On a bright and sunny Saturday morning, on 1st July 2001, a group of parents with soccer keen children living in the parish of Leigh gathered, looking to create a footballing outlet for their youngsters. The club’s aim was then, and still is to this day, to enable all it’s members to be able to learn, play, and enjoy football, in a structured and safe environment, no matter what their ability!
At that very first coaching session, run by the two founder coaches, Neil Coleman and Bosko Medakovic, held at Leigh & Bransford Primary School, twelve youngsters of varying primary school ages and abilities, attended. This number grew steadily over the months that followed, with a total of 48 children attending the regular weekly coaching sessions, by the end of the club’s first year. A key developmental step was to offer football coaching to youngsters from age four and thus become one of the first in the County to support them.
As parental interest grew, volunteers agreed to undertake various roles within the club from administration through to coaching. Soon after, the club’s management Executive Committee was formed and held its first ever meeting in the local Royal Oak public house in Leigh Sinton, in December 2001. The club was soon to be formally constituted and recognised officially as Leigh & Bransford Badgers Football Club (L&BBFC). Affiliation to the Worcestershire Football Association (WFA) was soon to follow as a prime objective for the newly established club Executive Committee.
With the adoption of the Badger, as the now all too familiar club logo, and the black and white kit formally worn for the club’s first ever match Saturday, 10th November, 2001 the Badgers were born.Suckley Wanderers FC hosted that inaugural fixture, with around 120 vocal supporters present, including local historian, Malcolm Scott, who subsequently immortalised the occasion in his book about the history of life in the parish entitled; ‘The Book of Leigh & Bransford – the Parish Past & Present’
Application was made to the then Mercian Elgar Junior Football League (MEJFL), and accepted, for the Badgers first ever league squads at ages U9’s and U11’s. Thanks to a very kind donation from the club’s local benefactor, residents Steve and Lesley Blewitt, the Badgers managed to purchase a set of portable floodlights, enabling the two squads to continue their progress with miweek, outdoor, training at the local Memorial Hall Field.
The addition of a programme to coach and cater for the U7 age group, under the guise of a non-competing and mixed gender, saw the launch of the first Development Squad, with ages ranging from 4 to 6 years. The foundation where set for the older members of this squad to progress to form the subsequent years U8’s Squad and so commenced the progress of generating new Badger teams from the youngest age group up.
Word of mouth, and appreciation of the coaching principles adhered to, saw year on year growth of the Badgers. The subsequent increase in attendees meant that by the start of the 2003/4 season, the club had teams entered into the newly named Mercian Festival Junior Football League (MFJFL) in four age groups:
Founder member and lead coach Bosko Medakovic was awarded Worcestershire FA’s ‘Volunteer Of The Year’ for 2003
As the squads grew older, so did the number of teams the Badgers catered for, kick starting the 2004/05 season with seven age group teams, and the commencement of the naming convention to call squads after football teams to aid differentiation across age groups:
The wait for the clubs first trophy continued.
To accommodate this expanse, the club acquired the long term use of several pitches in the neighbouring parish of Powick, at the former hospital site, just a few miles from their Leigh Sinton heartland.
We are still using the pitches for 9v9 and 11v11 teams today (Updated Mar 18)
As the squads grew older, so did the number of teams the Badgers catered for, kick starting the 2004/05 season with seven age group teams, and the commencement of the naming convention to call squads after football teams to aid differentiation across age groups:
The wait for the clubs first trophy continued.
To accommodate this expanse, the club acquired the long term use of several pitches in the neighbouring parish of Powick, at the former hospital site, just a few miles from their Leigh Sinton heartland.
We are still using the pitches for 9v9 and 11v11 teams today (Updated Mar 18)
The club was successful in its bid to acquire planning approval for use of a field as a new home for it’s mini soccer squads, to be known as the Ralph’s Field Stadium. The development would see the club able to expand to accommodate more squads, offering two new mini soccer pitches, a club refreshments bar and shop, car park, and training areas, in time for the start of the following season.
The club’s wait for club silverware is over:
As well as playing competitive games at the new Ralph’s Field Stadium for the first time this year, following it’s newly laid surface, the club also made a return to the local Memorial Hall Ground for league games, after a two season absence, which had also undergone recent levelling and re-seeding work.
Rounding off the Club’s most successful season to date, the Club’s Senior Coach, Bosko Medakovic was acknowledged for the second time, by the WFA, for his outstanding contribution to football over the season, and was duly awarded recognition under the FA’s Charter Standard Football Volunteer Workforce Programme 2006/7.
Numbers kept on growing and 2007 the club embarked on the season with 12 age group squads enjoying their football in the Mercian Festival Junior Football League. The pre-season comings and goings continue, with Badger Teams In:
Badger Team Departing:
Now up to the highest ever, 13 age group squads, with Badger Teams in:
But Badger Teams Departing:
Another successful season of growth concluded with the club scooping several honours in the Worcestershire FA’s Charter Standard Workforce Awards 2008/9.
Next big stride forward saw L&BBFC being granted ‘Community Club’ status, and in the process bypassing the ‘Development Club’ status. Achieving this magnificent recognition meant that in just a little over eight years since the club was formed, L&BBFC had progressed through to the pinnacle of FA’s charter standard football programme for clubs at a ‘grass roots’ level.
