING for tomorrow is the current objective at St Teresa's FC as the West Belfast club seeks to attract new members and fresh ideas.
Founded in 1973, St Teresa's has been part of the sporting fabric in the west of the city and as it embarks on its second half-century in existence, growing the club is high on the list of priorities.
Like all clubs, players come and go, and St Teresa's saw a number of departures over the summer. It's not exactly panic stations, however, as club stalwarts continue to line out and will do so, but forging new links to bring in fresh talent and also encourage fresh voices in the committee room is what they feel is needed at this juncture.
It's far from doom and gloom, as the first team resides in Divison 2A in the Northern Amateur Football League (NAFL) - the highest they can go as a junior outfit - and have a settled home venue at Whiterock, with training taking place on the 4G pitch at Falls Park on a Tuesday and Thursday, so neither do they suffer from a nomadic existence. The seconds are currently in Division 3F of the NAFL.
"We got promoted the year before and then to the semi-final of the Cochrane Corry Cup, but in the summer we lost a good chunk of the squad," explained Gareth Brennan, club secretary.
"We've been relying on the second team and over-35s to fill out the teams and we are now at the stage where we need to freshen things up. Not just in terms of players, but volunteers at the club, where on the committee or coaches just to get new ideas."
There is plenty of scope for development as one of a different kind has brought new people into the area.
The Glenmona housing development will eventually result in 653 new homes beside the Monagh Bypass and with so many new families, the message is the doors at St Teresa's FC are open to all as a club on their doorstep.
In the past, a link with the St Teresa's Youth Centre helped bring players through, but that is no longer the case and therefore, thinking outside the box is required to find those pathways that other clubs have forged.
"We always relied on people we knew to come and play, but we're at the stage now where that is difficult," Brennan added.
"In the middle of the 2010s, we stopped being part of the (St Teresa's) youth centre, so we don't have that natural pathway into the club.
"I'd love to see my son play for us in years to come and for the club to be thriving in 10 or 20 years' time. We have players from North Belfast, Glengormley, Shankill, South Belfast, so it's a club that welcomes everyone.
"The players we have will stay and help, but it's just about thinking of the future. Players come and go from every club, but we just need to get some new ideas to sustain ourselves and grow further.
"This is a club on the doorstep for a lot of people and open to new members as it could be a route into senior football, which has been the case for some players in the past."
For anyone interested in joining the club, training is held at the Falls Park 4G pitch on Falls 4G Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:45pm-8pm.
For more information, contact Gareth at Stteresasfc@hotmail.com or on the club's social media pages on Facebook, Instagram or X.
