A COMMUNITY rugby league club that saw junior teams have to disband following the theft of more than £27,000 from its accounts has bounced back to become a thriving hub once again, its chairman has said.

The Star reported after Jennifer Morrison, who had been treasurer at Haydock Warriors, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on March 22 after stealing the sum from the club between 2018 and 2022.

Her thieving was made of hundreds of “dishonest withdrawals” from the club’s accounts.

The court heard she had taken steps to pay some of the money back, with £27,353.45 the “nett” sum stolen from the club.

The court heard that the thefts had led to “harm” to the children who “missed out on the benefits” of being at the club and also “to the club more generally” and that it had “gradually eroded trust in the community and caused teams to pull out”.

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Morrison’s thieving came to light in December 2022, after chairman Stephen Howarth saw bank statements showing the irregular transactions.

Mr Howarth told the Star said the club had been left “in tatters” in the wake of the thefts but has managed to rebuild steadily over the past 15 months or so.

The club had been reduced to just two teams at its lowest ebb, one with 13 children and one with 11, having lost around three teams during 2022.

Club has regained 'momentum' and rebuilt

Mr Howarth says the club has since “recruited well”, particularly for its girls’ section.

Haydock Warriors has seen numerous junior teams through the age groups reform and the open age team. This has “attracted more past players, a lot of those returned and they brought their children,” he added.

Mr Howarth said the club has gone into 2024 and that “momentum has carried on” and was nominated for a couple of awards with the St Helens Community Club Foundation.

The progress was apparent as 250 turned up for the open age’s first game of the season.

Describing the club as a “community asset” in Haydock, Mr Howarth said it is continuing to look forward including plans for a masters team.

“It has been a slow process and we’ve built up that relationship with all the sponsors and trust that the community is operating as it should be,” he added.

“That’s been as more people have come back and been able to see.”

St Helens Star: The unveiling of new facilities at King George V Playing Fields in HaydockThe unveiling of new facilities at King George V Playing Fields in Haydock (Image: St Helens Council)

The club has also been boosted by upgrades to its facilities including a new multi-use games area with a 3G playing surface and timed floodlights thanks to a £278,000 investment into the King George V (KGV) playing fields as part of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 Legacy Funding.

Morrison, of Fosters Road, Haydock, who had pleaded guilty to theft, was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, due to her “very considerable mitigation” having stolen the money due to her addiction to gambling.