Washington, Northern Area Playing Fields – Hopper Tales #126

Washington? How Capital!

This weekend saw us head to Washington! Nope, not that one, the less famous original version in the Northeast of England.

As someone lucky enough to have visited the USA’s capital city, it was interesting to find out that there was a connection between the two places. More on that later.

Most weekends see us travel through Washington, as the X1 bus to Newcastle passes through the town but this week it was their turn to be reviewed.

Washington are having a nightmare season and look to be heading for relegation unless there is a dramatic turnaround.

So, this would be a chance to review the Northern Area Playing Fields before the club slips down – temporarily, I hope – to the Wearside League.

Once again, Mrs Hopper will be staying at home and I’m thinking a new nickname may be required – suggestions are welcome…

Anyway, let’s get straight on with the review.

Washington – The Journey

A sunny but cool day began pretty late, as groundhopping days go.

With Washington being just a couple of bus rides away, I was able to catch the 12:23 X1 and still arrive in Washington by 12.50.

Washington’s football pitch is 2.6 miles north of Washington Galleries bus station, though, so a second bus was required. It was good to see the connecting bus already in the station when I got off the X1.

We left the station at 12:57 and twenty-five minutes later, I got off at the Stephenson Road School bus stop.

This left me with just under a half-mile walk to the ground.

Along the entrance road, I came across a neat landmark but my attempts at researching its background have been fruitless. I have tried to find links to George and Robert Stephenson, of railway engineering fame and also checked out famous chemists (due to the molecular look of it), but have come up empty-handed.

If you know what this represents or commemorates, please drop a comment below.

I usually visit a local watering hole pre-game, but due to the ground’s out-of-town location, I decided to head straight to the clubhouse today.

Before we look at that, let’s look at the town of Washington itself.

Washington

Washington is a town in the county of Tyne & Wear.

It lies seven miles west of Sunderland and eight miles southeast of Newcastle.

In the 2021 Census, the town had a population of 51,312.

The etymology of the name Washington is disputed. The most widely accepted version among local historians is Anglo-Saxon. Hwæsingatūn, which translates to ‘the estate of the descendants of Hwæsa’, who was probably a local chieftain or settlement leader.

As I mentioned in the intro, there is a connection between Washington and the US capital. The ancestral home of the first US President, George Washington, is Washington’s Old Hall. American Independence Day is celebrated at the hall each year, with a special ceremony.

Washington is made up of a series of eighteen villages, including Washington Village, which houses the Old Hall.

In 1964, Washington was designated a New Town and became part of the Borough of Sunderland in 1974.

The main shopping centre in Washington, the Galleries, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary this year, after being opened by Princess Anne on July 23rd 1974. Indeed, there is a park just to the south of the Galleries named after the Princess Royal.

As with most of the northeast, Washington has a mining history and the old ‘F-Pit‘, first sunk in 1777, operated until 1968. It was repurposed as a museum in 1976.

The massive Nissan car plant is on the eastern extremities of Washington. Opened in 1986, the plant employs over 6,000 workers. This number surpasses 30,000 in the northeast area with subsidiaries, suppliers and related jobs.

The North East Land, Sea and Air Museum is just north of the old RAF Usworth base adjacent to the Nissan plant.

Notable People from Washington

Among the most notable people from the town are:

Roxy music singer, Bryan Ferry – actor and director, Simon Hubbard – Industrial Revolution pioneer, Isaac Wilkinson – actor, Arthur Blake – musician, Alan Price – former Netherlands national team manager, Bob Glendenning – former Benfica and Sporting Lisbon manager, Jimmy Hagan – archaeologist and writer, Gertrude Bell – footballer and Sunderland goalkeeping coach, Mark Prudhoe – England international goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford and snooker player, David Lilley.

Born elsewhere but raised in Washington:

Architect and TV presenter, George Clarke – actress, Laila Zaidi – former model and ex-wife of Paul McCartney, Heather Mills and musician, Paul Mullen.

Washington – Northern Area Playing Fields

Getting In

When I arrived at Washington’s ground, it was still pretty early and the turnstiles were closed.

However, the clubhouse was open and I entered via a side door. Before getting a drink, I decided to have my usual wander around the pitch.

East Side

The turnstiles and clubhouse are at the southern end of the ground but I will start with the east side.

There isn’t a lot to say about the east and north of the ground, to be honest.

Three of the ground’s floodlights are on this side of the pitch and beyond the meshed boundary fence, the Washington hub building is visible beyond the car park.

North End

The north end has a flat standing area with a wooden fence marking the boundary.

West Side

On the western side are the other three floodlights along with two spectator structures.

These stands are both of the temporary design seen at non-league grounds up and down the country.

Part of the big appeal to clubs for these structures is that they don’t need planning permission.

The first is a small, four-step, covered terrace.

Beyond this, is a fifty-seven-seater covered stand.

The technical dugouts are situated on either side of these structures.

