Wakefield FC
Ground: College Grove
Capacity: 4,000
Club Founded: 1903
Club Dissolved: 2014
Several attempts have been made to have a professional football club in Wakefield. The attempt of this incarnation caused many fallouts as a traditional club was relocated, before the inevitable happened.
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| College Grove |
Club Background
There was much discussion as to when Wakefield FC was formed, depending on whose viewpoint you listened to. For the benefit of this blog, I shall go with my own gut feeling. A full history of Emley FC can be read elsewhere. This page concentrates on the era between 2000 and 2014.
Emley had enjoyed one or two FA Cup runs, the most notable of which was in 1997-98 when they reached the third round before losing to West Ham United in front of the Match of the Day cameras. After a fine pedigree in the Yorkshire and Northern Counties East League (NCEL), the club had reached the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League (NPL).
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| Belle Vue, Wakefield |
The tough ground grading stipulations didn't allow for three-sided grounds at the time. This created a problem as the Welfare Ground was shared with Emley Cricket Club. The club decided to decamp the few miles to Wakefield to share the Belle Vue ground with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats RLFC permanently for the 2000-01 season after an acrimonious AGM.
Initially, the move went well as Emley just missed out on promotion to the Conference; the vital home defeat to Stalybridge Celtic attracted a crowd of 3,708 to Belle Vue. In 2001-02, the team finished in fifth place before renaming themselves Wakefield & Emley FC.
The change further alienated many of the villagers, especially after manager Ronnie Glavin departed in 2003. The name was subtly adjusted to Wakefield-Emley in 2004 when the team received reprieve from relegation.
The club was now suffering from poor crowds under player-boss Steve Nicholson. The move never really worked after the initial successful season. Players consequently left when their wages failed to materialise. The team was relegated to Division One North of the NPL in 2005-06.
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| College Grove |
In 2007, the club was renamed Wakefield FC. They moved across the city to College Grove. The club badge was changed, as were the playing colours to blue and yellow. A seventh-place finish in 2007-08 was as good as it would get.
At the end of the 2010-11 season, Wakefield were forced into a groundshare at Ossett Town FC after their landlords at College Grove had other plans for the venue, as Mark Brier took over as manager of the team before being replaced by Paul Lines within a few weeks.
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| College Grove |
After just one season at Ossett, a deal was signed to move back to Belle Vue to share with Wakefield Wildcats. The team was relegated at the end of the 2013-14 season. The club made noises about playing in the Northern Counties East League at the Welfare Ground in Emley, sharing with AFC Emley.
Wakefield FC was wound up on June 21st, 2014, after informing the FA and the NCEL of their decision. A new club, Wakefield AFC, was formed in 2019.
Tuesday 16th September 2008
I visited College Grove as part of a brief groundhop while en route to Scarborough Athletic's game at Glasshoughton that evening. I had put down my base in the slightly misleadingly titled Quality Inn in Leeds before buying a travel card for the day and quickly arriving in the city of Wakefield.
I took the long walk through the city centre and eventually to the ground, which is located opposite Pindarfield's Hospital. It took about twenty-five minutes. College Grove was a very pleasant venue, which was also home to a variety of indoor sports and the local hockey club.
The ground was very much in the heart of the town's Asian community. Walking up to the venue reminded me of approaching Kenilworth Road, Luton, if a little less grotty. The ground was a welcome sight among them.
A decent-sized Main Stand sat on the halfway line with open standing at either side. A small cover was at the far end to one side of the goal for standing spectators to take shelter, but apart from that, the rest of the ground consisted of open standing.
Players emerged from the clubhouse behind the goal and through a gap in the perimeter fence onto the pitch near the turnstiles. Once I'd taken my snaps, I headed by train to Pontefract Collieries FC for further photos before heading to Glasshoughton.
I took the long walk through the city centre and eventually to the ground, which is located opposite Pindarfield's Hospital. It took about twenty-five minutes. College Grove was a very pleasant venue, which was also home to a variety of indoor sports and the local hockey club.
The ground was very much in the heart of the town's Asian community. Walking up to the venue reminded me of approaching Kenilworth Road, Luton, if a little less grotty. The ground was a welcome sight among them.
A decent-sized Main Stand sat on the halfway line with open standing at either side. A small cover was at the far end to one side of the goal for standing spectators to take shelter, but apart from that, the rest of the ground consisted of open standing.
Players emerged from the clubhouse behind the goal and through a gap in the perimeter fence onto the pitch near the turnstiles. Once I'd taken my snaps, I headed by train to Pontefract Collieries FC for further photos before heading to Glasshoughton.
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