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Based on edge of the River Trent's floodplains, you
will find the historic Radcliffe Recreation Ground, home to
Nottinghamshire's third oldest amateur Football Club, Radcliffe Olympic.
Like
Carlton Hill, home to Arnold Southbank, the Recreation Ground is uniquely
set within a valley, thus
offering spectators a unique view of the play. Olympic have not always
played at this venue. Prior to
the turn of the 20th Century, Olympic played their games at firstly Holme
Lane, and then switched to Bingham Road
in 1892.
During
this period the standard of the playing staff at Olympic was of a
remarkably high
quality. One Olympic player, Harry Butler Daft, went on to play
international football. Incidently, this was the same Mr Daft who's Father had been a
founder member of the oldest League club in the world, Notts County.
The early
successes stories were to fizzle out as the years went by. However, the
good times
were back in 2003, perhaps the most successful year in the Club's long and
distinguished history. A narrow semi-final defeat to Hucknall Town in the
Notts Senior Cup was followed by a Notts Alliance League & Cup
double, which resulted in promotion to the Central Midlands Premier
Division Championship. Unbelievably, they scoped the Premier League title
within a season and began the 2004/05 season in the dizzy heights of the
Central Midlands Supreme Division. Devastatingly for the Club, all of
Olympic's first team then opted to depart for pastures new at the end of
2003/04 season, leaving the Club with a mountain to climb once again.
The
Club choose to address this massive problem by implementing
revolutionary changes to the structure of
the entire Club. This involved an amalgamation with Radcliffe-on-Trent's
other based Football Club, ASC
Dayncourt. This merger created a
�Super Club' boasting some 25 football teams split
into four different sections of Juniors, Intermediates,
Ladies and Seniors with the ages being represented between 4 and 60.
The enormous scale of this new football dynasty
has resulted in non-senior fixtures being shared between The Recreation
Ground and old haunt, Bingham Road. This has clearly enabled the Club to
ensure that the standard of the pitch at the Recreation Ground remains in
fine condition. Olympic continue to go from strength to strength. In
2006, they were allowed to enter the F.A.Vase for the first time in
their history.
Much improvement was made to 'The Rec'
during the summer of 2005 to bring it up to Central Midlands Supreme
League standards. A large blue screen has been mounted on the Wharf Lane
side of the ground to enclose the pitch. On the Wharf Lane side,
there is an extensive children's
play area on top of a bank, upon which one can afford panoramic views of
the City of Nottingham in the distance if the game isn't proving to grab your
attention. The main addition in 2005 were six
tall steel floodlights, three on each side of the pitch, holding two
clusters each. On the west side of the ground, the Club have also
installed two small dugouts, painted blue .
There is a lengthy, modern pavilion at the
south end of the ground with has its windows boarded up,
presumably due prevent further vandalism. This houses Olympic's changing
rooms. Attached to this pavilion
is a partially cantilevered canopy held up by seven brown steel struts.
This provides the only current cover on offer at the Ground. Unfortunately, this
is some distance away from the actual pitchside, but offers some welcome
relief from the elements on these open, exposed plains. The
south side of the Recreational Ground in general could do with a bit of
sprucing up. A highlight feature here is an old roller which sits besides the
Pavilion. Presumably something the vandals couldn't do much with.
A permanent steel railing circumnavigates the pitch, in line
with Central midlands League requirements. On the north side of the pitch
is a large bank upon which run the Liverpool - Norwich & Crewe -
Skegness trains. A sure fire distraction to liven up any 0-0 bore draw.
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The future of Radcliffe Olympic FC is looking
very healthy indeed. With the increasing success on the pitch the club
are looking to improve off the pitch too. The Club have received funding
from Notts County Council and Strategic Enterprise East Midlands to
embark on a feasibility study which will allow the club to develop new
�1million football facilities. The development, which would be adjacent
to Radcliffe Cricket Club situated off the A52, would provide new
changing rooms, a clubhouse, and enough pitches to allow all the Club's
28 mens, ladies, boys and girls teams to train and play on one site. The
Club now intend to approach The Football Foundation, The Sports Council
and Sport England with their ambitious plans.
Olympic firmly believe that the potential is
limitless. The way things are going, perhaps future
international footballers could be wearing the Olympic blue again before
too long.
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From A52 (east) - From A46/A52
junction follow signs for A52 (Nottingham) for 3 miles. Turn right for
Radcliffe. Continue through the village, past the shops for 1 mile. Turn
right into Wharf Lane opposite the church.
NCT Pathfinder No.91 Fosseway Flyer
(Nottm Queens St - Newark), Trent Barton Radcliffe Line (Nottm
Friar Lne - Radcliffe) & Bingham X (Nottm Friar Lane -
Bingham), Dunn Line D100 (Nottm - Grantham) all pass Wharf Lane.