{{For|the Australian club|Wallsend FC}} {{Short description|Association football club in England}} {{BLP sources|date=May 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Use British English|date=January 2012}} {{Football club infobox | clubname = Wallsend Boys Club | image = Wallsend Boys Club logo.png | fullname = Wallsend Boys Club | nickname = Wallsend | founded = 1904 | ground = Kirkley Park, [[Wallsend]] | coordinates = {{Coord|54.9924|N|1.5487|W|display=it|type:landmark_region:GB}} | capacity = | chairman = Steve Dale | league = Northern Alliance Division 1 | season = {{English football updater|WallseBC2}} | position = {{English football updater|WallseBC3}} | kit_alt1 = | pattern_name1 = Team | pattern_la1 = green | pattern_b1 = _black shoulders | pattern_ra1 = green | pattern_sh1 = 1757CB | pattern_so1 = 1757CB | leftarm1 = FFFF00 | body1 = FFFF00 | rightarm1 = FFFF00 | shorts1 = 009000 | socks1 = 009000 }}
'''Wallsend Boys Club''' is an [[England|English]] youth [[association football|football]] club based in [[Wallsend]], [[North Tyneside]]. The club is well known for producing professional footballers; more than 65 players from the club have gone on to play professionally, some of them even playing for the [[England national football team|England side]].<ref name="Wallsend production line">{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/8851076/No-end-in-sight-to-Wallsend-production-line.html | title=No end in sight to Wallsend production line | work=The Daily Telegraph| date=26 October 2011 | access-date=7 December 2011 | author=White, Jim}}</ref><ref name="football facility">{{cite web|title=World famous Wallsend Boys' Club officially opens its first football facility|url=http://www.northumberlandfa.com/News/2011/06/WorldFamousWallsendBoysClubOfficiallyOpensItsFirstFootballFacility.htm|publisher=[[Northumberland FA]]|access-date=7 December 2011|date=29 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2366285/Wallsend-still-building-for-the-future.html|title=Wallsend still building for the future|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=6 October 2005}}</ref> They also have an adult team that plays in the [[Northern Football Alliance|Northern Alliance]] Division 1.
==History== The club was founded in 1904 by the employees and directors of [[Swan Hunter|Swan Hunters Shipyard]] in order to provide recreational activities for the apprentices and young people in the area and initially specialised in [[boxing]].<ref name="Wallsend production line"/> The original club premises were a series of wooden huts on Station Road, erected by workers from the shipyard. A fire destroyed the original premises and work commenced on the current club building in 1964, which was opened on 16 December 1966.<ref name="Our History">{{cite web|title=Wallsend Boys Club heritage|url=http://www.wallsendboysclub.org/aboutus.html|work=Our History|publisher=Wallsend Boys Club|access-date=7 December 2011}}</ref>
Club activities in the early days were mainly [[snooker]], [[trampolining]], [[judo]], [[table tennis]], [[cross country running]] and football. Various fund raising activities were held, including a "pram push" across England and a 24-hour [[relay race]] from Wallsend to [[Edinburgh Castle]] and back.<ref name="Our History"/> In 1975, the club opened seven days a week and formed a separate sub-committee for 11-a-side football. Over the years, the 11-a-side representative teams have won hundreds of trophies in local and national competitions.<ref name="Our History"/> The club has gained a formidable reputation for the early development of many professional footballers.<ref name="Our History"/>
In 2008, the club was awarded the [[Freedom of the City]] of [[North Tyneside]], in recognition of what the deputy mayor called the club's "factory line of talent", and for its community work.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7242220.stm|title=Honour for Shearer's youth club|publisher=BBC News|date=13 February 2008}}</ref> In June 2011, the club opened its first football centre, prior to which they had to play on park and local authority pitches.<ref name="football facility"/> The facility, for which negotiations began in 2006,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/4809882.stm|title=Expansion hope for football club |date=15 March 2006|publisher=BBC News}}</ref> which is situated next to Wallsend Sports Centre on Rheydt Avenue,<ref>{{cite web|title=Wallsend Boys move to new home|url=http://www.wallsendboysclub.org/uploads/News/wallsend_move_new_home.html|publisher=Wallsend Boys Club|access-date=7 December 2011|date=21 March 2006}}</ref> has: *two senior size grass pitches, *five junior size grass pitches, *one mini-soccer size grass pitch, and *a changing pavilion.
