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Monday, 11 August 2008 00:42
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Wickford Town YFC is one of the longest serving clubs in the Community, having been in existence for more than 35 years. Following are brief highlights of the clubs history.

1969

  1. A junior section to the Wickford Town F.C. was launched and when the adult club folded later that year, the junior section affiliated itself to the Essex Association of Boys clubs and renamed itself Wickford Town Boys Club.  Team colours – Old Gold shirts, Black shorts and socks.

1970

  1. The first Committee was just 4 members – Founder George Merrin, assisted by Reg Bailey, John Carter and Audrey Carter. A single team (Under 12’s) played in the Basildon Youth League.
  2. Some years later George Merrin would emigrate to Cairns, Australia where he is in 2006 still involved in youth soccer running the Far North Queensland Football Association. Apart form his regular duties, George organises European tours for his representative sides, which includes here in the UK sightseeing, visiting Premiership League teams and playing friendly matches against Wickford Town and other local teams, so the original links are still being maintained.

1974

  1. This year saw the start of a long running friendship with the German side Fortuna Bredeney in the town of Essen, West Germany. Numerous exchange visits and tournaments were regularly held between the two clubs over a 16-year period.  Each year two teams from Fortuna would visit Wickford during the Easter weekend and two teams from Wickford would travel to Essen during the May bank holiday.  Players and officials would stay with host families.  Apart from football there would be a number of non-football social events and many long-term friendships were made.

1981

  1. Wickford Town for some unknown reason weren't being invited to 5-a-side competitions so the football secretary decided that the club would run its own. The tournament was held on what was known as the 'Runwell Pitch' in Old Southend Road, a piece of land that had been left to the youth of Wickford by local resident on Colonel Burton.  It is said that before the war both Arsenal FC and Essex County Cricket team played on this site.

1983

  1. John Bartlett took over as club chairman, a position he would hold for 11 years.  John retired from the position in 1994 and was elected into the honorary position of club President.

1989

  1. The club had grown to 15 teams that required more pitches, more training and more dedicated people to run the club.  Football matters were still split from club matters the small committee would continue to have monthly meetings at someone's house.
  2. A team manager had found for his team a kit sponsor; the manager purchased Yellow shirts, Green shorts and Yellow socks.  Much discussion took place at the next committee meeting where the decision was made to adopt the colour scheme as the new club colours. 

1998

  1. The club changed its name to Wickford Town Youth FC to reflect the growing interest and involvement of girls and to reflect the non-discriminatory policy in the club.
  2. Child protection officer appointed.

1999

  1. Formation of the girl’s section of the club.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 18 May 2010 11:29
 

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