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Peering down from the car park above the peaceful
setting of The Welfare Ground, it is hard to imagine a time not so long
ago when thousands of people descended on this little part of
Nottinghamshire to witness a little bit of footballing history.
Rainworth Miners Welfare Football Club were formed as a colliery side in
1922, under the name of Rufford Colliery Football Club. They originally
played their matches at Heathlands, and was very much a football team
formed for social purposes, rather than with any ambitions to really put
Rainworth on the map. Indeed, the capture in 1975 of Britain's most wanted
man, the notorious Black Panther Donald Neilson, was probably the most interesting
event to have happened to the village. However, by the early 1980's all
that was to change, this time with Rainworth making national news again for all the right reasons.
The Football Club was now playing at the Welfare Ground, under the new
title of Rainworth Miners Welfare. With their new name, and new home,
their fortunes would take a dramatic turn for the better. Between
1978 - 1983, the Club won the Notts Alliance on a record six consecutive
occasions. They also achieved back-to-back
Nottinghamshire Senior Challenge Cup
victories between 1981 - 1982. However, it was their
1982 efforts in the
F.A. Vase which really caught the eye, a run which took them all the way
to a coveted final at the home of football, Wembley Stadium.
Victories in seven previous rounds led the club to a
semi-final clash against against Bedfordshire
outfit, Barton Rovers. Too add to the occasion, the television cameras were in attendance, with then
rookie presenter Nick Owen, later of GMTV fame, on hand to do the commentary and the
post-match interviews. Following a goalless draw in the
first leg, a 2-1 victory at The Welfare Ground in front of a Club record crowd of
5,071 ensured their place in the Final. The crowd was not only a Club record, but remains a record for an
F.A.Vase tie outside the final.
At the Wembley Final, it was estimated
that almost 10,000 had traveled down from Nottinghamshire in a crowd of
over 12,000. Whilst Rainworth lost to Forest Green Rovers in the final, they
can be rightfully proud of holding the honour of being the first ever
miners welfare team to grace the famous turf, and also only the second
true amateur side, in that they paid subs to play, to reach the Vase
final.
Interest in the Club had reached an all-time
high. Towards the end of the 1982/83 season, Rainworth were regularly
pulling in crowds of over 300 at The Welfare Ground. Even away from home,
the crowds were flocking in. The Notts Alliance League Cup final, normally
watched by around 200,
drew a 2,000 crowd to the John Player Ground in
Nottingham. The success story continued in the
following season, with Rainworth completing a Notts Alliance
League & Cup double. Throughout the decade,
F.A.Trophy matches continued to be a pretty special event in Rainworth,
with the Club winning 15 out of 18 F.A Trophy ties between 1981 - 1990,
losing just once. The most peculiar of which has to be the 1983 third
round replay 1-0 victory over Mid-Cheshire League side Rylands. The
original tie had ended with Rylands inflicting an embarrassing 4-1
drubbing over Rainworth. However, the match was ruled as void due to
Ryland's Gossley Lane pitch being ruled as was just over a yard short of
F.A. requirements. The discoverer of this fact remains a mystery, though
rumours of a tape measure allegedly being found in the away dressing rooms
after the match have never been substantiated.
It was not until 1991
that silverware again graced the Welfare trophy cupboard, in the form of
another Notts Alliance title, with another two following in 1996 &
1997. The Club have since progressed up from the Central Midlands League
to the NCEL First Division in 2007.
Prior to those heady days of the early 1980's,
The
Welfare Ground was a simple, basic arena, set in a valley off the Kirklington Road. The only viewing platform was from the large section of
banking behind and to the side of the pitch. In 1982, to accommodate the
huge crowd, some rudimentary terracing,
made up of old railway sleepers, was added to the bank on the side of the
pitch. This greatly enhanced the capacity of the Ground, but following the
tragedies at Bradford & Hillsborough saw a shift in emphasis in English
football to ensure the safety of supporters. By the 1990's the Club began to
take steps to addresses these issues initially with the sole intention of
meeting safety requirements, but later with the intent to ensure they had
the facilities in place to compete at the highest level possible. Why such
ambition was lacking following those halcyon days of 1982 is rather
puzzling. Better late than never.
The first major step to enhance The Welfare Ground
facilities was the installation of floodlights in 1991. In doing so, they
became the very first Notts Alliance club to illuminate. It was
another ten years before Southwell City followed the Wren's lead. Four of the climbable
steel pylons are interestingly placed in each corner of the Ground, rather
an the usual placement along the touch line, holding thee clusters each in
a 'T' shaped formation. An additional floodlight is positioned behind the
stand on the east side of the pitch, holding an additional cluster to
increase the light to the centre of the pitch. There is no pylon on the adjacent
side, as this would interfere with the cricket pitch, which overlaps the
football pitch during the summer. The floodlights were updated in 1996 to
meet tighter regulations on light source, and conform to F.A.Cup standard.
