Events & News

West End Boys Club was founded in October 1970 under the name of West End Rovers afc. The club started with just one team consisting of 15 boys and 2 managers. This group of boys would meet one night a week at West End County Junior School and by 1971 West End had two teams entered in local junior football leagues. As early as February 1971 membership was closed with FORTY FIVE boys on the books and a waiting list for others to join. The disadvantage of meeting at a small school with such a growing membership prompted the management committee to consider building their own headquarters. By the start of the 1971/72 season four league teams were now playing under the West End Rovers name with four more parents joining the club to form the committee which has since formulated the constitution by which we operate.

Wishing to offer our boys more facilities the club affiliated to the Greater Manchester Federation of Boys Clubs and through them the National Association of Boys Clubs and in 1973 we changed our name to West End Boys Club. By this time our numbers had increased to more than 100 boys and supervision was in the capable hands of the 12 man committee. Visiting clubs were welcomed from Scotland, Wales and Ireland and even as far away as Canada. Under new regulations it became increasingly more difficult to lease the West End Junior School for almost 130 boys to meet regular and in 1977 vandals broke into our wooden building at Windsor Park and burned it to the ground and so was launched a re-building fund and the decision to build our own headquarters in the West End of Denton.

A brick building the size which would meet the requirements of the club was out of the question due to the recession and cut backs in grant aid. The management finally opted for a large Nissan type structure on a concrete base which would be divided into several areas for recreation and provide other essential amenities. Planning permission to erect the building near to to the main housing area near to Windsor Road was refused because of objections from residents and planners alike with the concession that we would receive permission if we placed the building on a site in the field leased from the council for football matches. It was an inconvenient site because essential electrical services had to be carried several hundred metres away. The advantage to this was that the premises could be used in conjunction with the playing fields. The main design of the building was dictated simply by the fact it would be situated in the middle of an open field and therefore the management committee thought it would be best suited if the Nissan type building be made of a steel structure to hopefully foil most attempts of vandalism. With financial help from the education authority, the National Association of Boys Clubs, Youth Development and the Sports Council and many other charitable people and organisations in 1980 the "Naylor" building as it was known was erected and voluntary work commenced dividing the structure. On the 6th of April 1982 His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester officially opened the new building aenabling the 150 members to enjoy and pursue recreational and social requirements for many years to come.

Sadly by 1999 some 17 years later the club had been seriously vandalised and the final straw came one night when yet again in the clubs history the "Naylor " building was severly damaged by fire and had to be demolished on the advise of the Fire department due to the fact that it was now a Health and Safety issue. The management committee were determined that out of the ashes of the "Naylor" building the club would continue to function and that it would try everything it could to rebuild the club and take it into the 21st Century. A lot of hard work by the management committee along with funding by Tameside Council and the Federation of Clubs for Young People the dream was realised on the 25th of October 2002. The new state of the art changing rooms were opened by Counciller Ballague and by the following year West End Boys Club became the owners of brick built state of the art Sports Hall on the original site where the "Naylor" building once stood. The club is now completely fenced and hopefully this will deter any future vandalism so that the present members and future members can enjoy the sporting and social events that the boys club has provided for the last 37 years.Today the club can boast over 200 members and 30 committee members providing football and other sporting events for 6 year olds to 18 year olds. We at West End boys believe we have some of the best facilities for any Young People`s Club. Each manager now has a level 1 F.A Coach badge and the club has made great strides in becoming a FA Charter Standard Club. With the commitment from the Management Committee and Parents alike we believe that the club can flourish for many years to come