Two North East football fans, Matt Lawn and Chris Towers, have turned their lifelong passion for the beautiful game into Football Squirts—a thriving coaching business for toddlers and young children aged two to six. Their fast-growing model, built on fun, confidence-building sessions and structured early-years football activities, is now expanding through a network of licensed territories across the region.
The latest addition to the Football Squirts family is Blyth, led by new territory owner Lewis Brannen, a former Newcastle United youth player who joined the organisation earlier this year. The Blyth venue is based at Bede Academy.
Football Squirts began after Matt returned from two years playing football in the United States and saw an opportunity to create fun, inclusive sessions focused on enjoyment rather than ability. Chris, who began coaching while at university and gained experience working with football charity programmes across the North East, later joined him. Together they launched their first branch in Ponteland and have since expanded to operate in Great Park, Gosforth, Ponteland, Morpeth, Whitley Bay, and now Blyth.
To support their growth, the pair have partnered with Morpeth-based business strategist and coach Linda Lowther from Advice 4 Business North East, whose role has been to help professionalise and scale the operation.
“As a business advisor, my job is to take the lads’ long-term vision and turn it into something structured, profitable, and sustainable,” said Linda. “That includes refining their tried-and-tested model and preparing it for new territory owners. The business has grown significantly over the past 14–15 years and bringing in people like Lewis is the natural next step.”
Lewis, who joined as a territory owner in June 2025, brings both professional football experience and strong community ties.
“I played for Newcastle from the age of 11, then moved into engineering after I was released,” he said. “When I met Matt and Chris earlier this year, I knew straight away this was the right move. The chance to run the Blyth territory and help young children fall in love with football was too good to miss.”
Football Squirts sessions are built around fun, encouragement and confidence, rather than competitiveness.
“When the kids come in, we greet them, get them smiling, and make sure they feel welcome straight away,” said Lewis. “It’s all about fun games, energy, and giving them a great experience. Football ability doesn’t matter—what matters is that every child leaves with a smile on their face.”
With a growing network and a clear pathway for new territory owners, Football Squirts is well on its way to becoming a leading early-years football coaching brand in the North East and beyond.
For more information about being a part of the football squirts journey contact: hello@footballsquirts.co.uk
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Photo: Matt Lawn, Linda Lowther, Chris Towers with young squirts (The Bigger Picture)
Photo: Matt and Chris with Linda (Bigger Picture)
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