Three Trophies, One Team, and a Friday Night Disco: Chris Ballinger’s YMCA Story

When Chris Ballinger first joined the YMCA Cheltenham football team in the 1970s, he never imagined it would become such a defining chapter of his life. What began as a casual invitation from friends turned into a golden season of sport, friendship, and community that reflected everything the YMCA stands for.

“I got roped into playing football for them,” Chris laughs. “A couple of my mates were already playing, and they said, ‘Come and join us.’ The first year we were just thrown together; we didn’t really know each other, but by the second year, we’d gelled. That year, we won three trophies.”

The team’s triumphs included the Cheltenham Charities Cup, the County Cup, and the Cheltenham League Division 3 title, a remarkable achievement for a group of students and apprentices who simply loved the game. “We didn’t have a coach as such,” Chris recalls. “It was just a group of us, but we clicked. We beat St Mark’s for the league title, they were our big rivals, and we did it all together.”

But for Chris, the story of the YMCA wasn’t just about sport. It was about belonging, growth, and connection, values that remain at the heart of YMCA Cheltenham today. “We were all thrown together through no particular reason, but we got to know one another, we did very well, and it was all through the level of sport. It gave me belonging, helped me calm down, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Beyond the football pitch, the YMCA was a thriving social hub. “Every Friday there was a disco,” Chris remembers. “That’s actually where I met my partner, though we didn’t get together until years later. It was a meeting place. You’d go in, have a coffee, chat with friends, or meet someone new. There was a real sense of community.”

That sense of connection, whether through sport, music, or shared space, is what continues to make YMCA Cheltenham special nearly 170 years on. What began as a global movement to support young people has become, for so many like Chris, a lifelong source of friendship, belonging, and opportunity.

Asked what he would say to today’s players, Chris doesn’t hesitate.
“Enjoy it. Make the most of it. Very few make it as professionals, but that’s not what it’s about. Just enjoy it while you can, and if it takes its toll later in life, it’s worth it. I wouldn’t change a thing.”