About Us

Barming Youth F.C. was founded in 1980 with just one team. The club has grown extensively since then, adding many teams including girls, ladies, men's and veterans teams. The aim of the club is to provide all local youth opportunities to play football regardless of their abilities. The club has become an F.A. Charter Standard club. The Charter Standard Scheme is a best practice guide that sets standards of coaching, administration and child protection for clubs working with young people. As a benchmark for quality, it will improve the playing experience for all.

Barming Youth has over 25 teams from Under 5s up to Seniors, including girls sides, and these teams play at Barming School, South Street, Barming Heath, Poplar Grove, Mereworth, Giddyhorn and Gatland Lane. 

The season starts early September for all of the Barming teams and runs through to late March. Once the season is over, most teams take part in various tournaments around the county, in particular our own tournament. 

THE FIRST 25 YEARS OF BYFC

Barming Youth started from humble beginnings. The local Barming Cub Scout group was where it all started. The pack played in a number of 5 a side Cub Scout organised events, the numbers interested in playing made it necessary to enter 2 teams. Because of the interest a number of dads whose sons played decided to set up an 11 a side team. Initially the team did rather well playing a number of friendlies. In 1980 Barming Youth was born. No one at that point would have any idea that the club would grow and develop into one of the leading junior football clubs in the Maidstone area. 

Alan Welfare (Secretary), Peter Roberts (Chairman), David Williams (Treasurer) and Dave Coupland (Vice Chairman) were the founders of the club. There first act was to get funding and sponsorship for the clubs kit. Each parent was asked to donate £20, two parents in particular added additional funding which set the club up financially for the future. These two gentlemen were Stephen Grieg and Brian Clifford, Stephen Grieg became the first club President. These two gentlemen sponsored the Clubs first kit, which was an England kit, the one worn by Kevin Kegan and Trevor Brooking in the World cup of 1982 in Spain. After making a late application to the Maidstone Primary League, who unfortunately was full, The Club then was successful in joining the Medway League, as Under-11s in a tough Under-12 league. And so, in September 1980, the Club played its first competitive game. The squad included: -

Michael Hands, Paul Howard, Michael Howard, Phil Coupland, Keith Morgan (now a golf professional), Nicky Greig, Andrew Clifford, Graham Williams (who designed the Clubs emblem that is still used today), Nigel Roberts, Trevor Roberts (who is still involved in the club today), Simon Bourne, Richard Welfare, Nigel Manser, Mark Manser.

The clubs home pitch was at South Street, Playing in the Medway league meant travelling to distant venues to play away games, the team even found themselves changing in an upturned boat. The first season was a tough one playing against teams a year older. But that put them in good shape for the following season. 

The next season Barming joined the Maidstone Primary league, were it has been ever present. The team/club developed and the Clubs first silverware was in the Under 14s Consolation Cup final, as under-13s. The following year saw the team reach the Challenge Cup Final, but lost in a narrow defeat to Nomads 1-0, with 5 of the original squad still in the side. By 1983-1984, the Club had grown into 4 sides, 2 Under-14s, an Under 12, and an Under 10.

Behind the scenes the Club was growing too. Even then, the Club ran a 5-a-side tournament at Belmont Close, penalty competitions and a regular trip to Wembley for a Schoolboy international. Committee meetings were at South Street School, training was at Westborough, Barming Heath, Maidstone Girls Grammar School, on-street running and the summer months were passed by organised cricket matches. All these events helped to grow the clubs reputation and popularity with in Maidstone and Barming

The Clubs association with Barming Primary School started early on in the clubs existence with the annual presentation evenings being held in the school hall.  Guests of honour included Peter Taylor (England U21 Manager) and Steve Coppell (Manchester United, Crystal Palace and England)

During the initial years of the club many people got involved with the club, as it got bigger more managers and volunteers were needed. All gave up their free time to help the club grow even bigger and to uphold its reputation  

BARMING YOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB - SEPTEMBER 1987/88

After 1984 Alan Welfare, one of the original founders, left the club to set up another team called Sporting Pheonix. This did not stop Barming from continuing its growth and success. The 1987/1988 season saw the Under -12s reached the Consolation Cup final at the Kent Police Ground against Dolphins with a team including the Owen twins, Paul Newman, Michael Fisher, Dom Buschini, Paul Edwards, Danny Burchill.

