A Brief History of the Juniors Club
The Club was founded in 1911 with the aim of providing sporting facilities for the young men of Killamarsh. Sited originally in The Old School House on Sheffield Road, it soon moved to an old lean-to opposite the Mission Rooms.
In 1926 the members purchased two army huts and linked them together on land where the Clubhouse now stands. Two snooker tables were purchased for use in one of the huts. These tables are still in use in the Clubhouse to this day! Meanwhile the second hut provided changing facilities for the sports teams and doubled up as a function room.
Initially The Club had teams for cricket, football, tennis, table tennis and bowls, but over the years, particularly through the 1940’s, this reduced and by the 1970’s only cricket and snooker survived. The club was sponsored mainly by the generosity of Joseph Booth of local company Booth & Fisher but following his death in 1978 the Committee decided that the longevity of the Club could only be achieved by adopting a commercial approach. It successfully applied for a license to sell alcohol as a means for raising revenue since funds were down to less than £100.
The Club began to flourish. A new building was called for and members rallied round to help with plastering the walls, to install new seating and carpets and plenty of other jobs that are required to get a building fit for purpose. A loan of £40,000 from Wards Brewery helped things move along at a pace and saw a new Lounge, Bar and Changing Rooms.
By 2002 the club was booming and the loan from Wards Brewery had been repaid within seven years. The old huts were finally demolished and by 2003 the building we have now was completed at a cost of £250,000, a pretty robust achievement.
The Club has come a long way in the last 40 years and despite the current downturn in the economy and licensing trade in particular, The Club can still support all the sporting activities that take place and continue to provide a social setting where members of all ages can relax in a comfortable and friendly environment.
The Management Committee are quite rightly proud of their involvement in helping to keep the name of Killamarsh Juniors Athletic Club & Institute alive. Everyone is aware of the need to plan ahead, times change and new thinking is always welcomed from members wishing to join the Committee to help forge the path forward and ensure many more years of this, a wonderful established social and sporting part of Killamarsh.
