The Lions were formed in 1997 by Chris Gregory, and had only an Under 8s team during their first season. Since then the Club has developed strongly and now has teams at seven age groups. Despite being outside the Rugby League heartlands and in an area where League is not commonly played in schools, the Club has attracted youngsters from across Bolton, and some from outside the Borough boundaries. Several players have represented Service Area teams and have appeared in the Greater Manchester Youth Games. The Under 8s and Under 9s have regularly appeared in curtain raiser games at Super league grounds. The club boasts a playing membership of almost 100 registered players, a strong Committee structure, a social side and (slowly) improving facilities. The Clubs next target is to achieve Clubmark status.

Recent Developments

Westhoughton Lions has recently expanded with the assistance of the Sports Development Unit at Bolton Council. The Clubs Under 14 and Under 18 teams now play on a full length pitch at Southfield Drive, Westhoughton, only a short walk from the Clubs existing home ground The Den at The Hoskers. In addition, the Club is, with the assistance of the Council, now seeking ways of developing and improving its original home at The Hoskers. Recent developements have seen the formation of a combined Cricket and Rugby League francise which is currently in the process of building a new state of the art "Club House" with all facilities for both cricket and rugby , including all weather pitch and lighting.

Information

The Lions have teams at U8, U9, U10, U11, U12, U14 & U18, Girls , levels and offer children (boys and girls) in school years 1-11 opportunities to train for and play Rugby League in a friendly environment. All coaching is undertaken by BARLA qualified coaches and the Club is fully BARLA insured. The Lions train most Saturday mornings at The Den(Cunningham Road) between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. Some teams have additional evening training sessions at various times during the year. Games are normally played on Sundays