Southport FC club legend Eric Redrobe has passed away, aged 81.
Redrobe made his debut for the club against Port Vale in 1966, going on to make 192 appearances for the Sandgrounders, scoring 55 goals. He was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2019 and had previously been voted as the club’s greatest ever player as part of centenary celebrations for the Professional Footballer’s Association in 2007.
Having earned a reputation rugged, efficient play, he remained incredibly popular at Haig Avenue even after departing the club, and was a regular attendee at Haig Avenue until the time of his death, having retired to the Wigan area.
He also played in the Football League for Hereford United and Bath City.
Announcing his death, Southport Football Club called him “one of most recognisable and much loved figures” in the club’s history.
“Our thoughts are with Eric’s family and friends at this sad time.” said Southport FC.
Hereford United said in a statement: “On behalf of everyone associated with Hereford FC, I would like to pass on our condolences to Eric’s family and friends – our thoughts remain with them all at this sad time.”
A packed Haig Avenue erupted this afternoon as Southport booked their place in the FA Trophy semi-finals – and moved to within 90 minutes of a Wembley final – after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Yeovil Town.
The Sandgrounders looked set for a frustrating exit until Teddy Lavelle produced a moment of brilliance in the 88th minute, drilling home a stunning equaliser to make it 1-1 and force the tie to spot-kicks. Southport then held their nerve from 12 yards, with Danny Lloyd firing in the decisive penalty to seal victory.
Yeovil had taken an early lead after a defensive mistake gifted James Daly an opening. The forward rounded Southport goalkeeper George Pickford and calmly rolled the ball into the net.
The quarter-final was often tense and cagey, with Yeovil looking to play a more technical game while Southport battled physically and asked questions down the flanks.
One major talking point came shortly after the break, with Southport’s selection dilemma in goal – Everton loanee Pickford or club stalwart Chris Renshaw – effectively settled in the 50th minute when Pickford was forced off injured. Renshaw stepped in and had little to do in open play, but was called upon in the shootout as the match headed for its finale.
It was Teddy Lavelle who sparked the celebrations, crashing home a thunderbolt in the 88th minute to cancel out Yeovil’s lead. The Sandgrounders might even have snatched it in normal time, only for a potential winner to be ruled out for handball shortly after.
Penalties were taken at the Brick End, in front of the Jack Carr Stand, where Yeovil faltered. Aaron Jarvis pulled his kick wide, while captain Jake Wannell sent his effort soaring high into the stand. Lloyd then stepped up to clinch it for Southport and spark more scenes of jubilation.
Southport will now go into Monday’s semi-final draw alongside Southend United, Wealdstone and local rivals Marine.
It is the club’s first appearance at this stage since 1998, when Southport beat Slough Town over two legs to reach Wembley – only to lose by a single goal to Cheltenham Town. This time, they are just one win away from returning to the national stadium.
Table-topping Southport RFC First XV will secure promotion with a win against Glossop at Waterloo Road on Saturday.
The hosts go into their final home game of the season sitting top of Counties 2 ADM Lancashire & Cheshire, a point clear of Bolton, with both the title race and the promotion place still to settle.
Southport remain undefeated all season at Waterloo Road.
The First XV could also secure the title on Saturday with victory over Glossop if Bolton lose to Heaton Moor.
Glossop’s 15-13 win at Hargate Hill Lane in February remains the last time Southport were beaten in the league, with the Derbyshire side now sitting seventh in the table.
Bolton inflicted Southport’s only other league defeat of the season in September and now sit one point back with two games left, level on wins and defeats.
Entry is free with the bar open at midday. Kick-off is 3pm.
Southport FC have been handed a trip to newly-promoted Hebburn Town to start their Enterprise National League North season.
Fixtures for the 2026/27 campaign were released at 11am this morning.
The Sandgrounders will also have a keen eye on their first competitive fixtures against rivals Morecambe for the first time in 20 years.
Morecambe will visit Haig Avenue early in the season, on Tuesday 8 September, with Southport heading to The Globe Arena in February.
Southport will play Marine away on Boxing Day, in a repeat of last year’s festive fixture.
