The Committee

President	RON ANDERSON	0161 440 9112
Chairman	TERRY CONLON	0161 483 5266
Secretary	STUART HOLT	0161 456 5664
Assistant Secretary	IAN DONEGANI	0161 612 0029
Treasurer & Deputy Chairman	BERNARD OWEN	01663 765 259
Record Secretary	GRAHAM R GEARY	0161 440 0161
Registration Secretary	PETER MOSS	0161 430 7022
Fixtures Secretary	KRAIG BROCKLEHURST	0161 483 2912
Referees Appointment Secretary	MALCOLM THORLEY	01625 874976
Competition Secretary	GORDON LODGE	0161 483 7399
Press Secretary	KEITH COATES	0161 612 1276
Club Liaison Secretary	HARRY HENNESSEY	01625 260846
InterLeague Manager	MARTIN THORLEY	0161 292 5081
Social Secretary	CATH COUNTER	0161 474 7897

Sub Committees

Executive Committee	S Holt, T Conlon, B Owen, R Anderson (with power to co-opt)
Discipline Committee	R Anderson, K Coates, T Conlon, H Hennessey, G Lodge, P Moss
Appeals Committee	G Geary, B Owen, Malcolm Thorley, Martin Thorley
Auditors	W A Humphreys, K A Clough
Stockport FA Council Members	E Crabtree (Chairman), T Conlon (Vice Chairman), B Owen (Life Member) S Holt, P Moss
League Representative to Stockport Soccer Forum	K Coates
League Representative to Stockport FA	T Conlon
Headquarters	Bents Lane Social Club, Bents Lane, Bredbury, Stockport, T: 0161 430 4650
Management Committee Meetings	Britannia Hotel, Dialstone Lane, Offerton, Stockport, T: 0161 930 1000
League Website	www.sdsfl.com
Life Members	E F Foulkes, J Brown, A J Phillips, A A Rogerson, A B Harris, M J Pomfret, P Kitchen, E Crabtree, J Lewis, K Coates, A Kennedy, A Parry, T Conlon
Vice Presidents	F Pye, C Counter, D Bates, K Burton

The History

“Wonderful, absolutely wonderful”, was the reply I got when I asked Eric Foulkes (who is the only living pioneer of the time) “how do you feel to have been a founder member of the League as it reaches its 50th Anniversary. Eric with a number of pals decided to ignore “thou shall not play football on the Sabbath” and making their headquarters the old Tramways club they used to meet and decide amongst themselves, who they would play and where! Whether the “where” had goal posts or had anything like markings wasn’t a problem.

Games would be played with or without the “man in the middle”. Maybe the guy on his Sunday stroll with the pram would park it on the touchline; tuck his trousers in his socks and ref. In those days ninety minutes was not the criterion, once the magical “opening time” chimed one or two would walk off feigning injury. Occasionally the Queensbury rules would be applied and the ball would become redundant. Just on the odd occasion “next goal wins” would be applied. Whatever the outcome of these unofficial kick about’s, Eric and his associates saw enough to convince them that they would try and “kick off” a Sunday League for there was a lot of local interest.

A committee was formed, the brothers Bill and Henry Rutter at the forefront. Bill becoming the very first chairman of the League, Henry was secretary, Arnold Jupe became treasurer, it had a flexible base in the early days people came and went until Eric took over the chair. Probably one of the best “signings” he ever made was getting the services of Tom Turton, a sports writer at the time with the Stockport Advertiser, later to become Sports Editor. Tom’s guidance and vision of what could be achieved for Sunday football in the town should never be under estimated.

The threat to Saturday footballers and referees was that if they were caught playing or officiating on the day of rest they would be banned sine- die. The gamble was taken and the League kicked off, unofficially by FA ruling in September 1957. One division of fifteen teams, the majority already established as bone fide clubs. Tom’s eloquence and powerful lobbying right at the top level, yes the mighty Football Association being taken on, on our behalf. It finally brought the “right result”, a letter giving the League the right to be affiliated to the Football Association. From then on the League grew and grew as each season went by. The mid sixties saw six divisions of twelve teams.

