“My son’s team migrated here from Swinton, our girls’ set-up has grown exponentially and is the best around. Boothstown is the best club, but we want to keep evolving.”
At first, the scenes playing out at half-past 11 on a chilly Sunday morning in leafy Boothstown are indistinguishable from those seen across the UK’s 18,000 football clubs outside the professional game.
But in suburban Salford, tucked off a main road and behind a newly built housing estate, it is striking that hundreds of footballers have laced up their boots to play across a range of age groups.
The scale of participation is massive, with the U6’s Academy, the U12 girls’ team, and the over-35 veterans’ side all turning out simultaneously across the sprawling pitches.
Dan Collins is the Chairman of Boothstown FC and has overseen a surge in the number of players since he took charge of the club following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Along with a consortium of four other committee members, Dan has worked to revitalise Boothstown on and off the field. The introduction of a senior football pathway and girls’ team has driven the club’s expansion from “38 to 48” teams in just a year.
Meanwhile, FA funding was secured for a rundown tuck shop to be turned into a brand-new café space, and thousands of pounds have been spent aerating and reseeding the now carpet-like pitches.
“It is a democracy and when the new committee came in, we gathered feedback on what the club did well and badly. We heard that the Academy – a younger group of players aged 4-6 who take part in fun, non-competitive games before being introduced to conventional football at 7 – was getting children in, but failed to transfer them into Boothstown teams.”
Dan may not rule with an iron fist, but he wants to be involved in the day-to-day running of the club as much as possible.
Dan highlighted that after watching his son’s team on the weekend, he “tries to get across to one of the away teams that are playing and offer a little bit of support.
“On top of this, we have managers’ meetings and committee meetings every month to see where we can improve.”
Armed with the promise of a 15-year masterplan that will see the site redeveloped to the benefit of the wider community, Boothstown have engaged Salford City Council in an attempt to secure funding and approval for an all-weather AstroTurf to be built.
“We hope that we can demonstrate that we have the capability and the vision to carry out the work.
“In a perfect world, in four years, we will have a big AstroTurf, which will allow us to provide additional facilities for our teams. Other teams will be able to access 4G pitches without having to compete with us for slots.”
Kaylee Donnelly’s playing career was cut short when Manchester United axed their Women’s set-up in 2005. Recalling the moment she was informed that her team would be disbanded, the head of Boothstown’s girls’ programme explained it motivated her to “give young girls opportunities she never had.”
“Manchester United got us in a room and said, ‘We can’t take this any further with you, we have to concentrate on the boys’ development.’ I felt it was not a fair decision to be punished for who I am. That setback motivated me to create a space for females to play.
“I am a great believer that you can’t be what you can’t see.”
This ethos extends beyond the visibility of female volunteers. As part of a dads and daughters initiative, members of the girls’ teams were taken to Switzerland with their fathers to experience the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win firsthand.
And on Saturday night, they were at the Etihad Stadium watching their heroes up close, as England fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Brazil.
“The highlight for me has been getting sent the videos of the dads and the girls in Switzerland. Having grown up and played football in the 90s, when there was no commodity around the women’s game, it was brilliant to see how many people went there to support the tournament, said mum Nicole Payne.
She explained the decision to bring her daughter down to Boothstown has been a “fantastic one” that has led her to make “lifelong friendships.”
Celebrating on the touchline as Boothstown scored three quick goals, she said, “Everybody has been so supportive. All the girls have their own FaceTime group and are recording podcasts together.”
Despite the good feeling around the club, its recent growth and surge in popularity, Chair Sarah Millican believes more has to be done to raise Boothstown FC’s profile and attract sponsors.
“When people hear about us and see the set-up, a lot of the time we are told they did not know we were here.
“While we managed to get a grant from Howdens and one of our teams is sponsored by Ford, we are working to raise funds and attract more sponsors to support the club as it continues to grow.”
Sarah, part of the leadership team that took the reins post-pandemic, said it was a baptism of fire learning how to run a football club without any experience.
“We were completely new to this, volunteers who had never run a football club before. It took time to get to grips with it and keep the club afloat, but now it is in a really good place.
“From the outside, you don’t realise everything that is involved. We pay £700 a month to have the pitches lined and cut – everything is expensive, so it can be a challenge.”
What is the last thing you need when trying to raise funds for your rapidly growing club? The council ruling that your contract renting out a cafe space to an education provider during the week must be terminated has been an unwelcome blow to suffer.
“We are now looking for anyone who wants to lease the space during the day. They can lease the room and the kitchen – it’s perfect for parties,” she said, calling on local businesses for support.
When asked how her involvement with Boothstown has changed her life, Michelle Norton, shortlisted for the FA’s New Volunteer Award, burst out laughing. “Oh my god, definitely less lie-ins.
“I work five days at the airport and then give my time here every Saturday and Sunday from half seven in the morning. It has become a massive part of my life and to see the difference it is making for the community and Boothstown – you can’t put a price on the feeling that gives me.”
Often seen frantically buttering a bacon barm or making coffees for shivering spectators sheltering from the wind and the cold, Michelle runs the cafe while her husband, Elliott, oversees the academy programme and club media.
The building, perhaps the biggest physical change since the new regime took effect, has become a key fundraiser for the club. Aside from being a community hub from which Halloween and Christmas events will take place, it provides changing facilities for the newly founded open-age and veterans teams.
Michelle “adores the place,” but a faulty macerator toilet is causing frustration; the club want to replace it with a new flushing one connected to the sewers, yet says they need help from the council for this – Boothstown’s committee feel the club’s growth is being impeded, and they are calling for support.
Lee Ryan echoes this sentiment. Boothstown’s enthusiastic comms man and coach is working to put together a 15-year masterplan that will see the club transformed into a large scale operation.
Boothstown’s astroturf plans are a major part of the proposal, but Lee is concerned nimbysism from the council could prevent the treeline stretching around the land from being pushed back to open up space.
“We could easily push the treeline back to open up space and, with the masterplan we are in talks to get the AstroTurf created.”
Though it costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to build a 4G pitch, Lee maintained that the council’s investment would be worthwhile.
“It would be massive for the club and the area. We are working with the council to draw up the masterplan and, hopefully, they will back it.
“We are proud to see Boothstown becoming a real community hub, not just for football, but for learning, wellbeing and belonging. We need to be supported.”
On Friday night, this quiet corner of Salford was transformed as the club hosted its annual ‘Ultimate big bang spectacular firework display.’
Aside from being a much-needed earner, the event serves as an opportunity to reflect on the enormous progress made by the club in a short time.
As fireworks illuminated the sky for an ever larger crowd, Boothstown’s volunteers were hard at work, ensuring their campaign to make the club a leading community force doesn’t fizzle out without a bang.
“Our project is about securing football and community facilities in Boothstown for the next generation. We are determined to lead the way, promoting youth, education and grassroots sport in Salford,” said Dan.
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