Full list of Southport FC’s 2026/27 fixtures:
Sat – 8 Aug – 15:00 – Hebburn Town v Southport Sat – 15 Aug – 15:00 – Southport v Buxton Tue – 18 Aug – 19:45 – Hednesford Town v Southport Sat – 22 Aug – 15:00 – Southport v Bedford Town Sat – 29 Aug – 15:00 – Scarborough Athletic v Southport Mon – 31 Aug – 15:00 – Southport v Hereford
Sat – 5 Sep – 15:00 – Spalding United v Southport Tue – 8 Sep – 19:45 – Southport v Morecambe Sat – 12 Sep – 15:00 – Worksop Town v Southport Sat – 26 Sep – 15:00 – Southport v Spennymoor Town
Sat – 10 Oct – 15:00 – Harborough Town v Southport Sat – 17 Oct – 15:00 – Southport v Radcliffe Sat – 24 Oct – 15:00 – King’s Lynn Town v Southport Tue – 27 Oct – 19:45 – Southport v Macclesfield Sat – 31 Oct – 15:00 – Southport v AFC Telford United
Sat – 7 Nov – 15:00 – South Shields v Southport Sat – 21 Nov – 15:00 – Southport v Brackley Town Tue – 24 Nov – 19:45 – Darlington v Southport Sat – 28 Nov – 15:00 – Oxford City v Southport
Sat – 5 Dec – 15:00 – Southport v Merthyr Town Tue – 8 Dec – 19:45 – Southport v Hebburn Town Sat – 19 Dec – 15:00 – Buxton v Southport Sat – 26 Dec – 15:00 – Marine v Southport Mon – 28 Dec – 15:00 – Southport v Chester
Sat – 2 Jan – 15:00 – Southport v Chorley Sat – 9 Jan – 15:00 – Radcliffe v Southport Sat – 16 Jan – 15:00 – Southport v Worksop Town Sat – 23 Jan – 15:00 – Spennymoor Town v Southport Wed – 27 Jan – 19:45 – Southport v Darlington Sat – 30 Jan – 15:00 – Brackley Town v Southport
Sat – 6 Feb – 15:00 – Southport v South Shields Sat – 13 Feb – 15:00 – AFC Telford United v Southport Tue – 16 Feb – 19:45 – Macclesfield v Southport Sat – 20 Feb – 15:00 – Southport v King’s Lynn Town Tue – 23 Feb – 19:45 – Morecambe v Southport Sat – 27 Feb – 15:00 – Southport v Scarborough Athletic
Sat – 6 Mar – 15:00 – Bedford Town v Southport Tue – 9 Mar – 19:45 – Southport v Hednesford Town Sat – 13 Mar – 15:00 – Southport v Spalding United Sat – 20 Mar – 15:00 – Hereford v Southport Fri – 26 Mar – 15:00 – Chester v Southport Mon – 29 Mar – 15:00 – Southport v Marine
Sat – 3 Apr – 15:00 – Chorley v Southport Sat – 10 Apr – 15:00 – Southport v Harborough Town Sat – 17 Apr – 15:00 – Merthyr Town v Southport Sat – 24 Apr – 15:00 – Southport v Oxford City
Southport’s Tommy Fleetwood has teed off at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
The The FedEx Cup holder hit a decent tee shot at the first, reaching the left of the fairway, to begin his first round of the world’s oldest golf tournament, eventually making par having exceeded the green on his secodn shot.
Fleetwood hit the rough on 2 and 3, but recovered well to make par on both.
Fleetwood plays in the 10:09 game with former-PGA Tour #1 Jordan Speith and Spain’s Jon Ram.
This is the 11th time Royal Birkdale has hosted The Open, with over 300,000 spectators expected.
Fleetwood is third favourite with Ladbrokes to secure the Championship, after Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
A pioneering new pilot project aimed at improving support for victims of stalking and harassment has launched in Merseyside.
The initiative has been funded by Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, and will be delivered by MDVS (the Merseyside Domestic Violence and Stalking service) a leading organisation in the field of stalking advocacy and support.
Stalking and harassment occurs when someone repeatedly behaves in a way that makes a person feel scared, distressed, or threatened, and can be perpetrated by men or women. A stalker is a person who persistently engages in behaviours intended to maintain contact with or exercise power and control over another person. This can involve fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviour which causes distress, fear, and harassment to the victim.
Formally known as Chrysalis, MDVS has been established since 2003 and has provided trauma-informed support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse for more than 20 years, including working with the PCC on a previous project to challenge the behaviour of men identified as potential perpetrators of domestic abuse. Since 2019, the organisation has supported a growing number of stalking and harassment victims.
Evidence from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s survey of victims also highlighted stalking and harassment as an increasing area of concern, requiring more support to be put in place.
By launching this new service, the Police and Crime Commissioner aims to ensure there is specialist support service for all victims of stalking and harassment.
As part of the new service, there will be a dedicated Independent Stalking Advocacy Caseworker (ISAC) who will risk assess cases and provide quality support for victims.
The launch of this service supports the Police and Crime Commissioner and Merseyside Police’s Taking Action campaign which sets out their commitment to tackling Violence against Women and Girls, bringing offenders to justice and supporting anyone impacted.