This has never been exceeded and now there is a more viable workable number of 53 teams mainly due to the shortage of referees. The strength of any league comes from the top table, by that I mean the “team” that has to be the best one, the Management Committee. It may not have been the tightest of committees at the very start, but the introduction of the real footballing men about town in its early conception ensured that a solid base was laid. There have only been seven Chairmen so far in the League’s history, all have contributed so much to its welfare. I have been privileged to have worked with five of them, Eddie Crabtree, Mel Pomfret, Harold Rose, John McCormack and the present one Terry Conlon, all with the same focus and striving at all times to not only maintain the high standards but try and improve. We must not forget the sterling work the other early pioneers did, the late Alf Lutley and Peter Bullock, along with Jack Brown, Gordon Nunn and Alan Phillips (all who unfortunately will not be with us tonight due to ill health), not forgetting Pete Kitchen and Cyril Roberts who produced the very first league review which is on display along with many other items in the foyer, great characters all of them. The League Challenge Cup was also introduced at the start of the League. When the League had grown Bukta, the sportswear people donated a cup for the lower divisions.

After eighteen seasons there was a significant move by the League to be a bit more upmarket. The Premier Division was born, Tom Turton (President) donating the trophy to be played for. The sudden death of Harold English, the gentleman of Sunday football, British Rail’s supremo saw his widow Rene donate a cup in memory of Harold to replace the League Challenge cup. Forgiven for our intrusion in their domain the Stockport District F.A. introduced the Stockport District F.A. Sunday cup in 1964/65. Then in 1999/2000 they created another competition, the Trophy for the lower divisions. The tragic death of two of the League’s young footballers Paul Bailey and Graham Wright on a youth club holiday in Switzerland saw their memorial trophy replace the Bukta trophy in 1976/77. Alf Lutley one of the early treasurers is remembered, his memorial trophy goes to the secretary of the year. So let me take you through the eras of who did what and the great teams that have graced our League. In the very first season Farmers Arms from Cheadle Heath won the League and Cup double, runners up on both occasions were Red Lion. Although there was a dispute in the Challenge Cup final, more about that in the anecdotes…Brinnington then became the dominant force winning the League three out of four times and the cup three times in succession and runners up the following season…Cheadle Dragons then “blazed” on the scene three times champions, three times runners up. They got to the second final of the Cheshire Sunday Cup and lost 2-1 to Knutsford in 1965/66. Mount Villa four championships in succession, a record that was going to stand for quiet a long time. They too reached the Cheshire Cup final, the season after Dragons but got hammered 6-0 against Bentinck Arms…British Rail won the championship a couple of times but their forte was cup conquests.

Seven times finalists in the Stockport District FA Cup and they never lost once. They had a sequence of five successive wins between 1966 and 1970 and lost narrowly in the 1974 Cheshire Sunday Cup final to Great Float. Offerton United were the first team to complete the treble in 1971/72, the league and both cups. Only Dilke Celtic stopped them repeating the same the following season when they beat them in the Stockport District FA. Cup…Norris Albion who started to compete with the big boys and hold their own were the first winners of the Premier title in 1975/76, the bigger impact of the Albion came later on. The team that raised the "cross bar" was Hindley Street winning seven titles and twice runners up in a ten year spell. Crowning their glorious reign in the season of 1979/80 after they had completed the “magical” treble they went and beat the pride of the Salford Sunday League, Windsor Bridge in the North West Champions Cup to make it a four timer. The first time it had been achieved. Offerton United who almost called it a day in the late eighties were reborn under "new management". The new look team raised the bar even higher. Nine times premier champions and four times runners up in a fourteen season spell. Creating a record of seven successive titles. I stated publicly in the press when Mount Villa claimed their fifth championship that their record may never be beaten. Well I am sure that Offerton’s will last for a long time. Their one defining moment and also the League’s was winning the “Holy Grail” or to be more precise the Cheshire County FA Sunday Cup. There were rumours around the town that they were going to resign from the League in 2002/03 after finishing runners up to Norris Albion. Thankfully that was put off to give it another go. If you believe in luck, it had to be, for they fought their way through to their third Cheshire FA Cup final. The rest is history and that is what they made for themselves and the League when they beat Castrol Tessuti.

