Hawarden Rangers F.C. is a Welsh football club playing in Hawarden, Flintshire, after being founded in 1974 by Elwyn Owen. They currently play in the Ardal NW, the third tier of the Welsh football pyramid.
| Full name | Hawarden Rangers Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1974 | ||
| Stadium | Gladstone Playing Fields | ||
| Manager | Andrew Butler | ||
| League | Ardal NW League | ||
| 2022–23 | Ardal NW League, 13th of 14 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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| |||
The senior team were members of the North East Wales Football League Premier Division, following the restructure of the FA Wales Pyramid Structure and have previously been members of the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) and prior to that, the Clwyd League.
The Junior sections consist of teams ranging from U6 to U19, all of which compete in the Queensferry Sports Flintshire Junior and Youth League.
History edit
Hawarden Rangers Football Club was formed in 1974 by Elwyn Owen.
The club's patron is the grandson of Victorian Prime Minister; Sir William Gladstone. It was he, who had the foresight to leave the Gladstone Playing Fields to the local people for future enjoyment and recreation, which is the reasoning behind the Hawarden Castle gates on the club crest.
The senior setup were founder members of the Clwyd League, which was set up to improve the level in the area whilst the junior section was created in 1984 by the amalgamation of the two local teams; Hawarden Wayfarers and Hawarden Pathfinders, respectively.
Following the amalgamation, the club became Hawarden United before changing to Hawarden Rangers Football Club, which now has over 200 junior members aged between 6 – 16, and over 50 senior members split between a First Team, Reserves Team and an Under 19s Team.
In 2019, there was also the creation of a Veterans Team, managed by club legend; Mark Evans.
The club joined the newly formed North East Wales Football League in 2020 as a Premier Division club.[1] On 9 June 2022, it was announced that the club had been promoted to the tier 3 Ardal NW League for the 2022–23 season via the vacancy route..[2]
Famous Past Players edit
Hawarden Rangers has a rich history of past players that have gone on to professional level, most notably;
- Barry Horne: Retired, ex-Everton F.C. defender who earned 59 caps for Wales.
- Ian Rush: Retired, former Liverpool F.C. and Wales striker who also had a stint as manager of Chester City.
- Michael Owen: Retired, previously of Liverpool F.C., Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United & Stoke City. Attended Hawarden High School. Now commentates on BT Sport.
- Andy Dorman: Retired, enjoyed spells at FC Boston, New England Revolution, Scottish club St. Mirren and English side Crystal Palace. Attended Hawarden High School.
- Ian Edwards: Retired, previously of Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion, Chester City & Wrexham.
- David Brett: Retired, previously of Chester City & Colwyn Bay.
- Nick Henderson Retired, previously of Colwyn Bay, Cheshire Police, Nick is now the club vice-chairmen.
Hawarden Rangers Staff edit
Club Officials edit
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Fred Evans |
| Chairperson | Lyn Owen |
| Vice-Chairman | Nick Henderson |
| Secretary | Dave Dickel |
| Treasurer | Alyson Oates |
| Safeguarding Officer | Claire Sumner |
First Team Management edit
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Andrew Butler |
| Coach | Dominic Auty |
| Secretary | Stuart Lawrence |
| Captain | Ellis Jones |
Reserves Team Management edit
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Eddie Barry |
| Coach | Gareth Harrison |
| Secretary | Steve Oates |
| Captain | Ste Wilson |
Development Team Management edit
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Coach | Dominic Auty |
| Helper | Tom Owen |
| Captain | Jonathan Simpson |
Senior Teams - Honours edit
First Team edit
- Clwyd League – President's Cup
- Winners: 1987–88, 2004–05
- Football Association of Wales – Fair Play Award
- Winners: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
- NWCFA Junior Cup
- Winners: 1981–82
- Welsh National League Division 1
- Winners: 2019-20
- Welsh National League Division 3 – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 2006–07
First Team - Player Accolades edit
| League Season | Manager's Player of the Season | Player's Player of the Season | Young Player of the Season | Clubman of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - 2022 | Aaron North | Ryan Tierney | Jonathan Simpson | Josh Williams |
| 2019 - 2020 | Tom Bridges | Tom Bridges | N/A | Charlie Bradford |
| 2018 - 2019 | Tom Williams | George Thomas | N/A | Dominic Auty |
