Athersley Recreation supporters at Garforth Town in October
Building a multi-purpose facility for whole community is the next target for Barnsley-based Athersley Recreation, writes James Grayson (Twitter: @jamesAgrayson).
That’s the plan according to First Team manager and club founder Pete Goodlad. The club has come a long way since it was formed in 1979 as Athersley North Juniors.
The Rec, who whose players are not paid, joined the Northern Counties East League in 2012 and since taken the League by storm – firstly by finishing in Division One last season and are now holding their own in the Premier Division top ten.
The football club are a major part of the Athersley community. The club regularly get over 200 people watching them on Saturday and take a large following to away games.
But, as Goodlad admits the club do a lot more than hold a football match at 3pm on a Saturday and is hoping by December 2015 to have a new valuable community asset built.
“We have a meeting on the 5th February with the Football Foundation because we have drawn up plans by an architect for a multi-purpose facility like Glasshoughton and Nostell have,” he told Sports Performer.
“It will have changing rooms and a function room. At the minute our function room is portacabins all joined together and it is ideal at present.
“But, we want to be able to functions on and generate money so we might be able to afford to pay players. Our estate in the last year has lost three pubs and clubs and the only pub which is left, shuts next Sunday.
“The Sports Centre has just been demolished through cutbacks. Athersley is the biggest estate in South Yorkshire and the most deprived area in Barnsley on the stats. It has nothing, it is all gone.
“We are in an ideal position (as a football club) to help. When we have applied before, they have said ‘you already have a sports centre, what do you need another one for?’ Now we are in the prime position to go for this facility and to give something back to the community.
“The community is begging us. We are the place that provides the community-based events like Bonfire Night, galas, things like that. We even have work experience people from the job centre coming down to do work around the ground.”
Athersley Recreation captain Ryan White
For many years, Athersley were a force to be reckoned with in the Sheffield and County Hallamshire League until the club joined the NCEL.
With the help of many experienced Non-League players, Athersley earned promotion. They are led by captain Ryan White, an important player for Eric Gilchrist in the Ossett Albion team that narrowly missed on the NPL Division One play-offs only a few years ago.
Athersley also have the likes of Tom Harban, Jason Bentley, Lee Bennett, Adam White and Joe Thornton – all good NCEL players.
Goodlad is ecstatic about how their first ever Premier Division campaign has unfolded.
“It has been absolutely brilliant,” he said.
“We got promoted in our first season out of the County Senior which is an achievement in itself for us. We are a team which is a community-based club and we don’t pay our players.
“They actually pay subs to us to play. At this level people can’t believe that is the way we do things.
“We have a fantastic fan-base and we have the highest crowd average for attendances and we take a lot of supporters away from home.
“My first impressions when we got into the Premier were as along as we don’t get relegated, I’m happy. To be fair, we have played exceptionally well. I don’t know if we are punching our weight, but time will tell.
“We have a good set of lads. They’ll all playing for the shirt, the club and for me. It is a great family club.
“All the lads have come through our youth system and they’ve done well. For the majority of the season we have been in the top ten so if we finish there I’m going to be highly delighted.
“We’re also in the quarter-finals of the Sheffield Senior Cup. We knocked out Worksop Town so we have something to look forward to.”
Whilst the Rec are unlikely to win promotion this season, would Goodlad consider promotion to the Evo Stik in the near future?
“As long as we sustain ourselves in this division and then when the time is right and we are financially viable, then yes why not?
“I will never put the club that I started in 1979 in a position where we are paying players and putting the club in financial difficulty and making it go pear-shaped. I have worked too hard.”