Offerton United resigned from the League almost immediately after that great day but their achievements are etched in the records forever. Last, but certainly not least Norris Albion mark two who were Offerton's main rivals. They managed six titles during the nineties and early 2000’s, but their prowess was shown on the other side of the river. Based within the Manchester County F.A. area they beat Manchester’s best. They appeared in four North West Champions Cup finals on three successive seasons, winners three times. Invited into the Manchester County FA Shield they equalled the competition’s record of three wins in three successive finals. The 2002/03 season was their most memorable winning the League, Harold English Memorial Trophy, The North West Champions Cup and the County FA Shield. Although they now go under the name of Stockport & Norris, to me and I am sure to the older members of the League they will always be the NORRIS. One or two other teams have muscled in and stole the lime light occasionally. Woodbury/Woodley SC were twice winners of the Premier Division but their claim to fame is making the Cheshire Cup final in successive seasons 1982/83 and 83/84, unfortunately only as runners up.

Monarch United along with Mount Villa the two oldest clubs in the League were the first winners of the Harold English Memorial Trophy in 1977/78. Victoria Park are setting the standards at this present time. If the next fifty years produces the likes of those mentioned you younger lot are in for a great time. I came into the League virtually on day one. A player with a certain amount of cynicism in his make up. So here I am still enjoying every minute and proud to be a part of, what is for me is an institution. In my research for all my facts I have talked to many people and enjoyed their recollections of the past. So it would be remiss of me not to share some of the anecdotes. Eric Foulkes recalled that one of the early treasurers was leaving our shores to start a new life over in Australia. There were signs, allegedly that the League’s monies may go sailing off with him. So our intrepid chairman at the time, in no uncertain terms told the alleged “borrower” that the money had to be handed over promptly. In the early days Eric recalled League fees were paid by postal orders. Yet again the treasurer involved, seemingly following a row with Mrs. Treasurer resulted her in setting fire to all the postal orders. Eric and his fellow committee men then had to call round to all the secretaries’ houses and check who had sent them. Finals and medals also created problems. In the very first League Cup Final between Farmers Arms and Red Lion it was no score at the final whistle. Red Lion refused to play the extra time period because there was not going to be any medals presented. The League awarded the game to the Farmers Arms by default.

Another time when medals went “missing” was before the presentation evening to be held at the Bradley Dance Academy. They were coming by train from Birmingham. Arthur Markland and Arnold Jupe two committee men who both worked for the G.P.O. were given permission to search the mail carriage on Edgeley Station for the said items, alas to no avail. Thankfully they did arrive eventually and were given out at a secretaries meeting. Alan Phillips told me a classic concerning the Bukta cup. Acrow and Woodbury Lads B were involved in the final played down at Ward Street. The game had started when Alan along with other members decided to set out the trophies. The display looked well until somebody asked where the cup was. A quick check on who had won it last year revealed that it was Norris Albion. Alan’s task was to get it post haste. Not that simple because the Magnet Pub, Norris’s headquarters was shut. A dash over to Reddish to try and find manager Jack Howarth, he had just gone to the pub. Alan’s tenacity as ever won the day. Jack found the cup rescued from behind the Magnet bar. And you know what; Alan even had time to polish the cup before the game finished. No panic whatsoever. I can assure you that Bernard Owen our present Treasurer knows where every penny is and where it goes. Trophy wise there is a small case of an inter league trophy’s where about’s? But I will leave that for who ever writes about the League in another fifty years time.

Finally, I have written about the past and the present, so what about the future. It may be somebody reading this brochure; it could be a young footballer just starting in the League like I did all those years ago will come on board and ensure that what has gone before will at least be maintained or even bettered.

Would that not be ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL?

Keith Coates