Until the turn of the millennium, Rainworth had no
covered accommodation. The first stage of this being rectified, in
line with FA Vase requirements, was when a covered stand being erected
on the Allotment Side.
The stand runs halfway down each side of the half way line in front of
the famous east bank, which housed so many of
those in attendance in 1982. The roof of this basic, yet well constructed, corrugated
construction is held aloft by a series of red steel posts. It has an estimated
standing capacity of 200, which has been extended
to include 62 black plastic seats sited within. A new pitch barrier, made
up of a series of connected steel crowd control barriers, completely
encloses the pitch.
There are no further facilities
for spectators to the north of the pitch. However, since the cricket
team moved on in 2006, some major developments have taken place on the
west side. A new 7-foot high concrete fence has been
installed. Inside which the Wrens have erected a colourful,
cantilevered, pre-fabricated stand. The exterior of the stand is coated in bright green, which
contrasts sharply with the blue & white seats within. The stand is
further enhanced by the impressive sign attached to the roof,
proclaiming the club's name.
A new extension to the stand in the summer of 2008 bumped up the stand�s capacity up to 159.
The Wrens now have enough seating on both sides of the pitch to host UniBond
Northern League football.
In the summer of 2006, two portakabins were sited adjacent to the old pavilion. One has been
thoroughly refurbished to contain a hospitality lounge and the other a small office.
Additionally,
the fine Miners Welfare across the road caters
for all the
Club's hospitality requirements.
The Welfare Ground is almost fully enclosed by a
combination of concrete and steel fencing, with extra precautions
taken
at the top of the bank by the Kirkington Road entrance, with barbed wire added to keep intruders
at length. From the entrance,
the view affords expansive views of the rolling fields to the north. The
main feature on the horizon, just yards behind the North
End goal, is the A617 bypass. Built in 2005, the �8m dual carriageway was designed to take 16,000 cars and lorries a
day away from the village. Not
so long ago the landscape was very different,
with the twin headstocks of Rufford Colliery dominating
the skyline. It's closure in 1993 was a devastating blow to the
community, but the local miners welfare continues to thrive and provide invaluable
help and
backing to the Wrens.
In the summer of
2007, the club secured some of items from Manor
Park, the former home of Nuneaton Borough (now Nuneaton Town). These included a Portakabin,
a turnstile, a covered shed for the gateman and a perimeter
barrier. New dressing rooms
were opened in October 2007, as part of a magnificant new pavillion.
Built
to Football Conference standard the
building also
includes an indoor and outdoor tea bar, various changing rooms, an office and
public toilets.
A barrier walkway from the foot of the pavilion steps to the main pitch
has also been installed.
Addtionally, Ladies, gents and disabled toilets to rear
of pavilion. Extra covered standing is also provided under pavilion
overhang.
The fence behind the
Main Stand
has been extended
to the main gate. It's erection
has brought about the end of an era, as it's built into the banking at the Kirklington Road end of the ground -
the end which helped up to house the record 1982 Vase
semi-final crowd. It
also means that half of the banking will no longer be
serviceable as a viewing area.
At the ground entrance you cannot fail to notice a
pair of beautifully welded wrought iron gates. Known as the Memorial
Entrance Gates, these are dedicated to
the late local legend, Alan Wright, who sadly passed away in 2002. The
inscription within the metalwork reads "Alan Wright 1933 - 2002 - A
lifetime's dedication". Alan made an immense contribution throughout
his life not only to Rainworth, but also to Nottinghamshire football. As chairman of the Notts Alliance,
he was the driving force behind the establishment of the Nottinghamshire
Senior League and the gates stand as a lasting tribute.
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From Nottingham - Take the A60 northbound for
4.9 miles. At roundabout, take the second exit for the A614 (Doncaster).
At next roundabout after 7 miles (White Post Farm) , turn left onto the
B6020 Mansfield Road. * Continue through
Rainworth for 2.6 miles before turning right into Kirklington Road. The
ground is a short distance up on your LHS, with the Welfare Social Club
and car park immediately opposite.
Stagecoach East Midlands No.27 (Mansfield
Bus Station - Bilsthorpe), No.28 (Mansfield Bus Station - Blidworth)
& No.29 (Mansfield Bus Station - Newark Bus Station) all pass Kirklington
Road, as does TrentBarton No.141 (Nottm Victoria Bus Station -
Sutton Bus Station).