I spoke to three key figures at Knowle FC - and they all said the same thing
‘Family’ is a word I have become accustomed to hearing on a very regular basis during my first season as Club Reporter at Knowle FC.
On a day of celebration as the club marked its historic centenary year with an open-top bus parade - filled with flares, rain and low-hanging trees - it was a theme that continued to echo. From the first-team captain, to a 23-year servant, to the man who helped deliver a treble-winning season with all the odds stacked up against them, every voice reflected something far deeper - a century of community built on teamwork, togetherness and inclusion.
That sense of family runs right through the club - from the youngest players all the way through to the first team, as well as the committee, staff and volunteers - but it is perhaps most visible in the dressing room, where togetherness has driven the unforgettable season just gone.
First-team captain George Seeley - who has just completed his tenth season at the club, in which he surpassed the 250-appearance mark - has seen that culture develop first-hand.
“The club has massively changed since I’ve been here. When I joined, we didn’t get many spectators through the door, and I think it’s fair to say the club was probably on the decline, but it’s a completely different picture now.
“We’re not just a normal football club, we’re a family,” he emphasised - hours before being presented with Chairman Stuart Lanyon’s Player of the Season award.
“If you speak to any of the players, everyone’s happy playing for Knowle, everyone’s mates with each other - we all go out together after the games,” Seeley continued. “That’s what has got us through the last couple of years - togetherness.”
That same sense of family extends far beyond the first team. Sam Smith, the longest serving player in Ryan Mountford’s title-winning Ladies’ side - set to be renamed Knowle Women from next season - has seen that togetherness grow across generations.
“It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s true - this is a proper family club.
“I’ve coached girls at under-10 level who I’ve then gone on to play with in the Ladies’ team. If you love football and you want to do it, you can come to this club, fall in love with the game, and carry it on through all the age groups.
“Even if that’s not playing, there’s so many chances to volunteer or coach. In the Ladies’ team, eight of our players coach junior teams, so you can stay in football as long as you want. It’s not like you play 10 years and then stop - it’s that real, family thing that takes you from six to 60. Everyone can get involved - it’s really inclusive."
On what the club means to her personally, Smith added: “After 23 seasons, it’s a massive part of my life - all the mates and memories I’ve made through football… it just runs through everything.
“To have a season like we had last year, winning the league and experiencing a massive high like that, it’s been a bit of a dream, to be honest.”
The family ethos is not lost on the treble-winning management team - in fact, that’s where it all starts from. Joint boss, Clive Seeley, even made reference to the club’s neurodivergent team - Knowle Titans.
As a proud Titan myself - indirectly the reason why I’m writing this in the first place - that means a lot, and us walking his team out before their trophy lift back in April clearly means a lot to those at the top of the club, too.
“This club is all about the community and seeing everyone coming together - when we won the league, seeing the Titans walk out with us… that was special. You can see how much this club means to so many people.
“And we’re getting good attendances now as well. People who never used to watch us are coming out every week, and it must mean a lot to them to want to do that - so you don’t want to let them down.”
On the team spirit of the dressing room, he added: “Obviously everyone wants to start every game, [and can’t always], but the lads have bought into what we’re trying to do. We’re a family - on and off the pitch.”
It is that balance - of unity and standards - that has underpinned Knowle’s rise.
As the bus rolled through Knowle and Dorridge - flares burning, rain falling and branches brushing past - the celebrations captured a historic season. But beyond the trophies and records, something else stood out.
A club built on people, connection, and a sense of belonging that runs through every team, every player, and every supporter, ‘family’ is more than a word at Knowle FC - it’s the foundation of a success story that is still being written.
