Blackpool and Fylde junior football clubs over the years

straightatthewall

Well-known member
The 'have you played at Bloomfield road' thread has thrown up plenty of now disbanded junior clubs. Just made me wonder how many there's been over the years.

These are the clubs I can remember (off the top of my head):

North Fylde
Fleetwood Gym
Fleetwood Town
Thornton Cleveleys
Poulton
BJFF
Blackpool Rangers
British Rail
Spirit of Youth
Clifton Rangers
FC Rangers
Our Lady
YMCA
Lytham
Churchills - who became Centaur - who became Wyre
Kirkham Juniors

Probably plenty more or clubs who the above used to be/have since become. My point of reference would be early 80's-mid 90's.
 
Not a junior league club, but I played in Lee Brooklyn's league for years, I'm guessing around the mid 70's?
Played at Collingwood Ave, then a season at Lawsons Rd, behind the allotments.
Kids of all talent levels, putting it politely, but really loved it.

#Chamahawks!
 
The 'have you played at Bloomfield road' thread has thrown up plenty of now disbanded junior clubs. Just made me wonder how many there's been over the years.

These are the clubs I can remember (off the top of my head):

North Fylde
Fleetwood Gym
Fleetwood Town
Thornton Cleveleys
Poulton
BJFF
Blackpool Rangers
British Rail
Spirit of Youth
Clifton Rangers
FC Rangers
Our Lady
YMCA
Lytham
Churchills - who became Centaur - who became Wyre
Kirkham Juniors

Probably plenty more or clubs who the above used to be/have since become. My point of reference would be early 80's-mid 90's.
Wow. This thread takes me back to the mid to late 80s. I played a season for Fleetwood Town when I was 10. We were hopeless and lost every game. The worst being 26-0 to Spirit of Youth. When I got home to the family dinner table and told my lovely Nan the score she laughed so hard she cried. My best mate was in goal. I also remember playing BJFF and seeing it as a positive that we were only 5-0 down at half time. After defeat after defeat we suggested to the coach that maybe we could do some training (we didn't train) to which he replied 'You must be jesting sunshine, I'm a busy man'.
 
Remember one season, about 88, Kirkham played home games at Deepdale for some reason. As a full blooded defender I tore my legs to pieces on the surface.

Drew 2-2 and I scored, so not all bad.
 
They became Brooklyn Corinthians.

We also had Birkdale
Evington
Freckleton
Fleetwood Sea Cadets
Fleetwood Villa
Hawthorne Juniors
Alexandra Boys
Anchorsholme Boys
Preesall Colts
Bispham Rebels
Bispham Colts
Norbreck Nomads (i thinks they were nomads)
Bispham Boys (always had a battle with Evington)
Bispham Juniors (Pre BJFF)
Marton Congs
 
I forgot about Brooklyn. Did they become something else?
When I was about 8 or 9 a kid at school played for a team called Brooklyn Buccaneers or Brooklyn Olympic (they were the same club I think, the name differences might have been for different age groups). We lived in St.Annes, the team played somewhere in Blackpool, can't remember where now. There was a small brick hut that might have been changing rooms once but I'm not sure these were even used. This kid invited me to play for Brooklyn, I remember his Dad driving us up there and I remember the Brooklyn Buccaneers (or Olympic) kit. Tangerine shirts with green collars and cuffs. There was a sewn on badge which was an Olympic torch. Tangerine shorts and Green socks. Later this kid and me both played for YMCA in 1978, 1979- Brooklyn were not in this league. I don't know what happened to them or whether they competed in the Blackpool and Fylde Junior Alliance (think that was the name). Would love it if anyone knows anything about Brooklyn in the late seventies. Also interested in anyone who remebers Birkdale United. I briefly played for Birkdale. BJFF were next door but then Birkdale were changed their name to Blackpool Rangers, the coach from BJFF took over and brought half the BJFF kids with him and then all of a sudden it was hard to get a game. That was around 1978.
 
I played for a club called Northbeach in Thornton which had four or five really good players; we then amalgamated with half of BJFF, and one or two others to form Birkdale.

We played at Thornton Sports Centre and our manager was Jack Chapman from BFC.

