Milton Keynes &
Border Counties Youth Football League
Way back
in the early 1960's Buckinghamshire was selected by the Government of the day
to become one of the sites for urgently needed national expansion. The South
Bucks dominated County Council, fearful of the destruction of their exalted countryside,
proposed a new “mono-rail” conurbation, to be based in the North of the County.
However,
the Government decided that the design and control should be through a
centrally appointed Development Corporation, and in 1967, the results of such
early planning created the City of Milton Keynes. Thus began the long journey
of evolution, which still continues today.
Until
that point in time, North Bucks ( a basically rural, agrarian dominated
community) was not in the forefront of progressive expansionism, but had begun
to extend it's built up areas in the East and West of Bletchley.
Furthermore,
it was the only area within the County that returned forward thinking, left of
centre politicians to the County Council, dominated at that time by
conservative attitudes. Perhaps this is an inheritance that still remains, and
is, in part, responsible for the obvious success of the New City.
After the
trauma of the second world war had begun to subside and the devastation it
produced had been evaluated, the Bletchley Urban District Council decided to
act in the national interest. As a result, they began to plan for the
re-settlement of London's homeless, and the Lakes Estate was born.
Development
had already commenced in Old Bletchley with the emergence of house building off
Newton Road, and the establishment of the Saints and Castles estates. This area
doubled the population within a very short time, and became an obvious area for
planned and continuing expansion.
What
about youth football? With the exception of the Scouts and the Boy's Brigade it
simply did not occur outside the five secondary schools in the area. These had
virtually little, if any, contact with schools in the middle or south of the
County. Any growth in this activity was therefore very limited.
With the
increased pace of house building in the North and the realisation that Milton
Keynes was for real, brand new secondary schools in the expanding parts,
particularly Bletchley, were conceived and built. Change was observed and most
certainly on its way.
In 1966,
the Carlton Club (based at the re-located Leon School) was formed and commenced
playing in the Chiltern Youth League, centred on Luton. Denbigh Youth
(originally based at Wilton School – now Lord Grey School) entered the Bedford
Boys' League.
In those
early days, boys could NOT play organised, affiliated football until the season
after their ninth birthday. Thus a youngster, whose birthday was 1st August
(the agreed date of qualification was 31st July to tie in with the school year)
would be nearly ten – all but a day – before he was permitted to become
involved. Training was also officially denied until the age qualification was
reached by those hundreds of children who wished simply to play league
football!!
It took a
local deputation travelling to Lancaster Gate (the Football Association's
headquarters) to get the Association to accept that a lad could play
immediately after his ninth birthday – even if it did take three years for the
controlling body to ratify this great step forward!!
Still NO
girls allowed however, since the FA did NOT accept any responsibility for
“ladies” football. It would take many more years for this situation to change,
and until it did, the women's game was centrally and separately organised and
administered by volunteers from a small office in Watford. Interested people
from North Bucks were in contact.
In the
spring of 1968, spurred on by the excitement generated by the New City's
aspirations, and the success of both the Carlton and Denbigh Clubs, a few
dedicated and progressive individuals met at the Bletchley Leisure Centre to
consider the formation of their own, locally based youth league.
Representatives
attended from long established senior clubs based in Newport Pagnell, Stony
Stratford, Bletchley, Olney and Wolverton, together with leaders from the well
organised and forward looking Youth Service. From their number a working party
was established with a mandate to act as quickly as possible to establish local
youth football.
In the
September of 1968 the “Milton Keynes & District Youth League” commenced
with eight teams at Under 11's and the same number at Under 13's.
Because
of the official position, only boys were permitted to play in the newly
established league, with the FA's truculence even banning girls and boys
training together, since they expressly forbade any mixing of the sexes – even
though it WAS the roaring sixties. Any defiance of this situation would
immediately cause the offender to be in receipt of a severe sanction, or even
possible expulsion from the County Football Association.
It has to
be said that certain individuals, particularly one junior school head-teacher
who incurred the wrath of the Buckinghamshire School's Football Association,
turned a blind eye to what nowadays would constitute an infringement of human
rights and individual freedoms. It should be noted that the FA still holds to
certain restrictive practices no longer legally tolerated in other modern
spheres of community work and play.
It was to
their great credit, that the Milton Keynes Development Corporation was keen to
preserve local history and gain the area's support. District names, for
example, are based on ancient and long established field names.
Central
Milton Keynes has connections with a turbulent past. The area, being both
economically and geographically strategic, was, in the latter part of the first
millennium, a region of considerable turmoil.
In the
year 878AD, after the battle of Edgington, King Alfred the Great and Gunthrum
of East Anglia, agreed the peaceful settlement of Wedmore and divided England
into two halves. The North East became the area of the Danelaw, with the South
West becoming English Mercia.
