Alltraders five-a-side football team gather nearly every week of the year to compete in some of the toughest football competitions to be found in the Crawley area.
The season starts with the new-year fives, a competition made up of two leagues of twelve teams. This is followed by the summer competition that involves just about every footballer in the area - eight leagues of twelve teams battling to be the top two teams in each league that compete in the knockout stages. The last competition of the year is the winter fives, again made up of two leagues of twelve.
Alltraders origins stem from the old Southgate Athletic eleven-a-side team that played in the Crawley premier league in the early nineties. Kevin Burton, the dynamic midfielder and his brother Paul played in a mildly successful five-a-side team that entered the summer fives in 1994, then named Southgate hammers. The team was managed by a flamboyant midfielder by the name of Dave 'chicken-legs' Coppard, whose ability to kick the sh1t out of the opposition players was quite legendary. When they found themselves short of a striker, they approached Southgate's dynamic and prolific goal scorer, Tim Leader, to help strengthen the team.
The 1994 Southgate Hammers team had mixed fortunes in the summer competition, and when Dave eventually announced his retirement, Kevin took over the reigns as manager. One of his first tasks was to rename the team to Alltraders, his company name. He then made two inspired signings - John Day, the tricky, pacey midfielder that tore through opposition defences like Michael Owen, and Andy Baker, Ex Southgate Athletic defender now turning his hand to goalkeeping duties.
The 1995 season of competitions saw a much improved Alltraders team. The first winter competition saw them finish fourth, followed by third place in their league of the summer competition. However, their finest hour came in the second winter competition, winning ten of their eleven games to finish as champions for the first time.
In 1996 we said goodbye to Andy Baker and John Day. Andy left due to work commitments, and John went off to play for another team. Kevin signed one of the best 'keepers in Crawley, Pete the milkman. He also signed an able replacement for John Day in Paul (never could remember his second name). Although winning nine of their next eleven games of the spring 1996 competition, they sadly managed only third place - the winning team winning all eleven and the second team winning ten. What rotten luck...
The new year 1998 competition saw both of the new signings leave for different teams, leaving the three core players of Paul Burton, Kevin Burton and Tim Leader. It was then that family influence took over when Warren and Jamie Fiveash appeared on the scene. In 1997 Kevin Burton handed over the managerial duties to Tim Leader, and Alltraders phase two was entered.
2003 signalled
a new dawn for Alltraders. When Nick Hawtin became disillusioned at fellow 5-a-side
outfit FC Jiggle, it seemed to make perfect sense that, following a chance conversation
with Tim Leader, he should try a change of scenery and join the famous Alltraders
outfit.
After joining for the New Year campaign of 2003, in which the team started poorly,
it was clear that gradual progress and improvements were needed, and made. The
New Year season finished with Alltraders considerably more solid than before
- however it was clear there was still more to come, and the Summer Fives was
now just on the horizon...
The next phase was to be the biggest step in changing the face of the club. Hawtin looked to his old school friends in the club's recruitment drive. In came Ian Britton, Leigham Bennett and Andy Howard and out went Alltraders legends Kevin and Paul Burton. A series of friendlies were played, with the team gearing up for the big Summer competiton. A new kit was even introduced, out was the old lime green Donnay, replaced with a subtle and stylish silver adidas number. The image of the club had been completely overhauled.
The Summer 2003 competiton saw the team smash numerous club records, astonishing for a new group of players. Winning their first 5 games on the trot, the team were on fire as they went 7 games unbeaten. Defeats from the experienced Crawley Casuals and Horley Town Casuals brought the youngsters down to earth, however the team still qualified for the playoff knockout stage, always an achievement. They finished second in the league to do so, scoring a whopping 32 goals (including a record 10-0 mauling of John Holmes FC, a game in which the outstanding Andy Howard scored 7 goals (another record)), conceding just 5 thanks to the new partnership of Britton and Hawtin in defence, backed by the immense Bennett in goal.
The playoff stage was to be a huge jolt of reality. Ifield Eagles A raced into a 2-nil lead in the first match, with the young Alltraders team clearly taught a lesson, despite pulling a goal back and then hitting the crossbar late on. They had gone into the playoffs perhaps complacent following an exceptional league campaign. Lessons were learnt.
Alltraders then entered into the brand new Soccabox leagues, a new complex on Manor Royal designed for indoor football. The missed entry to the Autumn Fives was to be a blessing in disguise, as Alltraders under the continued leadership of Tim Leader promptly finished as champions of Soccabox Division Two. The first silverware of the new era.
