EARLS Barton United FC is fast approaching its 125th anniversary.
The club’s origins date back to the late 1800s – in fact the club pre-dates that of Northampton Town FC whose very first game was against Earls Barton! (The Cobblers ran out 4-1 winners on the day, 18 September 1897).
The club, and amateur football, has changed considerably over time and EBUFC are now recognised as one of the largest and longest serving clubs in the county – currently they have over 18 teams ranging from the youngest players in the Under 6s to the more mature over-55-year-old Walking Football team – a total of in excess of 300 players and well over 1,000 associated individuals from supporters and volunteers to coaches and committee members, all actively involved every weekend of the season and beyond. For a village that houses approximately 6,000, the club is the very personification of community centric.
2019 onward could well prove to be a defining moment for the club – a major development of the training and playing grounds is under way and, if all goes to plan, the club will benefit from all-weather footballing facilities, a new modern clubhouse and changing rooms as well as extended parking and recreational buildings – a huge step for the club and for the greater village.
EBUFC has survived where others haven’t been so lucky – in fact it has prospered and grown thanks to support from its membership, local businesses and the village Sports and Parish Councils. The club is run entirely by volunteers and takes huge pride in being seen as a reflection of that community, it is and always will remain an inclusive club, open to and for all.
This is echoed by the Football Association via the continual award of FA Chartered status- the highest award that can be presented to an amateur club. In fact, the club has been recognised as FA Chartered Club of the Year, the best of the best.
However, the club is so much more than ‘just’ weekend football. For example, the New Year’s Eve match, a game played at the end of the year by an army of ex-players over 35 and in honour of the club’s longest serving but now sadly deceased Club Secretary Anne Cleaver, raised £400 in 2018 for Cynthia Spencer.
This extended presence of the club is felt most powerfully with the annual Wittlich Exchange. For over 25 years EBUFC has joined together with a fellow amateur, non-profit club based in Wittlich, Germany. The exchange ensures that for one week each year players, coaches and parents visit and stay with one another, hosted by families associated to the respective clubs.
The cultural exchange is unique at this amateur level and Wittlich’s twinning with Wellingborough has helped ensure that the tradition has been supported by the Mayor of Wellingborough and his office. The exchange has gone from strength to strength and this Easter will see around 25 youth players and 35 adults arrive in Earls Barton for a week of activities, football and events. It’s a huge undertaking for the club but one which is proving as popular today as it did when it started in 1994.
Although this year will see the event hosted within a very different political environment, it has been supported locally with tremendous vigour – there are more people wanting to host visiting players than players visiting, such is the desire for the local community to embrace the club’s German friends.
The demands upon the club are huge and none of the development and continuing success both on and off the pitch would be possible without the Club Committee membership and the stewardship of Club Chairman Antony Owens, who said: “The club is ever reliant on the inclusion and involvement of a team of volunteers and, in my time at the helm of the club which runs to over 20 years, I have found that the two essentials that are needed to support the enthusiastic playing roster, especially our youth teams. The first are coaches and volunteers and the second are necessary funds.
“To get players out there with the right levels of support, training, equipment and development in a safe and secure environment requires an equally enthusiastic army of people. Whether that be our 20 plus coaches being FA qualified, FA trained and fully vetted to our Welfare Officers working with local schools, it’s fantastic to see that effort reflected in a happy, fun and developing youth football programme that leads to our successful men’s and ladies’ teams playing in the upper levels of amateur football. We are rightly proud of that and in turn hugely appreciative of those companies and individuals that sponsor each season.”
The club continually looks for both new coaches (no experience necessary as FA training is paid for by the club), volunteers willing to give ten minutes a week or more to the club and, crucially, sponsorship (this year’s Wittlich 25 Year Anniversary trip looks set to be supported via both local and national media, offering unprecedented exposure to those who financially support the club).
If you want to find out how to become involved with the club as a coach, volunteer or sponsor visit the club website at www.ebufc.co.uk, contact Antony directly on 07854 651120 or email the club via