It was a little unfair as we beat everyone by silly scores.

Brian Morley was the standout player, and he had a short career as a professional with Blackburn Rovers (I think).

Edit to add: that would be around 1972-74..
 
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When I was about 8 or 9 a kid at school played for a team called Brooklyn Buccaneers or Brooklyn Olympic (they were the same club I think, the name differences might have been for different age groups). We lived in St.Annes, the team played somewhere in Blackpool, can't remember where now. There was a small brick hut that might have been changing rooms once but I'm not sure these were even used. This kid invited me to play for Brooklyn, I remember his Dad driving us up there and I remember the Brooklyn Buccaneers (or Olympic) kit. Tangerine shirts with green collars and cuffs. There was a sewn on badge which was an Olympic torch. Tangerine shorts and Green socks. Later this kid and me both played for YMCA in 1978, 1979- Brooklyn were not in this league. I don't know what happened to them or whether they competed in the Blackpool and Fylde Junior Alliance (think that was the name). Would love it if anyone knows anything about Brooklyn in the late seventies. Also interested in anyone who remebers Birkdale United. I briefly played for Birkdale. BJFF were next door but then Birkdale were changed their name to Blackpool Rangers, the coach from BJFF took over and brought half the BJFF kids with him and then all of a sudden it was hard to get a game. That was around 1978.
I remember playing against Brooklyn probably a few years after you. If memory serves they had two teams, Corinthians and Villa, and the brick hut was used as a changing room (with no lighting?).
 
Foxhall is a big one in South Shore. They've played on Fishers Field for as long as I've been alive and I played for them myself for 11 years (once at Bloomfield Road).
 
I played for a club called Northbeach in Thornton which had four or five really good players; we then amalgamated with half of BJFF, and one or two others to form Birkdale.

We played at Thornton Sports Centre and our manager was Jack Chapman from BFC.

It was a little unfair as we beat everyone by silly scores.

Brian Morley was the standout player, and he had a short career as a professional with Blackburn Rovers (I think).

Edit to add: that would be around 1972-74..
I played for Birkdale Utd for a few years back in the 1970's
 
I remember playing against Brooklyn probably a few years after you. If memory serves they had two teams, Corinthians and Villa, and the brick hut was used as a changing room (with no lighting?).

It sounds like they were part of the same club. I think junior football in Blackpool back then was divided between the haves and have nots. I played for Birkdale United in Bispham, a have not club, next door to haves BJFF. Then we became haves when we became Blackpool Rangers and some money appeared and we got a new clubhouse and new kits etc. The last junior team I played for was YMCA in Lytham- definitely a 'haves' club. Poor old Brooklyn were have nots, but when I was a kid, like a lot of kids, I just wanted to play football for a team.

I remember playing against Brooklyn probably a few years after you. If memory serves they had two teams, Corinthians and Villa, and the brick hut was used as a changing room (with no lighting?).
 
I was reading the posts and couldn't believe they hadn't been mentioned
Remember Foxhall very well. When I played junior football in the late 70's Foxhall were famous. They played in Green and white hoops. I've moved away from the Fylde but I think they ares still going and wear the same colours.
 
Only two teams were any good when I played, BJFF and YMCA. Played for BJFF for about three years and would say honours were even. We didnt have a peado running our club thank god.
Used to beat teams 20 nil, 14 nil etc,young kids crying after a game of football,as a twelve/thirteen yearold I thought whats the point,we would rather play YM week in week out. Still feel the same today,fathers on here used to boast about beating teams 10 nil etc,kids drop out not interested but if each team was of similar standard I think more would stop in the game and be a benefit to Fylde football. As for fathers with no coaching experience,stay at home and cook sunday dinner,dont go ruining a bunch of kids youthful football lives.
 
In the late 80s I played for a team called Poulton St John's who played in a West Lancashire Junior League. A big Blackpool fan called Malcolm used to help coach me as a goalkeeper, see him knocking about from time to time and wonder if he posts on berry??

I left when I was 12 and moved to Yorkshire. When I came back there was no trace of that team so I imagine they merged with Poulton Youth as when my boy played against Poulton recently they were playing in the same orange and black kit.
 
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