KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE FC

Kimberley Miners Welfare Football Club was formed in 1926, one year after the opening of the local Miners Welfare. In Our early years we played at the Mill Field, approximately 1⁄2 mile North of Digby Street.  In 1932 KMWFC moved to the new recreation ground, Digby Street, situated adjacent to Digby Colliery and its cricket ground. Initially using the Miners Welfare Bowling Alley underneath the building as a changing room, which meant a long walk for players and officials to the ground. We have played at Digby Street for 81 years but, it hasn’t been continuous. The club played at the Wolsey Sports Ground for 1 season, 1974/75 (situated were Sainsbury’s Car Park now is, in Kimberley Town Centre), because the construction of the new A610 Eastwood & Kimberley Bypass took away part of the ground and made it unusable. Then 1982 was a key year in the history of the club as the present chairman Neil Johnson took on the role of chairman from his father. It wasn’t until the 1995/6 season that changing facilities were provided on the ground. A £7,500 grant from the National Lottery, and an equivalent generous donation from Chairman Neil Johnson, enabled the club to buy, transport and put up the unwanted changing rooms from Calverton Cricket Club. Over the years we have had a number of managers but George Hulley (remained for a number of years) till 2014 following the clubs best season in a decade, finishing runners up in the Notts Senior League and gaining promotion to the East Midland Counties League, the highest level the football club have ever played at. Also in that year we moved to the Stag ground and slowly over the years we have made improvements to the ground. Since our venture into the EMCL we have had a few managers over the years, but our present team of Ant Ward, Graham Furnell  and Reece Limbert enter their third year having bought a number of young players into the squad.

Admission Prices: £6 Adult; £3 Concessions; Free for Under 12’s.

Programme: £1 but we also offer an online version.

Refreshments: There is a fully stocked bar with Lager and Cider on tap. We also offer a large selection of bottled and canned alcoholic drinks. There is also a range of cold non alcoholic drinks available along with tea/coffee and other hot drinks. We offer warm pies, pasties and sausage rolls. There is also a selection of filled cobs with crisps and confectionary also available.

Directions: From the M1 motorway (From the south turn right) (From the North turn left) follow the A610 towards Nottingham keeping in the nearside lane. Next junction turn left onto the B600 towards Kimberley, straight on at the next set of lights and continue for about a mile up a hill. At the top of the hill a pub call The Stag is on your right, continue down the hill for about one hundred yards. Then turn right into a small driveway between the Roots micro pub and the Hama doctors surgery, go to the top of the drive and the car park area is on the right.
If you come to a mini roundabout in the shopping area then you have gone too far.

Important Update due to current road works.

Access through Kimberley is restricted as the main street is closed for 10 weeks from 29/07/2024 due to road works. Anyone accessing from Junction 26 of the M1 can still get to the ground without any issues but if you are coming by coach and parking in the Leisure Centre its best if you turn right at the traffic lights ear the Three Ponds pub. Then turn left after the bakery down Newdigate St. Then you can turn left into the leisure centre just along side the school. If coming from the other direction you will be diverted up High St and down Greens Ln then back onto Main Rd.

Parking: There is a small amount of parking at the ground for players and officials.  Additional parking can be found at Kimberley Leisure Centre which is a 200m walk to the ground. This is shown on the map attached. Address for the leisure centre is, Newdigate St, Kimberley, Nottingham NG16 2NJ

The nearest train station is Ilkeston, Station St, Ilkeston DE7 5TE. Ilkeston | EMR (eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk) 

From here you would catch the number 27 bus to Kimberley. welcome – 27 – run by trentbarton

• United Counties League
  • Division One champions 2021–22
• Notts Alliance
  • Division One champions 1999–2000
  • Division Two champions 1996–97
• Notts Amateur League
  • Champions 1985–86
• Notts Combination
  • Junior Cup winners 1972–73
• Notts Spartan League
  • Champions 1947–48, 1964–65, 1965–66