Hepthorne Lane: Friendship and community alive and kicking in the Sunday Leagues

Words: Mike Bayly

Images: Mike Bayly

In 1991, Danny Baker presented a six-part TV series called The Game, focusing on Sunday League football at London’s Hackney Marshes. Some of the recurring themes – effortlessly awful cameos, run-down facilities, physical altercations - were no doubt familiar to the legions turning out at this level every week.

Writing on the series for Shortlist, author and podcaster Adam Hurrey – a man, I am duty bound to add, who knows a thing or two about football’s cultural minutiae – observes “Inescapably, the clichés come thick and fast…Once the puddles, hangovers and team-selection dilemmas are ticked off, the only thing separating us from Sunday League Bingo is the outstandingly out-of-shape substitute wearing odd socks.”

While the wider game has professionalised and changed beyond recognition in the last 30 years, Sunday League football continues to be viewed in some quarters as an amateurish comic foil. The term ‘Sunday League’ is often used pejoratively alongside ‘pub league’ and ‘farmers league’ to describe anything vaguely sub-standard or deserving of affectionate ridicule.

Such a broad dismissive brush paints an unfair and unrealistic picture of many clubs, players and administrators operating within the Sunday League ecosystem.

Covering North Derbyshire, a few miles south of the footballing heartland of Sheffield, is the Chesterfield and District Sunday Football League (CDSFL). Founded in 1966, the league has 57 teams across five divisions.

While these are healthy numbers, the CDSFL boasted over 160 clubs and 12 divisions just three decades ago, a contraction mirrored across England and reflective of increased running costs, changing recreational patterns and the continued closure of pubs and companies that Sunday League sides were historically affiliated with.

©Mike Bayly/ Terrace Edition. Hepthorne Lane FC. England.

The CDSFL, as with most amateur competitions, is administered by volunteers. Dan Brown joined the committee in 2013 as social media officer, ensuring the league is regularly promoted and updated through various platforms. “I feel like this is my way of giving something back to the sport” says Brown, who was previously involved with a member club. “We have a strong committee that all work tirelessly to ensure Sunday league football continues in the local area.”

One of the 57 teams under the jurisdiction of the CDSFL is Hepthorne Lane FC, based in the former coal mining village of North Wingfield. The club were reformed in 1984, although its name has been represented in football circles as far back as the late 19th century.

In November 1896, following a one-sided fixture between Hepthorne Lane and Tupton Rising, a spectator was moved to write a letter to the Derbyshire Times bemoaning the standard of officiating. Plus ça change.

Initially starting out in Division 10 of the CDSFL, Hepthorne Lane now play in Division 1, having won promotion from the second tier last season. Most of the squad are based around North Wingfield, with some playing non-League football on Saturday.

The top flight of the CDSFL is an accomplished standard, featuring players on the books of local semi-professional clubs, including those in the Northern Premier League at Steps three and four of the National League System. This is far from an outlier.

Sunday League competitions across the country include players at the peak of their careers with senior non-League (even National League) experience. There is a strong case to be made that England’s best Sunday League sides could easily hold their own in the Saturday football pyramid.

Off pitch standards are equally impressive. Hepthorne Lane are a FA Charter Standard Club, with a constitution committed to providing a quality football infrastructure, supporting local community groups, improving facilities, and creating opportunities for youth development.

Player welfare is also a guiding tenet. Since inception, Hepthorne Lane players are not required to pay ‘subs’. Costs are covered by a central fundraising committee, thereby ensuring no one is marginalised due to financial constraints.

A defibrillator is available and in another progressive move, the club has an insurance model that pays out each week for any player disabled through injury whilst playing or training. The benefit of this cannot be understated, given the impact serious injury can have on a working player’s livelihood.

Home games are played at Station Road Playing Fields, managed by the Parish Council who also funded construction of the changing room block. The venue is popular is with ground enthusiasts due to its slope, rural views towards North Wingfield Church and adjacent rows of houses that emerge under the brow of the hill.

At one point a matchday programme was produced, underlining the level of commitment and professionalism that goes into running the club.

Hepthorne Lane’s second home and headquarters is the nearby Shinnon Pub. The pub is fundamental to Sunday League football culture, providing well-earned refreshments and a base to operate meetings and fundraising activities.

Moreover, in a challenging economic climate, the relationship is mutually beneficial. In an interview with the Derbyshire FA, Hepthorne Lane highlighted the importance of a club attaching itself to a local pub and supporting them beyond the Sunday after a match.

Being part of a community is a core component of the amateur game. Whatever the level, whatever the standard, Sunday League football is ultimately about camaraderie and a sense of belonging.

Winning trophies is important, but success has never been the only driving factor. There are clubs across the country regularly thrashed by double figures, whose only experience of lifting silverware is handing round the sandwich tray in a post-match watering hole. Yet, every season they return with refreshed optimism.

Sunday League football comes in all shapes and sizes, whether it’s a lithe former academy winger waltzing past challenges or a 20 stone centre back shanking a clearance into a neighbouring allotment.

The one common denominator is playing a game you love with a group of friends.

Mike is on Twitter and Instagram: @mike_bayly

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