THE EARLY YEARS

A Pannal Ash football team can be traced back to the early 1900s but Pannal Ash Junior Football club as we know it today was founded in 1978 by Cliff Trotter.

Cliff is our Club President and is still very hands on, coaching our U5/ U6 age groups on Oatlands Park on Saturday mornings.

The very first Pannal Ash junior football team was formed in 1978 when Cliff was asked by the St Marks Scouts Leader if he would take a football team to represent St Marks Scouts in a 6-a-side tournament on The Stray. The team of 6 boys went on to win the competition and after this success the players’ parents asked if Cliff would keep the team going and they started playing friendly matches against teams from Leeds and York.

As the team trained and played on Tewit Well Park they were originally going to be called “Tewit Well Park” however the staff at Pannal Ash Children’s Home (NCH Fairfield) approached Cliff to see if some of the boys from the home could play in the team.  In return the team were able to use the home’s full sized football pitch (off Pannal Ash Road, opposite the current entrance to Rossett Sports Centre) and became Pannal Ash Junior Football Club.

The team enjoyed 3 seasons on the playing fields off Pannal Ash Road before moving to Almsford Playing Fields, which continues to be our home today.

In 1984 the children’s home was closed, the buildings were demolished a couple of years later and new houses were built on the site and playing fields.