Club History...
Before the dawn of the railway, Woodford Halse was a sleepy backwater untouched by time and reliant on a small local ironstone foundry. Then, with the cutting of the Great Central Railway line through the Midlands at the end of the 19th Century, the village steadily grew in numbers and expanded in size. It was with the arrival of the railway that migrant workers and their families settled in the village. Playing as Woodford Central (after the station), the village team was largely made up of railway workers seeking respite after a long and hard week digging sidings and laying track. The team was soon considered a local footballing force.
During the Great War, many of the men were commissioned to continue building the rapidly expanding rail network as munitions and supplies were ferried towards the trenches of northern France. And in 1940, the team was disbanded as many of the village’s men swapped shirts and shorts for battledress. It wasn’t until the end of World War II that the returning soldiers started the club as we know it today. As the next generation grew up, local league football underwent a renaissance and the club started to rebuild. In 1964 it joined the Central Northants Combination league and won the League twice and Cup once within the first three seasons.
Still a club intent on establishing itself in a vastly expanding and competitive Midlands football arena, the club sought new and harder challenges and joined the United Counties League (YCL) in 1970. Under the management of Alf Fox, the club was Division two champions and achieved the Cup double in the 1973/74 season. Not even Woodford Halse survived privatisation. In 1978, the railway authorities sold the ground and Woodford United moved to the village recreation ground where it remains today. The Club also decided to rejoin the Central Northants Combination League and was able to develop local talent, attract players from rival clubs.
In 1998 the club rejoined the United Counties League and won promotion to the Premier Division in 2002. The following year, in recognition of its work within the community, the club gained prestigious FA Charter Standard Community Club status and received a grant from the Football Foundation and Stadia Improvement Fund. This small village club has reached the third round of the FA Vase and in the 2005/06 season won the UCL Premier Division, gaining automatic promotion to the British Gas Business Football League Division One Midlands. It has also reached the third qualifying round of the FA Cup in the past thre consecutive seasons.
Today, under the off-the-field direction of chairman Andy Worrall and on-the-field guidance of manager Phil Mason and with a new £300,000 stand, clubhouse and changing facilities, Woodford United remains a small, successful and vibrant family-oriented football club at the heart of its community. Long may it continue.
Contact Club Info...
Woodford United Football Club
Byfield Road
Woodford Halse
Daventry
Northamptonshire NN11 3TR
United Kingdom
01327 263734
info@woodford-united.co.uk
Contact Manager Info...
1st Team Manager: Mark O’ Callaghan
07505682568
Reserves Manager: Casey Waldock
07812133410
“A” Team Manager: Dean Haynes
07780520972
Sunday Team Manager: Richard Bassett
07779250750
U18s Manager: Mark Andrews
07952579358
Womens Manager: Danni Grogan
07761179510
Veterans Manager: Ali Wright
07795052802
U16s Manager: Duncan Eyles
07714294577
U15s (Acad) Manager: Ian Roberts
07825205904
U15s Manager: Gary Jones
07739691680
U14s Manager: Andy Worrall
07787126636
U12s Manager: Ernie Hartley
01327 263197
U11s Manager: Kevin Bunting
07971864316
U10s Manager: Colin Hall
01327 263479
U9s (A) Manager: Kevin Bowman
07870230537
U9s (B) Manager: Steve Fowler
07773110043
U8s Manager: David Allen
01327 262183
U7s Manager: Steve Penistone
07721431676
U5s – U6s Manager: Trudy Thornton
07747758912