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2020
OAAFC The Origins Story Ben Precious (02-07)
Marvel characters have had to go through), but in this instance, I feel very fortunate that the OAs’ first six years have been hugely successful. All clubs have to start somewhere, and for OAAFC the journey began on the 13 September 2014 at Weston Green Sports Centre near Kingston upon Thames. We played in Division 5 South with our first fixture against Old Oundelians. The records show that Cole Sullivan (04-09) was the first player ever to score for the club in a narrow 2-1 win. We won the league title that year and have been promoted on five consecutive occasions, every time as champions. The Premier League, where we currently reside, is certainly the toughest proposition to date. However, despite being the new boys at this level we are more than holding our own in the top half of the division. Charterhouse are undeniably the Arthurian League Alpha and are the regular winners of the Premier Division and Arthur Dunn Cup. That said, they have the benefit of 100 years of history on us and without question our long-term ambition is, to quote Alex Ferguson, "knock them right off their ******* perch" The success of the first team quickly generated a massive surge in interest in the club, allowing in 2018, the establishment of the 2nd XI and then only a year later a 3rd XI. The focus for the club is to offer OAs the opportunity to play competitive football and so to now be able to do so on a weekly basis for over is incredibly gratifying. We currently train at the Charter School in North Dulwich. Astro turf in summer, ice rink in winter. We are looking for a bigger facility so that we can offer more members a chance to have a run around during the week (currently limited to 16) and protect knees and ankle joints by playing on a slightly more forgiving surface. Apart from six league titles, the Club has won three cups. In 2015, the 1st XI lifted the David Woolcott Trophy, for clubs in the lowest two divisions, and then again in 2019 with the 2nd XI. The first team then won the Junior League Cup in 2019. All this
From my experience, Dulwich College has always been a football school. One that often fielded teams with rugby locks at centre back and adopted an uncompromising playing style as boys took time to shake off habits from the Michaelmas term, but a football school none the less. I was fortunate that I made the well-trodden journey from the then Dulwich College Prep School (DCPS) to Dulwich College main school at 13, at the same time it was decided to allow, for the first time, a free choice between Hockey and Football in the Lent Term. I am informed that until that time Football had simply been offered as an option if you weren’t much use with a hockey stick. Perhaps then there was a nice symmetry in that it fell to me and others of my generation to establish a long overdue Old Alleynian football side. Post-school I had always been aware of whispers of the Arthurian Football League. A soccer haven for football-loving former pupils of independent schools. From my understanding, it offered two principle attractions. Firstly, it was open only to independent schools' Old Boys sides, suggesting that it might offer a slightly less boisterous 90 minutes than those available in other weekend London leagues. Then, secondly, because it was closed, if I were able to raise a team to participate, it would have to be comprised exclusively of Old Alleynians. The latest Netflix must-see, ‘The Social Dilemma’ suggests that social media presents a threat to society. While that may be true, it is very helpful when trying to raise a football team. In the days before GDPR, extensive mining of Facebook saw many an OA harassed to try and engage them in my project. With the support of Dulwich College’s original football visionary, Nick Brown, the engagement process culminated with 22 boys/ men gathering on a cold day in January 2015 on the College’s astro turf for a kick about. Typically, in an origins story there are many ups and downs (just think of what Wolverine and other
IT HAS BEEN QUITE A JOURNEY FROM A NEW YEAR KICKABOUT TO SHED SOME TURKEY WEIGHT, TO A CLUB WITH THREE TEAMS.
like to call out: the support the College has provided throughout, particularly in those early stages in providing us with equipment (which certainly helped mitigate the occasional kit being left on a train); Trevor Llewelyn and the Alleyn Club Committee for the constant guidance and financial support that means we are able to make our membership affordable; and finally to all the OA players, who in addition to performances on the pitch have also contributed behind the scenes. My role is very much ceremonial these days and the likes of Josh Lawrence (02-07), Andy Moss (04-11) and George Edmund (08-15) are leading the charge forward and the main reason why the club is in the position it is today. Greater challenges are still to come, and the true test will be to ensure that OAAFC stands the test of time and remains for future generations to enjoy. That said, we could not have made a better start.
means the Arthur Dunn Cup is the only Arthurian League Trophy we have not won. The closest we came was reaching the semi-finals as a Division 4 side in the 2015/16 season (which was a record in itself, as we were the lowest division team to reach the semi-final) when we lost to Repton 2-0. It has been quite a journey from a New Year kickabout to shed some turkey weight, to a club with three teams, a Committee, an annual AGM, and a multi-generational membership base. The recent securement of an annual fixture with the College has felt like a milestone moment for the club. It is an opportunity for us to bring over 40 OAs back to play on Dulwich College's fantastic facilities and say hello to a few familiar faces. Most importantly, it also allows us to publicise OAAFC to current students and hopefully pique the interest of our future superstars. There are too many people deserving of thanks for their contributions to list them all here, but I would
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