The English Lake District

LOCAL FOOTBALL

The Lake District has a local non-league football team. Although the full time professional teams of Carlisle United (really outside the Lake District) is well supported and ensures a good day at the match, the non-league scene provides great entertainment at lower level and less expense (typically £4).

The team provides some friendly inter-town rivalry in the North of England and "LakeDistrict-info" aims to provide some information for those interested in a different aspect of local culture !

FA Cup: the main football knockout competition played in England. This competition has rounds for non-league teams before the main football league teams join in the "First Round". Higher division football league teams join in the "Third Round", played in the middle of December. The winners of the FA Cup (almost always a Premier League club), take part in the European "Cup Winners Cup".

Non-league : a term used to describe teams outside the Premier League and Football League system, consisting of semi-professional players. These leagues form a pyramid of promotion for teams, which can take them into the professional leagues. The players play for fees while holding down a full time job.

NETHERFIELD KENDAL FOOTBALL CLUB

Ground : Parkside, Kendal

Manager :

Current League: Unibond, 1st Division

Netherfield AFC was formed at the end of the 1st World War, although there is mention of a Netherfield Football Club as far back as the1890s. Kendal is famous for the K shoe factory and the club history is bound up with the history of shoe making in Kendal. The shoe company provided the land and the team began to compete in local leagues. In 1925 they won the Westmoreland County Cup for the first time and by the late 1920s they were competing in the FA Cup.

In 1945 the club joined the Lancashire Combination (league) and played two FA cup ties against Barrow with nearly 10000 people watching the matches. In 1949, Netherfield qualified again in the FA cup proper and met Gateshead.

In the next year they did it again, playing against second round opponents at Watford. In 1955, Wrexham were the visitors with Netherfield gaining a 3-3 draw. When Grimsby Town visited the following year, it was the fifth time in eight years that the club had reached the 1st round of the FA Cup, an impressive record for a non-league side.

The Lancashire Combination Cup was won in 1956 and 1961 and the team continued their excellent FA Cup form in 1963 when Chesterfield were lucky to come away with a draw.

In1965 they won the Combination Championship and in 1968 they accepted the challenge of joining the Northern Premier (now Unibond) League.

Success continued with the club reaching the 2nd round of the FA Trophy in 1982 after 7 (yes 7) matches against Bridlington Trinity. With the coffers drained, they drifted into lower leagues, returning to the NPL in 1987.

The historic links of the club with shoe making were severed in 1999 and Kendal was added to the club name. The club remains a respected feature of non-league football and Lake District life.

Back to our home page.

© Kogan Communications Ltd.