Club History
Wilberfoss Mavericks Junior Football Club was founded in 2003 when 6 boys and their parents decided to set up their own team. A very informal Committee was formed by founding members, Alex and Elaine Mathie, Lee and Debbie Winspear and Bill and Elaine Carter and applications made to the FA and League. With the new season fast approaching, the newly formed team had to find a partner Club in order to participate (to fulfil a ruling of two teams per age group) with Hutton Cranswick agreeing to the partnership with all ‘Home’ fixtures to be played there. Each founding couple paid £150 to cover FA and League fees as well as kit, balls etc. The ‘Mavericks’ name and the badge thus decided upon and the Club was born. That first season proved difficult, playing 7-a-side with only 6 players but overall did very well and wanted to continue for further seasons – the foundations had been laid.
The following season, Wilberfoss Playing Fields Association (PFA) was approached and it was agreed that the ‘Mavericks’ could set up a mini soccer pitch across the Cricket field. The ‘Mavericks’ now had a permanent home and the first kit sponsorship deal was secured with NEC.
The Club achieved Charter Standard status in 2005 following a joint application with Wilberfoss’ long established Senior Football Club. The Junior Club Committee there on became formal with Ian Mounser becoming the Clubs first official Chairman, Elaine Carter officially taking on the roles of Secretary and Treasurer and Bill Carter becoming Child Protection Officer. At this time, long standing members Paul Jacques, Duncan Barlow and Paul and Sally Gibney got involved and not long after, stepped up to take over various key roles at the Club. Sally held the position of Secretary until 2015 and Duncan became Chairman in 2008 until 2018.
At this moment, the Clubs teams were a mix of two age groups and younger siblings found that they had no team to play for, making way for the idea of ‘Mini Mavericks’ training came to fruition led by Luke Templeman and Rob Carter.
In 2011, with expansion in mind, the Junior Club along with the PFA and the County Council acquired a nearby sheep field to become the second Sports field at Wilberfoss Sports and Playing Field. After a few years preparation the field became home to two 5-a-side and one 7-a-side pitch.
Not long after the small field acquisition, Paul Gibney, the PFA and Junior Fundraising Officer, secured and pulled in well over £100,000 in a 3 year period to fund an extension to the existing Wilberfoss Pavilion (Sports Clubhouse) for new changing rooms and floodlights.
In 2020, a 'girls only' training session was introduced at the club and has quickly become very popular with no other clubs in the area providing this opportunity.
2014 was another major year in the history of the club. The ‘Mini Mavericks’ was rejuvenated in its current guise and format, on a ‘pay as you train’ basis and coached by the volunteer, that would later become the U7’s manager with both manager and players starting their footballing journey together. This same year, the Club was delighted when the opportunity arose to have its very first Girls team which successfully ran for two seasons at U15’s and U16’s managed by Helene Whytock, and to top off a fantastic year, the Club (combined with the seniors) was awarded the East Riding FA Charter Standard Development Club Award – something which the Club is very proud of.
In 2016, with the Clubs numbers increasing year on year, an agreement was struck with the village school for the use of their 9-a-side pitch in exchange for easy access to the sports fields. A bridge was built over the field ditch, connecting the small field and school field. The Club now had an U19’s team as well as the Girls and the Mini’s and Club numbers were in excess of 100 players for the first time!
In 2020 the Sports fields saw the final commission of the Floodlights overlooking both the seniors main pitch and the combined 11-a-side cum 9-a-side pitches.
The 2020/21 season saw more milestones achieved. For the first time, the Club registered and entered to take part in the League, a team at the five youngest age groups (U7-U11’s). And for the sixth consecutive season, a new U7’s team was promoted from the ‘Mini Mavericks’ – a record that we hope to continue breaking. But it doesn’t stop there, based on the Mini’s training model, a ‘Girls only’ training group was created for girls aged between 4 and 10 as an introduction to football with overwhelming numbers and support with over 40 girls signing up in the first four weeks.
The Club will long continue with its Saturday morning training sessions, to maintain its ‘one Club’ vibe and ‘team spirit’ and regularly sees 120+ players and their families in attendance. All enjoying, as well as the quality coaching on offer, the buzz, the atmosphere and the social aspect that we believe is just as important to a Junior Football Club. Because, we believe, many friends made through football can last a lifetime for the players and their families.
The Club is incredibly proud of the facilities that it has on offer thanks to the dedicated volunteers past and present of not only the junior section but the seniors, the school and the PFA. And we may be bias but we firmly believe that our two 5-a-side pitches, two 7-a-side pitches, 9-a-side pitch and two 11-a-side pitches, plus training area’s for the girls and Mini’s, along with the floodlights, the Clubhouse and the changing rooms are the best in local area.
