 | |
| Full name | Beverley Town Football Club |
|---|---|
| Ground | Norwood Recreation Ground |
| Capacity | 1,000 (56 seated) |
| Chairman | Mark Smith |
| Manager | Dave Ricardo |
| League | Northern Counties East League Division One |
| 2022–23 | Northern Counties East League Division One, 11th of 20 |
Beverley Town Football Club is a football club based in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the Northern Counties East League Division One and play their home games at Norwood Recreation Ground.
Beverley Town Football Club, has been in existence since 1902, when the club became registered as a member of the East Riding County League. The first recorded honours for Town, came in 1910–11 with victory in the Hospital Cup (later Stanley Wilson Cup). Although following this, the club was forced to disband in 1914, upon declaration of World War One. The club reformed after the war ended and remained in sporadic existence until 1939, when football was once again suspended following the commencement of the Second World War.
Some momentum was finally gained in 1948, after a merger with local side Beverley Rangers, which saw the team moved to its current home at the Norwood Recreation Ground. This came after former professional player Jack Gittoes, who had previously plied his trade at Coventry City and Blackpool persuaded his fellow cricket committee members to allow football onto the ground for the first time. In 1954 a further merger with Beverley United occurred and the club became a highly-competitive side on the East Riding County League scene for the next two decades.
After disagreements with the grounds committee, the club left Norwood around 1970 and a nomadic existence was to follow, with Beverley Town sides continuing to play in the East Riding County League at various venues over the ensuing years. These included the former Victoria Barracks – now a Morrisons Supermarket; the Hodgsons Recreation Ground, Longcroft School, and Orchard Park playing fields in nearby Hull.
It was not until 2000, when a Beverley Town team was formed from the former Beverley Old Grammarians side and became a founder member of the then newly formed Humber Premier League that it finally became established as a presence of note once again. Town returned to its roots at the Norwood Recreation Ground and steady progress has been made since. The club lifted its first Humber Premier title in 2012–13 – losing only one game in the process and won the same title again in 2020–21.
The following season the club were league runners-up, but gained promotion to the NCEL Division One as improvements to the Norwood ground meant it finally fulfilled league eligibility. This included the installation of a 56-seater stand named in honour of former player and local school teacher Ivan Usher. Beverley Town were the best supported side in its debut 2022–23 NCEL Division One season and it is hoped that the best is yet to come and that Beverley can finally have a team that the whole town can get behind.
Over the years, several players who have represented Beverley Town at either junior or senior level, have gone on to play in the professional game. These include former Leeds, Tottenham, and England goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, as well as former Hull City players, John Hawley; Ray Clubley, Linton Brown, Darren France, and Gavin Kelly. The team were also trained for a period in the 1960s by Hull City players John McSeveney and Andy Davidson – who remains Hull City's record appearances holder.
The club was a founder member of the Humber Premier League[1] in 2000. They won the league championship for the first time in 2013, and added two further titles before being promoted to the Northern Counties East League in 2022.[2]
On 22 July 2022, Beverley announced the signing of former Sampdoria and Napoli winger, Daniele Mannini. The move came about after a chance encounter in which Mannini had met chairman Mark Smith whilst the two were walking dogs with Smith inviting him to pre-season training.[3]