South End

The south end is the social hub of the ground, with its brick clubhouse, containing a bar and snack facilities.

The dressing rooms are also a part of the building at the western end of the clubhouse.

The players enter the field via a gate in the fence at this end of the ground.

A few picnic tables are also located between the building and the fence, along with a sizeable amount of molehills!

The Northern Area Playing Fields must have one of the UK’s hardest-working moles and I had to wonder how the groundstaff manages to stop it from wreaking havoc with the playing surface.

Washington – Northern Area Playing Fields Gallery

Clubhouse

After doing a circuit of the ground, I headed back into the clubhouse.

A very smart-looking club mural brightens up the bar and there are picture frames around the walls with club memorabilia displayed.

The room itself is very spartan, yet modern and has plenty of seating and tables.

I bought myself a pint of Coors, costing £4.00 and I also paid my £5.00 entrance fee at the same time.

I took a seat next to a gentleman who was there supporting the away team.

He remarked on my Berwick Rangers shirt and we struck up a conversation. The conversation carried on through to kick-off and beyond, as we reminisced about Stoke City and Sunderland and the myriad connections and memories between the two clubs.

This is what makes non-league better than league football, for me. Rivalries don’t matter and instant friendships are made between strangers.

Mark also had a friend, Peter, who came over and joined us. Amusingly, Peter’s surname was Reid and yes, he was a Sunderland fan.

I resisted the urge to start singing “Cheer Up, Peter Reid” and I’d like to thank both of them for helping to make the day an enjoyable one.

Team Sheet

I managed to get a copy of today’s team sheet while in the clubhouse, though no programmes were available.

I enquired about pin badges and they are hoping to get some in but currently have none in stock.

Washington Tidbits

The Washington Football Club was founded in 1947.

The first club to represent Washington was founded by workers at the town’s ‘F Pit’ and was called Washington Colliery FC.

They joined the North Eastern League Division Two in 1926/27, winning the title in their second season. Relegation soon followed in 1932 and records of the club end there.

There were a couple of notable players from the club during that period:

Ronnie Starling went on to captain Sheffield Wednesday in the 1935 FA Cup Final and earn two caps for England. Starling also played for Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Hull City.

Jimmy Hagan played for Liverpool and Derby County before playing a twenty-season career at Sheffield United. After retiring, Hagan went into management and eventually joined Benfica, winning three successive league titles with the Portuguese giants between 1970 and 1973.

Following the Second World War, Washington Colliery Mechanics was formed (1947) playing in the Washington and District Football League. After winning the title five times, the club moved to the Northern Alliance League in 1964.

The 1968/69 season saw Washington change its name to the current one and join the Wearside League.

Washington reached the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round in 1970/71, succumbing to Bradford Park Avenue, who had been a Football League team the previous year. They lost their league status and were replaced by Cambridge United.

In 1980, the club moved to its home ground in Albany Park.

1988/89 saw the Mechanics join the Northern League Division Two and further promotion was achieved in 2006/07. However, 2008 saw Washington back in Division Two.

In 1999, the club changed its name to Washington Ikeda Hoover. This (presumably) sponsored name lasted until 2002 when it reverted to Washington FC.

Arson Attack

As we have seen previously with Thornaby, arson attacks can have a devastating effect on clubs.

In 2009, the club’s dressing rooms at their Albany Park ground were burned down, eventually leading to them having to depart it the following season.

They took up residence at the former home of Sunderland Nissan, which had folded in 2009.

In 2014/15, Washington finished as runners-up and were promoted to Division One.

Unfortunately, the club had a lack of volunteers and a notice was given to the league for its withdrawal. Subsequent appeals for help saw the club merge with Washington AFC and the existential fight continued.

Relegation followed once more in 2017/18 and the club has remained in Division Two since.

The club is currently rock-bottom of Division Two and will have a titanic struggle on their hands to avoid relegation.

The man in the Washington manager’s hot seat is Mark Gibbon.

During 2022/23, Washington moved to their current home ground, following the sale of Spout Lane.

Ironically, you can still see a glimpse of Washington’s old home in Albany Park on Google Maps street view.

However, if you try to go closer, the new housing estate built on top of it appears.

They Played for Washington

Aside from the aforementioned Jimmy Hagan, former players for Washington include:

Peter Kirkham – Stoke City stalwart, Bobby Liddle – Joe Mawson, also of Stoke City – Freddie Scott – Ernest Vincent and the best known of them all, Pascal Chimbonda of Wigan and Spurs fame.

Washington – Pre-Game View of the Northern Area Playing Fields

Washington v Sunderland RCA – The Game

Form

Coming into today’s game, Washington were bottom of the league, with opponents, Sunderland RCA, three places above them in nineteenth.

The Mechanics have played twenty-seven games, winning just two, drawing one and losing twenty-four.

During those games, they have scored twenty-two goals, conceding a huge ninety-eight times.

