Club History ....
The Early Days
It all started in the late summer of 1989 as an idea born out of necessity. Football in general was very much in vogue, the local children at Welland Primary School had a football pitch next door and lots of enthusiasm, but no-one to organise them. Football was not a regular part of the school curriculum with the 5 female teachers reluctant to organise matches, or accept offers to visit other schools.
Peter Manion came up with the idea of starting a Saturday morning football club on the field next to the school to provide an outlet for all that enthusiasm. He approached Gordon Algeo to help him, and on that first morning in October 1989 they waited to see if anyone would turn up. But by the end of that first session there had been 22 kids, and Football Club had been born. Initially it was called Welland Primary Football Club and was only open to the pupils from the school with the age range typically only 8 to 11.
Encouraged by the Headmistress Mrs Richardson, the venture grew steadily in popularity and
numbers. More and more dads joined in to help with the coaching sessions, including John
Craddock, Don Atkinson, Dave Alderson, Dave Waite and Lee Dyment without all of whom the
club could not have survived, as the numbers grew to around 80 children during the first year. It
was around this time that Karen Manion took on the unenviable role of secretary, to co-ordinate all
the internal and external activities.
The original objectives of the club were simply to provide coaching, and enjoyment whilst helping children to develop their skills in a non competitive environment. Ability never was (and still isn't) a criteria for being eligible to join the club. In the early years the club didn't take part in the Mercian League, only playing friendly matches against other local sides and helping out the school when they took part in the local Small Schools Tournaments. After about 4 years the next obvious step was finally taken and a side was entered into the Mercian League at Under 12's. The inevitable then followed, with the Under 12's moving up to the Under 13's the following season, with the club entering a new side at Under 12's. This steadily progressed until there were 5 sides playing at every level from Under 12's to Under 16's and even Welland Youth participating in the Stourport League at Under 17's. It was during this period that the club was re-named to Welland Juniors and became affiliated to the FA.
The age range of the club naturally expanded right through from 5 to 18, with the number of
pitches, coaches and helpers increasing proportionately. The ethos and beliefs of the club have still not changed over 20 years. It is still only non-competitive football for the younger age groups, with the emphasis just as much on development and fun as it ever was. Even with the older age groups, where many championships and cups have been collected over the years, there is still a balance being achieved in using the whole squad as much as possible.
Welland Juniors has grown over the years to a membership base of over 300 children, making it the biggest club in South Worcestershire and a close second to Newtown Sports as the biggest in the county. From small beginnings, girls football has also been successfully introduced with Welland now able to sustain 4 girls teams.
During 2008 the Club was presented with the ‘County Winner Club Award' in recognition of our commitment to:
- Junior football in the community
- Plans for funding and facility development
- Charter Standard renewal
- Sustained growth and extensive member training program
- Introduction of girl’s football teams and our cooperation with MHDC
In 2008 Welland Junior Football Club achieved the level of FA Charter Standard Club, before going on to reach highest level possible, of FA Community and Charter Standard club, in 2009.
This award can only be achieved by placing the club at the heart of the community, and developing a high quality, multi-team (minimum of 10 teams) set up with excellent social, training and playing opportunities for all. As such, the number of Community Clubs is one of the truest measures of success for The FA Football Development strategy.
With the club getting ready for its 21st birthday later in 2010, it’s also perfect timing for the club to prepare for the future by celebrating the completion of its new Pavilion at Spitalfields in the next few weeks.