It was funded by grants of £850,000 from the [[Football Foundation]], £150,000 from [[The FA]] and £301,000 from [[North Tyneside Council]] with the club itself raising £114,000 towards the scheme.<ref name="football facility"/>
The Station Road headquarters of the club was demolished in the February and March 2012, following high winds in January which damaged one of the walls of the building.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/local/end-of-era-as-club-is-reduced-to-rubble-and-memories-video-1-4300171|title=End of era as club is reduced to rubble and memories|date=1 March 2012|work=[[News Guardian]]|access-date=6 July 2012}}</ref>
==Former players== Professional players to have played for the club include:<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex-players|url=http://www.wallsendboysclub.org/uploads/News/updatedex-players.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130416025251/http://www.wallsendboysclub.org/uploads/News/updatedex-players.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 April 2013|publisher=Wallsend Boys Club|access-date=7 December 2011}}</ref> {{Div col|colwidth=20em}} *[[Elliot Anderson (footballer)|Elliot Anderson]]<ref>{{cite news|title='Definitely English' Anderson relishes new chapter after allegiance swap: Midfielder reveals decision behind Scotland snub as he aims to join luminaries who began at Wallsend Boys Club|first=Andy|last=Hunter|date=4 September 2025|accessdate=6 September 2025|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/sep/04/elliot-anderson-england-scotland-newcastle-nottingham-forest-world-cup-qualifiers}}</ref> *[[Paul Baker (footballer)|Paul Baker]] *[[Steve Baker (footballer born 1962)|Steve Baker]] *[[Peter Beardsley]] *[[Ian Bogie]] *[[Michael Bridges]] *[[Steve Bruce]] *[[Adam Campbell (footballer born 1995)|Adam Campbell]] *[[Michael Carrick]] *[[Phil Cavener]] *[[Vince Chapman]] *[[Lee Clark (footballer)|Lee Clark]] *[[Leif Davis]] *[[Tony Dinning]] *[[Robbie Elliott]] *[[Nicky Evans (footballer)|Nicky Evans]] *[[Graham Fenton]] *[[Fraser Forster]] *[[Damon Gray]] *[[Joe Grey]] *[[Ray Hankin]] *[[Chris Hedworth]] *[[Rob Hindmarch]] *[[Shaun Hutchinson]] *[[Russell Irving]] *[[Dan Jones (footballer, born 1994)|Dan Jones]] *[[Brian Laws]] *[[Tony Lormor]] *[[Shaun Lowther]] *[[Kevin McDonald (footballer born 1985)|Kevin McDonald]] *[[Neil McDonald (footballer)|Neil McDonald]] *[[Mark Maley]] *[[Lee Novak]] *[[Derrick Parker]] *[[Ben Pringle]] *[[Phil Ray]] *[[Barry Richardson (English footballer)|Barry Richardson]] *[[David Robinson (footballer, born 1969)|David Robinson]] *[[David Roche (footballer)|David Roche]] *[[Jack Roscamp]] *[[Tony Sealy]] *[[Thomas Shaftoe]] *[[Alan Shearer]] *[[Shola Shoretire]] *[[Kevin Smith (footballer, born 1987)|Kevin Smith]] *[[Michael Smith (footballer, born 1991)|Michael Smith]] *[[Eric Steele]] *[[Paul Stephenson (footballer)|Paul Stephenson]] *[[Mick Tait]] *[[Paul Tait (footballer born 1974)|Paul Tait]] *[[Jeff Tate (footballer)|Jeff Tate]] *[[Les Taylor (footballer)|Les Taylor]] *[[Steven Taylor (footballer)|Steven Taylor]] *[[Alan Thompson (footballer born 1973)|Alan Thompson]] *[[Alan Waddle]] *[[Mick Wardrobe]] *[[Ian Watson (footballer, born 1960)|Ian Watson]] *[[Steve Watson]] *[[Jake McInnes]] *[[Alex Whitmore]] *[[Tommy Widdrington]] *[[Jeff Wrightson]] {{Div col end}}
===International representation=== The club has had a representative at four of the nine [[FIFA World Cup]] finals since [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], with the two exceptions coming in [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]], when the [[England national football team]] did not qualify, and [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]. In 1986 and [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]] [[Peter Beardsley]] starred for England.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2326979/Peter-Beardsley-indebted-to-his-Wallsend-roots.html|title=Peter Beardsley indebted to his Wallsend roots|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 November 2007}}</ref> In [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]] [[Alan Shearer]] was [[List of England national football team captains|England captain]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/wallsend-boys-benefit-as-shearer-hands-16316m-to-charity-421766.html|title=Wallsend Boys benefit as Shearer hands £1.6m to charity|work=[[The Independent]]|date=27 October 2006}}</ref> [[Michael Carrick]] made appearances for England in both the [[2006 FIFA World Cup|2006]] and [[2010 FIFA World Cup|2010]] tournaments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/big-interview-michael-carrick-im-definitely-not-spanish-or-italian-so-cant-you-just|title=The big interview: Michael Carrick - "I'm definitely not Spanish or Italian, so can't you just appreciate me anyway?"|first=Sam Pilger 30|last=January 2019|date=30 January 2019|website=fourfourtwo.com}}</ref> [[Fraser Forster]] was in the [[2014 FIFA World Cup squads#England|2014 squad]], as well as [[UEFA Euro 2016 squads#England|the squad]] for [[UEFA Euro 2016]], but did not make an appearance in either tournament.
[[Alan Thompson (footballer born 1973)|Alan Thompson]] received one full [[cap (sport)|cap]] for England in 2004, and [[Fraser Forster]] did the same in 2013 and went on to receive another five caps over the next three years, and [[Elliot Anderson (footballer)|Elliot Anderson]] was capped for the first time on 6 September 2025.<ref>{{cite news|title=Thomas Tuchel hints Elliot Anderson will start for England in Serbia|first=Jacob|last=Steinberg|date=6 September 2025|accessdate=6 September 2025|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/sep/06/thomas-tuchel-hints-elliot-anderson-will-start-for-england-in-serbia}}</ref> Numerous other former players have made youth or B international appearances.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://wallsendboysclub.org.uk/ Club website]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Wallsend Boys Club| ]] [[Category:Youth football clubs in England]] [[Category:Football clubs in Tyne and Wear]] [[Category:Association football clubs established in 1938]] [[Category:Football academies in England]] [[Category:Sport in the Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside]] [[Category:1904 establishments in England]] [[Category:Association football clubs established in 1904]] [[Category:Men's football clubs in England]]