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HISTORY
West Bromwich Albion’s official supporters club was founded on October 4, 1951 and it had an initial membership of 130. Subsequent years saw membership grow steadily with branches in Smethwick, Oldbury, Coseley and Cradley
Heath all formed. At the end of the decade the club could boast well over one
thousand members.
 During the early years of the supporters club, local public houses were used as headquarters; The Cross Guns - Carters Green (in recent years
the pub was known as The Marksman) and The Corner House which once stood in West Bromwich High Street amongst them. It wasn’t until April 1965 that the supporters club finally had a home of it’s own. At a cost of £50,000 the original Throstle Club was built adjoining the Woodman public house on land that is now the East Stand car park. Albion legend Jesse Pennington had the honour of pulling the first pint at the premises.
Five more clubs would be opened over the next five years and the first one - in Dog Kennel Lane, Warley - was opened in January 1968. Graham Williams - who would later that year lift the FA Cup for Albion - this time the man pulling the first pint.
Three more Throstle Clubs followed in 1969.
The Halfords Lane Throstle Club in May, 'The Golden Throstle’, Hamstead Road, Great Barr in October and
'The Gay Throstle’, Redhall Road, Lower Gornal the following month. September 1970 saw the last Throstle Club open in Park Lane West, Tipton.
The popularity of the clubs would not last though and as the parent football club’s fortunes
started to decline so did the Throstle Clubs'. One by one each club was sold off with only the Halfords Lane venue being retained by the club.
During the early 1980’s and amid claims of poor treatment by the football club apathy grew amongst officials and members, dwindling membership numbers would see most branches close, the parent association itself collapsing in the mid 1980s. In 1986 the supporters club was resurrected but after just one meeting that too collapsed.
The team's struggles on the pitch certainly didn't help, interest in the Baggies
was probably at an all-time low.
 Throughout this troubled time only one branch remained active - Halesowen. Boasting it’s own newsletter / fanzine (The Fingerpost), football team (The Strollers) and travel service (Mammoth Tours), it was the epitome of how a supporters club should be.
In 1987, thanks in no small part to the then Albion secretary Gordon Bennett; a new West Bromwich Albion Supporters Club was formed with the Halesowen Branch Committee taking over running of the club. Unlike the attempt of 12 months previous it would be a success. Despite the club
continuing to struggle on the pitch the supporters club thrived once more,
sadly it would not last.
Having
found themselves made ‘homeless' three times in recent years it has been a struggle
for the supporters club, in some people’s eyes due once again to poor treatment from the parent football club.
When the last surviving Throstle Club was shut in the summer of 2004,
new headquarters were sought and soon found in the nearby Hawthorns public house, but that venue would itself shut in early 2009. It wasn’t
until November of that same year that a new matchday venue was found - The
Pennington Suite in the East Stand at The Hawthorns. Although better than
nothing, many members were unhappy with the capacity of the suite (just 100) and
the strict rules of entry.
The football club would withdraw the use of The Pennington Suite prior to the
start of the 2010/11 season meaning that the supporters club were homeless once
more although by October a deal had been reached to enable the supporters club
to remain at The Hawthorns, this time in The Richardson Suite, but again strict
restrictions were imposed. Another potential 'nail in the coffin' of the supporters club came with the news that
the facilities would not be available for all games, indeed for the 2012/13
season there were only six guaranteed dates the suite would be made available.
The
supporters club will almost certainly never again recapture the popularity it had during the 1960s but at time of writing there are still around 30 branches active and scattered right across the globe, perhaps evidence that interest in West Bromwich Albion
Football Club does remain strong.
WEST BROMWICH ALBION SUPPORTERS CLUB - 2013/14 MEMBERSHIP DETAILS
For the latest supporters club news check here
Adults membership fee is £8.50. For
concessions (under-16s and over 65s) it is £4.00.
Supporters club membership starts on June 1, 2013 and runs through to May 31, 2014.
