HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF – PART THREE

I have to admit I got a little angry whilst researching this third (and fourth) instalment, much as I do when I think about the destruction of Grimsby Town centre by the town planners. A great deal was lost that shouldn’t have been lost and when you look back over the last forty years or so of the history of Grimsby Town Football Club, the same is true. The only difference is that all those fine buildings disappeared in the name of progress (however misguided), whilst the losses at Blundell Park mainly occurred because of apathy and neglect.

I’ve already talked at great length about the demise of the Supporters Club, which in its time donated the equivalent of four or five million pounds to the club, but they weren’t the only supporters club who raised money for Grimsby Town.

Back in 1966, Avril Edwards, who later went on to work in the GTFC Admin Department with her mother, was approached by the then club secretary to form the Junior Club, which she did with the help of some of her school friends. If you can get past the language in the programme columns, which sometimes sounds like it was written by a member of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, a picture emerges of an incredibly pro-active group of youngsters between the ages of 12 and 18, who put in a tremendous amount of work on behalf of the club.

The members were given an old gymnasium at Blundell Park to use as a clubroom and instead of expecting someone else to do it up for them, they spent hours cleaning, painting and building a stage, nicknaming the finished room “Glory ‘Ole”.

And whilst they did all the usual things kids did back then, like play football, go on day trips, have film shows, drink lashings of ginger beer and generally enjoy themselves, right from the start they were also raising money for the Club. For over ten years, they ran the “Beat the Clock” competition, with their team of mini-skirted, sash-wearing girls selling the tickets at every home game, regardless of the weather.  Then in 1968, they started a souvenir shop near the Imperial Avenue entrance, which was later extended to two shops in the Pontoon and Main Stands and a mobile confectionery shop around the perimeter of the playing area and this arrangement seems to have continued for almost as long as “Beat the Clock”.

In 1970, the programme reported that the Junior Club had handed over more than £2000 towards the Mariners day-to-day expenses since its formation (and presumably it continued in the same vein until its demise), so it seems sad that not long after that, the Junior Club columns in the programme ceased. There was no news about events, no encouragement to join, only a price list for the souvenir shops and a small section about Beat the Clock. 

As far as I can tell, the Junior Club carried on running the shop until around 1978, when presumably the club took it over. After that there is no further mention of it, which seems a great waste.  Presumably the most pro-active members simply grew up and weren’t replaced and an organisation which inspired young fans to make a significant contribution to the club they loved was allowed to gradually fade away.

Who knows? Had the Junior Club continued to receive the kind of exposure and publicity that it did in its early years, it might still be going now, albeit in the midst of a backdated prosecution for exploiting child labour and selling racist materials in its shops (i.e the black and white golliwog mascots which were on sale in 1969).

In part four, I will (finally) get to the Youth Development Association...honest!