1989/90 saw The Barming Youth Committee led by John Barber(Chairman) and John Lamborn (Secretary) Other committee members included Pat Fisher (treasurer), Pat Edwards, Dave West, Trevor O’Connor, Trevor Roberts, Peter Pearce, Alan Newman, Derek Brown, Steve Ansell and Joe Caine

The success of the club then became a major turning point in the clubs history. Due to the fact the club only ran one team in each age group meant that many boys didn’t get to play football. Back then Under 10’s played 11 a side football so when 30 boys turned up for trials many went without. With this in mind a group of parents formed an under 10 side called Silverdale. With the catchment area of Barming was a lot smaller in the 90’s, it was essential that no potential players didn’t play for Barming Youth, so talks were had with the Silverdale for them to become part of the club. It was Silverdale’s “can-do” attitude from guys like Tamar Djevat, Les Thorneycroft, Nigel Fillingham, Phil Taylor, Jim Beckett & Chris Hubbard who shook the Barming Youth Committee from their easy existence. By this time, Joe Caine and Steve Ansell had become Chairman and Secretary of Barming Youth - they were to spend many hours discussing the best way forward and how to bring the rest of the Committee with them, for, at the time, there were many on the Barming Youth side were not even prepared to talk about Silverdale.

Common sense eventually prevailed, and Silverdale became part of Barming Youth FC

BARMING YOUTH FOOTBALL CLUB - SEPTEMBER 1990/91

This episode had the effect of pushing Barming Youth to expand, they now had Under-9 teams like every other Club. Apart from Silverdale there were one or two other outstanding teams, one run by Trevor Roberts (from the original squad) – This side reached 4 cup finals winning 3, 3 League titles and a number of runners up spots, in that side was Paul Booth who went to play for Maidstone and Folkestone, Steve Chamberlain, Iain Edwards, Matt Boyce, Tim Hayley, Neil Mayling, Owen Ellis and and Richard Bowden-Brown (son of Maidstone United’s ex-chairman) and one by Trevor O’Connor , who in 1990-1991 joined the Maidstone & Mid-Kent Sunday League , and won Division 5 at the first attempt. Trevor was not only to become Chairman after Joe Caine, he was voted Linesman of the Year twice by the League and appointed as a Life member of the Club.

In 1991, Barming Youth started its annual 5-a-side tournament, which is still being run today. This tournament is one the most successful in Maidstone and attracts teams from all over Kent.

The Club was now fully expanded by the mid-1990’s with virtually a team at every age-group up to Under-18s, and 2 senior sides. Trophies started to come our way as more boys started to want to join. With this Football tours were started. These included trips to Wales, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Cologne, Munich and Lloret. Other trips were organised to Butlins

Club success continued with two truly outstanding sides, one won back-to-back League and Cup doubles in the early 2000s Mick Dray and Paul Flisher’s side that included Robbie Hannon, Harry Haswell, Tom Parkinson, Sam Ringwood, Alex Flisher (of Maidstone Utd fame), Jack Cooper and Josh Stanford 

Of course its not just the players that make Barming Youth the club it is today. Committee members and volunteers also contribute to the smooth running, not all Committee members names can be remembered but without these people the club would not be the success and pillar of the Barming community that it is today without them - we’ve had Chairman from, Peter Roberts, John Barber, Joe Caine, Trevor O’Connor, Steve Ansell, Derek Brown, Dave Jacobs, Martin Atkinson, Greg Theophanides to Warren Lindley. Secretaries from Dave Williams, John Lamborn, Steve Ansell, Chris Hubbard, Dave Luckhurst , Donna Flisher, Denise Wright, Mark Hoare, Sharon Schofield and Chris Brinn. Treasurers from Margaret Williams, Pat Fisher, Angus MacCrae, Chris Hubbard, Steve Jeal, Kevin Roberts, Gareth Jones, Bev Burgum, Clive Afflick, Julie Bridge to David Whiting.

All this has happened over 38 years, what happens in the next is yet to be written. But its safe to say it wont be boring…….