Mark’s involvement with the YMCA goes back nearly 40 years since playing for the club as an 11 year old. He played all his junior football here and then progressed into youth team management. He played for and managed open age YMCA teams as well. He was also a top referee for many years and officiated in the Football League for over 10 seasons before having to retire through injury in 2006. He became club chairman in the early 1990s when his father Graham was president and after the sudden death of Graham in 1997 Mark was then appointed to succeed him as club president. The Cowburn family has had strong connections with the YMCA for many years. Mark’s three sons have all been YMCA junior players, his bother Duncan played junior and open age football for the club and one of his nephews also played his entire junior football for the club. Mark has been a member of the Fylde Coast YMCA’s Board of Management for many years also.

Steve joined the Football Club as a player over 30 years ago, playing from the age of 9 through to 16. He then took up refereeing for 4 years, before he rejoined the club in 1995, when his eldest son Michael started playing for the YM. Steve joined the Management Team, managing Michaels team from Under 9's through to under 15's. In 1999, he took over from Mark Cowburn as Chairman and Treasurer and remains Club Chairman today. Under his leadership, the Club has now progressed to include football for Under 8's Boys and the Club made a big leap forward in 2003 when we introduced Girls football for the first time. This has now progressed to three age groups and will possibly move to four in the 2008/9 season. Steve is currently managing the Under 16s for their final season, where his younger son Daniel is one of the goalkeepers.

Lyn first became involved in the YMCA during the mid 1970 as a team manager after managing a team at the now defunct Layton-based Brooklyn Corinthians. He managed YMCA teams for nearly 20 years and one team he managed in the early 1980s achieved four successive league and cup ‘doubles’. In 1980 he took over the role as Seafield Rd groundsman on a paid part time basis and the quality of the pitches became renowned and admired throughout the North West. He retired 2 years ago after 25 years service just after he had received the FA’s Northern Region’s ‘Groundsman of the Year’ award. He has continued to work down at the ground in a voluntary capacity and still spends many hours of his time at the ground every week. Lyn became deputy chairman of our club during the early 1990s and his experience in various aspects of junior football proves invaluable.

‘Lozz’ first became involved with the club in June 1972 as a team manager then became club secretary just 3 months later. In 1974 he qualified as an FA Coach and also as a class 1 referee. Managed YMCA teams for 35 years and, running both Saturday and Sunday teams simultaneously for 15 of these years, he completed 50 campaigns as a junior team manager. Played local amateur football for 17 years in his younger years and he also refereed over 500 games in local football. Served the Blackpool & Dist Youth Football League as Fixtures Secretary for 3 years during the mid-70s and has been Press Officer for the Poulton Primary League for the past 30 years. In the late 1970s he began producing the club magazine ‘Soccermag’ and also launched the first Summer Soccer School which still runs today. He organised Christmas indoor 4-a-side tournaments at the YMCA for 27 years and outdoor tournaments at Seafield on May Day Bank Holiday weekends for over 20 years.

Roger is the youngest and newest member of our club Officers. He was a centre worker at St Annes YMCA when he became interested in youth team management. He started a team off at under 9s and took them through to under 12s winning one league championship on the way. He stood down because of a change in jobs and after working for Blackpool Council’s Sport in the Community he joined the staff of the Lancashire Football Association in the Club Development Department and has recently been promoted to head of that department. Roger offered to take over the role of club treasurer 2 years ago and is already proving an
excellent appointment to the club. He was only married 2 years ago and has no children as yet but he has volunteered to become the club’s Child Protection Officer, a position every Charter Standard club has to have. He played all his junior football at St Annes FC (formerly Our Lady JFC).