{{short description|Association football club in England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Emley | image = Emley AFC crest.svg | fullname = Emley Association Football Club | nickname = ''The Pewits''<ref name=NLCD>{{cite book|first=Mike |last=Williams |first2=Tony |last2=Williams |year=2012 |title=Non-League Club Directory 2013 |page=732 |isbn=978-1-869833-77-0}}</ref> | founded = 2005 | ground = Welfare Ground, Emley | capacity = 2,000 (305 seated)<ref>[https://www.thenpl.co.uk/teams/emley Emley] Northern Premier League</ref><ref name=HH>{{cite web|url=https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/emley-afc-unveil-new-look-stand-with-305-seats-from-the-john-smiths-stadium/|title=Emley AFC unveil new-look stand with 305 seats from the John Smith's Stadium|first=Martin|last=Shaw|date=14 October 2023|website=Huddersfield Hub|accessdate=15 May 2024|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518192627/https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/emley-afc-unveil-new-look-stand-with-305-seats-from-the-john-smiths-stadium/|url-status=live}}</ref> | chairman = Marcus Pound | manager = Richard Tracey | league = {{English football updater|AFCEmley}} | season = {{English football updater|AFCEmley2}} | position = {{English football updater|AFCEmley3}} | pattern_la1 =__burnley2122h | pattern_ra1 =__burnley2122h | pattern_b1=__ _lightblueshoulders| leftarm1 = 9EFD38 | body1 = 7F1734| rightarm1 = 00aeef | shorts1 = _umbro | socks1 = 7F1734 | pattern_la2 =_blackborder | pattern_b2 =_blackcollar | pattern_ra2 =_blackborder | leftarm2 =9EFD38 | body2 = 9EFD38 | rightarm2 = 9EFD38|shorts2 = 000000 | socks2 = 9efd38 }}
'''Emley Association Football Club''' is a football club based in Emley, West Yorkshire, England. Known as AFC Emley from 2005 to 2019, they are currently members of {{English football updater|AFCEmley}} and play at the Welfare Ground. They are nicknamed The Pewits.
==History== The original Emley club were founded in 1903 and were members of the Huddersfield District League, Yorkshire League and Northern Counties East League, before winning promotion to the Northern Premier League in 1989. In 2000 new ground grading regulations introduced by the Northern Premier League led to the club relocating to Belle Vue in Wakefield, although the reserve team continued to play at the Welfare Ground in Emley. In 2002 the club was renamed Wakefield & Emley, and when the reserve team (which still played in Emley) was disbanded in 2005, supporters of the original club decided to establish a new club based in Emley under the name A.F.C. Emley.<ref>[https://www.emleyafc.co.uk/a/history-of-the-club-66721.html The History of AFC Emley] A.F.C. Emley</ref> The following year Wakefield & Emley was renamed Wakefield,<ref>{{fchd|id=WAKEFIEL|name=Wakefield}}</ref> and remained in the Northern Premier League until disbanding in 2014. A new Emley club was established in 2005 and joined Division One of the West Yorkshire League for the 2005–06 season.<ref name=FCHD>{{fchd|id=AFC-EMLE|name=AFC Emley}}</ref> After finishing third in their first season, they were promoted to Division One of the Northern Counties East League.<ref name=FCHD/> In 2014 the club rejected a merger with the Wakefield club.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/afcemley/news/wakefield-fc-to-be-wound-up--statement-from-afc-emley-1240937.html|title=Wakefield FC "to be wound up" – statement from AFC Emley|website=AFC Emley|access-date=10 December 2023|archive-date=10 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210152547/https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/afcemley/news/wakefield-fc-to-be-wound-up--statement-from-afc-emley-1240937.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015–16 they finished fourth in Division One, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Penistone Church 1–0 in the semi-finals, they lost 4–3 on penalties to Bottesford Town in the final after a 1–1 draw. Striker Ashley Flynn finished the season with 73 goals, a league record.<ref>[http://www.ncefl.org.uk/news/league/2016/4009-photosfromannualdinner/ Photos from Annual Dinner] Northern Counties East League</ref> In 2016–17 the club finished third, missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference; they went on to lose 3–1 to Penistone Church in the play-off semi-finals.
