Club History
Laurelvale Football Club - A Brief History On Our 25th Anniversary
Laurelvale F.C. was first formed in 1981, under the guidance of Freddie Lyttle as a youth team. After a couple of years of friendlies, Laurelvale F.C. was admitted to the Mid-Ulster Football League, with Cyril Hughes as manager. After two years, Laurelvale and Moyallan Rangers merged, and whilst this gave football to the players of the area, the long term aim was to re¬-establish Laurelvale F.C. as a club in its own right.
Hence, in the 1987-88 season, with Gary Upton as manager, Laurelvale F.C. returned to the Mid-Ulster Division 5. Promotion to Division 4 came that year, but the 1988-89 season saw Brian Hazely take control of the team. After a year of consolidation in Division 4, Brian decided to step down, and the next managerial appointment was to prove inspirational.
When Herbie Pearson decided to step down from 'B' Division Football after many years as a player and manager, his return to manage Laurelvale F.C. with Sam Matchett as his assistant, certainly lifted the club to a new level. A higher level of fitness and expert coaching led to the Division 4 title in 1989-90, and the following year saw a nail biting season end with runners-up spot in Division 3. However, with the opening of the current pitch at Laurel Park, the decision was made to step up to Intermediate Football, so the 1991 -92 season saw Laurelvale F.C. proudly take their place along-side the elite of the Mid-Ulster League. Herbie and Sam continued their good work, producing many good players and attractive teams. However, in 1996, when other commitments led to their stepping down, the present manager, Keith Wilkinson took over and continued the good work.
In 1998, Laurelvale F.C.'s won their first Intermediate trophy, the Premier Cup. Consistent League performances led to the runners-up spot in the 1999-00 season, but the best was yet to come. Like most teams in the Intermediate League, Laurelvale started a Reserve team, and they enjoyed success by winning the Reserve Cup in 1999 closely followed in the 2000-01 season by being crowned League Champions.
Perhaps this spurred the First team on to greater things, as finally, in the 2002-03 season, the coveted Intermediate League title arrived at Laurel Park, accompanied by the Bass Bowl. A valiant attempt to defend their title resulted in another runners-up spot, with the title only going to Ballymacash Rangers on the last day of the season. A shaky start to the 2004-05 season gave cause for concern, but a strong finish to the year left Laurelvale in a consolidated mid-table position.
In our 25th Anniversary year, Laurelvale F.C. are enjoying a strong season to date. A strong league position has been accompanied by reaching the last 16 in the Intermediate Cup and also the final of the Marshall Cup for a second consecutive season. However, the real talking point is the scalps of senior sides, Armagh City and Loughgall on our way to the semi-finals of the Mid-Ulster Cup, where we play Glenavon. The seconds continue to show strong league form, and the youth set-up continues to flourish win an under-14 side and an under-10 team competing regularly. Here's to the next 25years!!