Blunsdon United is a local football club based in
the village of
Broad Blunsdon,
Wiltshire, playing in the
Swindon League.
History
The club, established in
1955, uses a
duck for a logo. It was formed by the merger of two
even smaller football teams, Broad Blunsdon FC (established in
1947, based in the village of
Broad Blunsdon) and St Andrew Church of England AFC (established in
1926 and based in the village
of Blunsdon St Andrew] by the local parish church). It is a
grass-roots football club held in high
regard by the village of Blunsdon, seen by locals as keeping
Blunsdon "independent", a bulwark against the anonymity of
absorption by the sprawling northern suburbs of
Swindon.
Ground
The club
has no permanent grounds, being required to play in an open field
owned by a local farmer, who uses it to train horses in the summer
months (making the field unavailable to the team).
From
April 13,
2005 the club will moved to a
large field behind the semi-detached houses on Ermin Street as
their permanent ground for the next 15 years. The field is behind
door numbers 20 to number 32 of the houses in Ermin Street. This
ground was recently purchase by the drug company ThuyPN, which is
based in
Streatham,
south
London. The ground
will be named Warwick Park and will have a capacity for 150
people.
Club
The club sponsor is
Headlands WC the toilet
maintenance and repair company, based in Upper Stratton, north east
Swindon. It was the club
first ever sponsor, started in 1996.
Originally, most of the
players in the team were over 30, but more recently the average age
has significantly lowered to around 22.
In
2002 Blunsdon United was named "Unsung Team of the
Year 2002" in the
Swindon Evening Advertiser and was
mentioned in a small article in the national tabloid
The Sun. The
club has been noted for improving social behaviour in Blunsdon: for
example, three local teenagers who had exhibited anti-social
behaviour in the past had their football skills rewarded with a
full-time contract partly funded by local charity, and are said to
have since expressed the opinion that their lives have taken a turn
for the better.
The club's founder is a woman who doubles as
"Ling the Duckling", the club's mascot. On
April 18,
2004, fans staged a large protest against her proposal
to change the name of the club to "Blunsdon Ducks United"; the
proposal was subsequently withdrawn. Also on
September 13,
2004, local rivals Penhill Pirates appoach
to take over the team was turn down.
The team has never won a
final. Their closest run was a
2004 defeat in the local final against the
Swindon Supermarine.
On
December 27 2004, the club
started to hand out awards to players for their contribution to the
team for the year for the first time in its history.
Ball
winning midfielder and captain of the club, Keith Hann was voted
Blunsdon United player of the year for 2004 by the fans.
Fellow
winger William "Chicken" Fann was voted Blunsdon United young
player of the year.
Skillful striker Terry "Thierry Henry" Huaw
was Blunsdon United top goalscorer with 16 goals in the 2003 - 2004
season.
Club records
Highest recorded attendance of 39.
This was set in 29th August 2004 against Dunraven Rovers in the
home tie of the semi-final of the North Swindon Cup.
Biggest
Win: 7 - 1 against Eltham FC in the Walworth Trophy in
1999.
Greatest Defeat: 2 - 7 against Warneford Wanderers in the
Swindon League in 1985.
Most appearances for the club: Tommy and
Henry Twins. The two brothers have over 150 appearances each for
Blunsdon United from July 2000 onwards.
Highest transfer fee:
£50 for Namberto "Nam" Guyen, from club Stockwell and Victory FC on
27 December 2000.
Current Squad 2004 - 2005
Goalkeeper:
Phil VansanDefender (Left Back): Tommy TwinsDefender
(Centre): Henry TwinsDefender (Centre): Cath LindseyDefender
(Right Back): Anthony MayMidfielder (Left): Namberto "Nam"
GuyenMidfielder (Centre): Keith Hann (CAPTAIN)Midfielder
(Centre): Thuytis PhuoneMidfielder (Right): William "Chicken"
Fann Striker: Terry "Thierry Henry" Huaw Srtiker: Alexander
Waykay
Wikis
Search