In March 2019 it was announced that the club would be renamed Emley A.F.C. from the start of the 2019–20 season, five years after the original club was dissolved.<ref>[http://www.ncefl.org.uk/teams/afcemley/news/ Pewits to change name to Emley AFC] Northern Counties East League, 19 March 2018</ref> The club were transferred to Division One North of the North West Counties League for the 2019–20 season. They were fourth in Division One North with games in hand on two clubs above them by mid-March 2020, but the season was the abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were subsequently transferred back to Division One of the Northern Counties East League for the 2020–21 season and were top of the league when the season was abandoned in February 2021. In May 2021 the club were promoted to the Premier Division based on their results in the two abandoned seasons. In 2022–23 they won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup, beating Maltby Main 2–0 in the final.
The 2023–24 season saw Emley win the NCEL Premier Division title, securing promotion to Division One East of the Northern Premier League. In the following season they finished fifth in Division One East, before losing 1–0 to Dunston in the play-off semi-finals. In 2025–26 the club finished fourth, going on to beat Dunston 1–0 and then winning the final against Bradford (Park Avenue) on penalties to earn promotion to the Premier Division.
===Season-by-season record=== {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style=text-align:center !Season!!Division !! Level !! Position !! FA Cup !!FA Trophy !! FA Vase !! Notes |- style=background:#90EE90 |2005–06||West Yorkshire League Division One||12||3/15||–||–|| |-|| Promoted |- |2006–07||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||13/17||–||-||2QR || |- |2007–08||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||11/17||PR||-|||1R || |- |2008–09||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||8/19||EPR||-||2QR || |- |2009–10||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||8/18|| EPR||-||2QR || |- |2010–11||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||8/20||PR||-|||2R || |- |2011–12||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||10/20||EPR||-|||1R || |- |2012–13||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||7/22||EPR||-|||4R || |- |2013–14||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||8/22||PR||-|||1R || |- |2014–15||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||5/22||PR||-|||1R || |- |2015–16||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||4/21||PR||-|||2QR || |- |2016–17||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||3/22||PR||-|||2R || |- |2017–18||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||12/22||EPR||-|||1R || |- |2018–19||Northern Counties East League Division One||10||12/20||–|| |-||1QR|||Transferred to NWCFL |- |2019–20||North West Counties League Division One North||10||–||–|||-||2QR|| League season abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic, transferred back to NCEL |- style=background:#90EE90 |2020–21||Northern Counties East League Division One||10|||-|| ||-||1QR||League season abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic, promoted on PPG basis |- |2021–22||Northern Counties East League Premier Division||9||9/20|||PR||-|||2R || |- |2022–23||{{nowrap|Northern Counties East League Premier Division}}||9||3/20||EP|||-||2R ||Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup winners |- style=background:#90EE90 |2023–24||Northern Counties East League Premier Division||9||1/20||3QR||-|||QF|||Champions, promoted, League Cup runners-up |- |2024–25||Northern Premier League Division One East||8||5/22||1QR||2QR||-||| Play-off semi-finalists |-style=background:#90EE90 |2025–26||Northern Premier League Division One East||8||3/22||PR||1QR||-||| Play-off winners, promoted |- !Season!!Division!!Level !! Position !! FA Cup !! FA Trophy !! FA Vase !! Notes |- |align=left colspan=8|Source: [https://www.fchd.info/AFC-EMLE.HTM FCHD] |} thumb|Emley fans packing the Shed, New Year's Day 2026
==Ground== thumb|Main Stand at Emley following 2025 upgrade with hospitality box thumb|Inside the Richard Hirst stand (the shed)
The club plays at the Welfare Ground in Emley. It has a capacity of 2,000, of which 1,000 is covered and 305 seated. The ground is shared with the local cricket club is therefore three-sided; the Warburton End, which consists of a small terrace and uncovered hard standing behind one goal; the Main stand (Alec Hardy Stand) side which has a small terrace section below the seats, uncovered terracing and hard flat standing towards the Warburton end, small area of terrace steps at the other end housing the clubs offices, changing rooms and sports bar; and the Richard Hirst Stand (also known as The Shed), a low covered terrace behind the other goal which is home to Emley's vocal supporters and supporters' flags. During the football season, a fence is erected along the cricket field side. The main stand and dugouts were upgraded during summer 2023 with new seats being brought in from the Kirklees Stadium. An electronic scoreboard was installed at the Warburton end during the 2023–24 season and new LED floodlights were installed in the summer of 2024. Hospitality facilities were installed in the summer of 2025 at the Warburton end and also down the stand side.
