NCEL
Brief accounts of aspects of the history
of a number of the clubs from the NCEL’s
2 divisions appear below. Those clubs included appear in alphabetical
order. If anyone can help extend coverage
by supplying short pieces of information
on clubs not currently included, please contact
the site. With a whole section of the
Conference not ‘touched on’ yet,
there’s plenty to go at. Also,
if you think a longer piece on YOUR club
is needed, you can help that happen by getting
in touch.
BRIDLINGTON TOWN
The original Bridlington Town joined the
Yorkshire League in 1924, leaving in 1939. Town rejoined the Yorkshire League in 1959, winning the title in 1967, but falling
on harder times after this. The club
were founder members of the Northern Counties (East) League in 1982 and joined the Northern Premier League in 1990, earning promotion as champions to the Premier
Division and winning the F.A. Vase in 1993.
It all went wrong after this and the club
folded a year later, in 1994.
A local team, Greyhound FC, moved into the
Queensgate and joined the Northern Counties (East) League in 1999 as Bridlington Town. Promotion followed in 2003 to the Northern Premier League, but there was a return to the NCEL after that in 2008. Although winning the Premier Division
title in 2010, Town have opted to remain
in the NCEL for 2010-2011.
FARSLEY (CELTIC)
The Villagers joined the Yorkshire League in 1949, remaining there until the amalgamation
of the competition with the Midland League,
which saw Farsley enter the Northern Counties (East) League in 1982. When, in 1987, the Northern Premier League established
a 1st Division, Celtic joined. The club was promoted
to the Premier Division in 2004 and to the
Conference North in 2006. A further promotion saw Farsley Celtic
spend the 2007-2008 season in Conference National, with a return to Conference North in 2008. After the club folded during the
2009-2010 season, a new club was set up and
was accepted into the NCEL Premier Division
for the 2010-2011 campaign.
HALLAM
The second oldest club in the World, Hallam
joined the Yorkshire League in 1952. Thirty years later the club became
founder members, in 1982, of the Northern Counties (East) League, in which they still play today.
LONG EATON UNITED
Back in 1889, a club named ‘Long Eaton Rangers’ were founder members of a competition called
the Football Alliance, which formed the bulk
of the Football League Division 2 in 1892. By this time Rangers had moved to
the Midland League, leaving this association in 1899. Long Eaton United were founder members of the newly-formed
Midland League in 1961 and also of the Northern Counties (East) League in 1982. The club moved to the Central Midlands
League in 1989, only to re-join the NCEL in 2002. United are members of the NCEL Premier
Division currently. Another Long Eaton
club, ‘Grange’, were in the Midland League 1975-1982 and the Northern Counties (East) League 1982-1983.
SCARBOROUGH ATHLETIC
The club was set up in 2007 by the Seadog Trust and was elected to the Northern Counties (East) League Division 1. In 2009 Athletic won promotion to
the League’s Premier Division.
Athletic play their games at Bridlington
Town’s Queensgate, 17 miles south from
Scarborough down the Yorkshire coast.
SCARBOROUGH TOWN
When Scarborough FC was closed down in June
2007, the club’s Academy continued
to operate, with former Boro player Mitch
Cook in charge. After a series of meeting during the
2007-2008 season, it was decided to set up
a new club in the town for the players who
had progressed through the Academy.
A number of individuals who had been involved
with Scarborough FC became involved as the
team made its debut in the Teesside League
Division 2 in 2008. Following a successful
season, in which the title was won without
a league defeat, Town were elected to the
Wearside League in 2009, finishing the campaign as champions.
They were elected to the NCEL Division 1
in June, but this is conditional and depends
on the outcome of a planning permission application
for floodlighting by the Pindar Centre where
Town play their home games.
SELBY TOWN
Founder members of the Yorkshire League in 1920, Selby Town have the proud record of having
been the only club to play in the old competition
up to its closure in 1982. Four times Yorkshire League champions,
Town joined the Northern Counties (East) League in 1982 and have remained in that set-up since.
YORKSHIRE AMATEUR
Yorkshire Amateur were founder members of
the Yorkshire League in 1920, but left the competition in 1924. Amateur returned in 1930 and stayed in the Yorkshire League until
1982 when an amalgamation with the Midland
League saw a new competition formed called
the Northern Counties (East) League.
Honours collected in the old Yorkshire League
were the winning of the ‘2nd competition’ in 1932, the 2nd Division in 1959 and the 3rd Division in 1978. Yorkshire Amateur
have remained in the NCEL since 1982.
