ivanhoes fc

The brilliant wordsmith Ian Dury released his second single in 1979 titled Reasons to be Cheerful Part 3' a follow up to 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' his number one from the previous year. Well at this stage there had just been part one of the intriguing Ivanhoes story witnessed in the North Derbyshire village of Tupton, but now with The Derbyshire FA Community Club of the Year 2020 award it enters its third part. Here is the story of those parts that have helped the club into being its current success within its close knit community and the ongoing development it seeks.
To arrive at the current club which features double figures as its total teams from all ages to its current senior side which has progressed through the structures set in place to reach Hope Valley League status we have to go right back to the 1920's Arriving in this era and realising the amount of local football taking place in villages were the players of the day didn't travel too much and so many of their matches were against local sides generating large crowds on the touchline watching the proceedings. One of the early sides in the village was Tupton St Johns but our interest surrounds one of the most successful sides of its era in Tupton Ivanhoe and I was fortunate enough to in the 1980s to spend time with its captain Bill Chinnery and local football fan Dennis Raines who were happy to talk about their knowledge and experience of those times plus get out the old cuttings and pictures, as ever time often loses these and the stories when generations pass away. Two of these pictures date from a year book in the 1980s when believe it or not no mobile phones existed never mind the ability to home publish so they were works of endurance with photocopying machines and typewriters, thank you Margaret Cartwright for the typing, so please take that into account when viewing the quality.
Part one of the clubs existence found them formed in the 20s and over the following years they played at three grounds The Recreation Ground, Tupton Primary School and a ground behind the New Inn. Both of my interviewees confirmed Saturday 2.30pm kick offs with crowds often being around 200 watching with a small charge made to attend. The kit as now was the famous black and amber striped outfit which the original club purchased from Elliott and Crooks in Derby the two surnames being of the former Derbyshire cricketer and Rams footballer.

Ivanhoes Multi Competition Winning Side 1936

The team picture, above, shows the sides most successful year winning The Chesterfield Hospital Cup, Grassmoor Nursing Cup, Morton Hospital Cup, Derbyshire Medal and The Graham League. The first trophy was won by beating Bolsover Church Army 4-1 at The Robinsons Works Ground and mainly in the last fifteen minutes after the proceeding time had produced no goals. Apparently Tommy Alton who went on to play for Derby broke the deadlock with I was told a 'forty yard drive'. The Derbyshire Medal featured teams from all over the county and captain Bill Chinnery described it as "the greatest honour to win". The game saw Ivanhoe's beat Clay Cross Star Rangers 4-2 on Sharley Park on Good Friday morning in front of an estimated 1,500 people.
The Graham League was the summit of the league structure sitting above the Scarsdale and Lampson divisions and contained many local names such as Arkwright Welfare, Temple Normanton Old Boys, Alma Athletic, Bolsover Old Boys, Stretton, Markham Sports and Grassmoor to name a selection. Often travel to away games would involve two of ,village transport company, Heeleys buses and one for the players would be matched with one for following supporters.
rows of seats in the clubs name when during the show three of the actors came on one in a red and white kit, one in blue and white and the third in amber and black. With the question raised 'who do you play for'? we discovered Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday for the first two but by the time we came to the third the biggest cheer went up when the incumbent dressed in amber and black kit declared 'I play for Tupton Ivanhoe'.
Ivanhoe finished around 1940, with a collection of later named teams being Tupton Comrades, Avenue Athletic and in more recent times Tupton Miners Welfare alongside Tupton United and its reserve side and this is where we meet part two of the story.

