Emley_A.F.C.

Emley A.F.C.

Emley A.F.C.

Association football club in England

Emley Association Football Club is a football club based in Emley, West Yorkshire, England. Known as AFC Emley from 2005 to 2019, they are currently members of Northern Counties East League Premier Division and play at the Welfare Ground. They are nicknamed The Pewits.

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Main stand as seen from the shed
Inside The Richard Hirst stand
Emley win the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup in May 2023

History

The original Emley club were founded in 1903 and were members of the Yorkshire League and Northern Counties East League, before winning promotion to the Northern Premier League in 1989. In 2000 new ground grading regulations introduced by the Northern Premier League forced Emley to relocate to Belle Vue in Wakefield, although the reserve team continued to play at the Welfare Ground in Emley. In 2002 the club was renamed Wakefield & Emley, and when the reserve team (which still played in Emley) was disbanded in 2005, supporters of the original club decided to establish a new club based in Emley under the name A.F.C. Emley.[3] The following year Wakefield & Emley was renamed Wakefield,[4] and remained in the Northern Premier League until disbanding in 2014.

A new Emley club was established in 2005 joined Division One of the West Yorkshire League for the 2005–06 season.[5] After finishing third in their first season, they were promoted to Division One of the Northern Counties East League.[5] In 2014 the club rejected a merger with the Wakefield club.[6] In 2015–16 they finished fourth in Division One, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Penistone Church 1–0 in the semi-finals, they lost 4–3 on penalties to Bottesford Town in the final after a 1–1 draw. Striker Ashley Flynn finished the season with 73 goals, a league record.[7] In 2016–17 the club finished third, missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference; they went on to lose 3–1 to Penistone Church in the play-off semi-finals.

In March 2019 it was announced that the club would be renamed Emley A.F.C. from the start of the 2019–20 season, five years after the original club was dissolved.[8] The club were transferred to Division One North of the North West Counties League for the 2019–20 season. They were fourth in Division One North with games in hand on two clubs above them by mid-March 2020, but the season was the abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were subsequently transferred back to Division One of the Northern Counties East League for the 2020–21 season and were top of the league when the season was abandoned in February 2021. In May 2021 the club were promoted to the Premier Division based on their results in the two abandoned seasons. In 2022–23 they won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup, beating Maltby Main 2–0 in the final.

The 2023–24 season saw Emley win the Premier Division title and promotion to the Northern Premier League.

Season-by-season record

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Ground

The club plays at the Welfare Ground in Emley. It has a capacity of 2,000, of which 1,000 is covered and 330 seated.[2] The ground is shared with the local cricket club and has three permanent stands; the Warburton End, which consists of a small terrace and uncovered hard standing behind one goal; the Main stand, which has a small uncovered terrace section near the dugouts, as well as housing the clubs offices, changing rooms and sports bar; and the Richard Hirst Stand (also known as The Shed), a low covered terrace behind the other goal. During the football season, a fence is erected along the cricket field side.

Rivals

Emley have a local rivalry with Golcar United in the 'Huddersfield derby'.[9] as well a cross county rivalry with South Yorkshire based Penistone Church.[10]

Management hierarchy

More information Position, Name ...

Honours

Emley celebrate winning the 2023–24 Northern Counties East League Premier Division
  • Northern Counties East League
    • Premier Division champions 2023–24
  • Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup
    • Winners 2022–23

Records

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p732 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  2. [2]
    AFC Emley North West Counties Football League
  3. [3]
    The History of AFC Emley A.F.C. Emley
  4. [4]
    Wakefield at the Football Club History Database
  5. [5]
    AFC Emley at the Football Club History Database
  6. [6]
    "Wakefield FC "to be wound up" - statement from AFC Emley". AFC Emley.
  7. [7]
    Photos from Annual Dinner Northern Counties East League
  8. [8]
    Pewits to change name to Emley AFC Northern Counties East League, 19 March 2018
  9. [9]
    Downes, Steven (29 July 2022). "It's the big kick-off for Golcar United and Emley AFC as rival clubs go head-to-head in the NCEL Premier Division for the first time this season". Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  10. [10]
    "Fan gallery: It was a right rumble at the Emley AFC v Penistone Church – were you there to see it?". Huddersfield Hub. 30 December 2022.
  11. [11]
    Emely AFC Northern Counties East League
  12. [12]
    Emley at the Football Club History Database

53.612629°N 1.6319150°W / 53.612629; -1.6319150
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