Club where stars are forged celebrates 100 years

A football club that has helped players on their way to the top clubs and into the Premier League is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Whitton United Football Club, based on the outskirts of Ipswich, dates back to 1926 and first started playing in the same league as Ipswich Town.

Over the decades the likes of Kieron Dyer, Titus Bramble and Carlos Edwards have played for Whitton United, as has Ruel Fox, who started at the club as a child and made his way into the Premier League for several clubs.

Now the chairman of Whitton, he said the club was still at the heart of the community.

"Personally for me, without this club I probably wouldn't have had the career I had," said Fox, who played for clubs including Norwich City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

"So it is very important. It's a community hub for people.

"There's loads of different things going on, people always think it's just about the football... we try to put on loads of events over the year for all the community to enjoy."

While Whitton did have a presence in Ipswich in the late 1800s, the club as it is today dates back to 1926.

It originally started playing games behind the former Whitton Crown pub and they managed to win the Minor Cup in 1926/27, while playing in the same league as Ipswich Town at the time.

Today the club can be found just off Old Norwich Road and its first team competes in the Suffolk & Ipswich League.

Former player Dyer had spells at Ipswich, West Ham, Newcastle and other clubs, playing 14 seasons in the Premier League.

He is now head coach at Southend United in Essex.

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"There's a history here, but it's not just about the well-known players," Fox said.

"There's, I would call, local legends from the estate, who have done a lot of things down this football club, won a lot of trophies and kept us established in the football league.

"Obviously there's been players who have come through who have ended up playing professional football and I think that's the drive for people."

Fox said the club had endured hard times recently and were at risk of folding a few years ago, but thanks to the local community it remained alive.

Events are being held to celebrate the centenary that Fox said everyone was welcome to enjoy.

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