April 2004
saw Hawtin officially unveiled as manager. Hawtin had already up until this
point had been running the team, organising friendlies and administration etc.,
and the appointment was the natural progression.
This was also a chance to free Tim Leader to champion the media activities of
the club, by producing innovative video and photography coverage for the website
that is still the envy of all other five-a-side clubs worldwide.
Hawtin played a shrewd move in his first major change as manager, renaming the team to 'Alltraders.co.uk'. This was to be a significant move, sending visitors in droves to the website as soon as the fixture lists were published.
Another good campaign saw the team qualify for the playoffs yet again, only to again fall at the first hurdle, knocked out agonisingly on penalties. Summer Fives came again, the big one. After a good start to the league, with another win over FC Jiggle, a disappointing 2-2 draw against lowly Ifield Eagles B followed. Something had to change - the kit.
Although the grey adidas had served the team well, and symbolised the club's transition into the new era, it had become tired and freyed. Ian Britton pinpointed a new kit - adidas again, but this time black. It was to prove a highly significant colour, mirroring the mindset of the team for the remainder of the tournament - mean, ruthless and stylish. Black never goes out of fashion, and neither were Alltraders likely to any time soon.
After a
hard league, although it seems churlish to say, the playoffs actually seemed
a stroll compared to the tough league the team had just had to conquer. It was
as if the hard work had been done already. The dark force of Alltraders cut
through the remaining competitors, mercilessly marching on the Summer Fives
title.
9
years on from the famous 1995 victory, Alltraders had done it again, lifting
the prized crown in Sussex 5 a side football. An amazing achievement, and surely
the best day in the history of the club.
Back to defend their crown, Alltraders returned for the Autumn competition, complete with new signing Scott Cullimore, a classy striker with a deadly touch in front of goal, and probably one of the best players ever to pull on an Alltraders shirt.
Due to the increased interest in the club, the spin-off Alltraders Reloaded was created as the brainchild of Tim Leader. For the first time in Allraders history, two sides were fielded for the Autumn 2004 competition. Alltraders Reloaded served to entertain the five-a-side community worldwide with a series of spirited displays that were in almost total contrast to the more functional .co.uk performances (Nick, you'll never be allowed to forget that statement!).
Unfortunately it wasn't to be a second title. Despite reaching the Final yet again, it was to be heartbreak as the team lost on penalties to Gilly's Heroes, perhaps the only team in Crawley who could match Alltraders at that moment.
2005 saw Ian Britton then took over the reigns of the club from Nick Hawtin, who had brought Alltraders up to date, with a new name (Alltraders.co.uk) and new personnel.
In 2006 it was all change again, as Andy Howard took over the management role of .co.uk. By the end of 2006 he had matched Hawtin's efforts, by winning the Autumn Fives.
The original Alltraders 1995 record of ten league wins was finally smashed in true style by the victorious Winter Fives 2007 team lead by Andy Howard. On the way, four club records were broken once more - most goals in a league season (49 - averaging 4.5 per game), most goals in a game (12), the consecutive league wins in a season record (11), and the least goals conceded in a league season record (2).
The growth
in the Alltraders empire continues further to this day. The website, running
on its own dedicated server under the management of Tim Leader, is as highly
visited as ever!
The five-a-side team which started out as a team run by a group of friends,
again has two teams for 2007. Reloaded is now an emerging force with James Gregory
bringing in Stephen Gates, Dan Butler and stealing Aaron Smith away from .co.uk.
Ian Britton took over the running of the website in early 2007, and with Alltraders
now in its tenth year online the future looks brighter than ever...
TRADERS TIMELINE
1994 Alltraders founded
1995 Winter Fives Champions
1997 Tim Leader appointed manager
2003 Nick Hawtin joins, Leigham
Bennett, Ian Britton and Andy Howard follow
2004 Hawtin appointed manager
2004 Alltraders renamed 'Alltraders.co.uk'
2004 Summer Fives Champions
2004 'Alltraders Reloaded' launched
2005 Hawtin resigns as manager of
.co.uk
2005 Britton appointed manager of .co.uk
2005 'Alltraders Remixed' and 'Alltraders
Resurrected' launched
2006 Britton resigns as manager
of .co.uk
2006 Howard appointed manager of .co.uk
2006
Autumn Fives Champions
www.alltraders.co.uk