Cramlington United launches new club app

Cramlington United, one of the North East’s largest community football clubs, has launched its own official app.

The Northumberland outfit, formed in 2010, are aiming to move its communication out of scattered social media feeds and into one place run by the club itself.

Cramlington have grown steadily over the past 16 years, and now counts over 1,000 players, families and volunteers in their community. They field teams across the age groups, and have even built a fully female pathway from under-sevens through to under-18s and open-age women's football, alongside a Wildcats programme that introduces girls to the game from the age of five.

The new app - free to download on the App Store and Google Play - offers members, parents, senior players, and the wider community club news, fixtures, results, match reports, and a full club events calendar, with notifications for important updates.

Dave Malone, Chair of Cramlington United, said, "We've got approximately 900 players playing football week in, week out, and 160 volunteers, so it's quite a big organisation within the community. The app was suggested to us through Northumberland FA, who put us in touch with Community Club App.

“The main reason for going ahead was that we could quickly improve communication with coaches, parents, senior players and the community. Another one of the biggest challenges of running a grassroots club is ensuring a stable financial background, and this app will help with that too. The aim is also to get some sponsors on there, giving some funds back to the club.”

The app was built with Community Club App, which provides fully branded apps for grassroots football clubs across the UK. Stuart Holmes, managing director, said: "Clubs like Cramlington United are run by volunteers who give up hours every week to keep grassroots football going. Their app puts the whole club in one place - better communication for families, less admin for volunteers, and a new way for local businesses to get behind the club."

Mark Hedley, who has been involved with the club since it formed in 2010 and acts as female development officer, said: "Communication is hugely important. We've often used Facebook, which has been very successful, but everybody's got a phone and most people download apps. It's brilliant for the club and it's definitely a positive step forward."

The Cramlington United app is available now - search "Cramlington United" on the App Store or Google Play, or visit cramutdfc.co.uk to download.