History
Helping Herefordshire football thrive Since 1893
1893 Herefordshire Football Association formed on October 14th at meeting held at the Mansion House, Widemarsh Street and attended by representatives of clubs throughout the County. It was agreed to affiliate to the Birmingham and District Football Association.
The following officers were elected: President- Mr Tom Carver, Chairman- Rev Leigh Spencer, Hon. Secretary- Mr H H Babstock.
17 Clubs initially affiliated: Hereford, Hereford Thistle, Hereford Early Closers, Hereford Journal, Tenbury, Peterchurch, Builth, Leominster, Builth Juniors, Kington, Berwick Rangers, Presteigne Town, Silver Stars, Ledbury United, Bircher, Ludlow, Rhyader.
1894 Membership increased to 30 by the election of Ledbury Victoria, Hereford Red Rose and Hereford St Peters.
Hereford beat Builth 1-0 to become the first winners of the HFA Senior County Challenge Cup under the jurisdiction of the Association, and Leominster Town defeated Worcester Excelsior 5-2 in the final of the HFA Junior Cup.
The Senior County Challenge Cup was inaugurated eight years earlier when Hereford also won the trophy, beating Ludlow 3-0 in the final.
1895 Hereford beat Hereford Thistle 1-0 to become the first winners of the HFA Charity Bowl.
1899 Herefordshire Football League formed at a meeting at No 5 Hotel, Widemarsh Street, Hereford on August 15th. There had been a League in 1891 for 1 season, won by Silver Stars.
1900 Herefordshire Football Association granted disciplinary
powers by the Birmingham and District FA to enable the Associations Executive
Committee to deal directly with any offences reported within the County
borders.
1903 Herefordshire Thursday League set up for players that worked on a Saturday
1903 The Herefordshire Thursday league was set up for players who worked on a Saturday
1913 Herefordshire Football Association affiliated direct to the Football Association with membership reaching the required 50 clubs needed to become a separate self-administering body.
1920 Mr HP Barnsley elected Chairman- a position he held for 36 years. He was the county representative on the Football Association for 20 years Chairman of the FA Disciplinary Commission for 3 years. He also served on the FA Match and Ground Consultative Committee for International matches. He received the FA Long Service Gold medal and later became the first Life President of the Herefordshire Football Association. He was Mayor of Hereford from 1938 until 1942.
1908 North Herefordshire League formed to provide regular football for teams in the north of the County. Although there had been a League in 1895 for 1 season.
1911 Ross & District League set up for teams in the south of the County.
1920 Ledbury League set up for teams in the east of the County.
1924 St Martins and RAOC (Rotherwas) amalgamated to form Hereford United and made their debut in the Birmingham Combination at Edgar Street on August 30th when they were beaten 3-2 by Atherstone Town.
1924 HFA Burghill Cup competition launched to raise money for the Associations Benevolent Fund.
1939 Hereford United became a limited company and joined the Southern League.
1944 Hereford Referees Association formed to assist and coach potential soccer officials.
1951 Ansells Brewery presented a handsome Herefordshire Senior Cup to the Association for competition between professional clubs. Shrewsbury Town beat Hereford United 3-1 in the first invitation final at Edgar Street.
1952 Mr Ted Powell elected Secretary of the Association- a position he held for the next 25 years. He then became Chairman of the Hereford Times Herefordshire Football League, Vice-Chairman of the Herefordshire FA and Chairman in 1987. He was appointed the County representative of the Football Association and became one of the Match and Ground Committee, having previously served as Chairman of the FA Publication Committee and Chairman of the FA Challenge Trophy Committee.
1963 Herefordshire Sunday League formed principally for players unable to participate in Saturday and midweek matches.
1963 Football Exhibition staged by the Association at the Shirehall in September to mark the Centenary of the Football Association.
1966 Herefordshire FA Coaching Association formed in August to develop the game on an organized scale through schools, youth clubs and local teams.
1968 Exhibition held in Shirehall and a celebration dinner at Hillside, Hereford, in May to mark the 75th anniversary of the HFA.
1972 Hereford united elected to the Fourth division of the
Football League.
1976 All weather playing court opened at Hereford Lads Club
in conjunction with the Herefordshire Football Association by Mr Ted Croker,
Secretary of the Football Association.
1979 Hinton beat Ledbury Town to win the HFA Senior Challenge
Cup for the fifth year running and equal the record of the Hereford City set in
1914.
1985 County Association purchased land at Widemarsh Common in
July to enable them to have a home of their own where they could stage
representative matches and build their own headquarters.
1989 County pavilion officially opened on New Year’s Eve
before HFA Youth Cup final. Later in the season the finals of the Charity Bowl,
Junior Cup, Burghill Cup and Sunday Cup were all staged on the county ground.
1993 HFA presented with an illuminated certificate by the Football
Association to commemorate
their Centenary.
1998
Herefordshire FA became the first County to become a Company Limited by Guarantee.
This being the first step to converting what was no more than a hobby pursuit
to a small business. The Association was still run from ‘the kitchen table’
with no offices.
2000 the
first County Plan was produced which reviewed the workload and responsibilities
of volunteers and set out the short, medium and long term targets for the
Association.
2001 thanks to a grant from The Football Association, the County was able to
appoint it’s first full time member of staff as the first step to achieving the
setting up of business premises.
2004 the
County Headquarters was refurbished to accommodate new members of staff who
with administration grants were tasked with ‘Football Development’ within the
County.
2016 Hereford FC reach the FA Vase Final at Wembley, Herefordshire FA successfully negotiate the parade of Hereford Bull "Hawkesbury Ronaldo" around the Wembley pitch
2019 The HFA celebrate its 125th year with a fixture held in February between a HFA Select XI and a Football Association representative side. The match was held at Edgar Street.
2019 The completion of a state of the art FIFA approved 3G Artificial Grass Pitch was finalised on the HFA County Ground site. The pitch has become a community hub, serving the local grassroots clubs providing an excellent facility to train and play on throughout the year.
2021 The men's Herefordshire FA County League rebrands with the previously used name "Herefordshire Football League". The league is granted National League System (NLS) Regional Feeder League (Step 7) status, providing the teams in the Premier Division the opportunity to gain promotion into Step 6 of the non-league pyramid. Hartpury University won the Premier Division and were the first team to take promotion.
Be part of our future
If you'd like to join the Herefordshire FA and help continue supporting and growing football in the local area why not become a partner.
- Opportunities to sponsor leagues and competitions
- Reach a huge audience across the county
- Support the local game and the sport you love