FEATURE: Brickfield Rangers are now major achievers on the pitch – as well as off it

Until this season Brickfield Rangers were a club renowned more for their successes off the field rather than on it.

Since the turn of the millennium, the Wrexham outfit have won endless local, regional and national awards for their football community development work.

But at the weekend, the Clywedog Park based club achieved the greatest on the pitch feat in its 39-year-history.

Brickfield Rangers were crowned 2024-25 Ardal North East champions to secure promotion to the Welsh pyramid Tier 2 for the very first time.

Next season the club will compete in the Cymru North alongside big North Wales football names such as Airbus UK Broughton, Holywell Town and Llandudno. Rangers will fly the flag for the Wrexham area with Gresford Athletic.

This season’s successes owe much to a Brickfield management team led by former multi trophy-winning Rhyl, TNS and Prestatyn Town midfielder Gareth Wilson.

Appointed manager in July 2020. Wilson’s role began in earnest at the start of 2021-22 when Brickfield joined the tier 3 Ardal North West League.

After three moderately productive seasons, Brickie switched to the Ardal North East for 2024-25 and landed the first league title in their history.

Brickfield Rangers FC was founded by local parents in 1976 comprising just one youth team, but now runs more than 30 sides including under 4’s, under 19’s and two adult teams.

At the start of 2024/25, Brickie received a Platinum Award in the FAW accreditations, making them one of only two clubs in Wrexham to achieve this honour.

This remarkable accomplishment reflected the dedication of the club’s numerous teams and commitment of more than 300 young players who participate each week.

However, award-winning achievements are nothing new to Rangers, who unlike their Scottish half-namesakes wear green and white hoops.

Consider these honours

• In 2007, 2012 and 2017, Brickie scooped the prestigious FAW Football Trust Club of the Year award sponsored by McDonalds, and was named Wrexham County Borough Council Sports Club of the Year in 2009 and 2013.
• At the 2014 FAW Welsh Community Football Awards, chairman Paul Hooson received the Lifetime Achievement accolade from Wales and Manchester United great Ryan Giggs.
• Another illustrious award was Game on Wales Community Club of the Year 2016

Club Legends

Since 1976, Brickfield have also nurtured the talents of players who have gone on to much bigger things.

Their most celebrated products include former Wales international midfielder Robbie Savage and the Whitley brothers, Jim and Jeff, who represented Wrexham and Manchester City.

Senior football history

Brickfield did not enter senior football until 1994-95, when they joined the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area).

They won promotion to Division One in 1999-2000 and from 2000-01 until the WNL disbanded in 2019-20, competed in the Premier, finishing runners-up in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Also in 2017-18, the club landed its first major trophies when the Reserves lifted the Welsh National League Reserves and Colts Division league title and cup double.

Top scorer Matthew Wareham, Scott Swords, Zack Price, Sam Giles, Steve Molyneux, Dave Hooson and Phil Carr were among the leading players involved.

As well as winning the Ardal North East League title this season, Brickfield are also on course to make it a double as they meet Porthmadog in the Ardal North League Cup Final at Rhyl on May 17.

How amazing would that be for Gareth Wilson to win another major trophy with Brickfield at the ground where he experienced his biggest successes as a player.