About Us
Our History
Whitegate United FC was founded in 1959 and over these 60 years, they have entered leagues and been very successful but they have always kept a Corinthian playing alongside. The team consists of players predominantly from the village and this has remained so for many years. The Corinthian team is now the only side that takes to the field.
60th Anniversary
Whitegate have also played in the non-league Northern Cup for many years. They have reached many quarter and semi-finals and in the 2015/2016 reached the final, sadly losing 1-0.
In 2019, we celebrated 60 years of Whitegate United with a celebration dinner. A room full of the most dedicated and passionate past/present players. During our anniversary dinner, we looked back at our most decorated players from our top goalscorer to the most apperances.
The people who hold these honours are Roy Stubbs who is the top goalscorer with 131 goals, followed by Andy Rice with 124 and our current team coach- Rick Duffy with 104.
Oxford & Chesterfield Tours
Within the season, we have had trips to Oxford and Chesterfield. Gary Carlon was instrumental in the Chesterfield tour enlisting the help of a friend, who had moved to Chesterfield for his work. Over the 3 years, we played at the historic Saltergate stadium of Chesterfield FC and the newly built, B2net stadium. These tours were a great success, both on and off the pitch, with Whitegate coming away with a 100% record intact, despite Phil Dickens kicking the ball into row Z at every opportunity! Oxford also became a regular on Whitegate’s sporting calendar. Ex manager Mark Newall organised a tour between Whitegate and hosts Queen's College. A new influx of younger players were brought in to replace the old guard, many of them sons replacing dads in the team! All our tours have been a notable success, coming away from each tour with great memories we will all cherish.
Malta Tours
'The Malta tours have been a pleasure to organise and are without doubt second to none. After a decade of tours to Belgium, we quite rightly felt it was time for a change. A chance discussion in the Plough with Martyn Boaler’s parents about their family connections to the island, highlighted that a Malta tour could be a real possibility and with that, another series of tours was born. The banter and the pre- and post- match entertainment is just as important to us as being successful in our matches. There's a fine line between organising too much or too little with our tours but with Malta what could go wrong when you have sun, sea, a roof top bar and a trip to the Blue Lagoon!' - Nigel Durose (Tour Organiser)
For the first tour in 2014, the results were a mixed bag drawing 1-1 against Pieta vets in a very hot and humid Quormi stadium, great facilities except for one floodlight not working! I recall shouting to Steve Norrey to head the ball away to which he replied I will when I see it! Two games followed the next day in the baking heat of a Saturday afternoon. Our opponents for the day were Pieta’s u17 and 19’s teams. Things didn’t bode well when some of their players were sporting t-shirts in the pre match warm up, proclaiming they were champions of a recently held UEFA tournament! Whitegate went on to lose the first game but fought back to equalise and drew the second.
Our second tour in 2016 epitomised the fact that our trips aren't always about the results. Our fiercly contested game against Mgarr was narrowly lost 6-5 after Mgarr scored a disputed winner in the dying seconds of the match. Our Saturday fixture against Valletta FC (Maltese capital) was defintiely one to remember! After thinking we were playing a team of veterans and coaches, we were very taken aback when we discovered our opposition looked anything but veteran (nobody looked over 21). With 600 tickets sold, 4 Maltese internationals, their new Argentinian signing and their fans arriving on an open top bus complete with flares, it's probably fair to say it wasn't a game we would go on to win! However it must be said that it was a fantastic atmosphere and one that none of us had ever experienced or would ever forget in our lifetime.
Belgium Tour
A month later, Malta were drawn into England's group for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Malta travelled to Wembley in October, where they were beat 2-0 with Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli grabbing the goals. After watching the Malta team, we recognised a few names from our encounter against Valletta. The most notable being the Malta captain Michael Mifsud. (In the photo below, you can see Mifsud (number 9) up against England's Jordan Henderson)
In 2018, our contact on the island (Michael) arranged both our games, with a thankful return to a level playing field against a mixed team of veterans and youths from Fgura Utd. The results faired well for Whitegate, winning the first game 3-0 and drawing the second 3-3. Trips to the Blue Lagoon, Bethlehem, a sea front hotel and a few trips to our favourite watering holes all made up for yet another fantastic tour. Here's to 2021!
With the start of the millennium, Whitegate Utd were ready to set foot on foreign soil for the first time, when they embarked on the first of many tours to Belgium against KWB Lindel. Gary Carlon initiated the tour, rekindling old friendships with hosts Willy and Mia who went far above the line of duty; arranging games, meals, transport and many trips across the borders to Holland and Germany. The football through the decade of tours was always of a good standard and very competitive. Sometimes, the Belgians were a little adverse to the English way of playing but all was harmonious in the bar afterwards! As with all tours, it’s the friendships that are built up that last a lifetime. Willy and Mia still come to England each year and enjoy an evening at the Plough full of laughter and reminiscing (and with 10 years of Belgium tours, there is much to talk and laugh about!)
In 2016, we played a legends game with one side (the black and whites) managed by Rick Duffy and the other managed by Mark Newall. Special guest for the legends side was ex West Ham, Norwich, Crewe and England International Dean Ashton
