Heygarth United Football Club

Heygarth United Football Club

Established 1978

 Club History  

Heygarth United (Junior) Football Club was founded around 1978 and its aim was to start and develop a Club in the area that would stand the test of time.

Some parents led by Alan Jones (the Club’s long-standing President), Lenny Cavanagh, Brian Nolan and Norman Quick took some boys to Plymyards and Green Lane and soon they had formed a single team of various ages and began to play friendly matches against other teams on Saturday mornings. Our first recorded team was in 1978/79 season when the club played in red/black stripe shirts, black shorts and socks and was managed by John Tomlinson. The club joined the Eastham & District Junior League, initially putting out just one team at the Under 12 age group, although some of the players were as young as 8. In the early days we also played in black/white striped shirts, as well as claret and blue shirts before settling on our current club colours of yellow shirts, black shorts and socks.

Further boys joined the club and we developed teams at all ages including in past years senior teams playing in the local Sunday Leagues. Some 30 odd years later we can say with some pride that the Club has fulfilled one of our original objectives set by our founders which was to establish a club to stand the test of time.

Since then of course, the Club has grown considerably, to the extent that we now field teams at all ages from 6 to open age and we currently have about 250 players registered. The interest in properly organised and controlled football is probably higher now than it ever has been and the Club is justifiably proud that it played an integral part in that development.

In those early days, one of the more adventurous things the Club did for a few years was to organise a week’s trip for the players to Butlins at Pwllheli. Alan Jones and his wife Wendy were joined by other stalwarts like Lenny Cavanagh, Norman Quick, Dave Eccles and Peter Mort. Other trips for the teams in recent years have included a weekend at Llanberis and a tournament in Scotland. 

More recently the club has run a very successful tournament from 2003-06, attracting teams from as far a field as Blackpool, Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland, North Wales and the Midlands.

Over the last 30 years and more, the Club has had many successes in the various League and Cup competitions, most notably being runners-up in the prestigious Cheshire Cup, winners of the Wirral Youth Cup and Minor Cup and, of course, many Eastham League Titles and Cups.

We have also produced some fine players – perhaps the two most currently famous ones being Steven Gerrard (Liverpool and England) and Jason Koumas (Tranmere, West Brom, Wigan Athletic and Wales). Both players were in one of our most successful teams, managed by Roger Newton, our former Chairman.

Many more have represented Wirral and Merseyside Schoolboys, including in the 1994/1995 season when the Club had a remarkable 11 players in the Wirral Schools squad, part of an all-conquering side that culminated its season of outstanding success by winning the Adidas Predator National Schools Cup at Wembley.  There are also several other former players who are currently at various professional clubs across the country.

As a new century began the club began to develop its mini-soccer set up through people such as Garry Owen who is currently our Club Treasurer. Over the years we have enjoyed seeing the players develop through mini soccer into the 11-a-side game.

Thanks to a number of the committee at the time including our then Chairman Dave Eccles and Secretary Bill Connolly our club re-located to its new home at Bromborough Pool in July 2003. 

The same season (2003/4) the club established a Youth team under Gary Mellor which went on the win the Wirral District Youth Cup defeating Capenhurst 2-1 a.e.t. The club also ran an open age team under Bernie Jackson playing in the Birkenhead Sunday League. We also started running teams in the Ellesmere Port Junior League for the first time. At the end of the 2004/5 season we disbanded the open age team and decided that we wanted to develop our club to a higher level whilst maintaining the basic ethos which we began with many years ago.

The club restarted it’s youth team in the Wallasey Sunday League in 2005/6 season under the management of Frank Kelly and Mike Eccles which led to a open age team in 2007/8 as members of the Birkenhead Sunday League, but sadly our youth set up folded at the end of the 2006/7 season.

At the start of the 2005/6 season Neil Beddows took over as club chairman from Bill Connolly who was made a Vice President in recognition of his service  to the club over many years. As the 2006/7 season began our club started in a new direction in its development, when for the first time we ran a girl’s team at Under 10 level within the Wallasey Junior League. Our first season led to the girls recording a couple of wins, whilst at mini soccer level we go from strength to strength with most age groups running three teams and recording some tournament wins to show we are developing the players to a high standard.

As we begin our fourth decade the club continues to develop. Thanks to a Sport for All grant the club was able to provide coaching to local schools, which led on to an opportunity for disabled children to play football, whilst also continuing our community relationships within Eastham and the surronding area. 

Our flourishing mini soccer set up goes from strength to strength, as does the girls section with over 30 girls playing regular football for Heygarth United. 

Our ethos though remains as it was when we were founded. Our primary purpose is to allow boys and girls to play football in a safe and protective environment. If they just happen to turn out to be superstars then that is great for them, and the Club is rightly proud of their achievements, but we are equally proud of all the players who have been associated with our Club, regardless of their abilities, who have simply played for the love of the game.

Long Service Awards

Heygarth United wish to recognise those members who have served the club for over 10 years.  

2009-Mike Eccles

2008-Keith Heggarty

Heygarth United Club Award

2008/9 Dave Pritchard

2007/8 Phil Bourne

2006/7 Frank Kelly

2005/6 Kevin Drinkwater 

Manager of the Year

2008/9 Chris Peake

2007/8 Phil Hannon

2006/7 Keith Heggarty

2005/6 Ritchie Sommers

2004/5 Neil Beddows

2003/4 Gary Mellor

Chairman's Special Acheivement Award

2007/8 Paul Nelson

2006/7 Sharon Williams

2005/6 Rolfe Nuttall

2004/5 Garry Owen