Plumb Center FC – an 11-a-side team made up of plumbers, Plumb Center employees and a few others – has been given a boost to help it continue its work.
The donation came from Plumb Center itself, resulting in a brand new strip, water bottles, training bibs and a first aid kit.
The team is managed by William McGilloway, showroom manager at the Londonderry branch, who took over the club four years ago when it was second from bottom of Division 3.
“I was playing for the club but we were struggling and in danger of folding, so I stepped in,” Mr McGilloway explained. “The first thing I did was change the name to Plumb Center because if I was going to fund the team on my own, I wanted to have a say in what we were called.
“We’re a local club and we all pitch in – my wife even washes the kits – but it takes a lot of effort to run a team. Fortunately we’ve done something right, because we’ve had back-to-back promotions, secured our position in the Premiership, and won the League Cup last year, so it’s all worth it.”
He added: “We’re very grateful to Plumb Center for its donation and we won our first game in the new kit 4-1, so hopefully there’s plenty more to come."
Robert Beagley, Plumb Center's regional director for Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “Willy has done a great job with his club, and has spent a lot of money from his own pocket, so we’re delighted to help him out. The team have never asked us for anything, and we only found out about them earlier in the year when I spoke to Willy at a Plumb Center training programme.
“I’m a big football fan and work with Stenhousemuir FC, and I know how difficult running a club can be, so we organised a donation and hopefully the boys can continue on their great run of form.”
