Football in Hexham: Clubs, Pitches and How to Get Involved

Hexham may be better known for rugby than football, but the round-ball game is alive and well in the Tyne Valley. From a big volunteer-run community club that turns out more than twenty teams every weekend, to walking football sessions for those taking it a little steadier, there is a way into the game here whatever your age or ability. Add in easy trips up the line to watch the professionals, and Hexham footballers are well served. Here is our guide to the local game.

Hexham FC

Hexham FC is the heartbeat of grassroots football in the town and one of the largest clubs in West Northumberland. Run entirely by volunteers, it fields around 22 teams and has more than 200 playing members, with FA qualified coaches and FA Charter Standard community status. The club provides football for boys and girls from Under 7s right through to seniors, and plays in distinctive green and white hooped shirts with green shorts and socks.

For the youngest players the game starts with small-sided mini-soccer, a scaled-down version played on smaller pitches with smaller goals that lets children get plenty of touches of the ball. As they grow, players move up through the age groups to eleven-a-side football. The club's junior sides, often entered under the Hexham Juniors name, compete in the Northumberland Football League, while its senior team plays in the Northern Football Alliance. Home matches and training take place around the town, including at Dukeshouse Wood.

Best for: Best for getting children of any age into organised, coached football close to home.

Girls' and women's football

One of the encouraging trends in local football has been the growth of the girls' game, and Hexham FC has been part of it. Alongside its boys' teams the club runs dedicated girls' sides across several age groups and has secured funding specifically aimed at encouraging more girls to play. That matters in a rural area, where the nearest alternative can be a long drive away, and it means a girl growing up in Hexham can now progress through age-group football without leaving the town.

For women and older girls who want to keep playing, the pathways in the Tyne Valley continue to widen, with clubs across Northumberland fielding sides in the regional women's leagues. If you or your daughter want to get started, the club is the first place to ask, and it welcomes enquiries from complete beginners as readily as from experienced players.

Best for: Best for girls and women looking to play in a friendly, growing local set-up.

Walking football

Football is not only for the young and the quick. Wentworth Leisure Centre on Wentworth Place, the town's main sports and leisure venue, hosts regular walking football sessions that have become a fixture of the weekly timetable. There is a beginners' session on Friday afternoons and a more advanced group earlier the same day, with a small charge to take part.

Walking football keeps the running out but leaves in everything else that makes the game enjoyable, the passing, the teamwork and the friendly competition. It has proved hugely popular with older players, people returning to the game after injury, and anyone wanting gentle, sociable exercise. No experience is needed and you can simply turn up, so it is well worth a look if you fancy pulling your boots back on.

Best for: Best for older players and returners who want the game without the sprinting.

Where to play and train

You do not need to be in a club to get a game. Wentworth Leisure Centre is the hub for indoor and casual football in Hexham, with a sports hall suitable for five-a-side and futsal, along with outdoor pitches and athletics provision used by clubs and groups through the week. It sits close to the town centre with free parking, and its swimming, soft play and bowling make it an easy family destination too.

Beyond the leisure centre, the town's parks and green spaces give families plenty of room for an informal kickabout, and Hexham FC welcomes enquiries from new players, volunteers and coaches looking to get involved. Whether you want a structured weekly game or just a knockabout with the children after school, there are options within easy reach.

Rugby in the valley

It would be wrong to write about sport in Hexham without a nod to the oval ball, because rugby union runs deep here. Tynedale RFC, based just along the road at Tynedale Park in Corbridge, is one of Northumberland's oldest and best-known clubs, founded in 1876 and playing in National League 2 North. The club moved from Dene Park in Hexham to Corbridge half a century ago and now runs a large junior section alongside its senior men's and women's sides.

For a young player weighing up which sport to try, or a family wanting a Saturday afternoon watching competitive sport nearby, Tynedale offers a genuine alternative to football and a warm welcome to newcomers. Plenty of Hexham children play both games at different times of the year.

Best for: Best for trying rugby or watching high-level sport a short hop from Hexham.

Watching professional football nearby

Hexham sits on the Tyne Valley railway line, which makes watching the professionals straightforward. St James' Park, home of Newcastle United, is a direct train ride away into Newcastle Central Station in around forty minutes, with the ground a short walk from the platform. It is one of the great match-day experiences in English football, and many Hexham families make the trip regularly through the season.

Sunderland's Stadium of Light is a little further but still reachable by rail via Newcastle, and closer to home there is plenty of non-league football to enjoy in the wider region on a Saturday afternoon. For a big-match atmosphere without leaving town, several pubs in Hexham show live football on match days.

Best for: Best for topping up your football fix with top-flight action up the line.

Whether your idea of football is a Sunday morning coaching your child's team, a gentle game of walking football at Wentworth, or ninety minutes at St James' Park, Hexham and the Tyne Valley have it covered. Rugby may wear the town's sporting crown, but the football scene here is friendly, growing and open to all.

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