Gadeside Rangers FC

"Fun in Football"

History

HOW IT ALL BEGAN...

Two gentlemen, One called Kenneth Timberlake and the other David Gale, one managed Watford Colts from Watford Fields, the other a team from the Holywell.

One day Kenneth Timberlake and David Gale met to found Gadeside Rangers at a meeting at David's House.

The name Gadeside arose because one lived in Gade Avenue and the other in Swiss Avenue. So by the toss of a coin the name was decided. Gadeside was Born.

Ken Timberlake and David Gale are both Founders of our great club.

The first official pitch used by Gadeside was at Holywell school in Tolpits Lane.

As their was only one pitch at Holywell School and the club's teams were expanding it needed more pitches so the club moved to Westfield School.

Now the club had 4 full size pitches and soon had to add mini soccer pitches for 7 a side games for the Under 8 to Under 10's

The expansion continued when an under 18's team wanted to stay part of the club they had all grown up with, so it was decided that the club would have an adult side in the Olympian Sunday Football League so the 1st XI started.

With more and more players coming through the club and moving onto adult football the club created a 2nd XI team.

Following two winning seasons with the 1st XI team winning the league and cup twice. It was decided to move the teams to the Watford Sunday Football League for 2009/2010 Season.

The club is linked to Watford FC's Football in the Community, Westfield Community Technology College, Watford Friendly League, Watford Sunday League and Hertfordshire FA

All our managers are qualified FA coaches and volunteer their skills for children in the local area to enjoy and participate in the sport we love.

Take a look around our website which shows all the information about our great club. We hope you like what you see and look forward to welcoming you at some of our planned events.

Enjoy the season and most of all, have "Fun in Football" !!

Letter From Co-Founder

Hi my name is Dave Gale.
I have just come across the web site, (Friday 26/03/2010) and it is very impressive. I am so proud that the club has been going for 36years. Although I was joint founder member, Ken Timberlake was the real Driving force. We both loved football, and in the early years and competed in the then called Bushey Friendly League.

A lot of people helped the club get going in those early years. And I would like to mention a few..

Les Simms: He is the balding gentleman in some of your historic pictures, manager of one of first Gadeside teams. Many an evening we spent at his house debating football.

John Hart: Again a very enthusiastic guy, who organised the use of a little scout hut at the back of Holywell, don't know if it's still there, but all the kids had great times there in the winter evenings.

Don Smith: He was caretaker at Holywell School, and he was the one to persuade the then headmaster to let this little new club use the schools pitches. His son Jamie was a class little winger !!

Trevor Austin: Again an enthusiast about kids football, and a relative of Kens, we never got on that well, but looking back, I respected him greatly.

Geggs Parker: He was the early driving force behind the Bushey Friendly League, and was instrumental in getting the club into that league. He was associated with Bushey Rangers, but a nicer and more helpful guy you would never meet.

Now the U10s 76/77 - That was my team, And I can fill in some names other than the names mentioned (Richard Darnell, Richard Dempsey Jamie Smyth, Barrry Allaway, Dermot Rice, Trevor Turnbull) ,,,, Also ... Ray and Roy Mariconda, Paul Devereax, Tom Murphy, Brendon O'Connor, Nicky Sitten, Paul Smith, Mark O'Marney, Kens son David Timberlake, Martin France and David Brandon.. to those I missed out I am sorry but .... its been a long time.

Some of these lads came with me from Watford Colts when we formed Gadeside

Anyway, it great to see the club growing and still going strong

Kind regards
Dave Gale