15/06/2026
Keighley Town Press Release
Keighley Town are proud to announce that the late Keighley-born Trevor Hockey will again be linked with the town’s football club.Trevor, who passed away in 1987 at the age of 43, was passionate about having a KeighleyTown team and when he returned home he reformed Keighley Town, a side that had originally played in the old Yorkshire League after the Second World War.
Trevor turned professional with Bradford City in May 1960 and made his debut when hewas 17. After impressing at City, he made a move to Nottingham Forest and then to Newcastle United where he won the Second Division as he transformed from a winger into acentral midfielder. Trevor then joined Birmingham City and was a fan’s favourite with his no-nonsense attitude and became a cult hero at Sheffield United with his Beatle-style haircut, beard and tough tackling which also earned him international caps for Wales.After spells at Norwich City and Aston Villa, Trevor returned for his second spell at Bradford City before taking his talents across the pond in the North American Soccer league playing for San Diego Jaws, Las Vegas Quicksilver and San Jose Earthquakes.
After a short spell as manager at Athlone Town, Trevor returned home to his native Keighley and were successful in winning the West Riding County Amateur League and Keighley Cup during the early 80s and his intention was to guide the club into the Northern Premier League by the end of the decade but unfortunately due to his untimely death the Club would again be defunct. Move on 40 years and Keighley Town is back on the scene through the vision of the management team of Kaue Garcia, Ryan O’Neill and Charlie Wysocki, as they currently compete as a Step 5 club in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division for the2026-27 season.
As part of the new structure Keighley Town will be looking to name the Sports Scholarship programme after Trevor and are also looking to hold an annual pre-season game, named the Trevor Hockey Memorial Trophy. Chairman, Charlie Wysocki commented, “Trevor was such a larger than life character and aperson that the town, are, and should be proud of. He was ahead of his time with his Soccer Schools and made a lasting impression on my footballing career when this was based at Utley. Trevor was all about making sure the kids had fun whilst they were at the camp”. “He had a passion for football and loved to see players develop, and after consultation withhis wife and the family, we felt it would be fitting to continue to acknowledge Trevor and hisimpact on Keighley, by naming our educational programme for school leavers after him, and also to play an annual game in his memory.”
Owners Ryan O’Neill and Kaue Garcia said they are excited and ambitious for the future of football in Keighley and are delighted that the Club can honour Trevor in such a way. Kaue Garcia, who will also take on the role of Managing Director of Keighley Town said: “This is a momentous and exciting time for Keighley and its history in football as we look todevelop the club over the coming years. Trevor was born in Keighley and it is only fitting that we should continue the work that he started in the 1980s.” “It is our intention to have the people of Keighley proud to be associated with Keighley Town as we continue to promote inclusion and diversity, which has been a main driver for the rugby team.
The town has so much potential to develop different sports and occasions at Cougar Park. It is our plan to install a state-of-the-art 3G artificial surface to allow rugby, football and community sports to be played on the surface without it causing the obvious issues.”
The club’s official launch celebrations will include the major summer concert featuring JLS and UB40, as well as a dinner on Friday 17th July with former Wales international and Liverpool striker Dean Saunders appearing as guest speaker at Cougar Park. Keighley Town plans to strengthen its links with the local community by developing a strong local player base and continuing investment into facilities and infrastructure, with along-term ambition to progress further up the football pyramid.
