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Here's to the next 30 years ...... |
A couple of days ago, I had the chance to talk with Arthur Aveyard about how the club started...
Way back in 1974, when most of the world was engrosed in Watergate and Vietnam, and worldwide recession loomed darker every day, seven determined local parents each committed £15 of their own money (equivalent to £120 today!) to start Tingley Athletic FC.
Founding member Arthur Aveyard tells us it was all Bill Jeffery’s fault as it was his original idea to start a football club to give the local kids something constructive to do!
Bill, Derek Walker and Geff Killingbeck (original Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer respectively) all put a lot of time, effort and money in to get it going - relying on Geff’s abilities when funds were short as they often were in those days!
The club’s first manager and trainer was a chap called Brian Hawkridge who had been playing professionally at Bradford until injury cut his career short.
Brian’s first team was made up of 8 and 9 year olds, playing at U11 level, but they were that good, that they won everything, creating 3 county players, 7 Leeds City Boys players and 2 lads who had trials at England international level.
Other founders mucked in wherever possible, with Peter Woodhall designing our club logo, Laurie Mawson taking a stint at Secretary not once, but twice - helping out again when the club hit a bad patch.
It really is a great story of how things can be done for a community, giving local kids the chance to do something special, maybe emulating ex-Athletic player David Batty.
The club is bigger now with over 250 boys and girls playing [we hope!] great football and I’ll sum up by quoting Arthur’s conclusion of our chat together...
"I would like to thank the current committee and members for this tremendous effort put into to secure this excellent playing area and clubhouse. The above seven along with many more know how difficult it will have been to achieve this. We tried many times but were told the club would fade and die when the children grew older and the committee left the club. Its taken 30 years to prove them wrong. Our dream of teaching the game to the very young the correct way to allow these players to find his or her level without them having to leave this club until they were ready is at last within sight.
I am sure I speak for all seven of us when I say thank you for your efforts with our young community and very good luck on your exciting future at this new ground"
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