Leigh Genesis FC is a vibrant, inclusive, integrated and sustainable club offering football to male and female players, with participants ranging from four years old to over 60 years old. Over the last three seasons, the club has developed into 50 teams and 400 fee-paying members, with an effective and dedicated committee. During this time, Leigh Genesis has seen its membership profile shift from predominantly male U7-U18 to include some 40 female members and around 100 adult males. Out of 100 volunteers, male and female, 46 of are qualified coaches and 35 are licensed coaches, and they are recognised at an annual awards night. Leigh Genesis also have a well-established Youth & Girls Committee and received the Lancashire FA Youth Onside award in December. The club’s links to the community are apparent in their partnership with Lowton High School, which oversaw a football development plan to benefit both the club and school with revamped facilities, as well as their work with Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles and Wigan Athletic Community Trust. Leigh Genesis also deliver a range of activities for non-members, such as Community Girls, Trim Down Shape Up and Walking Football. The club achieved recognition with the prestigious Club of the Year award at the 2016 Believe Sports Awards in Wigan in October, and they have now been rewarded with further recognition with a local FA Community Award for all their hard work.

Best Inclusive Project Award 2017

The grass pitch drainage project between Lowton High School and Leigh Genesis FC aimed to develop an unusable playing field for the use of both the school and the club. A football development plan was created and the project, which involved upgrading the drainage system and re-landscaping the area, was put into action. The playing field, incorporating three 11-a-side pitches and one 9-a-side pitch, was opened for use in September 2016, and the club uses facilities made available by the school, such as a clubhouse building and changing rooms. Classrooms are also used to deliver In-Service workshops and elements of the club’s youth education programme. The project has proven to be a success, with the club and school working together to provide a high-quality and safe environment for people of all ages and gender to play football, and bringing together all areas of one club to meet, train and play in the same place.

Club Secretary Rob Atherton commented:

"This is the second time in 3 years that we have won the Community Club Award and its a massive feet that we have won Best Inclusive Project as both the categories I entered the Club into. Unheard of for one club to win more than one award. We achieve this in the full knowledge that our partnership with Lowton High School makes this happen and I thank the school for putting faith into our club.
Special thanks is given to our Committee who have worked tremendously hard this season in making the Club and Lowton so successful. Also massive credit has to go out to all our coaches, players and the parents involved in our wonderful club as without you our club wouldn't be what it is today, this ones for you!"