RCA has played twenty-eight games, winning six, drawing five and losing seventeen. They have scored thirty-four goals while conceding sixty-two.

Washington have lost all three of their games in December, with a 5-0 defeat at Boldon CA last time out.

RCA have won two of their four matches this month, with a 2-2 draw at Sunderland West End in their last game.

With all this information at hand, I was predicting a close game, with a narrow victory for the visitors.

Pre-match Prediction: Washington 1 Sunderland RCA 2.

Summary

While the teams entered the pitch, I was still inside the clubhouse ordering food. Priorities!

A football staple diet of pie, peas, chips and gravy, which cost a very reasonable £4.50.

With the game underway, I found a temporary standing point at the south end while I ate my food.

Then the referee blew for halftime. At least that’s how it felt. I spent the whole half talking and completely missed recording any meaningful action!

I did at least see the goal, which came for the visitors in the 36th minute.

A good piece of play from Dan Maw saw him evade a couple of defenders before laying off the ball for Jackson Ward who smashed the ball home from range.

RCA went into halftime with that 1-0 lead.

Second Half

After a warm-up in the clubhouse, we headed back out for the second half.

In the interests of this blog, I left my two new friends, Mark and Peter, and headed off to the other end of the pitch in the hope of actually recording some of the action. 😂

Washington equalised on the hour mark via Chris Tarn.

It was RCA who looked the better team and I was pretty confident of actually getting a pre-match prediction right!

That looked even more likely when RCA grabbed their second goal. The linesman disagreed and raised his flag.

Admittedly, watching it back, it does look like there may have been up to three RCA players standing just offside, but still… does he not care about my prediction at all?

RCA continued to press but couldn’t get the goal they deserved.

The final pass always seemed to be just missing and much credit goes to Washington’s defence, who wouldn’t go down without a fight.

You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the Sunderland RCA website.

Full-time – Washington 1 Sunderland RCA 1

Attendance – 128

Entrance Fee – £5.00

Programme – N/A (Team sheet only)

Washington v Sunderland RCA – Match Highlights

If and when match highlights become available, I will post them here.

League Table After Today’s Game

Up Next

Washington will start 2025 with back-to-back home games against Boldon CA (January 4th) and Newcastle University (7th).

A trip to Redcar Town (11th) is followed by a home game, with Prudhoe Youth Club (18th). They finish January with a visit to Yarm & Eaglescliffe, who share Bedford Terrace with landlords, Billingham Town.

Sunderland RCA heads into the new year with a home game against Sunderland West End (4th).

This will be followed up with trips to Ryton & Crawcrook Albion (8th) and Chester-Le-Street United (18th).

They have no further games scheduled in January.

Washington Thoughts

The Northern Area Playing Fields is not a great footballing venue in terms of ground or structures.

However, that’s not how I measure a decent day’s football these days and Washington is a good venue to visit.

Friendly local fans (and visitors), coupled with reasonable prices for food and drink in a comfortable and modern clubhouse, make for a decent day of football.

On the way to the ground, there was a major tournament taking place at the adjacent Washington Hub and it seems the club hadn’t been informed.

This meant that the traffic cones usually placed to stop cars parking on the side of the road were not in place and guess what? Cars were parked all down the road on both sides because no one likes to use a designated car park, right?

Ooft! All that extra effort to park the car they may have to do is awful.

So, presumably, this isn’t usually a problem on matchday if prior communication is received. It did mean having to approach the ground on the road, between two lines of parked cars today, though.

I don’t want to make a mountain out of a… molehill but seriously, I’d advise Washington to get some form of mole deterrent before they (it) ruin(s) the pitch!

Washington – After the Game

Following the game, I headed back down the Hub entrance road and onto Stephenson Road, headed over the roundabout and crossed the road to the bus stop.

Buses between here and the Galleries are every fifteen minutes and a bus arrived at 17:10.

We arrived at the Galleries just in time for me to board the X1 home, making it a decent day for public transport.

This surprisingly successful logistical masterpiece saw me home through the front door around 18:00.

Another successful hop in the books.

Next Up for Hoppers Guide

Next week, I will continue my Northern League journey, heading to Trunk Road, home of Grangetown Boys Club.

The ‘Boysie’ are newcomers to the Northern League this season and are struggling to adapt to the higher league.

Currently sitting second from bottom, they hold a ten-point cushion over Washington.

The visitors to the B and W Lifting Stadium will be Redcar Town who are in eighteenth place, ten points ahead of the hosts.

Looking forward to ticking off two new clubs and one new ground.

Onto the next!

EDIT: This game was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

After pencilling in a trip to North Shields for their FA Vase 4th Round game against West Didsbury and Chorlton, this game was also postponed because of a frozen pitch, a week later.

We instead, headed for Sunderland West End for a landlords versus tenants game against Chester-Le-Street United.

Hopper Tales #125 – Newcastle University/Prudhoe Youth Club

Hopper Tales #127 – Sunderland West End