| 2017 - 2018 | George Thomas | Craig Stewart | N/A | Tim McCarthy |
Reserves Team edit
- North East Wales Football League - Reserves Division*
- Winners: 2021 - 2022
- North East Wales Football League - The Reserves Cup*
- Runners Up: 2021 - 2022
- Welsh National League Reserves Division – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 2013–14
- Runners Up: 2014–15, 2018–19
- Welsh National League Reserves Division – Fair Play Award
- Winners: 2010–11, 2016–17
Reserves Team - Player Accolades edit
| League Season | Manager's Player of the Season | Player's Player of the Season | Clubman of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 - 2022 | Alun Wilson | Ste Wilson | Eric Thomas |
| 2019 - 2020 | Ayden De Winter | Ayden De Winter | Dominic Auty |
| 2018 - 2019 | Connor Spencer-Wilson | Tom Janney | Charlie Bradford |
| 2017 - 2018 | Daniel Beach | Ellis Jones | Charlie Bradford |
Veterans Team edit
- Welsh National League - Veterans Championship Division
- Winners: 2021-22
- North East Wales Football Association - Veterans Cup
- Winners: 2021-22
Development Team edit
- Flintshire Youth League
- Winners: 2021-22
- Flintshire Youth League U19 – Challenge Cup
- Runners Up: 2021-22
Youth Teams - Honours edit
Under 18 edit
- NEWFA Youth Cup
- Winners: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92
- NWCFA Youth Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1979–80, 1990–91
Junior Teams - Honours edit
Under 17 edit
- NWCFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1997–98
Under 16 edit
- Clwyd Junior League – Consolation Cup
- Winners: 1994–95
- Flintshire Junior League
- Winners: 1987–88, 1988–89, 1996–97, 1997–98
- Flintshire Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1995–96, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2017–18, 2018–19
- NEWFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1987–88, 1997–98, 2018–19
- NWCFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1990–91
Under 15 edit
- Flintshire Junior League
- Winners: 1996–97, 2015–16
- Flintshire Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2015–16
- Flintshire Junior League – Fair Play Award
- Winners: 2014–15
- NEWFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 2015–16
- NWCFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1994–95, 1995–96
Under 14 edit
- Clwyd Junior League – Consolation Cup
- Winners: 1994–95
- Flintshire Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1990–91, 2010–11, 2018–19
- Flintshire Junior League – Fair Play Award
- Winners: 2014–15
- NEWFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1990–91, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2016–17
- NWCFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1993–94
Under 14 (Comets) edit
- Flintshire Junior League – Fair Play Award
- Winners: 2016–17
Under 14 (Hawks) edit
- Flitshire Junior League
- Winners: 2016–17
- Flitshire Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 2016–17
Under 13 edit
- Flintshire Junior League
- Winners: 1995–96, 2008–09, 2018–19
- Flintshire Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1996–97, 2003–04, 2018–19
- Flintshire Junior League – Fair Play Award
- Winners: 2017–18
- NEWFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 2015–16
- NWCFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1994–95, 1998–99
Under 12 edit
- Clwyd Junior League – Consolation Cup
- Winners: 1986–87, 1990–91
- Flinshire Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1996–97, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2016–17, 2018–19
- Flintshire Junior League – Division 1
- Winners: 1988–89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2007–08, 2016–17
- Flintshire Junior League – Division 2
- Winners: 1991–92, 1993–94
- Flintshire Junior League – Fair Play Award
- Winners: 2016–17
- NEWFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 2003–04, 2016–17
- NWCFA Junior Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1992–93
Under 12 (Hawks) edit
- Flintshire Junior League
- Winners: 2014–15
- Flinshire Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 2014–15
Under 11 edit
- Clwyd Junior League – Mini Tournament
- Winners: 2002–03
Under 10 edit
- Clwyd Junior League
- Winners: 1991–92
- Clwyd Junior League – Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1991–92
- Clwyd Junior League – Mini Tournament
- Winners: 1997–98, 1999–00, 2000–01
Under 9 edit
- Clwyd Junior League – Mini Tournament
- Winners: 1995–96, 1996–97
Under 8 edit
- Clwyd Junior League – Mini Tournament
- Winners: 2000–01, 2001–02
References edit
- ^ "Let The Good Times Begin!!". North East Wales Football League. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Ardal Leagues: A geographical look at the teams competing in the 2022/23 season". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.