This campaign, which first launched in September 2024, highlighted that 60% of women in Merseyside lived in fear of being stalked, following a survey of more than 4,000 women and girls.
To mark the launch of the new support service, a range of marketing materials have been produced which highlight the ‘red flags’ of stalking and harassment, encouraging victims and their friends and family to report it and seek help.
It is also another step forward in the PCC’s region-wide plan for tackling Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) which sets out a series of straight-forward and achievable actions for agencies across Merseyside to deliver to help eradicate VAWG.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “Stalking and harassment can have a devastating and profound impact on victims. Our research shows that incidents are on the increase, yet there is a gap in support for those affected.
“By launching this important new pilot, we’re focused on addressing that – providing specialist, tailored support to help protect victims and ensure they can live safely and without fear.
“I’m pleased to be working with MDVS to launch this service. With their experience, we can make a real difference in the lives of those affected by stalking and harassment.
“Supporting victims is a key commitment I’ve made through our Taking Action campaign and as part of my region-wide plan for tackling Violence against Women and Girls, so I am pleased to be delivering enhanced and expanded help and care for those who need it most.”
CEO of MDVS, Ayla Nasuh, said: “We are proud to lead this important pilot, which marks a major step forward in how stalking is recognised and responded to across Merseyside. Stalking is a serious and often misunderstood crime that can affect anyone, regardless of gender or relationship to the perpetrator, and the harm it causes is often devastating and long-lasting.
“At MDVS, we’ve spent many years developing a stalking-specific response that’s grounded in survivor voice, risk expertise, and multi-agency partnerships. This pilot enables us to build on that foundation, delivering specialist, trauma-informed support for victims-survivors of all stalking typologies, and strengthening the systems around them so they’re not left navigating it alone.
“We’re grateful to the PCC for recognising the urgent need for this work and for investing in a model that centres safety, choice, and meaningful change.”
Detective Chief Inspector Sue Hinds, Merseyside Police’s stalking lead said: “Stalking is a serious, distressing crime which can have a devastating impact on the lives of victims, their friends and family.
“Victims of stalking offences can quite rightly feel unsettled, distressed and isolated, which is why this pilot is so important to get the message out there that help, and support is always available.
“I would encourage anyone who believes they may be a victim of stalking to report the offences to the police. I want to assure those who do come forward that we will investigate reports thoroughly and with discretion and our officers will be on hand to provide safeguarding, support and reassurance.”
New Police Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell. Pictures Jason Roberts
By Community Contributor · 25th June 2025
A major new report published this week reveals the scale of demand on domestic abuse services across Merseyside and the urgent need for more stable, long-term funding to support victim-survivors.
Commissioned by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, the report was produced by national charity Women’s Aid and Liverpool John Moore University.
Drawing on the voices of frontline professionals, specialist service providers and commissioners, the report estimates that more than 117,000 people — predominantly women and children — experience domestic abuse in Merseyside each year.
Of these, approximately 10,000 victim-survivors a year are supported by 20 independent organisations working in the region and three local authorities currently providing in-house support, with some of those organisations reporting they are operating beyond a safe capacity.
The review highlights significant challenges, including short-term and fragmented funding, which leads to high staff turnover, and long waiting lists—particularly for therapeutic services. In turn, this often means victim-survivors miss out on having a single case worker with whom they can build trust. It also identifies gaps in provision for children and young people, and for marginalised groups such as Black and minoritised women and disabled people.
The report makes 20 recommendations to improve the oversight and coordination of domestic abuse funding, strengthen multi-agency working, and to ensure available resources are maximised and available to all communities.
The study stresses the importance of having specialist gender-specific services, the need for greater support for children and young people and for marginalised groups.
The findings will help to inform how the Police and Crime Commissioner works with partners to improve and streamline funding for domestic abuse support in the future to make sure services are sustainable, and that support is available to all victim-survivors across the region, removing any barriers people face when trying to access help.
Producing the report was a key action set out in the PCC’s ‘Working in partnership to tackle Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) across Merseyside’ delivery plan launched in November 2022 and supported by more than 50 partners across Merseyside. It is designed to ensure all agencies and organisations across the region have a clearer understanding of the local landscape to inform the collective efforts to improve support for victim-survivors.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “This report provides a sobering but vital insight into the pressures facing our domestic abuse services.
“It’s clear that demand far outstrips current provision, and that the system is being held together by the dedication of overstretched professionals.
“We need a more stable, joined-up and long-term funding model – one that gives services the security they need to plan for the future and ensures that every victim-survivor can access the right support at the right time.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed to this review for their honesty and collaboration – their input will guide our next steps.
