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Peter Maude

Unibond League Obituary
It was with great sadness that the UniBond League learned of the passing this week of Board Member and former Chairman Peter Maude whilst on a break in Spain. Peter only stood down as League Chairman as recently as June of this year when he made the announcement at the League’s AGM although he remained on the Board as a Director.

He began his association with his club Wakefield FC in the early seventies when they were still known as Emley after moving in to the area and became Club President in 1983, a role he occupied during the club’s most successful era as they contested the FA Vase Final at Wembley in 1988, won promotion to the UniBond League twelve months later and took on the might of West Ham United in the 3rd Round Proper of the FA Cup in 1998 before losing 2-1 in the last few minutes at Upton Park.

Peter was also a keen and talented cricketer and in his batsman/wicketkeeper role captained his club side Emley Clarence to the double in the Huddersfield Central League in addition to skippering the Inter-League side on numerous occasions.

Peter was elected to the Northern Premier League’s LMC in 1992 but, being a man of uncomplicated principles, famously resigned his position in 1999 in protest at the political issues surrounding the FA ordering the Northern Premier League, under the threat of the removal of the sanction to allow the League to operate, to accept Barrow AFC as a member after that club had had their membership of the Conference terminated. He was persuaded to return to the League’s Board in 2001 and was elected Chairman some eighteen months later, a position he held with distinction until stepping down recently.

His tenure as Chairman was not an easy one as during his term of office the game at this level underwent tumultuous change starting with the Conference taking the League’s best fourteen clubs to form their North and South Divisions. Then it was the turn of the Northern Premier League itself to expand to three Divisions and it fell to Peter’s unique skills as an arbiter to guide the League through quite a stormy political period. However, not satisfied with his success in seeing those two massive changes take place without any unacceptable disruption, Peter wasn’t finished with reorganisation and two years ago to the month he had the strength of vision to start the League on the path to succession planning and modernisation.

FC United sends our condolences to Peter’s family at this difficult time.

A minute’s silence will be held at all UniBond games this weekend including FC United’s away fixture at Hucknall Town.




First Posted ~ 06:13 Sun 15 Nov 2009
News ID ~ 2537
Last Updated ~ 01:52 Tue 16 Feb 2021