Garforth Town A.F.C. are an English football team. They currently play in the First Division of the Northern Counties East Football League, the 10th level of the English football pyramid.

However, despite the Yorkshire club's low level, they gained massive press attention, both national and international, at the start of the 2004/05 season with the signing of Brazil legend Sócrates as a player-coach. This transfer came about following the purchase of the club by Simon Clifford , the man who brought Brazilian coaching methods to the UK with his string of ICFDS footballing academies. Aside from Sócrates, Clifford has also managed to attract ex-England and Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe to the club.

Garforth have already confirmed that another former Brazil international, Careca, will spend time at the club during the 2005/06 season, and are currently in negotiations with Zico. There have also been rumours that Romário could be joining the club in the future.

Clifford has published a list of targets for the club; which include being promoted to the Nationwide Conference by 2013, and winning the Premier League by 2028.

History

Garforth Town were formed in 1964 as a local pub team called Miners Arms. As Garforth had no pitch at the time, the team played its home games in nearby Swillington. The team stepped up to the West Yorkshire League, a Saturday football league, in 1976. At the same time they acquired their own ground in Garforth, a former rubbish dump on Brierlands Lane.

The team were forced to change their name to Garforth Miners to gain election into the Yorkshire League in 1978, pub teams not being allowed in the league. They changed their name again in 1985 to their current name. Two years later Garforth reached the quarter-finals of the FA Vase, their best ever cup performance.

Garforth moved to their current stadium, Wheatley Park, in 1998. During the 2003 season Simon Clifford bought the club, writing off the team's £100,000 debts.

External Links

• Official website
• BBC article