Jump to content

Northfield Town F.C.

Add links
Coordinates: 52°25′27.04″N 1°57′57.90″W / 52.4241778°N 1.9660833°W / 52.4241778; -1.9660833
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Northfield Town Juniors F.C)

Northfield Town
Up The Town
Full nameNorthfield Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Town
Short nameNTFC
Founded1966
Ground'The Lane' @Shenley Lane Community Association
Capacity500
ChairAl Jones
SecretaryMatt Onions
Management TeamRyan Smith, Sam Smith, Jack Gauntlet
LeagueMidland League Division Two
2024–25Midland League Division Two, 1st of 15 (promoted)
Websitewww.facebook.com/NorthfieldTown/

Northfield Town Football Club is an amateur football club based in the Selly Oak/Northfield area in the South of the City of Birmingham, England. The senior first team play in the Midland League Division Two.

History

[edit]

Although the name of Northfield Town Football Club came into being in 1966, its origins go back to the early 1930s, then playing under the name of Allen's Cross Football Club, which was part of the Allen's Cross Sports Club. Due to the success of the sports ground and the permission of a bar being allowed from Cadburys in 1970, the Allen's Cross Sports Club grew and went from strength to strength, which resulted in the sports ground requesting to break away from the Allen's Cross Community Association (which was the original lease holder of the current sports ground on Shenley Lane) in 1983. There was an initial reluctance, but an eventual agreement to the request, with the understating that the new organisation become a community association, which was the birth of Shenley Lane Community Association & Sports Centre.

In its early days the club had two teams Allen's Cross F.C. Seniors & Allen's Cross F.C. Juniors, the clubs teams had spells in the Kings Norton League, Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance and the Mercian League, then the senior team joined the Midland Combination in 1957 (then known as the Worcestershire Combination). The senior team won the League Challenge Cup in their first year and the League Championship in 1961–62. Following an amalgamation with another successful local side, Castle Rovers, the club played briefly as Cross Castle United before adopting the present title of Northfield Town in 1966.

In 2013 Northfield Town F.C. amalgamated with Shenley Radford Youth F.C. to create a youth system. This was the beginning of Northfield Town Juniors F.C. then becoming Northfield Town Foundation in 2025 after gaining charity status.

The 2013–14 season was the last season in the Midland Football Combination, in which 'The Town' finished 13th before entering the newly formed Midland Football League for the 2014–15 season. For the 2021–22 season the club went through some major changes and made the decision to join the Birmingham and District Football League, with the hope this will help the clubs growth in the long term. The changes made have started to come to fruition sooner than expected, with a rise for the senior first team back to the Midland Football League Division 2 for the 2024–25 season, a creation of a development team to help our players transitioning from U18 to open age football competing in the Birmingham and District Football League in season 2023–24, our first venture into the Midland Floodlit Youth League for our U18 team in season 2024-25 and for the season 2023-24 we created a girls section at the club with our first girls team playing in the Central Warwickshire Girls Football League. Along with all this we have managed to keep growing the junior section of the club with our teams competing in the Midland Junior Premier League, the Mercian Junior Football League, the Central Warwickshire Youth Football League and the Central Warwickshire Girls Football League.

During the 2024/25 season the club broke the previous record attendance (of 124 people set in the 2016/17 season Vs Montpellier) twice. Firstly Vs Cadbury Athletic, with 151 people attending the match, and then again, on what was viewed as the division two title decider, Vs Knowle F.C. with 393 people attending the match. If Knowle F.C. had won that match, they were the league champions, if Northfield Town won, it meant that the title wouldn't be decided until Northfield Town had played their next two fixtures, fortunately Northfield Town won 1–0, and then won the following fixture to be crowned the division two champions.

Club badge and colours

[edit]

The early clubs history was incorporated into the current club badge, with the X representing Allen's Cross Football Club & the castle representing Castle Rovers.

The club colours changed in 2013 as part of the agreement with the amalgamation with Shenley Radford Youth F.C. The home kits are Black and White vertical stripes with a hint of red in the shirts (Shenley Radford's traditional colours), the away kit is Blue and Yellow (Northfield Town's traditional colours)

For the 2016/17 season and to celebrate 50 years of the club, the senior first team wore the Blue and Yellow kit at home, in honour to the milestone and the clubs history, with the black and white strip being used as an away kit.

Ground

[edit]

The home games for the Northfield Town F.C. 1st and Development teams, Northfield Town F.C. Veterans teams and the Northfield Town F.C. Junior girls and boys teams are played at 'The Lane' @ Shenley Community Association and Sports Centre, based in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham. The Northfield Town F.C. U18 team currently play their home matches at Shenley Academy, based in the Weoley Castle area of Birmingham.

