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Yateley United FC was formed on 1 June 2013 by uniting four clubs: Beaulieu Boys FC (founded 1972), Yateley Green AFC (formed 1985), Yateley FC (founded 1902) and Yateley FC Youth (founded as Yateley Juniors c1970). Now they run c30 teams from adult men, ladies and walking football down to minisoccer and under-6 teams. In 2014 they bought their own ground at Sean Devereux Park GU46 7SZ, opened a new clubhouse in 2022 enclosed and readied the ground for Step 6 football. The U23 Development team play at Sean Devereux Park and A and B team games on Yateley Green, Ladies and Sunday team at Sean Devereux Park. Yateley has a long history in football, with the first recorded game played on 7 January 1903, when Yateley was beaten 7-1 by Camberley Post Office. Yateley club were formed on 4 October 1902 at the Chequers Inn, Eversley as Yateley & Eversley FC, with games played alternately in Yateley and Eversley. However, the two villages soon split into separate clubs, probably before that 7 January game when the team was simply recorded as Yateley FC. The first team list seen was a 1-3 defeat against Hawley on 4 November 1905: W Oram; F Davis, T Chambers, J Douse, J Paice, S Bunch; F Hagley, G Eyles, - Biron, T Eyles, D Tilbury. In 1910 the AGM recorded a club deficit of 14/6d. For the first 12 years the club played friendlies. At the AGM held at The White Lion in July 1914, George Higgs, secretary and treasurer, was thanked for ten years’ service. The club entered the Aldershot Civilian League. Unfortunately, in August 1914, war was declared on Germany and all football took a back seat. (note 1) Yateley FC didn’t resume until the AGM held on 17 August 1921 at The White Lion (note 2). The club had a balance of £4 c/o from 1914. Rev AJ Howell was elected President and E Lambourn as Hon Secretary. Other officers elected were: Vice-President Capt Geaves, Club Captain Mr W Butler, Club Vice-Captain Mr B Fidler. George Higgs retired from Secretary after over 16 years in the job, but remained Treasurer, although he was still opening the batting for Yateley CC in 1919, age 52! The first match of the reformed club was away to Eversley FC (who had reformed a full season earlier on 10 September 1921) but history has not recorded the result. The next AGM on 15 August 1922 was held in the Parish Room Yateley (at Yateley School, now Yateley Village Hall) with 25 members in attendance, where Colonel EEM Lawford was elected Hon Sec, and the annual subscriptions set at 2/- for adults and 1/- for under 16s. It was decided to move the next year’s AGM to the end of the coming season, to decide on joining a league in 1923/24 season. (note 3) The opening friendly match in September 1922 was at home against Finchampstead, with Yateley winning 7-2, with Yateley’s colours black and amber shirts (probably quarters, a popular design at the time) with white shorts. (note 4) Most of their matches that season were faithfully recorded in the Hants & Berks Gazette, while the Aldershot News largely ignored Yateley. On 9 May 1923 the AGM held at The White Lion recorded 25 matches played, 15 won, 4 lost, 6 drawn. The pitch at Manor Park was in a poor condition, often waterlogged and a new groundsman was appointed. (note 5) They were elected to join the Ascot & District League Division 2, winning their first league match 3-0 against Finchampstead on the “new ground” at Manor Park, Yateley on 1 September. (note 6) At the end of the first season of league football they won promotion to Division 1 and formed a Reserve team, which joined the Ascot Reserve League. The first team entered charity cups, charging adults 6d, children half price. In 1927/8 the club joined Division II “A” of the Aldershot Junior League, of 14 teams, winning their opening game 5-4 against RAF (Farnborough) at Manor Park. (note 7) The club have had teams in that league in every season since, currently our A and B teams. That season was memorable for a five-hour marathon against Wellington Works Reserves in the Aldershot Junior Cup. The first game at Manor Park was abandoned during extra time due to bad light, when Works were 0-1 up. The first replay was abandoned 5 minutes before the end of extra time, with Yateley 2-5 up after centre forward HJ Strange was floored by what the crowd thought was a fist and invaded the pitch. Works won the second replay 4-2. No penalty shoot-outs in those days! (note 8) Yateley remained in the lower reaches of the Aldershot League until 1962/3 when they were promoted to Division I as Runners-up in Division 2. They finished Runners-up Division 1 the next 2 years before winning Division 1 1965/6, but were denied election to Senior division until ground improvements in 1966/7. At that time they played on Yateley Green and changed in the wooden cricket pavilion dating from 1909 and rebuilt in the early 1950s. In 1978/9, now renamed Yateley Town, they were founder members of Home Counties League (formed from the Surrey Senior League) and finished 9th out of 13. (note 9) The HCL became the Combined Counties League in 1979/80. Because of ground grading changes Yateley Town dropped down into the Aldershot Senior League in 1984/5 and were relegated to Division 1 in 1985/6. The Town club split into Yateley Town FC and Yateley Green AFC in 1985 and, as Town were being relegated, Green were promoted as Division 1 & League Cup Double Champions. Yateley Green’s progress included the Aldershot League Senior title in 1994/5 and promotion to Hants League Division III, then promotion to Division II 1996, playing at Chandlers Lane (now SDP). Meanwhile, Yateley dropped the “Town” element and returned to the Aldershot Senior Division where they won the championship twice. When the Hampshire League increased qualifying ground grading facilities, Yateley Green AFC dropped back to the Aldershot Senior Division in 2003. In 2011/2 Yateley Green won the Level 12 Surrey Intermediate League Western Premier Division and were promoted to the Surrey Elite (Level 11/Step 7), which they won by 8 clear points in 2012/13. In 2013 Yateley United were formed from uniting all the Yateley Senior and Junior teams, finishing 4th in the Surrey Elite. In 2017/8 Yateley United dropped back into the Surrey Intermediate League Western Premier Division. While preparing the ground at Sean Devereux to Step 7 standard, the club played at Cody Sports, and ground shared at Sandhurst Town and Cove. In 2018/19 they joined the Hellenic League playing in regions of Division 2, which is Step 7 of the Football Pyramid. In 2021/22 the club moved over to the Thames Valley Premier League, which is also Step 7 and is a feeder league to the Combined Counties, finishing 3rd out of 15 sides. Yateley United won the Aldershot Division “Mark Coombs” Intermediate Cup at Aldershot Town in 2022. (note 10) Yateley United won the TVPL Championship 2022/23 with 100% record with 4 games remaining and won all 20 games; finalists in the HFA Trophy and the BTC Senior Cup. The club were promoed to Level 10/Step 6 for the 2023/24 season in Division One of the Combined Counties League.

Footnotes: 1 Hants & Berks Gazette Saturday 1 August 1914 page 8 column 2 2 Hants & Berks Gazette Saturday 27 August 1921 page 2 column 3 3 Hants & Berks Gazette Saturday 19 August 1922 page 2 column 3 4 Hants & Berks Gazette Saturday 23 September 1922 page 3 column 3 5 Hants & Berks Gazette Saturday 15 May 1923 page 2 column 3 6 Hants & Berks Gazette Saturday 8 September 1923 page 2 column 4 7 Hants & Berks Gazette Friday 16 September 1927 page 12 column 6 8 Hants & Berks Gazette Friday 13 January 1928 page 14 column 4 and Editorial Page 15 column 3, followed up by ibid, 20 January 1928 9 Tony Kempster's Soccer Club History Database for Yateley Town 10 FA Full-time