Introducing the new member clubs: Haughmond FC
Wed 2nd July 2025 | Haughmond | By Jay Cooper
Now that the FA’s league allocations for the non-league system ahead of 2025/26 have been announced, it’s time for us to welcome a few new faces to the North West Counties Football League.
Established in 1980 in Northeast Shrewsbury, Haughmond FC play their home games at Shrewsbury Sports Village, which is a facility they share with Shrewsbury Town’s youth academy. They took their name from a local forest park hill that overlooks their playing facilities, called Haughmond Hill.
The club’s first major successes at non-league level came in the Shropshire County Football League, now called the Salop Leisure Football League. Their presence as big hitters in the division was felt in the late 2000’s, when they finished as back-to-back runners up in the Premier Division in 2009 and 2010.
The next year, the Academicals went one better, winning the league title, and adding the Ron Jones Memorial Cup to their trophy cabinet in the same season to complete a double. This would be the start of a bit of a golden period for the club.
In 2012, they finished top of their league table again, this time winning the West Midlands League Division Two title, and scoring over 100 goals in the process.
In 2014, they were again fixtures of a title race in the West Midlands League Division One, where they lost out to AFC Bridgnorth. Still, they’d done enough as runners-up to earn their third promotion in four years to the West Midlands Premier Division.
This division would be Haughmond’s home for three seasons, culminating in a blockbuster 2016/17 campaign where they topped the table ahead of two current NWCFL clubs, Wolverhampton Casuals and Wolverhampton Sporting Community. With that, the club earned promotion to the Midland League Premier Division.
In 2017/18, the Mond enjoyed their best FA Cup run, reaching the second qualifying round where they were undone by Boston United in a replay, where they also set their record attendance of 768. To that point, they had already eliminated Wolves Sporting, Bedworth United and Matlock Town.
In the league, they fought hard in their first taste of ninth-tier football, but finished third bottom, and left the division alongside second-bottom Shawbury United and relegated Rocester. The next season, they secured an immediate return to the Midland Prem, finishing second to Tividale back in the West Midlands Prem.
Following two years of season non-finishes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Haughmond struggled to readjust and suffered back-to-back bottom of the table finishes. Firstly, they were relegated from the Midland Prem to Division One, and then they left the Midland League pyramid altogether in the summer of 2023, when they rejoined the Salop Leisure League.
It would be from the Salop Leisure League system that Haughmond would make their next jump up the English football pyramid. Last season, in the Premier Division, the club managed a 5th placed finish, which was enough to see their application for promotion be granted back to Step Six of the non-league system.
As a result, for the first time in their history, the Academicals are going to play in the NWCFL this season.
First team manager Paul Lewis, who was kind enough to speak with me recently, had this to say about his team’s accomplishment: “Last season we had a target to reach - to finish in the top five, knowing full well that the teams around us would not be eligible for promotion. We deservedly achieved our target! We are really looking forward to the challenge in the Counties League this coming season.”
In addition to his role as gaffer, Paul’s responsibilities at the club extend to the development team and committee who oversee the club’s day-to-day operations. Paul and everyone else involved behind the scenes at Haughmond are volunteers. To hear the man himself say it, “We are run by a number of volunteers, some of whom have been there from day one, and are still part of the club to this day.”
The manager was also quick to acknowledge just how important not only everyone involved in the background at the club is; but the 12th man, the fans, who show up and pay their fares every week. He emphasised that “the fans and the community who follow our club are vitally important to our progression.”
Despite all that Haughmond have accomplished in their 45-year existence, the NWCFL presents a new challenge for them to take on. And with entry into a new league, comes games against new teams.
Of course, The Mond are familiar with some of the names they will be battling in the First Division South in 2025/26. They have repeatedly faced off with the likes of Shawbury United, Wolves Casuals and Wolves Sporting in the West Midlands League pyramid, and will get the chance to do so again this season.
After looking at the prospective league table, manager Paul said that “we are very lucky to have many local derbies next season, but we are also really looking forward to facing and visiting new teams that we haven’t played against before.”
That second point is a prominent example of the challenges that the club will face when adjusting to a new league, but it’s those challenges that seem to excite the gaffer. When looking ahead to the season as a whole, he said, “we know it’s going to be a very difficult season.
“We have a very young squad who play attractive football, and they have impressed everyone with the commitment they have shown over the past two seasons. We will do our very best to hold our own in a difficult and competitive league.”
Haughmond are one of three new clubs set to join the First Division South from the feeder leagues. It will be their first crack at the whip in the NWCFL, and it will be one that they will hope to make the most of.
We welcome Haughmond, and we wish them all the best for the upcoming campaign!
