History

Former Wallsend Boys’ Club member goes to the top at the FA. In 1974, as a ten-year-old boy, Les joined Wallsend Boys’ Club with the intention of playing five a side football. Thirty-Nine years later he had well and truly proven that, as an ex Wallsend Boys’ Club member, you did not need to be a professional footballer, to make your mark in the sporting field in a big way. By the age of fifteen Les was refereeing five a side football leagues and was organising the under 10’s and under 11’s leagues at the club. Les started running the... Read More

In the early 1970s Wallsend Boys’ Club helped produce another professional footballer. Eric Steele, was a goalkeeper who went on to play for Newcastle and then for Peterborough before becoming a goalkeeping coach. In 1971, as a schoolboy, Eric Steel played his second international football match for the England Schoolboys X1 against Scotland at Burnley. Eric, who was a pupil at Burnside High School, and an active member of Wallsend Boys’ Club, played in the England v Wales match at Denbigh, two weeks earlier, which England won 2-0. A press article said that Eric, 17 at the time and studying... Read More

Early graduate of the Boys’ Club; Ray Hankin. One of the first really successful football ‘graduates’ of Wallsend Boys’ Club of the post-1960s era was Ray Hankin who signed as an apprentice for Burnley at the age of 15 in 1970. After a career playing for several clubs, including Leeds United, Ray then became Football in the Community Manager for Newcastle United. Ray Hankin, an early product of Wallsend Boys Club, signed as an apprentice for Burnley at the age of 15 in 1970. Joe Jordan and Ray Hankin were the twin strikers of Leeds United and the rest of... Read More

Boys’ Club trip to European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final and new president for the Boys’ club. Wallsend Boys’ Club had strong links with their nearest big professional football club, Newcastle United. This first reached a peak in a particularly memorable way in June 1969 when Dave Beardall drove a bus of boys’ club members all the way to Budapest in Hungary to watch their heroes from United beat Ujpest Dozsa in the European Inter City Fairs’ Cup Final. This journey was no mean feat at the time. The Cold War was still going strong and the group set out on... Read More

It seemed as the years went on that the two themes of footballing fame and the need to raise money to keep the club going were constant features of club life. In November 1968, in an effort to attract more young people into the club, one of the workshops on the premises was turned into a ‘discotheque’ and a Club Week Dance was held with “soft lights and sweet music” to quote the local paper. This was from 8pm until midnight and there was a buffet, spot prizes and a cabaret. The tickets cost 7/6 (37.5 pence today) and this... Read More

The official opening of the new Wallsend Boys’ Club. The opening ceremony of what was described as “the best club building in the North of England” took place on Friday 16th December 1966. It had many links with the opening of the old wooden hut in 1939. Sheriton Clements Swan was still present as club president, – a remarkable sign of commitment – and he welcomed the Duke of Northumberland to carry out the official opening, reminding the 150 people present that it was the Duke’s mother, when Duchess of Northumberland, who had carried out that first opening ceremony. In... Read More

The “new” Wallsend Boys’ Club’s first planned venture was a charity cricket match between the cast of ‘My Fair Lady’, which was being staged at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, and a Mayor of Wallsend’s eleven.Which included members of the Newcastle United football team. The ‘My Fair Lady’ cast included Tony Britton, Wendy Bowman, Bert Brownbill, Patrick Waddington, Gwynne Whitby and Gavin Gordon, all of whom signed a commemorative programme. The game was to be staged on July 31st1966 at Bigges Main, but plans to charge 1/- admittance fee had to be scrapped because of the Lord’s Day Observance Act... Read More

New leader appointed for Wallsend Boys’ Club. In December 1965 the club committee appointed a new full-time leader for Wallsend Boy’s’ Club, 28 year old Dave Beardall. The interviews for the appointment took place at Swan Hunter’s since the club building was incomplete. Once appointed the new club leader, along with Wally Telfer who was Development Officer for the NABC, had the task of spending a grant of £2500 allocated by the Department of Education and Science on equipment and furnishings. Among the equipment bought early on were a full-size judo mat and cover, boxing equipment, a trampoline, three table... Read More

On 14th July 1964. Wallsend Boys’ Club were pleased to hear from the Boys’ Club Association that the necessary award of grant aid from the Ministry had now been obtained and that the construction of the new Club would now proceed and they were accordingly getting in touch with Wallsend Corporation to finalise the negotiations for the lease. On 6thNovember Northumberland County Council approved agrantof £6,875, which was recommended by Northumberland Education Committee towards the cost of erecting premises for Wallsend Boys’ Club. On 11thJune 1965 Purdie, Lumsden & Co, Ltd won the contract to build the new Wallsend Boys’... Read More

Sadly, all of this activity suffered a setback on June 9th1959 when the club building was gutted by a serious blaze. The hall and gym suffered extensive damage, and much sports equipment was lost. Ironically the club had just spent £600 on renovation and redecoration, the first since it’s opening in 1939. Among the items saved however were all the trophies won over the years, and the framed certificate marking the honorary membership of the Duke of Gloucester. These had been stored in a fire-proof safe. The mood of the club seems to have been determined as well as dismayed.... Read More