History of Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club
The Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club is an English football club. It is based in Staveley, Derbyshire. The club plays in the Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division, at level 9 of the English football league system.
The Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club was established as a Sunday league team in 1962 and initially played at Barrow Hill under the name Nags Head. Before joining the Mansfield League, they played friendly matches for three years. They joined the Chesterfield League in 1968. The club started playing Saturday football in 1989 in the Chesterfield and District Amateur League.
They moved up to the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League in 1991 and won division three in their first season and division two in their second season. The club joined the Supreme division of the Central Midlands League in 1993. When they finished third division in 1996-1997, they were accepted into the division one of the Northern Counties East League.
The Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club finished second in their first season in division one. They were promoted to the Premier division. After about three seasons of struggling, the club was relegated back to Division one in 2001. They finished bottom of Division One in 2003, however, they avoided relegation. In 2011, the Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club won Division One and returned to the Premier Division.
In 1993, the club joined the Supreme Division of the Central Midlands League. After finishing third in 1996–97 they were accepted into Division One of the Northern Counties East League.
The club finished second in their first season in Division One and was promoted to the Premier Division. After three seasons of struggling, they were relegated back to Division One in 2000–01, having finished bottom of the table. They finished bottom of Division One in 2002–03, but avoided relegation. In 2010–11 the club won Division One to return to the Premier Division.
In the season 2001, the Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club suffered the first relegation in their short history after finishing bottom, 67 points behind Champions Brigg Town. After this, they followed another disastrous season finishing the 2nd bottom of Division One, but somehow survived their status by re-election. Facing a terrible run with just one league victory and despite winning their last three away games the club still finished bottom of Division One but was again duly re-elected.
During 2003-4, the club finished 3rd bottom that year avoiding relegation somewhat fortuitously by re-election in the final minute of the season. Things got better in 2004-5 with a creditable 9th place finish and in 2005-6 and 2006-7 finishes of 10th and 6th respectively were achieved.
It was reported in May 2007 that the clubs’ football committee had resigned en masse and the club was ready to fold before Terry Damms who was appointed as Chairman and his team of helpers rushed through a rescue package to save the club from extinction in early June.
During 2010-11, the club produced its best-ever season with the first team having an array of youngsters. Every sort of record was broken during 2010-11. Consecutive and total clean sheets were achieved.
In 2012, one of the clubs’ greatest achievements came when a whisker of appearing in an FA Vase Final at Wembley eventually gone out to the winners UTS Dunstan by 3-2. In 2013, the main sponsorship of the club was lost, a handful of players and the manager also left the club. Unfortunately, this was an exceptionally testing time for the club. However, its strategy remained and from where it started, its youth ethos, the club dusted itself down and set about re-building its model.
The 2013-14 seasons started with a fair expectation, however, ill-discipline and a string of poor results and performances followed and a mid-table finish was achieved. The club went on an 11 game winning streak in season 2014-15, but that was followed by the club taking just 18 points from the last 20 league games and 9th finish was achieved. The Chairman of the Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club decided that new management and direction was needed and then in the spring of 2015, Brett Marshall was appointed.
In the season of 2015-16, the first team finished 8th, and then a 6th finish in 2016 was achieved. In 2017, a disappointing 17th finish arose when the majority of the starting lineup players fell away for a variety of reasons and a recycling exercise began.
During 2015-16, the U21’s won the League and were runners up in the League Cup and in 2016-2017, newly formed reserves side managed to get Promotion from the Central Midlands Football League Reserve Division to Step 7 in the CMFL that provides us with a fantastic football progression from the Juniors/U18/U21/Step 7 then Step 5 football.
In Summer 2015, a democratic vote on the clubs nickname produced ‘The Trojans’ perhaps fitting towards the ethos of the club and its Chairman and helpers, all very much hard work for the benefit of others perhaps not as well as others.
During the last 9 years, the club has undergone a remarkable change. The Chairman spearheaded the joining of the Handley Wood Juniors Football Club into the structure of Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club.
This was a great deal of hard work that has gone into securing a 25-year lease for the kids just down the road on Chantry Park where they can enjoy their football within secure and pleasant surroundings. Being a Community based club, the strategy of Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club got strengthened for the benefit of the Community.
This is all about the Community, the families and kids of our Juniors Section. This is about creating and sporting opportunities for the community of Staveley and wider afield.
