Established in 2000 the LSAFC Alumni
aims to bring together those who have played, coached, managed,
assisted or been closely involved with the Football Club (including
old foes!) over the past 60+ years.
LSAFC has been at the forefront of all forms of University football
for as long as any can remember. A long with the numerous titles and
trophies that the club has won down the years, those who have been
involved with the club that the experience with the club has been
far more than what occurred on the field, it was what went on
off-the-field that seemed to resonate with everyone.
Those associated with the club down the years have not just been the
players, many have been the coaches/managers, the avid supporters,
the socialites, the physios the back-room staff and even some of the
old enemy from the likes of Nottingham and Birmingham Unis. The
common theme between all has been the friendship and banter that not
only occurred at the time but has continued ever since graduation.
Both old and current students, though they go through different
social eras, still seem to have this common experience they get from
being involved with the Football Club.
Furthermore, a common trend has developed over the years that the
people that come into contact with Loughborough Uni are commonly the
found operating in the high-end of football, sport and wider
business in general. There is hardly a professional club that has
not had a Loughborough trained member of staff pass through their
working ranks at some point; or a sports organisation that has used
the skills or a Loughborough graduate; or as is commonly found in
many successful corporate businesses, an individual who has been
involved with the club in some way as more and more often the
cross-over of sports-related skills are being desired by businesses.
With the trend in developing Alumni at Universities it was seen that
the sports clubs at Loughborough had lost touch with a lot of
graduates who had lost contact with the main University Alumni or
felt it did not necessarily represent the networks that they
operated within when at Loughborough.
It was therefore initiated by the 2000 LSAFC committee and the
University Development Office to try and get back in contact with as
many former members as possible and create a network old football
club associates.
The aims of the LSAFC Alumni were simple:
a) To get in contact again with as many former associates of the
football club from any generation
b) To develop a network of associates that were kept up to date with
current Football Club progress at the University
c) Put as many old LSAFC associates back in touch with each on a
regular basis again
What has subsequently been created is a network of over 150 (and
growing) that are now in more regular contact with the University
and amongst themselves. The LSAFC has given rise to the following:
• Members going back over 30 years have been re-united with former
mates
• An annual tournament of both current and former members held at
the University
• Annual charity donations in excess of £1,500 to both an LSAFC
Alumni linked Charity (Willow Foundation) as well as national
charities
• A network of contacts within the professional and business side of
the sports industry that can be put in contact with each other via
the Alumni.
• A sporting network of contacts for current graduating students to
tap into
• Regular updates and tracking of football progress of some of the
individuals that have graced the Cayley turf down the years
In addition we have also tracked down London branch of ex
Loughborough and Nottingham football club members who have now
created their own club (Nottsborough FC –
www.nottsborough.com) and
will welcome new graduates each year into their club
consisting of teams playing a decent standard of football, but more
importantly, maintaining the banter amongst ex-Uni mates and foes!
The LSAFC is growing every year as new graduates come onboard and
old associates are uncovered and request to join the network.
The common theme that has emerged consistently from the creation of
the LSAFC Alumni is that old mates who shared some of the most
enjoyable years of their lives together in and around the Football
Club at Loughborough, who then lost touch, have been reunited and
now meet frequently year-on-year as a result of getting in touch
with the network.
The LSAFC Alumni has grown year-on-year because it has been driven
by its members! The Alumni is for its members and run by its members
….which ever direction you wan to take it – it can go!
If you were a former member, player or close associate in some way
of the Loughborough Students Football Club and want to get in touch
with the LSAFC Alumni or want to suggest we try and track someone
down who would be interested then please just email this address
alumni@lsafc.com
Or click on the sign-up page!
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