A local football team playing in a Church league has thanked Bristol Memorial Woodlands for sponsoring its new shirts as they kick off the 2023 season.

Life Church FC, which plays home games at Stoke Lane, appealed to the funeral venue as the team required a new kit. Coach Steve Begbie-Dilks, who is also a funeral Director at Memorial Woodlands, said the sponsored shirts have been bringing good luck so far in the first games of the season.

He said: “We are delighted with our new kits and would like to express our gratitude to Bristol Memorial Woodlands. The old kits weren’t fit for purpose anymore and we now look the part when we’re going to matches.

“The Bristol Churches Association League is great fun. We have two teams in the league and we’re mixed ability with some players coming from ex-professional backgrounds and others who just enjoy a kick-around on a Saturday.

“The aim of our club is to provide a Christian environment for fellowship, inclusive to all, with a big focus off the field on socialising and creating a family feel within the football club. I first got involved because the team didn’t have a coach and I thoroughly enjoy it.

“We train weekly at Stoke Lane, Patchway High School and GFA Almondsbury on 4G pitches. We’re also looking for new faces to come along to games and cheer us on.

“We are coming off the back of an unbeaten season in the league where we won the division for the first time in the club’s history. We also retained the league cup winning the final 4:1 at Oaklands Park Stadium. We also reached the semi-finals of the GFA minor cup, a competition featuring teams within Bristol. We’ve got a lot to live up to and we hope that our new shirts keep bringing the good luck!”

Steve is a qualified UEFA coach and has run youth and adult football teams for 25 years.

Balancing football with his day job as a funeral director since 2009, Steve is committed to helping families remember and pay tribute to the life of a loved one in a dignified manner with courtesy, care and professionalism.

Bristol Memorial Woodlands is set within 100 acres of burial ground near Thornbury and just 15-minutes from Cribbs Causeway. It comes complete with its own chapel and Georgian reception rooms. The site is being developed into a nature reserve managed by a charitable trust, where future generations can visit and remember.

Founder Chris Baker said: “We are pleased to support this local team with their new shirts. Everything we do here at Bristol Memorial Woodlands is about community interest and creating a legacy so we’re happy to get involved with local groups.”

For more information visit www.memorialwoodlands.com

Life Church FC fixtures can be found at fulltime.thefa.com