'Incredible day' for football team based at Ascot racecourse with FA Vase final win at Wembley

Ascot United are used to wowing their visitors with views from their ground next to the racecourse's seven-furlong marker and they could be gaining some more fans after winning the FA Vase at Wembley.

The ninth-tier football team, nicknamed the Yellamen, tend to attract home crowds of between 100 to 200 at The Racecourse, where they gained permission from the royal family and Ascot to establish a club on the track's land in 1968.

Ascot United attracted a record 1,267 attendance last year when beating League One side Wycombe Wanderers on penalties in the semi-final of the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup, and they vastly exceeded those numbers on Sunday when taking around 4,000 supporters to the home of English football for the 1-0 defeat of FA Vase holders Newport Pagnell Town.

The high-profile success, with the game televised on BT Sport, capped a fantastic season that has yielded promotion after topping the Combined Counties League Premier Division North division.

Ascot United, who play in yellow and blue, had won nine games in the FA Vase to reach the final and hope to build on the exposure they gained from winning at Wembley.

Club secretary Dan Birchmore said: “It was an absolutely incredible day and experience for everyone involved. There were so many kids there enjoying a brilliant day out and they’re the future of the club. We’ve had an exceptional season under Jamie’s [Tompkins, manager] watch and the team has been remarkable.

“We’ve had the odd big day out in the past but attracted nowhere near the numbers we managed to pull together to head to Wembley. Our end was known as The Yellow Wall!

“If we could attract ten per cent of those fans back regularly, it could be a massive turning point for the club.”

Ascot: the football team play at a ground near the seven-furlong markerCredit: Edward Whitaker

The first record of Ascot United was in 1928, with the team developing land west of a coach park adjacent to the home straight four decades later.

Birchmore said: “The Racecourse has a wonderful backdrop with the track’s long straight nearby and the lovely grandstand in the distance. We attract a fair few groundhoppers and every new visitor who comes to a game always comments on it and often takes a photo or two – it’s an incredible and unique sight.”

Ascot United is not the only sporting outfit at the Berkshire racecourse, with the Royal Ascot Cricket Club playing their games on the Heath since the late 1880s.

Read more . . .

'For me he was the eyecatcher' - Passenger the Derby standout for Dettori but Arrest has 'a live chance' 

Horses formerly owned by John Dance permitted to run after agreement reached over funding 

Tom Segal tipped 1,000 Guineas winner Mawj at 20-1 - subscribe now with 50% off 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.