“I am focused on using their insights to push for a coordinated approach to tackling domestic abuse, ensuring our limited resources are allocated efficiently and effectively, and we maximise every penny.
“We will now study the 20 recommendations closely and use them to inform how we fund services going forward. While there are no quick fixes or easy solutions, this report gives us a strong foundation to work from. We owe it to every survivor to build a future where domestic abuse is not tolerated in our society.
Women’s Aid’s CEO, Farah Nazeer, said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and Liverpool John Moores University to produce the first comprehensive review of spending on domestic abuse across Merseyside.
“We are grateful to the service providers, commissioners and stakeholders who took the time to participate in the review. Their insights combined with data produced by Women’s Aid and LJMU provided an in-depth understanding of the region’s response to victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
“The review found that in 2023-24, an allocation of around £6.5million from central government departments was being spent on a range of service types supporting over 10,000 victim-survivors across Merseyside.
“With over 100,000 adults and children estimated to be experiencing domestic abuse each year, however, and with the area having one of the highest rates of femicide in the country, there is an urgent need for a systematic, coordinated response that addresses key gaps in provision for children and young people as victim-survivors, Black and minoritised women and other marginalised groups.
“There is a need for greater recognition of the specialism held by independent providers, including those run by and for Black and minoritised women, and transparent and streamlined systems for data collection and reporting, including a centralised source of data relating to domestic abuse funding and spend.
“We would like to thank the PCC for her support in championing this work and hope that the findings will provide useful insight for the strategic response to domestic abuse in and beyond Merseyside.”
Senior Researcher for the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Violence Prevention (PHI) Nadia Butler said: “This review adds to a broader body of work across Merseyside that aims to strengthen an evidenced based and public health approach to preventing all forms of violence.
“The focus on domestic abuse is critical as we know from local and national evidence that such violence has huge impacts not only on victims and survivors but on the wider community, and increased investment is vital to prevent and respond to domestic abuse more effectively.
“This review provides a foundation for enhancing and sustaining adequate commissioning of domestic abuse services across Merseyside, and it’s recommendations should be considered not just by the OPCC, but by wider policy makers and practitioners to ensure a multi-agency approach.”
Women’s Aid and LJMU were chosen to carry out this research study following an open quotation process. The study included surveys with partners, stakeholder workshops, analysis of data and wider policy and literature.
Merseyside Police are appealing for information following increased reports of paramotors being flown at Crosby beach.
A paramotor is a powered paraglider and consists of a wing, a backpack-mounted engine, propeller system and a harness. Pilots must abide by aviation law, including the Air Navigation Order.
In recent weeks, Merseyside Polie have received numerous reports of pilots using paramotors on Burbo Bank, next to Crosby beach.
It’s been reported that pilots have been using a field next to the coastguard at Burbo Bank, which is a popular site for visitors, and they’ve gone on to travel extremely low to the ground despite the presence of families and children.
The site has been identified as a ‘congested area’ as per the Air Navigation Order, meaning pilots can’t take off or land without the express permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
During a recent report, officers attended and were able to identify a user of a paramotor and he was spoken to at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing into this particular incident.
Chief Inspector Rob Budden said: “We’ve received multiple reports in recent weeks of pilots using the busy area of Burbo Bank to take off, land and fly extremely low to the ground. This has caused members of the public, including families with young children, to feel unsafe.
“This is a very popular spot for families to visit and we are urging pilots to stop this dangerous behaviour.
“The matter is being taken extremely seriously and legal action will be pursued against those responsible.
“If you are aware of a paramotor being used in this manner, please get in touch. Similarly, if you have any information or footage of previous incidents, let us know and we will investigate.”
You can pass on information by calling 101 or contact Merseyside Police on social media @MerPolCC.
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Four people from Southport are set to receive royal honours from the King.
They include local paramedic Paul Smith and Hospital Chaplain Martin Abrams, who both played a vital role in the recovery of the town following the July 2024 tragedy.
Dr Justin Hill, Lately Chief Executive Officer, YMCA St Helens, and hospital practitioner Martin Johnson, who are also from Southport will too be honoured.
Rev Abrams, who helped lead the vigil in Southport last year, said he was incredibly humbled to be honoured.
He told Stand Up For Southport’s Andrew Brown: “When I first received the letter, I was amazed, humbled, surprised and excited, all at the same time.
“I always find recognition like this difficult as I think I am only doing my job.
“I believe awards and honours are not about an individual, but about the support received from the teams you work with. To be recognised with this MBE is an incredible personal honour, but I would also like to say a huge thank you and dedicate it to my wonderful colleagues, family and friends.”
