Birth of the club
Woodbourne was founded in the spring of 1961 by a group of keen young people associated to the Boys Brigade and young people's fellowship at St Johns church in Harborne, Birmingham. These intrepid youngsters decided to break away from the church due to the then minister objecting to "decadent" music on the church premises. This music was mostly Rolling Stones and Beatles! An alternative meeting place was found at the Toc-H hut in Wentworth Road in Harborne and the club started to thrive socially in true sixties style. This included a sporting arena with a cricket team operating in the Birmingham Parks League and a table tennis team in the lower divisions of the Birmingham League. The Toc-H hut was generally available for a couple of nights during the week with additional meetings being held at the family home of a founder member - Gregory Wood. It was at this venue that the name of Woodbourne was selected, partly because of the location, but also after the nearby Woodbourne Road, which it was thought sounded "strong and a little posh", after all they were impressionable teenagers. And so Woodbourne was up and running.
With cricket and table tennis flourishing the club decided to play football in the winter months and in 1962/63 season joined Kings Norton football league which like the cricket team used Sennelys Park in Weoley Castle as a home venue. Socially they were fortunate in having an energetic group of ladies and parents who supported all of the activities which now had to include fundraising events. Reasonable funds were quickly built up which allowed the club to search for their own premises. Leading this was a guy named Ken Burrows, who was the father of one of the female members at this time, whose efforts helped secure the present ground, hence its name - "The Burrows". Interestingly another site that was considered is now dissected by the approach road to the M42 at Foreshaw Heath.
Recent history
Our original lease was for 7 years, later extended by a further 28 years which took the club up to February 2006. After a long and expensive battle with the club's landlords, A E Beckett & Sons has secured a further 28 year lease.The past three years of negotiations have decimated club funds and have prevented the club from development. This is not the case now as the club strives to attract new members, re-establish a solid financial base and progress towards being a valued asset within the community.
Going forward
The club currently offers sporting opportunities for all ages with football training / teams operating from the age of 7 years and upwards, a cricket team playing on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and a crown green bowling section which plays on most days during the summer months. In all these sections the club caters for all ages and level of ability. The club house offers opportunity, for the less energetic, an excellent location for numerous social events. There are plans to expand all these activities as the club recovers from the trauma of the financial problems over the last three years, and look's forward to celebrating the club's Golden Jubilee in 2011.
Please contact webmaster if anybody has any more information / photographs that can be added to this site by clicking here
With cricket and table tennis flourishing the club decided to play football in the winter months and in 1962/63 season joined Kings Norton football league which like the cricket team used Sennelys Park in Weoley Castle as a home venue. Socially they were fortunate in having an energetic group of ladies and parents who supported all of the activities which now had to include fundraising events. Reasonable funds were quickly built up which allowed the club to search for their own premises. Leading this was a guy named Ken Burrows, who was the father of one of the female members at this time, whose efforts helped secure the present ground, hence its name - "The Burrows". Interestingly another site that was considered is now dissected by the approach road to the M42 at Foreshaw Heath.
Recent history
Our original lease was for 7 years, later extended by a further 28 years which took the club up to February 2006. After a long and expensive battle with the club's landlords, A E Beckett & Sons has secured a further 28 year lease.The past three years of negotiations have decimated club funds and have prevented the club from development. This is not the case now as the club strives to attract new members, re-establish a solid financial base and progress towards being a valued asset within the community.
Going forward
The club currently offers sporting opportunities for all ages with football training / teams operating from the age of 7 years and upwards, a cricket team playing on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and a crown green bowling section which plays on most days during the summer months. In all these sections the club caters for all ages and level of ability. The club house offers opportunity, for the less energetic, an excellent location for numerous social events. There are plans to expand all these activities as the club recovers from the trauma of the financial problems over the last three years, and look's forward to celebrating the club's Golden Jubilee in 2011.
Please contact webmaster if anybody has any more information / photographs that can be added to this site by clicking here