23-05-2025
Football club's summer gala attended by nearly 6,000 people
A grassroots football club near Carlisle has enjoyed a 'brilliant' summer gala, which was attended by nearly 6,000 people.
Warwick Wanderers AFC, who are based at Warwick Bridge's Downagate, hosted their popular annual summer gala on Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18.
The club was founded by former chairman Kevin Dobinson in 1997.
A Warwick Wanderers AFC girl's team pose for a picture with their medals (Image: Supplied) The 2025 summer gala was attended by 2,380 players from across Cumbria, Southern Scotland, and Northumberland, and around 6,000 people across the weekend.
Nick Stobbs has been organising the annual gala for 17 years, and after the latest event, was on hand to discuss the success of the weekend and changes that had been made for the first time in over 20 years to make the gala more efficient and inclusive.
He said: "We had a record number of players over the weekend, and we expect that the footfall was about 6,000 across the whole event.
Players enjoy a spin on one of the gala's amusement park rides (Image: Supplied) "We were really lucky with the weather, and we changed the format this year for the first time in over 20 years.
"We automated the gala with an app called Tournify, so everyone could see the live scores and group standings instantly after each round, and that kept everyone engaged.
"We wanted to be more inclusive as well, so this year we made the gala longer.
"Historically, two out of the five teams in the round robin group stage would go through the knockout stages, but this year, first and second went into a 'Champions League' competition, and third and fourth went into a 'Europa League' competition.
(Image: Supplied) "We doubled the number of teams in the knockout stages, meaning we had double the number of winners, and we ended up giving out 1,400 out of the nearly 2,500 players who attended, which was brilliant.
"We had more players up on stage receiving their medals, and that was one of the highlights of the weekend."
Nick was also keen to thank the gala's main sponsors, Lloyd Motor Group, who have already committed to supporting the club's 2026 gala.
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