South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2005 | June | 3
From the Gazette, first published Friday 3rd Jun 2005.
RICHARD JORDAN, one of Yate Town Football Club's most loyal servants, has received two notable awards from football's hierarchy.
Richard, 70, was presented with the prestigious FA Long Service Medal last week, given for 50 years service with the club. This is an honour held by very few people in Gloucestershire.
He was also given a special award from the GFA for his remarkable loyalty in the form of a snooker cue and engraved case.
The cue will not be gathering dust. Richard played in the Bristol Billiards and Snooker League for many years. "Not to a very high standard," he said, "but I still play once a week for about three hours."
He became associated with the club, then called Yate YMCA, in 1946-47, and as a youngster used to mark out the pitch. He later became a trainer and linesman, eventually joining the committee in the early 1950s.
His brother Terry was the club secretary at that time and continued in the post for a number of years.
Richard and wife Pat have been washing the club kit for some 40 years. In the early days Yate ran three or four teams, which amounts to an awful lot of kit. "We must have worn out four or five washing machines in the process," said Richard.
He was also a very useful cricketer in his youth, putting his bowling skills to good use for the (then) Newmans side.
At present Richard is in charge of the match day hospitality at Yate Town, taking care of visiting directors and officials.
Yate secretary Terry Townsley offered his congratulations, saying: "Richard is a very valued member of the club and the awards are well deserved."
The award comes on the back of a magnificent season for Yate Town which has seen the club finish second in the Southern League Western Division, to join neighbours Mangotsfield United in promotion to the Premier Division. Yate also won the Gloucestershire Senior Cup in a memorable victory over a youthful Bristol Rovers side
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