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Northfield Town F.C.

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Coordinates: 52°25′27.04″N 1°57′57.90″W / 52.4241778°N 1.9660833°W / 52.4241778; -1.9660833
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Northfield Town
Up The Town
Full nameNorthfield Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Town
Short nameNTFC
Founded1st June 1966, 58 years ago
GroundShenley Lane Community Association, Selly Oak
Capacity250
ChairmanAlan Jones
Management TeamRyan Smith, Harris Jackson, Sam Smith
LeagueMidland League Division Two
2023–24Midland League Division Three, 2nd of 17 (promoted)
Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/NorthfieldTown/
Current season

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

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Although Northfield Town F.C. came into being in 1966, its origins go back to the early 1950s. After spells in the Kings Norton League, Warwickshire & West Midlands Alliance and the Mercian League, they joined the Combination in 1957 (then the Worcestershire Combination). Playing under the name of Allen's Cross they won the League Challenge Cup in their first year and the League Championship in 1961–62. Following 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 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., with the teams competing in the Central Warwickshire Youth Football League.

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 2016/17 the club twice broke its record for largest attendance, firstly Vs Paget Rangers, when 101 people attended the game, and then again on the last league game of the season Vs Montpellier with an attendance of 124 people.

Club badge and colours

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Northfield Town F.C's club badge is based on how the club came to be, with the original amalgamations of 2 local sides back in 1966. The red cross represents Allen's Cross F.C. and the castle represents Castle Rovers F.C.

The club colours changed in 2013 due to 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

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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 Shenley Community Association and Sports Centre, based in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham. The Northfield Town F.C. U18 team currently plays there home matches at Triplex Club, based in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham.

The present sports ground was initially the playing fields for The Allens Cross Community Association and they remained the "parent body" until 1983.

The field was opened 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. At Allen's Cross funds were also obtained from the Birmingham Branch of the National Playing Fields Association, the Birmingham Civic Society, Bournville Village Trust and other donors.[1]

Eventually, in 1937, work started on a clubhouse pavilion, provided by the Feeney Trust, tarmac tennis court and caretaker's house, all of which were officially opened on 27 August 1938 by George Cadbury. The ground itself was 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 Allens Cross Sports ground, Weoley Hill Cricket and Tennis Club and the Cadbury Club in Bournville Lane, 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]

In 1983 the committee from the sports ground requested to break away from Allens Cross Community Association. Discussions took place and Chris Cadbury, President of the Association, reluctantly agreed on the understanding that they became a Community Association. With that, the sports ground "broke" from the "parent body", Allen's Cross. It became a registered charity in its own right and was renamed Shenley Lane Community Association & Sports Centre. It originally comprised Northfield Town F.C, Allens Cross Cricket and Shenley Radford Youth Club.

From this time cricket was the longest surviving sports group at the ground. Allen's Cross Cricket Club ran from 1938 to 2002. In the latter years they survived by recruiting many immigrant cricketers of considerable ability, but these had no permanent connection with the association and the club folded completely in 2002. Cricket is still played regularly at Shenley Lane by a number of local clubs.

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.

Honours

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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

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  • FA Vase
    • 3rd Round 1988-89[5]
  • Record Attendance
    • 2016-17 season, 01/05/2017, Vs Montpellier - 124
  • Birmingham Youth Cup (Saturday & Sunday Combined)
    • Most times winners - 6
    • Most final appearances - 10

References

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

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