12. March 2021
Not Many People Know That Yorkshire Has Its Own Football Team
Not many people know that the county of Yorkshire in England has its own international football team. But now that you do, we will take a closer look at it. Below you will find out a bit about the history of the team, the colours that they wear, as well as some of the matches that they have played since their conception.
A Brief Look at Their History
The county of Yorkshire has had a schoolboy team for well over a century, but there wasn’t a senior side until 1924. The senior side came into being when the West Riding County Football Association created a men’s team by choosing the best players from Halifax Town, Bradford City, Huddersfield Town, Bradford Park Avenue, and Leeds United.
Although this team won their first match 2-0, it did not represent the whole of Yorkshire, which some people took exception to. Therefore, in 1935, a team was created using players from all of Yorkshire’s leading football clubs. This team then took on a side that was full of the best players from Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, and Sunderland. The match was played at Roker part to celebrate the Queens Jubilee. The team from Yorkshire went on to win the match 3-2.
The first official Yorkshire international team was formed on the 16th July 2017. On the 13th November the same year, the Yorkshire International Football Association (YIFA) declared that Ryan Farrell would be the team’s first ever head coach. Micky Long was appointed as his assistant manager.
YIFA wanted their team to become a member of the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) and they were accepted in January 2018. Their first match was a friendly game against Ellan Vannin, the team that represents the Isle of Man. Matt Bradley has the honour of being the first player to be called up to the Yorkshire international team, while Paddy McGuire was name as their first captain.
The Yorkshire international football team are not part of UEFA or FIFA, so they cannot compete in any of their competitions. They do not have an official stadium, so they play all of their home matches at different stadiums across Yorkshire.
What about Their Kits?
Their kits are dark blue as this is the traditional colour of Yorkshire. They are currently sponsored by Godzown Sports, which is a sportswear company that is based in Yorkshire.
You will find the White Rose of York on the team’s crest as this is the recognized symbol of Yorkshire. You will find this flower on almost everything that has something to do with Yorkshire.
Results from Some of Their Most Recent Matches
On the 4th March 2019, Yorkshire took on Somaliland in Athersley, a village in the borough of Barnsley. The home side won 6-2 thanks to a hat-trick from James Wilshaw and goals from Matt Dempsey, Brodie Litchfield, and Jack Normanton.
On the 1st June 2019, they took on Parishes of Jersey in Ossett, Wakefield. This was a close game that Yorkshire won 1-0 thanks to a 93rd minute goal by Brodie Litchfield.
At the time of writing, their most recent match was against Tamil Eelam at Osset, Wakefield. They lost this game 2-1, Brodie Litchfield added to his international tally once again with a consolation goal in the 87th minute.
The team has had a couple of resounding wins in their short history. You can see three of these below.
On the 25th March 2018, they took on the Chagos Islands in Fitzwilliam, Wakefield. They won 6-0 thanks to two goals from John Collier and goals from Ben Rhodes, Jack Hobson, Peter Mole, and Matt Bradley.
On the 15th April 2018, Yorkshire took on Barawa (a team made up of Somalians living in the UK) at Coles Park Stadium in Haringey. The won the match 7-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Jordan Coduri and goals from Sean Hurtley, Cameron Rigby, and Ben Rhodes.
On the 18th November 2018, they took on Panjab (a team made up of Punjabi people living in the UK) in Osset, Wakefield. This was a close game, but Yorkshire came out on top 5-4. Four of their goals were scored by Tom Greaves, while the other was scored by Brodie Litchfield.