Emley A.F.C.

Emley

Full name	Emley Association Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Pewits [1]
Founded	2005
Ground	Welfare Ground, Emley
Capacity	2,000 (305 seated) [2] [3]
Chairman	Andrew Painten
Manager	Richard Tracey
League	Northern Premier League Division One East
2023–24	Northern Counties East League Premier Division, 1st of 20 (promoted)
Home colours Away colours

The Main Stand following its 2024 makeover

Inside the Richard Hirst stand

Emley win the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup in May 2023

Emley Association Football Club is a football club based in Emley, West Yorkshire, England. Known as AFC Emley from 2005 to 2019, they are currently members of Northern Premier League Division One East and play at the Welfare Ground. They are nicknamed The Pewits.

History

The original Emley club were founded in 1903 and were members of the Huddersfield District League, Yorkshire League and Northern Counties East League, before winning promotion to the Northern Premier League in 1989. In 2000 new ground grading regulations introduced by the Northern Premier League forced Emley to relocate to Belle Vue in Wakefield, although the reserve team continued to play at the Welfare Ground in Emley. In 2002 the club was renamed Wakefield & Emley, and when the reserve team (which still played in Emley) was disbanded in 2005, supporters of the original club decided to establish a new club based in Emley under the name A.F.C. Emley. ^[4] The following year Wakefield & Emley was renamed Wakefield, ^[5] and remained in the Northern Premier League until disbanding in 2014.

A new Emley club was established in 2005 and joined Division One of the West Yorkshire League for the 2005–06 season. ^[6] After finishing third in their first season, they were promoted to Division One of the Northern Counties East League. ^[6] In 2014 the club rejected a merger with the Wakefield club. ^[7] In 2015–16 they finished fourth in Division One, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Penistone Church 1–0 in the semi-finals, they lost 4–3 on penalties to Bottesford Town in the final after a 1–1 draw. Striker Ashley Flynn finished the season with 73 goals, a league record. ^[8] In 2016–17 the club finished third, missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference; they went on to lose 3–1 to Penistone Church in the play-off semi-finals.

In March 2019 it was announced that the club would be renamed Emley A.F.C. from the start of the 2019–20 season, five years after the original club was dissolved. ^[9] The club were transferred to Division One North of the North West Counties League for the 2019–20 season. They were fourth in Division One North with games in hand on two clubs above them by mid-March 2020, but the season was the abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were subsequently transferred back to Division One of the Northern Counties East League for the 2020–21 season and were top of the league when the season was abandoned in February 2021. In May 2021 the club were promoted to the Premier Division based on their results in the two abandoned seasons. In 2022–23 they won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup, beating Maltby Main 2–0 in the final.

The 2023–24 season saw Emley win the NCEL Premier Division title, securing promotion to Division One East of the Northern Premier League.

Season-by-season record

Season	Division	Level	Position	FA Cup	FA Vase	Notes
2005–06	West Yorkshire League Division One	12	3/15	–	–	Promoted
2006–07	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	13/17	–	2QR
2007–08	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	11/17	PR	1R
2008–09	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	8/19	EPR	2QR
2009–10	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	8/18	EPR	2QR
2010–11	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	8/20	PR	2R
2011–12	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	10/20	EPR	1R
2012–13	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	7/22	EPR	4R
2013–14	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	8/22	PR	1R
2014–15	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	5/22	PR	1R
2015–16	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	4/21	PR	2QR
2016–17	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	3/22	PR	2R
2017–18	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	12/22	EPR	1R
2018–19	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	12/20	–	1QR	Transferred to NWCFL
2019–20	North West Counties League Division One North	10	–	–	2QR	League season abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic, transferred back to NCEL
2020–21	Northern Counties East League Division One	10	–	–	1QR	League season abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic, promoted on PPG basis
2021–22	Northern Counties East League Premier Division	9	9/20	PR	2R
2022–23	Northern Counties East League Premier Division	9	3/20	EP	2R	Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup winners
2023–24	Northern Counties East League Premier Division	9	1/20	3QR	QF	Champions, promoted
Season	Division	Level	Position	FA Cup	FA Vase	Notes
Source: FCHD

Ground

The club plays at the Welfare Ground in Emley. It has a capacity of 2,000, of which 1,000 is covered and 305 seated. The ground is shared with the local cricket club is therefore three-sided; the Warburton End, which consists of a small terrace and uncovered hard standing behind one goal; the Main stand, which has a small uncovered terrace section near the dugouts, as well as housing the clubs offices, changing rooms and sports bar; and the Richard Hirst Stand (also known as The Shed), a low covered terrace behind the other goal. During the football season, a fence is erected along the cricket field side. The main stand and dugouts were upgraded during summer 2023 with new seats being brought in from the Kirklees Stadium. An electronic scoreboard was installed at the Warburton during the 2023–24 season and new LED floodlights were installed in the summer of 2024.

Rivals

Emley have a local rivalry with Golcar United in the 'Huddersfield derby'. ^[10] as well a cross county rivalry with South Yorkshire-based Penistone Church. ^[11]

Management hierarchy

Position	Name	Source
Manager	Richard Tracey	[12]
Assistant Manager	Steve Nicholson
Coaches	Ben Walker
	Richard Batley
Goalkeeping Coach	David Walsh
Assistant goalkeeping coach	Chris Brown
Physios	Richard Walker
	John Mason
Academy manager	Steve Sennett
Academy Coach	Conner Tuff

Honours

Emley celebrate winning the 2023–24 Northern Counties East League Premier Division

• Northern Counties East League
  • Premier Division champions 2023–24
• Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup
  • Winners 2022–23

Records

• Best FA Cup performance: Third qualifying round, 2023–24 ^{[6] [13]}
• Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 2023–24 ^{[6] [13]}

See also

• Emley A.F.C. players
• Emley A.F.C. managers

References

1. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony (2012). Non-League Club Directory 2013. p. 732. ISBN   978-1-869833-77-0.
2. AFC Emley North West Counties Football League
3. Shaw, Martin (14 October 2023). "Emley AFC unveil new-look stand with 305 seats from the John Smith's Stadium". Huddersfield Hub. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
4. The History of AFC Emley A.F.C. Emley
5. Wakefield at the Football Club History Database
6. AFC Emley at the Football Club History Database
7. "Wakefield FC "to be wound up" – statement from AFC Emley". AFC Emley.
8. Photos from Annual Dinner Northern Counties East League
9. Pewits to change name to Emley AFC Northern Counties East League, 19 March 2018
10. Downes, Steven (29 July 2022). "It's the big kick-off for Golcar United and Emley AFC as rival clubs go head-to-head in the NCEL Premier Division for the first time this season" . Retrieved 31 July 2023.
11. "Fan gallery: It was a right rumble at the Emley AFC v Penistone Church – were you there to see it?". Huddersfield Hub. 30 December 2022.
12. Emely AFC Northern Counties East League
13. Emley at the Football Club History Database

External links

• Official website

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