LADYBRIDGE FC chairman Steve Hill has shed light on the club's masterplan to achieve North West Counties League football within five years.

The club, which Hill founded in 1989, has risen up the ranks to Division One of the West Lancashire League.

But it is hoped the investment in an all-weather pitch, plus the recent addition of floodlights, will help push Ladybridge up to the next level.

"The aim is to build the best facilities of any amateur club in Bolton," said Hill.

"First and foremost, we are dedicated to providing a base for the community to provide football all year round, and the all-weather pitch and floodlights are a big part of that.

"But the hope is that, if we have the best facilities then they will help us attract the best players, which should help us climb up the leagues.

"In the short term, we want to earn promotion from Division One and become well established in the Premier Division.

"But our ambition is make it into the North West Counties in five years' time.

"It would be fantastic to be able to compete with the top amateur clubs in the area, like Atherton Collieries, Atherton LR and Daisy Hill.

"To do that you have to be able to attract the best players.

"There is only a small pool of players in the area who can help you to do that, so to be able to boast a floodlit pitch, which will guarantee football throughout the winter, when other clubs maybe are not playing for months at a time, should help attract the best talent."

Ladybridge started at a base in Ladybridge Lane, off Chorley New Road in 1989 and moved to the current site at St John's Park in Tempest Road, Lostock in 2002.

Hill and the club raised their own funds to lay an all-weather pitch in November 2013, while a £56,000 grant from the Football Foundation in December helped pay towards the new floodlights, which cost £91,146.

"The floodlights represent the opportunity for us to be completely independent," added Hill.

"We estimate they will save us up to £20,000 a year in winter training facilities.

"That money will be put into a sinking fund that will allow us to replace and relay the artificial surface in 10 years' time.

"It will also increase the time we can hire the pitch out to other local clubs, and any money we earn from that will be reinvested into new facilities at the club.

"Our own sides come first, and we host around 20 matches a week on the pitch for Ladybridge teams of all age groups.

"But we have also been inundated by requests from other local sides to use the pitch over the winter, so we are already seeing the benefits of the investment we have put in over the years.

"My phone has been ringing off the hook over the past few months, and we have been happy to help whenever it has been possible.

"We charge the going rate and any money raised from hiring the pitch out has been put back into the coffers to help update the rest of the club's facilities, such as the changing rooms and social club, which can only help us with our long-term aims."

Rules agreed when the planning application for the floodlights was granted restrict the use of the floodlights up to 9pm, Monday to Friday, and up to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday.