Despite being formed may back in
1953, Wollaton Football Club have waited quite a period of time to
announce their presence on the local footballing scene.
They enjoyed their first 36 years
of existence plodding along in the Midland Amateur Alliance, where their
third and fourth teams remain to this day. However, it took a move to the
Notts Amateur Alliance, and a new millennium, for some notable success to finally
come the Club's way. An NAA Championship in 2000 was followed in quick
succession in 2001 with an NAA Senior Cup victory. A move to the
Nottinghamshire
Senior League signaled more success with back-to-back NSL Championships
between 2004-2006.
If asked to
describe the home of Wollaton Football Club in two words a fair reply
would be � Quintessentially English. It would be difficult
to find a more tranquil setting anywhere else on the Nottingham
footballing circuit than
that of the Wollaton Sports Association. Despite being firmly within the
City limits, one could easily imagine
to be frequenting a rural Sussex
village, such is the ambiance of the place. This air of gracefulness is
complemented by the fact that what we have here is more than just a
football ground. The WSA also plays host to Wollaton Cricket Club, the
Wollaton Bowling Club and the Wollaton Tennis Association.
Probably the most
striking feature of the Association is the Clubhouse, boarded by the
Cricket Clubs splendid scoreboard, this listed building's internal
facilities are basic, but the exterior, elegant.
Another nice touch at the WSA are the wooden benches dedicated to the
memory of sport supporters which sit
proudly on the south side
of the ground.
One imagines that the passed souls of the W.S.A. regulars must
be looking down in admiration as the Club became the first ever
winners of the Nottinghamshire Senior League title in 2005 - and by some
margin.
Several dozen white
painted wooden stakes surround the football pitch, harnessing a woven
electric blue rope. These stakes are removed at the end of the season to
make way for the Cricket Club.
High netting has been erected not to just to avoid losing footballs in the
neighbourhood gardens to the south, but also to protect the carefully
nurtured cricket wicket to the east.
At
many non-league Nottinghamshire grounds, the taller personal amongst
the coaching staff invariably find themselves inadvertently bashing
their heads on the roof of their dug outs whilst peering for a
better
view (there must certainly be quite
a few sore heads at Radford). This is unlikely to be the case at Wollaton.
Even if one was to come to blows with the roof, the resulting bump would
not leave too severe a bruise, as Wollaton's dug outs are rather uniquely
made entirely of wood. Thoughtfully coated in a green wood stain in order
to blend in with their surroundings, you will struggle to find more
roomy dug outs throughout the entire county. That is not to say they offer
particularly comfortable accommodation, with just a simple wooden bench
housed within.
Whilst the dug outs may not offer much in the way of a hazard, be
sure to avoid an old roller abandoned on behind the south goal
. Shaped like a medieval torture instrument, you would certainly come off
the worst.
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