Tupton Ivanhoes 1987-88 Team

Moving along to the 1980's and we find Tupton United alongside a reserve team basing out of The Royal Oak towards the south side of the village playing on The Recreation Ground and Tupton Hall School. I was pleased to do a yearbook for the reserves who were a great bunch of lads mainly around the same age and after the end of the 86/87 season looked at forming a new side with a separate identity and with a look back for a unique name The Ivanhoe's were reborn. At the end of their debut season in Division 9 of the Chesterfield Sunday League they finished a very credible fourth. The picture above shows the side for that debut season as the new club looked to represent their fore goers. The intriguing link to the club is current senior manager Dave Martin who played for the side and also at the time Clay Cross Works in the form if its new name Biwater FC. Manager at the time Geoff Colwishaw described him as a 'player who will get you 30 goals a season with never less than 100% effort, a constant nightmare for central defenders'. Dave certainly tucked the goals away and during a chat about this blog he did ask me to remind everybody he was the record goal scorer for the Ivanhoe's with 311 strikes, ha-ha sorry mate, he is though a lovely decent bloke a legend who loves the game and is full of praise for his current players. As the members of the side moved into marriage, job changes and the strains of life the side drifted away and the name Tupton Ivanhoe was gone again.
Fast forward to 2011 and the birth of a community club for all ages under the Ivanhoe title this time with New proceeding the Tupton, something that had developed as the village took on a postal New and Old within its title. The club though was based in New Tupton although the players arrived from all over the village and wider community. Developing sides of varying ages requires many volunteers, helpers and officials and of all there have been a credible amount of, enthusiastic ones who have bought into the club and its ethos of 'growing together' and how they have.
Under the guidance of his team secretary Dave Hoult who has driven this club forward beyond anybody's wildest dreams and I'm sure much personal sacrifice it is now about to celebrate its tenth year anniversary. It sits with double figures in sides from tots to under 18's and at the summit its senior outfit managed by Martin, who joined in 2012/13, has developed through the ages into its under 18's before representing senior football in the now defunct Matlock League before going on to compete in The Hope Valley League for what is now their third season in that competition.
Over the current years not happy with no football during the summer the club have developed a festival of football tournament using The Recreation Ground something that sees sides come from all over the north to compete. So big had the event become that previous to this years necessary cancellation the it had developed into a two weekend celbration now supported by a printed programme explaining all the rules and progression through the tournament. The whole experience is further enhanced by stalls of many a variety while the main event takes place on the collection of neighbouring pitches and with trophies and presentations a plenty its a fantastic tournament put together once again by a super team at The Ivanhoe's.
With the collection of sides playing around the north of the county the limited pitch facilities led to only a few sides being able to regularly turn out on 'the rec'. So we enter the new chapter as the club develops its own ground and facilities. Again with the support of the club Hoult pushed for a lease on a piece of land that was adjacent to the recreation ground and had been a field overgrown and used for horses, many shook their head at his new project. But with the support of the positive approach of the Parish Council a deal was signed and off went the club in developing the ground, with approach road repaired and gated, pitch developed and installed with advice from Clay Cross Town Fc and their award wining grounds man Lee Watson times were moving forward again. Now just over a year later a selection of games are taking place although the senior side are still based at Langer Lane and they have to wait for the arrival of changing rooms which are next in the pipeline.
An important development for those who like to be fed and watered at a game has arrived in the form of senior assistant manager and former Ashover player Martin Cantrell who has transferred, on a free I believe, his garden shed now painted in club colours to serve this purpose. With a flag pole sitting proudly alongside a new perimeter fence the north side of the ground is coming along nicely to add to the proud display of the badge adorned ground gates.
All clubs need support and importantly sponsors and over the last ten years Ivanhoe's have been no different with a fantastic amount of assistance from the business community. The current developments at the ground have been enhanced by the superb involvement of local company A1 Garage Doors now become ground sponsors with the suffix of Arena added to their company name and then in the last few weeks a further wonderful gift arrived. Two superb badged and sponsor adorned dug outs for the home away teams both with half a dozen seats built in for match day use are a sign of the partnership between the parties, hopefully everybody is going to replace their garage doors soon and with A1.
Alongside all this development the club achieved and maintained its FA Charter Standard for a community club and the major achievement of being awarded Derbyshire Community Club for 2020 in the Grassroots Awards. Coming out on top of 370 other county clubs was a credit to all and now the club goes forward to the national competition representing Derbyshire but with a chance of turning into a nationally recognised club.