There have been many football teams in Coxhoe over the years, both junior and adult. Some have established themselves over many years, some have been short lived. Some have been associated with churches, some with pubs and clubs.
Whilst many clubs have come and gone, the “beautiful game” as it has become known continues to be played in the village but not to the extent it was in the past.
The earliest reference we could find to football in Coxhoe is 1897 with when Coxhoe United played a 2-2 draw with Blaydon Juniors.
Lets take a look at some of the clubs that have played in Coxhoe.
Coxhoe United
The club played their games on a field behind Wesley Place on the site of Beechfield Rise as we know it today.
Here is a list of the leagues Coxhoe United played in during their existence.
1902:- Croxdale & District League
1909:- Mid Durham League
1910:- Ferryhill & District League
1920:- Mid Durham Combination
1923:- Palatine League
1924:- Durham Central League Div A
1926:- Mid Durham Central League
1927:- South Durham League
1929:- Club folded due to lack of interest citing a lack of officials to run the club.
Coxhoe Brotherhood
In the 1924/25 Season Coxhoe Brotherhood played in the Ferryhill Church League. As the name suggests the Brotherhood were initially a team formed from local church groups and played on a field close to the Assembly Rooms, which stood alongside the Clarence Villa Hotel, locally known as the Kicking Cuddy and what we now know as the Italian Farmhouse.
Their changing rooms were in the Old Red Lion public house.
In June 1925 Coxhoe Brotherhood applied to Durham FA to change their name to Coxhoe Albions. They also had a junior team in the Auckland & District Junior League.
Coxhoe Albions
1925:- Durham Central League
1926:- Shildon & District League,
1926:- reached final of Spennymoor Charity Cup Final V Browney Social Club
1926:- Decision to Join Mid Durham League for 1926/27 season
1928:- June 1928 the Albions are bottom of the Mid Durham League. Apply to join the Durham District League, although there are no further newspaper reports or evidence of the team in the respective leagues the following season so the assumption is that the club disbanded at the end of the 1927/28 season.
Coxhoe Pottery Rangers FC
The area known as the Pottery is located on the south side of the village of Coxhoe. Formerly a brick and tile making area, housing known as Ox Close was situated in the area.
The earliest reference to Coxhoe Pottery FC in newspaper archives is:
1909 :- Croxdale and District League
1911:- Croxdale and District League
The intervening years witnessed the Great War 1914-1918
1920:- Ferryhill and District League
1922:- Joined the Mid Durham League
1923:- Club disbanded
Cornforth Lane Albion FC
There is some documentary evidence of football teams in Cornforth Lane.
In 1898 there was an adult and a junior team and they played on a field in the Cornforth Lane area although its exact location is unknown (Evidence of it whereabouts would be welcome)
In 1905 the junior team played in the Croxdale Junior League. There is little to no evidence of any teams after that period.
Coxhoe St Mary’s FC
This team linked to St Marys Church appears to have played in a junior league and as early as 1896 took part in a game v California Shamrocks. The assumption is that the California Shamrocks were a team based in Coxhoe Pottery area of Ox Close which was also known as California. There was at that time a large Irish contingent residing there.
1908 :- East Durham League.
Some of the players names are very familiar and included Iseton, Singleton, Heron x 2, Simpson, Hewison, Dobson, Featherstone, Runciman, Prest & Ryder.
It would appear that as late as 1930 St Marys fielded a team in the Teesside Junior League.
Steetley Social Club FC
Steetley SC were formed as a part of the Steetley Limestone Company. The ground was constructed on the site of the former Clay Hole Colliery and was laid by workers from the quarry in their own time. It is currently the home of Coxhoe Athletic FC and is known as Beechfield Park.
Steetley SC Football club appears to have been formed around 1950 and played in the Wingate & District League for two seasons before joining the Ferryhill & District league in 1953 where they played for one season before resigning in June 1954.
A junior team retained the name which allowed a way back should they form an adult team again. They did so in 1957 when they joined the Ferryhill & District League.
Steetley SC in 1968 joined the Auckland & District League of which they remained members until 1978. Following the decline of the Steetley Dolomite works the football club eventually folded and the works demolished.
Coxhoe Athletic FC
Coxhoe Athletic FC has it’s origins in the Steetley SC football team and when the company closed it’s operation in the 1970’s Coxhoe Athletic took over the running of the footballing side.
Coxhoe Athletic FC have been in and out of existence from post World War 2 playing in the Ferryhill and District league from 1945 until 1951 when they joined the Durham Central League for the start of the 1951/52 season. They stayed for two seasons and then reapplied to the Ferryhill & District League in 1953 and remained until 1957 when they offered their resignation.
There was a period where both Coxhoe Athletic and Steetley SC played in the Auckland & District League
Throughout the previous years, Coxhoe Athletic have played in the Auckland and District league, the Durham Alliance League and latterly the Wearside league.
The club almost went out of existence on the eve of the 2014/15 season starting but a late intervention with the help of Spennymoor Town Reserves stepping in and a name change kept the game alive. A Coxhoe Athletic Junior side retained the club name.
Spennymoor Town folded their reserve side after two seasons and Coxhoe Athletic FC regained their name and has continued on.
Currently they play in Division Two of the Wearside League.
Club Honours :
Auckland League Division Two Cup Winners 1977/78
Durham Hospital Cup Winners 1987/88, 1991/92
Darlington Charity Cup Winners 1989/90
Auckland Charity Cup Winners 1996/97
Weardale Cup Winners 2002/03
Durham Alliance League Winners 2002/03, 2003/04
Below a gallery of Coxhoe Athletic Teams over a period of 60 years.
Pub Football
Public houses have always provided a rich vein of football teams. With the demise of so many public houses in recent years. Amongst the Coxhoe pubs that had teams in the past are:- The Red Lion, The Victoria and the Railway Tavern. Currently only Coxhoe Club have a Sunday league team.
Junior Football
Junior football continue to be played in the village today under the banner of Coxhoe United with a number of teams playing at different age levels.
Historically there have been teams at junior level and schools football played in Coxhoe. These include Coxhoe C.E school , Coxhoe Juniors and Steetley Juniors
Coxhoe Local History Group 