This was
established at a Witan (or council of the leading men of Church and State) and
commemorated locally today by Witan Gate, a north/south road in Central Milton
Keynes running parallel with Saxon Street. Incidentally, each year, on 21st
June- the longest day – the rising sun strikes along the length of Midsummer
Boulevarde, and gives resonance with Stonehenge and the importance our
forefathers paid to the sun and the power of it's rays.
For the
record, the ancient and local Witan met on a small knoll that is now considered
to have been sited behind the central library. The League's inclusive twenty-five
mile membership radius is centred on the present day equivalent (the Milton
Keynes City Church and the District Council Offices are adjacent) and this
gives rise to it's present name of “Border Counties”
In fact,
the actual Danelaw boundary cuts through the middle of the agreed membership
zone and so the name is particularly appropriate. The name 'Mercians' means
'the Borderers' and is derived from it's position between the Anglo-Saxon
settlements of the East and the British (pax Britannia) Kingdoms of the West.
The border created is still very obvious.
This long
accepted division ran from the East coast along the course of the River Thames
until it reached it's confluence with the River Lea at Poplar. It then follows
the courses of the River Lea northwest through Cheshunt, Hertfod and Harpenden
until it's source at Leagrave Marsh in Luton, then directly north to Bedford
(an important Viking port) after which it followed the River Great Ouse
westwards to Stony Stratford, then northwest along the Watling Street and onto
the Welsh border country.
It is
evident that this mix of Saxons, Angles, Britons and Vikings was the cause of
constant feuding between the various protagonists in order to gain supremacy.
Some people may be sufficiently petulant to suggest that little has changed in
this respect, but such thoughts are obviously open to individual
interpretation.
This
frame of mind did continue down the years, and the advice of Thomas Elyot to
parents in Henry V111's England was “...bowling, clash pins...be utterly
abjected of all noblemen, in likewise football, wherein is nothing but beastly
fury and extreme violence; whereof proceedeth hurt, and consequently rancour
and malice doth remain with them that be wounded; whereof it is to be put in
perpetual silence” Not too much of a change there then!!
Hopefully
though, these attitudes have improved, and the earlier separation a thing of
the past. So successful were those early years of the League's existence, that
within three seasons from it's inauguration senior officers of the League, and
those from the Buckingham Boy's League (a long established competition catering
for the smaller and thriving village youth teams west of the New City) met
together and agreed to amalgamate and create a new and enhanced group of contestants.
This
mutually approved and benevolent decision also created the need for another
name to reflect this change and growing status. With history considered and the
geographic position important, the present name was adopted to express the
sense of growth and optimism within it's ranks.
The
League now had a strong foothold in three Counties, Bedfordshire,
Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, and, for a while, a team from a large
non-league club in Oxfordshire.
To
accommodate a growing dilemma between school and junior football clubs (both
played on Saturdays – schools in the morning; clubs in the afternoon) the
conciliatory step was taken unilaterally to play on Sundays. This helped to
produce better relationships and opened up more facilities. However, after a
national and total walkout by teachers over a significant pay dispute, after
school activities were dealt a severe blow from which they have never fully
recovered.
At about
the same time- in the mid-seventies – it became increasingly clear that clubs
required mixed football, and that it should commence at a younger age. One man
of considerable vision, enthusiasm and energy (plus a level of
single-mindedness as it turned out) decided to put that right and take matters
into his own hands. At the Bletchley Youth Centre in Derwent Drive, he began
playing friendly football matches between Member Clubs on a mixed genda basis,
and with children as young as four years old!
This did
NOT meet with official approval and after much discussion and soul-searching,
the Buckinghamshire County Council together with the County Football
Association decided to instruct the workers at the Youth Centre under it's
jurisdiction to desist from it's support of this venture.
With
considerable reluctance this occurred, and a completely separate and
“unorganised” groip continued on it's way, based at Wellsmead Middle School in
Bletchley. After some months and an agreement to formulate a set of acceptable
rules, the Milton Keynes Nursery Fives came into existence. That embryonic
group was the forerunner of the Junior League that is operating today.
During
this period Clubs began to take members on trips into Europe, and in particular
the
Netherlands, and were confronted with the system in operation there. This
naturally created considerable discussion and a certain level of envy, and it
was not too long before the Football Association was pressurised into creating
what was almost a revolution – mini-soccer!!
However,
the reluctance of some factions that became responsible for the obvious and
required development created delay and division within children's football, the
ramifications from which may still be seen today. This is most apparent in the
lack of significant progress in the area of girls' football. Mixed teams are
still few and far between at the younger age levels and is NOT allowed at all
by the Football Association beyond the under elevens' age group.
