Our Story
Humbledon & Plains Farm Youth Football Club was founded in 1980 by two local men from Plains Farm, Tommy Pattison and Ronnie Young, who formed a team from local boys, who were at a loose end and looking for something to do. The current Club Chairman, Kevin Byers, first joined the set up in 1984 as the Manager of the under 13 team. His brother played for and has remained at the club ever since! Kevin has overseen the club’s growth and development to a peak of 25 youth football teams to its current position where we now have 7 teams including both boys and girls from the ages of 5 to 14, as well as a senior Women’s Development Team
Two more local men who were born and bred in Plains Farm, George Paxton and his late brother John, who had founded the company known as Universal Sealants Limited (USL), agreed to sponsor the team. As the club grew, USL continued that sponsorship, with an increase in the annual sum donated, until George’s retirement. However, that did not end George’s support of the club as he founded the GJP Foundation and continued his financial support of Humbledon & Plains Farm YFC. It is true to say that the club would not have come so far without his whole-hearted support and we are extremely grateful for that. There have also been other club sponsors during our time including Home Housing Association Limited and Sloanes Electricals.
The club has played its home games at several places over the years, starting at Plains Farm School before moving to Broadway School then, the North Moor Playing Fields and Silksworth Sports Complex before moving back to Plains Farm Primary School (now Plains Farm Academy) in April 2001, which is still our current home.
There have been links with Humbledon & Plains Farm Youth Football Club and Sunderland AFC. One of Humbledon & Plains Farm’s old boys, Martin Smith (Son of Pele!) had a successful career, which started at his home town club Sunderland. Another of our teams was also coached for a while by the late, great Jimmy McNab who of course, played in the famous 1963-64 SAFC promotion winning team. Many of our coaches are former Humbledon & Plains Farm players, who now have children that play for our clubs too. This is a main factor as to why, after 40 years, the club is still around today. Playing football at Humbledon & Plains Farm is very much like joining an extended family where everyone helps and supports each other. In fact, one of our current coaches, Marc Airey, used to play for a team run by co-founder, Tommy Pattison. Another current coach, Farouk Riaz, used to play for a team ran by now Club Chairman, Kevin Byers.
The Football Association has run a charter scheme for many years to improve the standards of football at all levels, from grassroots all the way up to the professional game. Our club was one of the first Youth Football clubs to attain the ‘Standard Charter.’ Since then, we have gone on to attain the Charter Development Standard and finally, the highest standard of ‘Community Club’, which we still hold to this day.
