Sudbury football reunion to mark 25th anniversary of club’s foundation

A major reunion for members of the Sudbury footballing community from the last 50 years arrives in the town today in celebration of a special anniversary.

Alumni of the former Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers Football Club will join together for a charity event in Little Cornard, from 2pm to 11pm.

Taking place on the field next to Apple Tree Cottage in Bures Road, the occasion will mark the 25th anniversary of the merger of the two organisations, to create the present-day AFC Sudbury.

The event has been organised by Gary Harvey – well-known in the Sudbury business community as group managing director at Mel Aviation – and members of the reunion committee.

Mr Harvey has long-standing ties to the clubs, having played for both Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers.

Following the merger, he managed both the reserves and later the first team of AFC Sudbury during the early 2000s.

Mr Harvey told Suffolk News that he was expecting between 250 and 300 attendees linked to the club’s history, including former players, coaches and officials.

“From a personal point of view, the club has given me so much,” said Mr Harvey.

“When I was young, I developed a lot of my social skills through football, joining Sudbury Wanderers at 16.

“I went on to play for Sudbury Town, then went back to Wanderers, and then went on to manage AFC Sudbury.

“I’m sponsoring the whole event, but 100 per cent of the money raised from the bar, food and donations will go to charity.

“The inspiration behind it all is that I’m in my 60s now, and I’ve seen too many people involved with the clubs sadly pass away.

“I thought it was important and a great opportunity to bring people together and celebrate the clubs.

“It means a huge amount to me. When I finally finished managing at AFC Sudbury back in 2006, I did have tears when I came off the pitch at the end. It was hugely emotional.

“The changing rooms and the clubhouse are fantastic places to be – it’s not just with the players, but the officials and all the people behind the scenes who make it possible.”

Known formally as Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury, the club in its current form was born on June 1, 1999, when the merger of Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanders was completed.

Those lined up to attend the reunion event this weekend include renowned goalkeeper Doug Wade, who spent 17 years playing at Sudbury Town and later managed the club.

There are also expected to be members of the AFC Sudbury team who reached three consecutive FA Vase finals in 2003, 2004 and 2005 – the last two of which Mr Harvey was manager for.

He added that he believed this will be the first reunion of this significant scale, stating: “I’ve never seen anything like this before.

“It fills me with immense pride that we’ve been able to get in touch with so many people.

“We have a great committee who have put this all together. I think it will be a great occasion.”