Welcome to the History of Reading YMCA FC. Current 1st team manager Mark Lemm has spent years building up this section of the website and takes fierce pride in the stats and info gained from past and present YM players and staff. Please use the drop down menu to access the different sections or take but full tour down memory laneby using the links at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to look at past YM squad pictures which can also be found here. Enjoy!

In The Beginning…..(1896 – 1945)

The first “Young Men’s Christian Association” (YMCA) was founded in 1844 by George Williams with the intention of helping young people to find “acceptance, community and activity”.

Almost from the outset, sport and physical activity was central to the aims of the organisation and continues to play an important role to this day.

The YMCA came to Reading in the latter half of the 19th century and was based in Friar Street. Reading YMCA FC were officially formed in 1896 – this being the date that the club first entered an organised league (Reading Wednesday League).

It is often difficult to establish exactly when local amateur sides were formed because organised leagues were not commonplace and games tended to be friendly matches. In addition, football and sport in general in the latter half of the 19th century did not enjoy anything like the profile it does today.

Football as an organised sport was still a new concept. Bear in mind the Football Association (FA) were not formed until 1863, the FA Cup did not start until 1871 and the first national league until 1888.

Reading YMCA were certainly playing football prior to 1896 and I have found reference to YMCA football as far back as 1894. 

Local football in Reading received a big boost in 1894 with the formation of the Temperance League – Reading’s first Saturday football league. This was followed in 1896 by the formation of the Reading Wednesday League of which Reading YMCA FC were founder members.     

In those days many workers had Wednesday afternoons off and the league ran for well over 50 years. YM finished bottom of the table in their first season but the club was officially born!

YM’s first home ground was a place called “Cox’s Meadow” and they were often referred to as “The Christians” although over time “The Young Men” became YM’s traditional nickname.

YM continued to compete in the Reading Wednesday League with little success whilst the Saturday arm of the club continued to play friendly matches. However, in 1911, a decision was made for the Saturday side to join the Temperance League and, apart from 3 seasons in the 1920s and 1 season after the Second World War, Reading YMCA have competed in every season of the Temperance League (now known as the Reading Saturday League) since.

Of the clubs still in existence today, only Mortimer, Goring Utd, Shinfield and Theale joined the Temperance League earlier than YM although all but Goring went on to spend several seasons in other leagues.

YM made an inauspicious start to their Temperance League career. Although I could not find details of YM’s first season in 1911/12, the club finished 6th out of 10 in Division 2 in 1912/13 and then, for some strange reason, were elevated to Division 1 for the following season, finishing bottom having won just 1 game!

There was no local football between seasons 1914/15 to 1918/19 because of the First World War. Being both a charitable and Christian organisation, the YMCA were heavily involved in the war relief effort including supplying soldiers with food and drink.

The Berkshire Chronicle ran a story during the war about YMCA footballer Jock Hamilton who went to fight for his country and had been shot in France. Fortunately, Jock was only wounded and survived to tell the tale.

Local football returned in 1919/20 and YM took their place in Division 3A of the Temperance League – the lowest tier of the league. By now, YM had moved from Cox’s Meadow to Liebenrood Road (next to Prospect Park), which is a stone’s throw away from the current Reading YMCA HQ in Parkside Road.

The side of 1919/20 has strong claims to being one the greatest YM sides of all-time. Built around the talents of Teddy Withers, Badcock, Gibson and Barnes – all of whom would go on to play for leading amateur clubs – YM swept to the championship without losing a game. Unfortunately, they couldn’t clinch the double, going down 1-0 to Palmer Athletic in the Reading Junior Cup Semi-Final.

With the Reading YMCA Minors side also getting to the final of the Berks & Bucks Minors Cup, the omens looked good for YM.

Promoted to Division 2B, YM won the their first 8 league games of the 1920/21 season and were unbeaten in the first 11 including a memorable 3-2 win over Newbury Town in the Reading Senior Cup Quarter Final. The side eventually finished runners-up in the league and were knocked out by Reading Utd at Elm Park in the Reading Senior Cup Semi-Final.

YM also had the luxury of entering a reserve side into the league for the first time. Reading YMCA Reserves would go on to enter the league sporadically before the War, then enjoy an extended run between 1958 to 1976 before finally biting the dust.

The 1920/21 season also saw Reading YMCA win the Wednesday League for the first time in their history – 24 years after joining the league!

After 2 seasons of success after the First World War, YM suddenly went into meltdown as the majority of their squad left to play at higher levels. Gibson had already been selected to play for Reading Res against Arsenal Res at Highbury whilst Teddy Withers and Badcock both left to join Woking.

At the same time the country was going through “The Depression”. Cars were still a rarity at this time and players would usually have to use public transport to get to games, but, with money now harder to come by, many players could no longer afford to play.

The loss of so many talented players coupled with the economic pressures meant that YM were forced to withdraw from the league in both the 1921/22 and 1922/23 seasons and did not even enter the league in the 3 seasons after that. 

But YM continued to play friendly football during those years and eventually rejoined the Reading & District League (formerly the Temperance League) for the 1926/27 season.

The proceeding 13 seasons leading up to the start of the Second World War saw YM treading water in the lower reaches of the league. It was a bleak time for the club. In 1928 the club suffered its heaviest ever defeat 13-0 to Sonning and in 1932 the club suffered 15 consecutive defeats – records that still stand today. YM also finished bottom of their league in 3 consecutive season between 1936/37 and 1938/39 which included failing to win a single game in the 1936/37 season.

There were some bright spots though – runners up in Division 3 in 1934/35 and the achievement of one E Beard who managed to score in 13 consecutive games in 1931/32…still a record.

Take me to the next section - Post War Years - The Emergence of Reading YMCA (1945-1958)