Early attempts at a Yorkshire team
Despite Yorkshire having a representative schoolboy team for many years, there was no formal senior equivalent until 1924 when the West Riding County Football Association put together a men’s side as part of the jubilee of the University of Leeds. Players were chosen from Bradford City, Bradford Park Avenue, Halifax Town, Huddersfield Town and Leeds United. [1] Although the team won 2–0, it did not represent the whole county. [2] In 1935, a Yorkshire team made up of players from leading clubs across the entire region, including Bradford City, Huddersfield Town, Leeds United and Sheffield United, took on a team formed of Middlesbrough, Newcastle United and Sunderland players at the latter’s Roker Park ground as part of the Queen's jubilee celebrations. [3] Once again, however, the team, which beat the North East side 3–2, was reported as representing only West Yorkshire. [4]
First official Yorkshire international team
Officially established on 16 July 2017, YIFA held a foundation meeting in October of the same year at the Square Chapel, Halifax, to sign off its constitution and formalise its existence as a footballing body. In attendance were YIFA Chairman Phil Hegarty, Yorkshire Party Executive Committee member Matthew Thomas [5] and Godzown Sport’s Director Simon Gibson, who signed the constitution into being. Godzown Sports also unveiled the team’s first ever home kit, as primary kit manufacturer. While organising a senior Yorkshire international football team was its primary focus, YIFA also gave notice of its intention to seek membership of CONIFA. [6] Plans for a senior women’s team and disability teams were also announced. The announcement caught the attention of national and international sports and news media, many of whom covered open trials held by YIFA, to identify eligible Yorkshire footballers. [7] A number of high profile magazine, radio, newspaper and television publishers continued to cover the developments through to the team’s first game.
On 13 November 2017, YIFA announced that Bradford City Academy Coach Ryan Farrell, assisted by Micky Long, had been appointed as Yorkshire's first ever Head Coach. [8] [9] On 6 January 2018, ahead of the friendly against Ellan Vannin, Yorkshire was accepted as a member of CONIFA. The following week, Matt Bradley of Dinnington Town was the first player revealed to have been called up to the Yorkshire team, while Paddy McGuire, who then played for Thackley, was named the first captain. [10] [11] YIFA announced a major sponsorship deal had been agreed with Utilita Energy, who became primary sponsors of the home and away kits, as part of their focus on wider football sponsorship. In January 2018 CONIFA formally accepted YIFA’s bid for membership [12] which coincided with a good showing in the 2017 general election by the Yorkshire Party, along with the upcoming devolution debates and mayoral elections, prompting some in Yorkshire and across the United Kingdom to question if the unprecedented interest in YIFA and the Yorkshire team was a reflection on a cry for independence by Yorkshire’s population. [13] As an association with close ties to the Yorkshire Party YIFA were supportive of the party’s “one Yorkshire” devolution stance.
In their first official fixture Yorkshire battled to a 1-1 draw versus Ellan Vannin (the Isle of Man), in a CONIFA friendly, in front of a capacity crowd at the Yorkshire NuBuilds Stadium, in Fitzwilliam. Jordan Coduri became Yorkshire’s first ever goalscorer, with his strike to equalise the game. After an initial flurry of fixtures Yorkshire’s progress was interrupted by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, with future fixtures against Chagos Islands and Panjab both postponed, then cancelled. Around this time the YIFA association, which had initially created the Yorkshire football team, and many of it’s original committee and management structure were disbanded, with key figures from the team’s coaching staff taking on responsibility for overseeing the team, without an association structure. [14] This new management committee led to the deletion of all YIFA social media accounts, the team and association’s official website and the disbanding of the official supporter’s club structure, with the loss of thousands of subscribers and followers, and national media interest in the team waned.
Yorkshire’s new management committee made the decision to apply for membership of the World Unity Football Alliance [15] and for a short while were members of CONIFA and WUFA simultaneously. [16] The team did not play again until October 2021, when it defeated Kashmir. In June 2022 Head Coach Ryan Farrell stepped down from his position with YIFA, to concentrarte on his professional domestic duties [17] with captain Paddy McGuire announced as his replacement. [18] Later the same month Halifax Town’s Assistant Manager Andy Cooper was announced as an addition to the coaching team, bringing a wealth of experience from his time as Leeds United’s U23 Manager. [19]
Yorkshire 1–1 Ellan Vannin 
Parishes of Jersey 2–1 Yorkshire 
