Hemsworth Miners Welfare

Hemsworth Miners Welfare FC are a non league club from the former mining town in West Yorkshire, which is located around ten miles south of Wakefield, but who play home games in nearby Fitzwilliam. The club were formed in 1981 following the disbanding of Hemsworth Colliery FC the previous season.

After success in the Doncaster & District Senior League, the club progressed to the West Riding County Amateur Football League in 1995. More success followed including two league titles, until the club were accepted into the Northern Counties East League in 2008.

Hemsworth  Miners Welfare FC will compete in the Northern Counties East League Division One for the 2013-14 season.


My visit

Saturday 22nd September 2012

I was on my way to watch Scarborough Athletic play in a league match at Nostell Miners Welfare on a very pleasant day. I had booked my train to York some weeks earlier to get the benefit of cheap fares before I knew the actual fixtures. I figured that if I booked to York I could get to most places easy enough.

I actually got off at Doncaster, but I was early to meet my mate Guy Watson in Wakefield for pre match refreshments. After a check of the train times I figured my time would be well spent visiting a new ground so I headed for Fitzwilliam, the birthplace of Sir Geoffrey Boycott, which was the station near to the ground.

After a short walk I was going past the neat cricket ground and going through the gates to the car park outside the Fitzwilliam Stadium. The ground was locked but because of the relatively small perimeter fences I managed to take all the pictures  needed.

The clubhouse side also contained the changing rooms and had a roof overhang to keep patrons dry in inclement conditions. Opposite were two neat seated stands with high fencing behind to keep any stray matchballs been lost. The rest of the ground consisted of flat open hard standing and grass.

I went on my way with a few minutes to kill. I was extremely hungry having missed breakfast at Kings Cross owing to unknown engineering works on the tube as I'd been in Cornwall the previous week. I spotted Carters fish and chip shop over the road and no-one was in the queue. I bought what they called a small portion for £3.60. I dread to think what constituted a large! I feasted on my perfectly cooked lunch, walked past the Fitzwilliam Country Park where the pit once stood, and caught the train to Wakefield.