From the
early 80s the Milton Keynes & Border Counties Youth Football League
continued to grow in size and stature along with that of the New City. A city
which now boasts the fastest growing conurbation with the largest percentage of
school-age children in the Country. It is considered a “can do” community, and
it is both satisfying and refreshing to know that it's twenty-five mile radius
catchment area is now well established and brings with it a wide range of
people from other neighbourhoods with differing ideas and experiences, thus
helping to make the League what it has become; the largest youth organisation
in the area with a skilled and dedicated group of adults helping to continue
it's progress.
The
League has grown from a dozen or so original Clubs with less than 250
registered players, into one comprising well over sixty Clubs with more than
four thousand registered players, and in the region of one thousand
face-to-face adult providers creating a competition of worth, enjoyed by all
those who are involved.
Milton
Keynes, and by implication, it's adjacent communities, is an obvious success
story. So much so, that in the spring of 1997, it had the desire, impetus and
ability to become a self-governing Unitary Authority, and broke away from it's
political ties with the rest of Buckinghamshire.
This
political independence created in its wake, a thrusting and growing legacy in
sport, art, drama and music, together with a wide range of other cultural
activities as may be observed, for example, by it's theatre of national
distinction. Other establishments makes this point very strongly.
At
roughly the same time – the late 1990's – moves were being made to not only
bring in a major league club, but to commence the planning of what had always
been a significant project within the original master plan of the City – it's
very own football stadium. An issue long discussed and desired.
Senior
members of the Border Counties executive were closely involved with the
Chairman of the consortium working on bringing professional football to Milton
Keynes, and on 27th September 2003, Wimbledon (who had been eventually given
permission to relocate by the Football Association) played their very first
game in the City. This was against Burnley Football Club at the National Hockey
Stadium.
The event
gave a remarkable lift to local football, particularly since, a year later, on
30th June 2004 (which now seems light years away) the name became Milton Keynes
Dons, and the area had, at last, it's very own League Club. Something many had
wished for over decades, but had begun to wonder if it would ever happen. Once
again, one man's dedication ensured that it did.
The
growing links between MK Dons and the League are considered important for the
future development of youth football in Milton Keynes and the border counties.
This aspect of the League's evolution is gathering pace to the overall advantage
of all concerned. Particularly as a result of the impressive new Stadium MK
that is now nearing completion and in continual use.
It may be
worth noting, that the MK Dons Chairman is on record as acknowledging that his
initial serious interest in football was fostered by his son playing in the
local Youth League. What sort of parent he was on the touch-line is not
recorded!!
At the
conclusion of the 2008-2009 season, the League will be forty years young, and
since many of the original registered players are now watching their own
children playing the game, this is well worthy of note.
The next
forty years will see the present players have participating children of their
own, and may well be in managerial positions themselves, such is the nature of
progress.
The
Border Counties League has had an interesting and informative influence on
youth football in the area, and has been helped and supported by a considerable
number of individuals and organisations that have been of great influence upon
it's existence over the years.
Naturally,
those involved within the organisation are grateful for all of this
co-operation and assistance. Without it, the present position could not have
been achieved, and the area's sporting history would have been somewhat poorer
as a result. Working together has accomplished a great deal.
Without
doubt, King Alfred had little idea that over a thousand years later, comment
and discussion would still range around the name of Border Counties and the
effect it would be having on the local communities. But in any case, that is
partly understandable – he was too busy burning cakes!!
Over the years our name has changed
to reflect the support of sponsors, but we will always include 'Milton Keynes
and Border Counties' in the League's name, not only to recognise the area which
we serve, but to acknowledge our roots which go back to the early sixties. We
are currently The SRBE
Ltd Plant & Tool Hire (Milton Keynes & Border Counties) Youth Football
League. If you are interested in becoming a League sponsor please click here for details.
The aim of our League is to provide the youth of Milton Keynes and the
surrounding district with the opportunity to play good, sporting association
football in an organised competition. On the subject of sportsmanship you may
have already noticed that our League badge incorporates the official Football
Association (FA) Fair Play logo. We sought and gained FA permission to use this
logo as we feel very strongly that this side of the game should be given equal
prominence as the playing side. Unfortunately fair play can all too easily be
given less prominence, and consequently less importance, but we do our utmost
to ensure this is not the case in our League.
The League consists of Clubs whose headquarters are within a 25 mile
radius of Central Milton Keynes and we are affiliated to the Berks & Bucks
Football Association.
If you wish to receive any further details about the League do contact us using the e-mail facility and one of our Management Committee members will respond as soon as they can.