Saddleworth FC Special Awards
To celebrate the club's 10th anniversary, from Saddleworth Strikers to Saddleworth FC, in 2025, the following special awards were announced:
SFC Hall of Fame: Lennon Marler-Wallis
Lennon joined Saddleworth Strikers in our old Soccer School days and immediately showed a willingness and passion to play even in the mostchallenging of circumstances (we remember that first session in the pouring rain with the old carpet at Saddleworth School half flooded!)
Lennon then became part of a newly-formed u8s team and was popular with team-mates and coaches alike. The team struggled in the early years but Lennon kept going, showing he was a true survivor, and despite players coming and going Lennon was a constant in that side. His performances started to improve too, first as a defender and then as an agile goalkeeper. With his team moving into u13s/11-a-side football, Lennon has been an ever-present No1, earning himself most improved player in the 2024-25 season. His team has also picked up, strengthened over the years, and have been consistently earning high to mid-place finishes in their table.
As of 2025, Lennon is now the only original player from that team, with which he's been through many highs and lows. Without Lennon there to hold it all together, and lead from the back, the team would not be what it is today. Lennon truly deserves his place in the Hall of Fame
SFC Hall of Fame: Ollie Walker
Ollie first came to the club's attention as a three year old, would you believe, when he joined in with his brother George's Saddleworth Olympics football sessions. It soon became apparent that he had something special, as he would happily dribble past much older kids with ease. Ollie then started playing for George's team when they first formed and again despite being a few years younger made an impression in league matches. Eventually a team was formed at Ollie's own age group and that team blitzed opponents every week, with Ollie scoring 30, 40, 50 goals a season, and all types of goal too - even headers!
One thing that Ollie showed in those tender years was the range and vision that few do at such a young age. His passing and awareness was unparalleled and that continues to this day. As a bedrock of the team, they have propelled up the league and will be playing in EMJFL Division 2 in 2025-26. A huge part of that is Ollie, one of only a few original team members, and someone who has shown his dedication despite chances to move elsewhere. Ollie was coaches' player of the year in 2024-25 and has won special awards season after season, respected by players and supporters alike. Ollie's committment and efforts with SFC make him a very worthy Hall of Fame entrant.
The David Leach Supporter of the Year Award 2024/25: The Mallilieu Family
Through Seth and Ellis playing for SFC teams, the Mallilieu family have become entrenched in the ethos of the club. In 2024/25, Nicole kindly took on the role of Social Media Officer, and has done an amazing job raising our presence on Insta and Facebook, especially with the #sfcsundayservice posts. Nicole has thrown herself into the role and used her years of experience to produce some fantastic content which has been very well received across the community.
Seth earned himself a cup final win this season with his u8s Blacks team and has been versatile and brilliant in his matches this year, scoring crucial goals and winning tackle after tackle. Ellis came up trumps in goal for the u16s, helping the team reach 13 points (after last season's 2) with some stunning performances in goal and several POM awards.
However, it is not only the fact that Nicole and Matt have been there supporting their boys week-in-week out, but that the family travelled to U16s games even when Ellis was injured, including away from home. This, combined with Nicole's amazing work, and the fact that the family buy into everything we do, make them worth winners of the first ever David Leach Supporter of the Year trophy.
Remembering David Leach
We remember David Leach with huge fondness and joy in our hearts. Dave, through his sons Joshua and Noah, was a parent supporter with Saddleworth Strikers and Saddleworth FC for many years. Along with Alex, Dave's wife, the family would support their coaches no matter what, and provide positive comments to players and fellow parents even when performances and results were tough.
Dave's spirit and approach to junior football is what we all strive to follow and, with Alex's kind permission, we are proud to launch our Supporter of the Year award in Dave's memory and honour.