30 Years Ago - Part 4 - The First League Management Committee
Mon 30th July 2012 | General | By Ian Templeman
As officials from the Lancashire Combination and the Cheshire County League came together to plan the merger of the two leagues to form the new North West Counties Football League, it's fair to assume that there would have been some trepidation on both sides.
With two leagues merging, it is likely that some individuals would have felt under threat, but perhaps surprisingly there appears to have been very few casualties when the merger took place.
After a series of meetings during the early months in 1982, the compositon of the first NWCFL Management Committee was agreed, and virtually everyone who held a position on either of the two leagues' committees was retained in an equivalent or similar position on the new North West Counties Football League management committee.
The committee members, and the roles they had held up to that point, are listed below. It should be noted that many of the individuals listed went to hold other roles within football, but the aim of the notes below is to list their most prominent previous positions at the point when the league began in the summer of 1982.
The NWCFL Management Committee – Season 1982-83
President:
Canon Reg Smith (Rector and Dean of Bury, Vice-Chairman of Bury FC)
Chairman:
Eric Hinchcliffe (President of the Cheshire County League, former Secretary of Stalybridge Celtic FC)
Vice-Chairman:
David Murgatroyd (Vice- President of the Lancashire Combination, Secretary of Lytham FC)
Vice- Presidents:
Bob Eccles (Vice-President and Ground Grading Chairman of the Cheshire County League, former Chairman of Darwen FC)
Jimmy Halliwell (President of the Lancashire Combination, Secretary of Leyland Motors FC)
John Williams (Vice-President of the Cheshire County League, Secretary of Rhyl FC)
Secretary:
Chris Mahood (Cheshire County League Secretary/Treasurer, former Secretary of Burscough FC)
Treasurer/Fixture Secretary:
Ken Dean (Lancashire Combination Secretary/Treasurer)
Registration Secretary:
Len Chenery (Registration, Fixtures and Results Secretary of the Lancashire Combination, Secretary of Darwen FC)
Referee's Appointments Secretary:
Jack Rice (Referees and Linesmen's Appointments Secretary of the Lancashire Combination, former Football League match official)
Linesmen's Appointments Secretary:
Mike Darby (Former Football League match official)
Hon. Solicitor:
John Coakley (Cheshire County League Solicitor)
Life Members:
Wesley Bridge (Life Vice-President of the Lancashire Combination, Vice-President of the Lancashire FA, former player and official at Marine FC)
Ian Gaunt (Official at Congleton Town FC)
Cliff Noden (Past Chairman of Winsford United)
David Relph (Life Vice-President of the Lancashire Combination)
Marie Stocksbridge (Assistant Secretary of the Cheshire County League)
Club Representatives:
Jim Calvert (Council Member at the Lancashire FA and official at Clitheroe FC)
Rod Gott (Club Representative at the Cheshire County League and Secretary of Irlam Town FC)
Bill Heywood (Fixtures Secretary at Bacup Borough FC)
Frank Parr (Vice-President of the Cheshire County League, Chairman of Burscough FC)
Peter Warburton (Club Representative at the Cheshire County League and Secretary of Winsford United FC)
Chris Wyatt (Club Representative at the Cheshire County League and official at Ford Motors FC)
So, with the committee in place, and the composition of the leagues agreed, everything was ready to go, and on the 14th August 1982 the opening day's fixtures in the NWCFL took place.
In the next part of our look back to the early days of the NWCFL, we will take a look at the results from the opening day of the 1982-83 season.
30 Years Ago - Part 4 - The First League Management Committee
Mon 30th July 2012 | General
By Ian Templeman
As officials from the Lancashire Combination and the Cheshire County League came together to plan the merger of the two leagues to form the new North West Counties Football League, it's fair to assume that there would have been some trepidation on both sides.
With two leagues merging, it is likely that some individuals would have felt under threat, but perhaps surprisingly there appears to have been very few casualties when the merger took place.
After a series of meetings during the early months in 1982, the compositon of the first NWCFL Management Committee was agreed, and virtually everyone who held a position on either of the two leagues' committees was retained in an equivalent or similar position on the new North West Counties Football League management committee.
The committee members, and the roles they had held up to that point, are listed below. It should be noted that many of the individuals listed went to hold other roles within football, but the aim of the notes below is to list their most prominent previous positions at the point when the league began in the summer of 1982.
The NWCFL Management Committee – Season 1982-83
President:
Canon Reg Smith (Rector and Dean of Bury, Vice-Chairman of Bury FC)
Chairman:
Eric Hinchcliffe (President of the Cheshire County League, former Secretary of Stalybridge Celtic FC)
Vice-Chairman:
David Murgatroyd (Vice- President of the Lancashire Combination, Secretary of Lytham FC)
Vice- Presidents:
Bob Eccles (Vice-President and Ground Grading Chairman of the Cheshire County League, former Chairman of Darwen FC)
Jimmy Halliwell (President of the Lancashire Combination, Secretary of Leyland Motors FC)
John Williams (Vice-President of the Cheshire County League, Secretary of Rhyl FC)
Secretary:
Chris Mahood (Cheshire County League Secretary/Treasurer, former Secretary of Burscough FC)
Treasurer/Fixture Secretary:
Ken Dean (Lancashire Combination Secretary/Treasurer)
Registration Secretary:
Len Chenery (Registration, Fixtures and Results Secretary of the Lancashire Combination, Secretary of Darwen FC)
Referee's Appointments Secretary:
Jack Rice (Referees and Linesmen's Appointments Secretary of the Lancashire Combination, former Football League match official)
Linesmen's Appointments Secretary:
Mike Darby (Former Football League match official)
Hon. Solicitor:
John Coakley (Cheshire County League Solicitor)
Life Members:
Wesley Bridge (Life Vice-President of the Lancashire Combination, Vice-President of the Lancashire FA, former player and official at Marine FC)
Ian Gaunt (Official at Congleton Town FC)
Cliff Noden (Past Chairman of Winsford United)
David Relph (Life Vice-President of the Lancashire Combination)
Marie Stocksbridge (Assistant Secretary of the Cheshire County League)
Club Representatives:
Jim Calvert (Council Member at the Lancashire FA and official at Clitheroe FC)
Rod Gott (Club Representative at the Cheshire County League and Secretary of Irlam Town FC)
Bill Heywood (Fixtures Secretary at Bacup Borough FC)
Frank Parr (Vice-President of the Cheshire County League, Chairman of Burscough FC)
Peter Warburton (Club Representative at the Cheshire County League and Secretary of Winsford United FC)
Chris Wyatt (Club Representative at the Cheshire County League and official at Ford Motors FC)
So, with the committee in place, and the composition of the leagues agreed, everything was ready to go, and on the 14th August 1982 the opening day's fixtures in the NWCFL took place.
In the next part of our look back to the early days of the NWCFL, we will take a look at the results from the opening day of the 1982-83 season.
