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Club History
Burham has fielded a football team for many, many years and
although it is difficult to say precisely when the first ever team was started
we have uncovered a couple nostalgic squad photos from 1919 & 1920.
History also shows there were Burham teams
playing in Medway leagues through the 1930s but details are sketchy. Later, there was a team called Burham Rangers who
purchased the goalposts currently on the recreation ground and still in use
today! The Rangers team
were thought to have played in the 1960s and 70s. The current adult team still
play on the "sloping pitch" that so many old players will remember.
The 1980s saw the successful Burham Sports team win many trophies through
the decade with local players such as Jeff Rogers, Len Fletcher, Barry Relf, Pete
(Raddy) Sergeant, Colin Smith, Steve Breeds, Vic Gash, and the late great Micky
Miller, to name but a few.
The current Burham Football Club was formed in 2003 when
three villagers found the team their sons played for had folded. Rather than go
to another club they decided to start a local team. A committee was soon formed
with willing local parishioners who wanted something to happen and the club
entered the Invicta Primary League in May 2003.
In the first season the club had just one Under 10 team but
this was surpassed the following year when the club expanded to four teams
taking on Under 10s, 11s, 12s and Adults. This season also saw the introduction
of the new blue and white football kit, all teams wearing it and fully
sponsored. The club also designed a badge, agreed by the committee. With modern
technology the badge is now used to promote merchandise and branding.
The Club is dedicated to taking in children or adults who
want to play football. Players come from as far as Rochester, to the North, and
East Malling, to the South, but mainly from Burham and surrounding villages like
Eccles and Wouldham.
The village itself supports the club whole heartedly, both
in moral support and financially, with
many fundraising events taking place.
This has enabled the club to perform like a more established outfit, with
equipment purchased to benefit all players. The club puts many things back in to
the village by regularly holding events, not just to raise money but often just
social nights out... after all, that's what village life is about ! The club
recently held a charity match for the Kent Air Ambulance raising almost enough
for the huge cost of a single call out!
The club will start the 2005/06 season with 7 teams and
will naturally continue to grow providing the village with entertainment and
something for the children to do. Many Burham residents, especially the senior
ones, smile with happiness to see the recreation ground being used so well and
to see a successful football club within their village.
Chairman
Burham Football Club
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