==Rivals== Emley have a local rivalry with Golcar United in the 'Huddersfield derby'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/its-the-big-kick-off-for-golcar-united-and-emley-afc-as-rival-clubs-go-head-to-head-in-the-ncel-premier-division-for-the-first-time-this-season/|title=It's the big kick-off for Golcar United and Emley AFC as rival clubs go head-to-head in the NCEL Premier Division for the first time this season|first=Steven|last=Downes|date=29 July 2022|accessdate=31 July 2023|archive-date=31 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731151050/https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/its-the-big-kick-off-for-golcar-united-and-emley-afc-as-rival-clubs-go-head-to-head-in-the-ncel-premier-division-for-the-first-time-this-season/|url-status=live}}</ref> as well a cross county rivalry with South Yorkshire-based Penistone Church.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/fan-gallery-it-was-a-right-rumble-at-emley-afc-v-penistone-church-were-you-there-to-see-it/|title=Fan gallery: It was a right rumble at the Emley AFC v Penistone Church – were you there to see it?|website=Huddersfield Hub|date=30 December 2022|access-date=10 December 2023|archive-date=19 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519013913/https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk/fan-gallery-it-was-a-right-rumble-at-emley-afc-v-penistone-church-were-you-there-to-see-it/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ossett United, Brighouse Town and Liversedge are also local rivals.
thumb|Emley's main stand on New Year's Day 2026
==Management hierarchy == {| class=wikitable !Position !Name !Source |- |Manager |Richard Tracey | rowspan="5" |<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20231208215947/http://ncefl.org.uk/teams/emleyafc/ Emely AFC] Northern Counties East League</ref> |- |Assistant Manager |Steve Nicholson |- | rowspan="2" |Coaches |Ben Walker |- |Richard Batley |- |Goalkeeping Coach |David Walsh |- |Assistant goalkeeping coach |Chris Brown |- | rowspan='2'|Physios |Richard Walker |- |John Mason |- |Academy manager |Steve Sennett |- |Academy Coach |Conner Tuff |}
==Honours== thumb|Emley celebrate winning the 2023–24 Northern Counties East League Premier Division
*'''Northern Counties East League''' **Premier Division champions 2023–24 *'''Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup''' **Winners 2022–23
thumb|Emley win the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup in May 2023
==Records== *Best FA Cup performance: Third qualifying round, 2023–24<ref name=FCHD/><ref name=FCHD2/> *Best FA Trophy performance: Second qualifying round, 2024–25<ref name=FCHD2/> *Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 2023–24<ref name=FCHD/><ref name=FCHD2>{{fchd|id=EMLEY|name=Emley}}</ref> *Record attendance: 1,771 vs Bradford (Park Avenue), Northern Premier League Division One East play-off final, 2 May 2026<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com/latest-news/step-3/northern-premier-league/614784/traceys-triple-tops-as-pewits-power-on/|title=Tracey’s triple tops as Pewits power on|website=The Non-League Football Paper|date=3 May 2026}}</ref>
==See also== *{{c|Emley A.F.C. players}} *{{c|Emley A.F.C. managers}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{official website|https://www.emleyafc.co.uk/}}
{{Northern Premier League}} {{Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA}} {{coord|53.612629|N|1.6319150|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=title}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Emley A.F.C. Category:Men's football clubs in England Category:Football clubs in West Yorkshire Category:Sports clubs and teams in Huddersfield Category:Sport in Kirklees Category:Association football clubs established in 2005 Category:2005 establishments in England Category:Sheffield & Hallamshire County FA members Category:West Yorkshire Association Football League Category:Northern Counties East Football League Category:North West Counties Football League clubs Category:Northern Premier League clubs Category:Denby Dale Category:Fan-owned football clubs in England