Churchill Parish Council is delighted to announce the affiliation of Winscombe Football Club and Churchill Club 70 for the start of the 2024-25 season.

At the beginning of this year, it was discovered that Churchill Club 70 was finding it difficult to continue due to the retirement of long-standing committee members and players. Churchill has had a team since 1904, and this was to be their 120th Anniversary season. Winscombe AFC, being a club local to Churchill, reached out to support them. After a number of meetings and with the support of the Parish Council, two new teams were formed. Winscombe First Team will remain in its current format, playing under the badge of Winscombe as it has done since 1922 and will continue to play in the Somerset County League, this coming season in Division 2 following promotion last season. The Churchill players will now join the Winscombe players to form two new teams: Winscombe and Churchill First Team & Winscombe and Churchill Reserves, both playing in the Weston & District League in Division 1 and 3 respectively. This ensures the continuation of the two great clubs and offers increased opportunities to play football in the local area.

Mike Tucker, last season’s Chairman at Churchill, is delighted with this arrangement, saying, “We want to keep local football available to our players. This new arrangement is a win-win for both clubs. It gives our lads a great opportunity to join another well-respected, long-established, and growing club like Winscombe, but still keeps football being played at Churchill.” Andy Flint, Chairman at Winscombe, said, “We could not see a neighbouring club fold. We reached out to Churchill, and together, we worked out a way forward. We have created a new kit and logo to reflect the two clubs’ histories and to mark the start of a new era. It represents a clear player pathway where players from 16 years old upwards can play football across a range of levels and develop their skills appropriately. Many of the lads know each other socially, so it is not a great upheaval for either side. It gives us the strength and stability to grow and move forward with confidence. I am really excited, as we all are at Winscombe, about this opportunity. We are very grateful to Churchill Parish Council for their support with this venture.”