South Kilburn

South Kilburn FC was a non-league football club based in Northwest London. The club was formed in 2005, lasting sixteen years before resigning from the Middlesex League prior to the commencement of the 2021-22 season.

Upon formation, South Kilburn immediately gained membership of the Middlesex League. Initially they found the league a steep learning curve but soon found their feet and enjoyed some decent cup runs, and eventually elevation into the Premier Division in 2006-07.

The team played its home games at Broadfields Country Club at Headstone Lane. In season 2009-10, South Kilburn finished runners up in the league which saw the club gain promotion into the Hellenic League.

To meet league requirements, South Kilburn moved to Vale Farm at Wembley where they implemented ground improvements on the outside pitch with a disused track around it. At the end of the 2010-11 season South Kilburn applied to move sideways in the league structure to minimise travelling to join the Combined Counties League.

A commendable fifth place finish was earned in 2012-13, which was backed up with tenth in 2013-14, before the club resigned from the league to rejoin the Middlesex League, where they finished midtable on their return.

The bottom of the Premier League finish in 2015-16 was repeated in 2016-17 and 2017-18 by which time the club played their games at Osterley Sports Club. An improvement of one place followed a year later, by which time South Kilburn were playing at the Capital City Academy in Willesden.

The proceeding two campaigns being wiped out owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. The club didn’t re-emerge thereafter.

My visits

Saturday 1st January 2011

I am always intrigued by the introduction of new clubs into the senior pyramid system. I was even more so by South Kilburn. I had spent many a happy evening socialising on Kilburn High Road, but never thought they'd have a football club.

I did some research and found out early in the season that they were playing at Vale Farm, but that raised more questions than answers as the football ground there was the home of Wembley FC where Hendon FC were tenants at the time.

I delved further into the world of the internet and found out that South Kilburn played by the sports centre in the main arena. I intended going to Hendon v Harrow Borough on New Years Day as I'd yet to see Hendon since they sadly lost their Claremont Road home. I could kill two birds with one stone and have a look at a new ground at the same time.

I had a walk and then took the 245 bus to Vale Farm and was soon finding my way inside the arena. The main sports centre block housed the changing rooms. The pitch was surrounded by an old overgrown shale running track which was once home to Middlesex Ladies Athletic Club.

The track had a rail fence round it and some raised banks. The actual pitch had a new fence around it, complete with dug outs and hard standing around most of the playing area. The whole arena was enclosed by a high mesh fence which would mean anyone could watch for free if they wished.

There were four floodlight pylons in place, but I wasn't sure if they were satisfactory for night matches. It seemed to be highly unlikely looking at their age and the shortage of lamps on each of them.

While being basic, there was scope for some covered accommodation which would be required if promotion was ever achieved. The club had done tremendously well to reach the status they had in just five years.

I went across the site and to Wembley's ground for the afternoon game with thoughts of a return for a midweek end of season match to watch South Kilburn in action.

South Kilburn 0 Epsom Athletic 1 (Saturday 25th August 2012) Combined Counties Division One (att: approx 20)

I was on an early shift at work before a week’s leave when I was to head to Scarborough for a week of football and cricket. I also had mates heading to Wembley for the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final.

Yorkshire were also playing in the final’s day of cricket’s T20, so I had to juggle and fit in a game that I could easily get to and then back to a pub to meet with the others. My colleague kindly came in a little early for me, so in no time I was on a bus at Wembley Park and heading for Vale Farm.

No sooner had the service alighted for the five-minute walk to the ground, than the heavens opened and produced a storm of Biblical proportions. To say I got wet would be an understatement of the season.

I dived inside the sports centre reception and waited for the rain to abate for ten minutes before treading carefully round to the entrance of the arena, where there was nobody collecting cash or selling programmes.

I headed to a small shelter with wooden benches that had been erected since my last visit, where some other poor souls were taking refuge. It was the strangest of structures, made of metal, but with holes in the top where bolts were intended.

This produced a colander type effect as water seeped through, much to the amusement of all of us. I got chatting to some visiting officials who saw my Scarborough Athletic jacket, who had visited my old club with Sutton United many years previously, as well as a local programme collector and judge called Phil Watkins.

The pitch held up reasonably well as lightning filled the skies in the distance, although the surrounds proved to be completely inadequate in severe weather if the venue ever expected to deal with any numbers. I was told that the home manager had the programmes and to have a word with him, which I did. I was asked to see him at half time.

The match was of a poor standard. The referee was the widest man I'd ever seen in a kit and the home side had a forward who was about seven feet tall and built like a heavyweight boxer. His teammates called him Drogba. I would have plumped for sir!

The linesmen weren't bad, but the Kilburn boss Mick Jennings was giving all three dogs abuse, along with his own players. At the interval, the manager, who needed to attend an anger management course of his own, tore into his charges outside the changing rooms.

They looked more than a little sheepish. I approached him about a programme, but he then told me to see him at full time. He received a ticking off from the ref about filling his team sheet in incorrectly, which produced a laugh when he had gone.

Both teams continued to huff and puff without creating anything too much of note. The referee, who it must be said, while immobile, wasn't the worst, was getting advice and abuse from Jennings.

His language would have had Chubby Brown blushing by that point. He was asked to move the players’ kids from the dug outs to behind the fence, which brought more dissent. By now the temperature had got better and it had stopped raining, so Jennings removed his jacket.

Underneath he was wearing a white top, the same as his players. Not unreasonably, the referee Mr Seuke, asked him to put another top on. This brought more whining. Epsom took a just about deserved lead through Wayne Cathcart.

A visiting forward made a late challenge on the Kilburn keeper shortly after, which brought more complaints and awful language. Unfortunately, this prompted the Epsom bench into shouting and complaining about everything as well. It was thoroughly depressing.

Mr Seuke added lots of time on at the end of the game. If I'd have been him, I'd have blown for time as soon as possible. The subs who chatted with me seemed far more pleasant than some at the ground. They appeared to be a little embarrassed if anything. I took a photo of the programme cover owned by one of the friendly visitors.

At full time I didn't hang around. I didn't have the time or motivation to wait for a programme. I'd gone out of my way to purchase one, which included the admission fee, but the attitude of the man in charge of the club did little to encourage me.

I headed off chatting to a Hendon fan coming out of his game along the way. I walked to Sudbury Town station and took the train to Shepherds Bush, where I was eventually joined by my mates from the rugby in the Walkabout in time to watch Yorkshire come desperately close to lifting the cup.

I went home, nearly dry, but still trying to get my head around the game I'd seen several hours earlier.