Barwell Football Club, nicknamed “The Canaries,” is a non-league football club based in Barwell, Leicestershire.
Established in 1992, they currently compete in the Pitching In Southern Football League Premier Central, which is part of the seventh tier of English football. The team calls Kirkby Road Sports Ground their home ground.
Barwell Football Club, formed in 1992/93 from the merger of Hinckley FC and Barwell Athletic, has made significant strides in non-league football. Initially competing in the Midland Combination, they became founding members of the Midland Football Alliance League in 1994/95. The club’s facilities, located in a sports complex in Barwell, include a cricket pitch and an indoor bowls centre.
In cup competitions, Barwell reached the FA Vase semi-finals in 2009/10 and won the Leicestershire Senior Cup in 1996/97, among other local trophies. Under the management of Bob Steel from 2004, and later Marcus Law, the club saw a period of stability and success, including a Polymac Services League Cup win in 2006/07 and a second-place league finish in 2008/09.
The 2009/10 season was particularly successful, with promotion to the Evo-stik League First Division South. In 2010/11, under Jimmy Ginnelly, they won the league and advanced to the Evo-stik League Southern Premier Division. The club consistently performed well in the following years, including a notable appearance in the first round of the FA Cup in 2015/16.
After moving to the Southern League’s Central Premier Division in 2018/19 and undergoing a managerial change to Guy Hadland, Barwell finished the 2019/20 season in 12th place, their progress halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.