They may not be one of the dominant names in English football but Maidenhead United have their own claim to fame this year.

The club hold the record for the oldest continuous use of a football ground in the world, and are now set to celebrate their 150th anniversary at York Road. Brushing aside local rivals Marlow in the club's first game on the 16th February 1871, they have been loyal devotees to their Berkshire-based stadium ever since. 

 Now battling it out in the National League, the club’s highest ever position on the football pyramid, Maidenhead will mark the momentous occasion by celebrating with their tight-knit community, who have, at times singlehandedly, kept the club going over the last 150 years.

 

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UCFB Wembley student Grace Scott is a proud part of the organisation, working as the club’s Media Officer alongside her BA (Hons) Football Business & Media degree. She said: “As a historic, fan-based football club, it is so important to celebrate this milestone. As part of this, we’ve set up our Magpies 150 challenge, as we aim to raise over £150,000 for 15 of our local charities in Maidenhead and Windsor.”

Grace added: “We strongly believe that giving back to our loyal community is key in our ethos as a football club.”

But Maidenhead’s ongoing support for their fans, the lifeblood of the club, exists far beyond this memorable day. The club have set up a Magpies’ Community Programme, featuring a community care hotline, as a beacon of hope for those struggling throughout the pandemic. This personal care embodies the powerful and unique vantages of lower-league sides, particularly in these unprecedented times.

No one believes this more strongly than Goncalo Silva, a BA (Hons) International Football Business student at UCFB. Currently working in a commercial role at the club, he said: “This record goes to show that football clubs are about more than just football. The fans enjoy being at York Road regardless of the result; people are brought together at the ground by a sense of community and a shared love of the club.”

He added: “This anniversary is especially important at the moment, as many clubs lower down the football pyramid are under financial threat. But it is vital that teams across the UK, big and small, survive, as it doesn’t just impact the clubs, but the local communities that they represent.”

In an attempt to bolster the club while the terraces of York Road remain off-limits, Maidenhead are striving to break yet another record on this historic day. They are hoping to smash their highest all-time attendance of 7,989, set in 1936, by selling tickets for an online stream of their game against Stockport County, which falls on the anniversary itself.

150 years on, and in the midst of a global pandemic, the club continues to bring people together from near and far.

Click here to purchase a ticket for the anniversary game.