1 July 2001
Born to Proud parents Neil Coleman and Bosco Medakovic
A Football Club they called The Badgers
On a bright and sunny Saturday morning, on 1st July 2001, a group of parents with soccer keen children living in the parish of Leigh gathered, looking to create a footballing outlet for their youngsters. The club’s aim was then, and still is to this day, to enable all it’s members to be able to learn, play, and enjoy football, in a structured and safe environment, no matter what their ability!
At that very first coaching session, run by the two founder coaches, Neil Coleman and Bosko Medakovic, held at Leigh & Bransford Primary School, twelve youngsters of varying primary school ages and abilities, attended. This number grew steadily over the months that followed, with a total of 48 children attending the regular weekly coaching sessions, by the end of the club’s first year. A key developmental step was to offer football coaching to youngsters from age four and thus become one of the first in the County to support them.
As parental interest grew, volunteers agreed to undertake various roles within the club from administration through to coaching. Soon after, the club’s management Executive Committee was formed and held its first ever meeting in the local Royal Oak public house in Leigh Sinton, in December 2001. The club was soon to be formally constituted and recognised officially as Leigh & Bransford Badgers Football Club (L&BBFC). Affiliation to the Worcestershire Football Association (WFA) was soon to follow as a prime objective for the newly established club Executive Committee.
With the adoption of the Badger, as the now all too familiar club logo, and the black and white kit formally worn for the club’s first ever match Saturday, 10th November, 2001 the Badgers were born.Suckley Wanderers FC hosted that inaugural fixture, with around 120 vocal supporters present, including local historian, Malcolm Scott, who subsequently immortalised the occasion in his book about the history of life in the parish entitled; ‘The Book of Leigh & Bransford – the Parish Past & Present’