Gedling Miners Welfare

Gedling Miners Welfare FC is a non-league football club, originally formed in 1919 as Gedling FC, based in Mapperley, in the northeast of the city of Nottingham. The club began life as the works team of Gedling Colliery.

Membership was accepted to the Notts Alliance League in 1919-20 before the club took on the title Gedling Colliery FC in 1923, before another change to Mapperley St. Jude's for the start of the 1930–31 season. As Mapperley FC the club found itself in a precarious financial state and went into abeyance due to lack of support.

Gedling Colliery returned in October 1941 entering Division One of the Notts Wartime League in 1942–43 to boost morale and production at the mine. When peace was restored, the side joined the Notts Amateur League, winning the Division One title in 1945-46.

A transfer to the Notts Alliance League followed as Gedling lifted the Division One crown on seven occasions, going on to lift the Senior Division title in 1958-59, 1959-60, and 1960-61, along with winning cups on many occasions. They also competed in the FA Amateur Cup.

The side led by Walter Kirk narrowly avoided relegation from the Supreme Division in 1973-74 before player-manager Mike Connelly oversaw some improvement. John Wholly took charge of the team in 1982-83, being replaced by former Aston Villa and Notts County player Ralph Brown a couple of seasons later.

The side went down to Division One of the Notts Alliance before going down another level in 1987-88. 1990-91 saw promotion back to Division One after the nadir had been reached. The club changed their title to their present name around 1993.

Another relegation followed in 1999-00 before Vic Hulme led the side to the Division Two title twelve months later. Duncan Broad and Mark Allison were appointed as joint managers in 2002-03 as Hulme became chairman. A move to the Premier Division of the Central Midlands League ensued.

This saw the Miners promoted to the Supreme Division in 2002-03 as the club began to compete in the FA Vase, also becoming founder members of the East Midlands Counties League for 2008-09. Craig Maddison arrived as manager in May 2008. 

He was succeeded in the summer of 2010 by Graham Walker and Kuki Morley, with Walker departing and Lee Boulton replacing him a year later. During the 2011-12 season, Andy Muldoon was appointed as manager to settle the ship before giving way to Jonathan Simpson.

The pairing of a returning Graham Walker and Frank Corrigan were put in charge of the team for 2026-17, lasting a few months before Stuart Robinson and Chris Marks took charge for 2017-18. Andy Clerke replaced Robinson, as the duo remained in charge as two seasons were abandoned owing to the pandemic.

On resumption, the non-league structure was reorganised, as the Miners were placed in Division One of the United Counties League where Clerke sailed the ship alone. Ruben Wiggins-Thomas was named as player-manager in 2023-24, taking the side to a twelfth-place finish.

Gedling Miners Welfare will play in the United Counties League Division One in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Tuesday 15 September 2009

My Nottingham-based Scarborough fan pal Pete Moss kindly took me to see the ground at Plains Social Club by car, before we went to that evening's match at Long Eaton. I was immediately impressed. 

The ground was small but very tidy and compact. It had a large blue wall around the pitch enclosing it nicely. The near side was a car park along the length of the pitch. The other three sides had narrow spectator areas hemmed in by trees. The far touchlines had two covers. The clubhouse and changing rooms were behind the goal at the entrance end.

We continued on our merry little local tour, and I was most grateful for the lifts to places I would not otherwise have had the chance to see.