The present sports ground was initially the playing fields for the Allen's Cross Sports Club which was part of the greater Allen's Cross Community Association and they were the "parent body" until 1983, the current body of the sports ground is Shenley Lane Community Association & Sports Centre.

The playing fields were opened for use in 1935, that year King George V and Queen Mary were celebrating the Silver Jubilee of their reign, to mark the event a fund was set up, called the King George V Playing Fields Fund. The Allen's Cross Community Association obtained funds from the Birmingham Branch of the National Playing Fields Association, the Birmingham Civic Society, Bournville Village Trust and other donors.[1]

On 1 April 1937, a 99-year lease for the playing fields was agreed between Cadburys and The Birmingham Common Good Trust to create the Allen's Cross Sports Ground, which was a subsidiary of the Allen's Cross Community Association. At this time work started on a clubhouse pavilion, provided by the Feeney Trust, a tarmac tennis court and a caretaker's house, all of which were officially opened on 27 August 1938 by George Cadbury JR. At this time the sports fields were laid out for two football pitches and one cricket pitch.

When Cadburys formed a partnership with Schweppes in the early 1970s, three of their properties, the Allen's Cross Sports Ground, Weoley Hill Cricket and Tennis Club and the Cadbury Club, were allowed to have a bar. The sports club then went from strength to strength while the Community Hall was struggling and in the red.[2]

Due to the success of the sports ground, the Allen's Cross Sports Club grew and went from strength to strength, which resulted in the committee from sports ground requesting to break away from the Allen's Cross Community Association in 1983. Discussions took place and there was an initial reluctance, Chris Cadbury, then the President of the Association, reluctantly agreed to the request, with the understating that the new organisation become a community association. With that, the sports ground 'broke' from its parent body, the Allen's Cross Community Association. It became a registered charity in its own right and was renamed Shenley Lane Community Association & Sports Centre. It originally consisted of Northfield Town Football Club, Allen's Cross Cricket Club and Shenley Radford Youth Football Club.

At the same time a development plan was put into place and with the help of the Prince's Trust a brand new changing block, entrance, stand and toilets were added. Later an all-weather pitch was built.

Various developments have taken place over recent years, most significantly the security fencing, but are usually limited to "refurbishments" due to limited funds.

From the opening of the sports ground the football club are the only surviving group, although with a name change, playing at the ground from 1938 to the present day. The Allen's Cross Cricket Club played at the ground from 1938 to 2002. There have been some cricket clubs that have rented the cricket pitch from season to season, but there is now a long term renter in Shenley Fields Cricket Club, who formed in 2013 and have been at the sports ground since then and up to the present day.

Honours

[edit]

Seniors

Juniors

  • Birmingham County Youth Cup (Saturday & Sunday combined)[3]
    • Winners 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1987–88
    • Runners Up 1972–73, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1985–86
  • Birmingham County Minor Cup (U16s)
    • Winners 1993–94, 1999–00, 2013–14
    • Runners-up 1998–99, 2001–02, 2008–09, 2012–13
  • Worcestershire County Youth Cup winners
    • 4 times
  • Birmingham A.F.A Youth Cup winners
    • Winners 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993-94[4]
    • Runners-up 1988–89, 1992–93
  • Mercian A.F.A. Premier Championship
    • 1982/83
  • Mercian A.F.A. Division One Champions
    • 1973/74
  • Mercian A.F.A. Senior Cup
    • 1979/80
  • Aston Villa Shield
    • Winners 1973–74, 1979–80
  • Queens Hospital Cup
    • Winners 1985–86

Records

[edit]
  • FA Vase
    • 3rd Round 1988-89[5]
  • Record Attendance
    • 2024-25 season, Saturday 5 April 2025, Vs Knowle F.C. - 393
  • Birmingham Youth Cup (Saturday & Sunday Combined)
    • Most times winners - 6
    • Most final appearances - 10

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Allens Cross – About Us".
  2. ^ Wood, Donald (22 July 2010). "Voices From Allens Cross". Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Birmingham County Cup Winners.Docx". Birmingham County AFA. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Birmingham Amateur Football Association" (PDF). Birmingham AFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2014.
  5. ^ Northfield Town Football History Database
[edit]

52°25′27.04″N 1°57′57.90″W / 52.4241778°N 1.9660833°W / 52.4241778; -1.9660833

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northfield_Town_F.C.&oldid=1303627636"