The Beginning
It began as a dream between 2 well established clubs in Wetherby; Wetherby Bulldogs Rugby Club, who were based at the Angel Inn (often changing in the pub car park before matches and walking to The Ings) and Wetherby Athletic Football Club, based on Scaur Bank in a brick built building (now demolished) which merely consisted of 2 changing rooms and communal showers and without heating !
The dream was to create a place from where the 2 clubs could establish a base which they could call their “home”. So, on 15th March 2001, after 8 years of tireless “fundraising” and putting together mountains of paperwork to apply for funding/ grants etc, the dream came true and Wetherby Sports Association was opened for business………….
When the Association first opened its doors, it had a membership number of 200. In August 2008, it now has a membership of over 1,000 which is a phenomenal achievement.
In 2001 there were 2 rugby teams and 4 senior and 7 junior football teams. Today we boast 4 rugby teams and 26 football teams of all ages and gender.. We are also very proud to have in our “home” Wetherby Runners (which now has 160 members), Wetherby Wheelers, Wetherby Petanque Club, Wetherby Angling Society, Wetherby Sports Association Golf Society and the Yorkshire Military Club.
Non-sporting and community based activities continue to thrive and we now have well established “daytime bookings” – the Wilf Ward Trust, Football as Therapy, Tumble Tots, Pilates and Table Tennis. We have also secured a contract from Harrogate College which uses our facilities on a regular week to week basis.
This all seems very encouraging but realistically, we could not survive without the functions that we accept. We regularly secure 3-4 bookings a month and these vary from 18th/21st/40th/50th/ 60th Birthdays and Anniversaries. We have also provided Funeral Buffets and have frequent bookings for Christenings and Children’s Parties. We have also hosted the occasional Wedding Reception ! As well as these events, we hold Social Evenings – Race Nights, Presentation Nights for our Associate Clubs , School Leaving Parties – just to name a few ! We are also proud to host the annual Triathlon where competitors come from all over Yorkshire to swim the Wharfe, run up our local Railway track and cycle up the A1 to Boroughbridge – this is quite a sight to watch !!
As is now evident, the Association has grown from a dream into a true reality. We are all so proud of what has been achieved and the current Executive Committee will continue to make sure that the Association grows and serves our community. Talking of community, we are also delighted to be represented on the Wetherby Bonfire Committee Working Party acting as a link between the Association, the Wetherby Lions and the Town Council to make sure that the annual Bonfire runs smoothly for the residents of Wetherby and the local community.
The Future
Currently, we have a Development Committee led by our Treasurer and Secretary which works tirelessly in moving the Association forward. The Committee has already established that the current facilities are becoming “outgrown” and are now aiming for an extension of the clubhouse – more changing rooms – a separate meeting room and extended car parking facilities. Of course, this will all take time and money and we are embarking again on another long journey to succeed and provide the community of Wetherby with the excellent sporting and “family orientated” facilities that they deserve.
These are all the plans of a future vision of the Association which is expanding rapidly.
If you would like to become a member of Wetherby Sports Assocation and be part of this exciting future then please contact Claire Stubbs – Secretary ar wetherbysports@axis-connect.com
Claire Stubbs, Secretary
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