England v Scotland international to light up Broadhurst Park

FC United is hosting an England v Scotland international football match that is set to light up Broadhurst Park.

The game is the annual England v Scotland Fire Service international and it is taking place on Thursday 21 April 2016 with a 2pm kick off.

English Fire Service football has been running for many years, with a national cup competition between all the fire services in England and one for the entire UK being held every year.

The standard of football has always been high as the service tends to attract plenty of footballers, who tend to be physically fit and used to working in a team environment. Trials are held on an annual basis to identify players who are suitable to fit into the current England squad, and whilst some come and go every season, there are a number of players who have been involved for over ten years, even going on to manage the team and take up roles within the England football section.

The England team play five fixtures a year, against the Royal Marines, RAF, Navy, Wales Fire Services and Scotland Fire Service. In the past, the team have also played several fixtures against U21 league opposition – Barnet FC , Boston Utd, etc. The games are usually very competitive, in particular the matches against Scotland and Wales, and for 90 minutes, there is no love lost on the pitch.

The games have been played at some pretty impressive locations in the past as well – Sheffield Utd, Lincoln City, Ross County, Berwick Rangers and next year, on the 50th anniversary of the fixture, at St Mirren FC in Scotland.



Overall, the England v Scotland match has proved to be fairly even, with both teams enjoying spells of good fortune. Last year’s encounter at Berwick saw England win comfortably 2-0 to give outgoing manager Wayne Brown a deserved send-off.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Rob Tonks is the current England manager. Rob has played for many years for teams such as Emley AFC, Ossett Town, Stocksbridge Park Steels and Bradford Park Avenue and is ably assisted by Lee Thompson and Ben Wood. The current team includes players from London, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, West Midlands, Cornwall and Greater Manchester to name but a few. The Scotland team is managed by Iain McAdam from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service.

England v Scotland Fire Service International Match
Thursday 21 April 2016
Broadhurst Park
2pm kick-off

Spectators are welcome and the bar will be open throughout. Comedian Lloyd Griffith will be hosting the event, doing the pre match announcements, post-match presentations and a stand-up routine afterwards. Spectators are welcome to attend the post-match entertainment but the food being served afterwards is only for players and officials.