Page 23 - Ashton & Backwell FC v Mousehole 130822

Today’s Visitors

In 2019-20 the club rose to its highest-ever level – the SWPL Premier Division (Step 6
of the NLS). In two subsequent seasons the First team finished in fourth and top place
before each of those campaigns was ended prematurely by the coronavirus pandemic.
In October 2019, RNLI Coxswain Patch Harvey together with the local Penlee Lifeboat
Crew formally switched on the new floodlights for the very first evening floodlit game at
Trungle, with Porthleven the visitors.
Mousehole AFC’s association with the RNLI dates back to the year 1922. Many crew
members have played football for the club, and the club has been a regular fund-raising
contributor to the organisation. In December 2021 the club officially opened its new
stand, named after the Solomon Browne Lifeboat involved in the local Penlee Lifeboat
tragedy of 40 years previously, with the RNLI and Mousehole Male Voice Choir
commemorating the occasion.
The 2021-22 season started with the First Team promoted to the Western League
Premier Division (Step 5), enabling them also to participate for the first time in the FA
Cup, a fitting pre-centenary achievement brought about by the hard work and positive
outlook of everyone both on and off the field.

Mousehole is noted for being both the most westerly and southerly club in the NLS,
situated nine miles from Lands’ End - or six miles as the seagull flies. At the turn of the
century, the First team were playing in just the west half of Cornwall; now they compete
against teams across the whole of Cornwall, as well as Devon, Somerset, Dorset and
South Gloucestershire, with an annual travel distance of approximately 6000 miles.
Mousehole’s debut Western League season in 2021/22 ended with a third-place finish,
just four points short of a second consecutive promotion place, with the average home
attendance having doubled in the space of three years. For the 2022/23 season, there
is much to look forward to as the club continues to progress sustainably both on and off
the field.
The benefits of the club’s modern coaching philosophy are in evidence throughout its
teams. The Development Team, a stepping-stone to the First Team, are now members
of the St Piran League (in effect, Step 7), the Women’s Team are competing well in the
Cornwall Women’s League and regularly attracting new players, and some 300 Youth
members are enjoying themselves in 13 teams across the age range.
An enterprising attitude to the development of the club as a whole has resulted in a solid
foundation on which to build for the future. The club runs a thriving camp site –
‘Mousehole Camping’ - and enjoys increasing support from a variety of local businesses.
The stadium is smart and in a picturesque location, with a hospitable clubhouse and
improved spectator accommodation, and the superb playing surface is well suited to the
attractive style of football for which Mousehole is gaining recognition. Further
‘infrastructure’ improvements and special projects – such as building a new access road
- are at the forefront of the agenda.
Mousehole AFC is registered as a non-profit limited company, led by a group of Directors
and supported by a large 20-strong Committee, all of whom are volunteers with specific
roles. Many of those who manage and contribute to the work of Mousehole AFC have
a long-standing association with the club as players, officers, family members, friends
or supporters – with a common responsibility to promote and safeguard the club and
create a lasting legacy for the benefit of future generations.

Thanks are due to archive researcher and supporter Sean Perrott for some additional
material in this article, including quotations from early newspapers such as the Cornish
Times among others