Sadly though, it was during the summer of this season that the club was devastated upon hearing news of U10’s Rangers’ Assistant Coach, Alessio Adorisio, who lost his life in tragic circumstances. The very popular and much loved 23 year old club colleague and friend died of his injuries when his car was involved in a crash on the M5 motorway just outside Worcester. A talented musician, Alessio was travelling home alone from a music event when the incident happened.
10 squads would kick start the 2009/10 season:
Additions to the Badger family and ever changing naming conventions:
In March 2010, the club celebrated gaining five awards from Malvern Hills District Council under the Hereford & Worcester Sports Partnership’s, County Sports Awards 2009.
The season was quite over when more accolades rolled in to recognise our volunteers continued hard work, at the WFA’s Charter Standard Community Awards:
The best was yet to come with the Badgers grabbing the WFA’s ‘Charter Standard Community Club of the Year Award’
How does a club follow a year like the one before, by continuing with the basics that has served it so well so far, with 11 junior sides, 2 adult sides and the development squads to build from the base up.
In what was a first for the club, the Girls Development Squad were invited by the Worcestershire FA to provide two teams to represent them at the 2011 Regional FA Futsal Finals in Birmingham. Two club squads were duly formed at U10’s and U12’s age. Both sides performed well in their respective age groups, but alas, neither were able to make it beyond the group stages.
Meanwhile, away from the action, in December of this season, the battling young Villa side received a most deserving acknowledgement from the Malvern Hills District Council’s sporting community. Despite not winning a game in over two seasons, our U14’s Villa were recognised by the Council as winners of it’s ‘Junior Team Of The Year Award 2010’!
Growing, growing, meant that the Badgers approached season 2001/12 being able to field 12 sides in the MFJFL, with the two adult squads to back them up, the Legends and the Myths. Not finished there the badgers were boosted by two new all girls squads, and the two Development Squads, running in parallel to the clubs league offerings. New Badgers for 2011:
The Badgers had to say goodbye to:
A new club position was created, that of Club President, and in honour of his work and dedication to the running and successes at the club, Bosko Medakovic was duly awarded this inaugural prestigious title by the club’s Executive Committee, during the clubs end of season presentation ceremony.
New for this season was the introduction of regular men’s competitive football. Although in previous seasons the Legends and Myths had taken part in the County FA’s Men’s Futsal League, the club decided to venture further into adult football with the creation of two additional men’s teams. Both playing competitive 11-a-side football, one side would compete in Saturday Division Two, and the other in Sunday Division Five of the local Worcester & District Football League (W&DFL).
Up to 14 Junior sides with teams in and, always sadly, squads folding:
To accommodate expansion, the club secured the use of the very impressive facilities in the neighbouring parish, at Suckley Playing Field.
Award season closed the year with numerous staff members nominated and subsequently shortlisted for four out of the five awards entered, under the Malvern Hills District Sports Awards 2013.
The start of this new season saw several changes in personnel, squads, and league formats, as a total of 18 club squads set out to contest games this season, in friendly fixtures, tournaments, cups, and in the MFJFL and also the W&DFL, as well as the newly created WFA Over 35’s Veterans League.As with every campaign, lots of ‘ins and outs’ with our team line ups, and joining the Badgers:
But we lost:
Brace yourselves for season’14 and more changes. On the positive side the Badgers welcomed:
In the minus column this season:
By June, 2015, U12’s Vale were recognised by the WFA County Youth Development League as winners of it’s Fair Play Award 2014/15.
In a first for the club, the U12’s Vale opted to play in the WFA County Youth Development League (WFA CYDL) this season instead of the MFJFL, in a bid to avoid folding, given that the former league allowed Saturday football which proved more popular with the players and parents than the alternative lure of Sunday football offered by the MFJFL.
A record six new club sides were entered this season to compete in our local leagues:
The negative balance sheet saw the demise of:
Meanwhile, playing in a more structured format of junior cup competition based on a series of group games, organised by the MFJFL, two of our younger sides, the U9’s Thistle and the U11’s Alexandra both battled their way to their respective finals.
At the prestigious Malvern Hills DC Sports Awards the Badgers came away with another title. This year, 18 year old Club Coach, Sam Edmondson, landed the ‘Young Volunteer of the Year’ award for his support to City.
In the August prior to the new season kicking off, L&BBFC was delighted to hear that one of it’s former players had been selected for international duty! Former L&BBFC U15’s Rangers striker and gifted young rugby player, Ted Hill, opted to quit football and concentrate his ambitions on rugby, where upon he had since excelled to such an extent that he was selected to represent England U18’s in their tour of South Africa that same month.
Three new squads were created:
L&BBFC was delighted that it had been recognised this year by the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit for providing a safe environment for children and young people in sport. The WFA nominated Alex Warner, Club Child Welfare Officer for the award, recognising the good work that has been done by him within the club since taking up the post 18 months ago.
More Teams than ever, more coaches than ever, in more Leagues than ever. Highlights included:
An amazing start with Hayden Bell, recently FA qualified, excelled by stepping up and helping to lead our newly formed U7’s squads, such was Hayden’s achievement, that for or a second consecutive year running, a young L&BBFC coach landed the Malvern Hills District Councils’ Young Volunteer of the Year category at the District Community Sports Awards 2017.
As the Badgers entered 2018 we have continued to add to our ranks with more coaches, volunteers and players than ever.
Welcome to the website of Leigh and Bransford Badgers Football Club. Established in 2001 by parents who wanted a new football adventure for their children, and the youngsters in and around the area of Leigh in Worcestershire.