Introducing the new member clubs: Haughmond FC
Wed 2nd July 2025 | Haughmond
By Jay Cooper
Now that the FA’s league allocations for the non-league system ahead of 2025/26 have been announced, it’s time for us to welcome a few new faces to the North West Counties Football League.
Established in 1980 in Northeast Shrewsbury, Haughmond FC play their home games at Shrewsbury Sports Village, which is a facility they share with Shrewsbury Town’s youth academy. They took their name from a local forest park hill that overlooks their playing facilities, called Haughmond Hill.
The club’s first major successes at non-league level came in the Shropshire County Football League, now called the Salop Leisure Football League. Their presence as big hitters in the division was felt in the late 2000’s, when they finished as back-to-back runners up in the Premier Division in 2009 and 2010.
The next year, the Academicals went one better, winning the league title, and adding the Ron Jones Memorial Cup to their trophy cabinet in the same season to complete a double. This would be the start of a bit of a golden period for the club.
In 2012, they finished top of their league table again, this time winning the West Midlands League Division Two title, and scoring over 100 goals in the process.
In 2014, they were again fixtures of a title race in the West Midlands League Division One, where they lost out to AFC Bridgnorth. Still, they’d done enough as runners-up to earn their third promotion in four years to the West Midlands Premier Division.
This division would be Haughmond’s home for three seasons, culminating in a blockbuster 2016/17 campaign where they topped the table ahead of two current NWCFL clubs, Wolverhampton Casuals and Wolverhampton Sporting Community. With that, the club earned promotion to the Midland League Premier Division.
In 2017/18, the Mond enjoyed their best FA Cup run, reaching the second qualifying round where they were undone by Boston United in a replay, where they also set their record attendance of 768. To that point, they had already eliminated Wolves Sporting, Bedworth United and Matlock Town.
In the league, they fought hard in their first taste of ninth-tier football, but finished third bottom, and left the division alongside second-bottom Shawbury United and relegated Rocester. The next season, they secured an immediate return to the Midland Prem, finishing second to Tividale back in the West Midlands Prem.
Following two years of season non-finishes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Haughmond struggled to readjust and suffered back-to-back bottom of the table finishes. Firstly, they were relegated from the Midland Prem to Division One, and then they left the Midland League pyramid altogether in the summer of 2023, when they rejoined the Salop Leisure League.
It would be from the Salop Leisure League system that Haughmond would make their next jump up the English football pyramid. Last season, in the Premier Division, the club managed a 5th placed finish, which was enough to see their application for promotion be granted back to Step Six of the non-league system.
As a result, for the first time in their history, the Academicals are going to play in the NWCFL this season.
First team manager Paul Lewis, who was kind enough to speak with me recently, had this to say about his team’s accomplishment: “Last season we had a target to reach - to finish in the top five, knowing full well that the teams around us would not be eligible for promotion. We deservedly achieved our target! We are really looking forward to the challenge in the Counties League this coming season.”
In addition to his role as gaffer, Paul’s responsibilities at the club extend to the development team and committee who oversee the club’s day-to-day operations. Paul and everyone else involved behind the scenes at Haughmond are volunteers. To hear the man himself say it, “We are run by a number of volunteers, some of whom have been there from day one, and are still part of the club to this day.”
The manager was also quick to acknowledge just how important not only everyone involved in the background at the club is; but the 12th man, the fans, who show up and pay their fares every week. He emphasised that “the fans and the community who follow our club are vitally important to our progression.”
Despite all that Haughmond have accomplished in their 45-year existence, the NWCFL presents a new challenge for them to take on. And with entry into a new league, comes games against new teams.
Of course, The Mond are familiar with some of the names they will be battling in the First Division South in 2025/26. They have repeatedly faced off with the likes of Shawbury United, Wolves Casuals and Wolves Sporting in the West Midlands League pyramid, and will get the chance to do so again this season.
After looking at the prospective league table, manager Paul said that “we are very lucky to have many local derbies next season, but we are also really looking forward to facing and visiting new teams that we haven’t played against before.”
That second point is a prominent example of the challenges that the club will face when adjusting to a new league, but it’s those challenges that seem to excite the gaffer. When looking ahead to the season as a whole, he said, “we know it’s going to be a very difficult season.
“We have a very young squad who play attractive football, and they have impressed everyone with the commitment they have shown over the past two seasons. We will do our very best to hold our own in a difficult and competitive league.”
Haughmond are one of three new clubs set to join the First Division South from the feeder leagues. It will be their first crack at the whip in the NWCFL, and it will be one that they will hope to make the most of.
We welcome Haughmond, and we wish them all the best for the upcoming campaign!
