Sunday League Spotlight: Diamond FC

As NWX and Kingsclere battle at the top of Newbury Sunday League, one club has caused them both to look over their shoulders.

Diamond FC, who joined the league in 2018, have been just behind the top two for much of the season.

Now seemingly clear of the multi-club battle for fourth place, Diamond find themselves a solid third, hoping to take advantage of any slip ups above them.

Club chairman Jordan Hutchins discussed the side’s journey so far and their future ambitions.

“How long have I been involved? Too long!” he joked.

“It was essentially a group of mates from school who I used to play youth football on a Thursday evening with.

“They formed a team and they were a bit of an unruly bunch!

“They didn’t have any management or organisation above them.

“So Matt Dickety, the current gaffer and I agreed to get involved… that was about five or six years ago now.”

Diamond have been a regular fixture in the league for some time, but their existence has come during an uncertain period for the competition itself..

Their debut season six years ago saw them finish bottom of the second tier, with just one win to their name.

Steady progress saw them win promotion in 2020/21, scoring 73 goals in just eighteen games.

They’ve stayed in the top tier ever since, remaining in the league even as it briefly fell to just six clubs earlier this year.

“I think it helps that the core of the team are a close bunch of friends that have known each other for a long time,” Hutchins reflected.

“Everyone who has come in has been a friend of a friend, a friend of a sibling.

“It’s a friendship and relationship oriented team.”

With the league now gaining momentum once again, Diamond are hoping for more and more clubs to join them, creating competition and raising the stakes.

“Hopefully it just continues on that upward trend,” he said.

“It would be nice to have multiple leagues like we used to a few years ago.

“Then there’s a hope of promotion, and that’s a nice aspect to have in a league.”

Diamond’s team culture is reflected in their social media output, with their Instagram account @diam0ndfc posting live story updates from their games, while referring to long-running jokes and references.

“It all comes back to that friendship,” Hutchins explained.

“That bunch of mates, the banter… all that sort of stuff.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously.

“Ultimately we understand that we’re all there because we love football.

“We have lots of people who like to be a part of it.”

On the pitch however, and where a future title challenge is concerned, it’s all business.

Diamond’s highest finish in Newbury Sunday League is the fourth place they achieved in 2021/22, their first in the top tier.

This season they sit in third, on course to break that record, with NWX and Kingsclere now the targets.

“We know we can beat them, we’ve beaten them in the past,” Hutchins said of the top two.

“The main difference is consistency.

“They are able to perform at a very good level every week.

“But absolutely, we’re hopeful.”