Supporters wishing to join can find more information here
| BRANCH CONTACTS |
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Main Branch |
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| Contact: |
Alan Cleverley (Secretary) |
| Home Address: |
1 St Christophers, Hamstead Hill, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, B20 1BP. |
| Telephone Number: |
0121 551 6439 |
| Email: |
wbasc@wbascofficial.com
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| Website: |
wbascofficial.com |
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Australia |
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| Contact: |
Mike Triggs |
| Telephone Number: |
0416 028732 |
| Email: |
baggies@ozemail.com.au
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| To Join: |
Send a mail to: ozbaggies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Brandhall |
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| Contact: |
Gale Stokes |
| Telephone Number: |
0121 422 1911 |
| Email: |
galestokes@btinternet.com |
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Brownhills |
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| Contact: |
Gary Porter |
| Telephone Number: |
01922 442422 |
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Canada |
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| Contact: |
Mick Cockayne |
| Telephone Number: |
604 590 9797 |
| Email: |
mick@dccnet.com |
| To Join: |
canadabaggies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |
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Cornwall |
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| Contact: |
John Wilson |
| Telephone Number: |
01209 219430 |
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Culloden Moor |
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| Contact: |
Alex Elliott |
| Address: |
36 Sunnyside, Culloden Moor, Inverness |
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Devon |
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| Contact: |
Carl Martin |
| Telephone Number: |
01803 310415 |
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Disabled |
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| Contact: |
Kevin Candon |
| Telephone Number: |
07980 561721 |
| Website: |
wba-dsc.co.uk |
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Droitwich |
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| Contact: |
Tommy Morgan |
| Telephone Number: |
01905 774886 |
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East Midlands |
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| Contact: |
Dawn Astle |
| Telephone Number: |
07855 724918 |
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Gloucester |
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| Contact: |
Jon Norridge |
| Telephone Number: |
01452 549747 |
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Hitchin & District |
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| Contact: |
David Powell |
| Telephone Number: |
01462 454997 |
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Jersey |
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| Contact: |
Peter Guarino |
| Telephone Number: |
01534 631751 |
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Kent |
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| Contact: |
Neil Lee |
| Telephone Number: |
01622 631098 or 07888 714964 (Mobile) |
| Email: |
baggieneil@nlee68.wanadoo.co.uk or baggieneil68@tesco.net
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Kidderminster |
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| Contact: |
Roy Hayden |
| Telephone Number: |
01562 69179 |
| Email: |
Roy@haydens-kidder.freeserve.co.uk
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London |
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| Contact: |
Tony Vass |
| Telephone Number: |
0208 668 6626 |
| Email: |
tonyvass@blueyonder.co.uk
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| Website: |
londonbaggies.co.uk |
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Malta |
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| Contact: |
Alfred Vassallo |
| Telephone Number: |
00356 492342 |
| Email: |
jvassallo@jbplastics.com.mt
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Manchester |
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| Contact: |
Haydn Thompson |
| Telephone Number: |
0161 292 7697 |
| Email: |
haydn01@ntlworld.com
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Northern |
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| Contact: |
Richard Ryan |
| Telephone Number: |
0790 4258383 |
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Northern Ireland |
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| Contact: |
Mark Dennison |
| Telephone Number: |
0285 862152 |
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North East |
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| Contact: |
Dave Hewitt |
| Telephone Number: |
0191 455 7844 |
| Email: |
dave@baggiepix.co.uk
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Redditch |
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| Contact: |
Colin Mortiboys |
| Telephone Number: |
01527 877439 |
| Email: |
wba.redditch@gmail.com |
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Website: |
www.wba-redditch.yolasite.com/ |
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Republic of Ireland |
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| Contact: |
Del Delaney |
| Telephone Number: |
00353 872871538 |
| Website: |
irishbaggies.com |
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South Birmingham |
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| Contact: |
Steve Taylor |
| Telephone Number: |
0121 453 9247 |
| Email: |
june@wbataylor.wanadoo.co.uk
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Southern |
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| Contact: |
Rev. Philip Thomas |
| Telephone Number: |
07939 573070 |
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South Wales |
Robert Farrell |
| Contact: |
TBC |
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Spain |
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| Contact: |
Lionel Pitchford |
| Telephone Number: |
UK: 01384 256078 or 07704242879 |
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Spain: 0034 941 241992 or 0034 620 736 449 |
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Sutton Coldfield |
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| Contact: |
Fraser Allen |
| Telephone Number: |
07768 681532 |
| Email: |
amanda.hume@coventry.gov.uk
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Thailand |
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| Contact: |
Adam Cotton |
| Telephone Number: |
01 993 0055 |
| Email: |
adamcot@cscoms.com
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Walsall |
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| Contact: |
Jim Goode |
| Telephone Number: |
01922 415683 |
If anyone wishes to add a supporters club to the list or
amend any details then please contact us.
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