LIVERSEDGE FC have announced a merger is to take place with Cleckheaton Sporting Juniors, as part of ambitious plans to create a community club for the Spen Valley.

The club (Sedge) in recent times have spent thousands of pounds upgrading their pitch and clubhouse, and have plans to build more facilities for the community to use.

New decking has been installed in front of the clubhouse and there are plans in place for an apprenticeship programme, combining football training with vocational studies at a college.

Sedge are also hoping to build astroturf pitches on a piece of land in the Spen Valley, which can be used by local schools.

Manager Jonathan Rimmington told Liversedge’s website: “It’s about building a community club for the Spen Valley so that kids have something to aspire to and parents have somewhere to go.

“One aim is to bring more volunteers into the club, but the ultimate aim is for the club to be sustainable.

“My passion was always to try and establish Liversedge with a junior set up to hopefully, one day, feed through to the first team.

“Now, with the backing of our chairman and committee members, we are proud to announce that Cleckheaton Sporting Juniors have agreed to come on board and be part of the Liversedge family.

“We are planning many exciting ventures over the coming months and years as we push forward to grow a true community club, with a vision of first team football at a very good level.

“It’s a little club but we can make it into something we can all be proud of in the area. If we get it right, I think we’ll be bigger than Ossett United for this area.”

Cleckheaton Sporting junior club was founded in 2004 and is Charter Standard registered with the West Riding County FA.

The juniors currently have six teams and a development squad, with ages ranging between four and 14. All teams play in the Huddersfield Junior League.