History
Helping Herefordshire football thrive Since 1893
1893 Herefordshire Football Association formed on October 14th
at meeting held at the Mansion House, Widemarsh Street and attended by
representatives of clubs throughout the County. It was agreed to affiliate to
the Birmingham and District Football Association.
The following officers were elected: President- Mr Tom
Carver, Chairman- Rev Leigh Spencer, Hon. Secretary- Mr H H Babstock.
Founder clubs were: Hereford, Hereford Thistle, Hereford
Early Closers, Hereford Juniors, Tenbury, Peterchurch, Builth, Leominster,
Builth, Builth Juniors, Kington, Berwick Rangers, Presteigne Town, Silver
Stars, Ledbury United, Bircher, Ludlow, Rhyader, Whitfield, Tupsley, Much
Marcle, Bromyard Excelsior, Worcester Rovers, Ross, Worcester Excelsior,
Pencombe.
1894 Membership increased to 30 by the election of Ledbury
Victoria, Hereford Red Rose and Hereford St Peters.
Hereford beat Builth 1-0 to become the first winners of the
HFA Senior County Challenge Cup under the jurisdiction of the Association, and
Leominster defeated Worcester Excelsior 5-2 in the final of the HFA Junior Cup.
The Senior County Challenge Cup was inaugurated eight years
earlier when Hereford also won the trophy, beating Ludlow 3-0 in the final.
1895 Hereford beat Hereford Thistle to become the first
winners of the HFA Charity Bowl.
1899 Herefordshire Football League formed at a meeting at No
5 Hotel, Widemarsh Street, Hereford on August 15th.
1900 Herefordshire Football Association granted disciplinary
powers by the Birmingham and District FA to enable the Associations Executive
Committee to deal directly with any offences reported within the County
borders.
1913 Herefordshire Football Association affiliated direct to
the Football Association with membership reaching the required 50 clubs needed
to become a separate self-administering body.
1920 Mr HP Barnsley elected Chairman- a position he held for
36 years. He was the county representative on the Football Association for 20
years Chairman of the FA Disciplinary Commission for 3 years. He also served on
the FA Match and Ground Consultative Committee for International matches. He
received the FA Long Service Gold medal and later became the first Life
President of the Herefordshire Football Association. He was Mayor of Hereford
from 1938 until 1942.
1923 North
Herefordshire League formed to provide regular football for teams in the north
of the County.
1924 St Martins and RAOC (Rotherwas) amalgamated to form
Hereford United and made their debut in the Birmingham Combination at Edgar
Street on August 30th when they were beaten 3-2 by Atherstone Town.
1938 HFA Burghill Cup competition launched to raise money for
the Associations Benevolent Fund.
1939 Hereford United became a limited company and joined the
Southern League.
1944 Hereford Referees Association formed to assist and coach
potential soccer officials.
1950 Ansells Brewery presented a handsome Herefordshire
Senior Cup to the Association for competition between professional clubs.
Shrewsbury Town beat Hereford United 3-1 in the first invitation final at Edgar
Street.
1952 Mr Ted Powell elected Secretary of the Association- a
position he held for the next 25 years. He then became Chairman of the Hereford
Times Herefordshire Football League, Vice-Chairman of the Herefordshire FA and
Chairman in 1987. He was appointed the County representative of the Football
Association and became one of the Match and Ground Committee, having previously
served as Chairman of the FA Publication Committee and Chairman of the FA
Challenge Trophy Committee.
1962 Herefordshire Sunday League formed principally for
players unable to participate in Saturday and midweek matches.
1963 Football Exhibition staged by the Association at the
Shirehall in September to mark the Centenary of the Football Association.
1966 Herefordshire FA Coaching Association formed in August
to develop the game on an organized scale through schools, youth clubs and
local teams.
1968 Exhibition held in Shirehall and a celebration dinner at
Hillside, Hereford, in May to mark the 75th anniversary of the HFA.
1972 Hereford united elected to the Fourth division of the
Football League.
1976 All weather playing court opened at Hereford Lads Club
in conjunction with the Herefordshire Football Association by Mr Ted Croker,
Secretary of the Football Association.
1979 Hinton beat Ledbury Town to win the HFA Senior Challenge
Cup for the fifth year running and equal the record of the Hereford City set in
1914.
1985 County Association purchased land at Widemarsh Common in
July to enable them to have a home of their own where they could stage
representative matches and build their own headquarters.
1989 County pavilion officially opened on New Year’s Eve
before HFA Youth Cup final. Later in the season the finals of the Charity Bowl,
Junior Cup, Burghill Cup and Sunday Cup were all staged on the county ground.
1993 HFA presented with an illuminated certificate by the Football
Association to commemorate
their Centenary.
1998
Herefordshire FA became the first County to become a Company Limited by Guarantee.
This being the first step to converting what was no more than a hobby pursuit
to a small business. The Association was still run from ‘the kitchen table’
with no offices.
2000 the
first County Plan was produced which reviewed the workload and responsibilities
of volunteers and set out the short, medium and long term targets for the
Association.
2001 thanks to a grant from The Football Association, the County was able to
appoint it’s first full time member of staff as the first step to achieving the
setting up of business premises.
2004 the
County Headquarters was refurbished to accommodate new members of staff who
with administration grants were tasked with ‘Football Development’ within the
County.
2016 Hereford FC reach the FA Vase Final at Wembley, Herefordshire FA successfully negotiate the parade of Hereford Bull "Hawkesbury Ronaldo" around the Wembley pitch
2016 Herefordshire FA take over the running of the County League with the intention of helping it grow in future seasons.
2017 the
County continues to develop all areas of the game with a staff of ten of which
five are full time. We continue to focus on growing football within the county and providing football opportunities For All.
Be part of our future
If you'd like to join the Herefordshire FA and help continue supporting and growing football in the local area why not become a partner.
- Opportunities to sponsor leagues and competitions
- Reach a huge audience across the county
- Support the local game and the sport you love