| Full name | Cambridge City Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Lilywhites | ||
| Founded | 1908 (as Cambridge Town) | ||
| Ground | City Ground, Cambridge (Capacity: 2,300 (500 seated & 220 Covered)) |
||
| Chairman | Kevin Satchell | ||
| Manager | Gary Roberts | ||
| League | Southern League Premier Division | ||
| 2010–11 | Southern Premier, 4th | ||
|
|||
Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.
Contents |
The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport. The club competed in the Southern Amateur League, developing a fierce rivalry with Ipswich Town that was evident both on and off the pitch.[1] In 1936 the club were invited to apply to the Football League, in an attempt to expand the professional game in East Anglia (Norwich City were the only football league club in the region at that time). However, City declined in order that the club should uphold its amateur nature, though Ipswich took up the offer and were elected in 1938.[1]
The resumption of football after the Second World War saw Cambridge Town joining the Spartan League, winning the competition 3 times between 1945 and 1950, before joining the Athenian League for the 1950-51 season. Cambridge was formally granted city status in 1951. Both Cambridge Town and their neighbours Abbey United applied to change their name to Cambridge City. Cambridge Town's application was approved because it arrived first and therefore Abbey United changed their name to Cambridge United[1] In 1958, 22 years after turning down the chance to apply to the Football League, Cambridge City joined the Southern League South Eastern zone as a professional club. The club went on to make five applications to join the Football League between 1959 and 1974, all of which were unsuccessful.[2]
In the late 1950s and 1960s Cambridge City commanded the highest attendances in non-league football, regularly attracting average gates in excess of 3,500 (higher than rivals United during that period) and occasionally attracting gates over 10,000. They were Southern League Champions in 1962-63 and stayed in the League's top division until 1968, when they were relegated and turned semi-professional. They were promoted back to the Premier Division after finishing in the Division One runners-up spot in 1969-70, and finished second in their first season back in the Premier Division.
Cambridge United were elected into the Football League in 1970,[3] and from that point City struggled to attract as many supporters to their games as their cross-city rivals - by the early 1980s, when United were enjoying a prolonged spell in the 2nd Division, City were attracting fewer than 200 supporters to each game. 1975-76 saw the second relegation in the club's history, into the Southern League's Division One North. They remained here until 1979-80, when a re-organisation of the league's structure, in order to become a feeder to the newly formed Football Conference, placed City in the Midland Division. A switch was made to the Southern Division in the 1982-83 season and this seemed to coincide with a turn around in City's fortunes, and 1985-86 saw City win the division on goal difference and gain promotion back to the Premier Division.
After several years in the 1990s avoiding relegation, the club joined the Football Conference's newly formed South Division in 2004-05, embarking on a successful FA Cup run in the same season - following United's relegation from the League in 2005, the two Cambridge clubs were only one division apart. However, the club was encountering financial difficulties and the club's City Ground was sold to an Isle of Man company called Ross River, which was linked to Brian York, a man who had briefly been a director of the club. The then board announced that it was to scrap the first team and make the reserve team into a feeder for Cambridge United.[4] This prompted the formation of a supporters' trust, who within weeks had taken over the running of the club.[4] The club took Ross River to court, where it was ruled that the club were victims of fraudulent misrepresentation and bribery - the former Chief Executive Arthur Eatham having taken a £10,000 payment from Brian York.[5] though the original deal was not overturned.[6]
In May 2008 City were demoted from the Conference South, after their ground failed an FA inspection, to the Southern League Premier Division for the 2008–09 season.[7]
Cambridge City have traditionally played in white shirts, leading to the club being nicknamed "The Lilywhites", they currently play in white shirts, black shorts and black socks. Their current away strip is sky blue shirts, sky blue shorts and sky blue socks.
The club's badge is a simplified version of the crest of the city of Cambridge, featuring a fortified bridge over a river.
The City Ground (also known as "Milton Road"), has been Cambridge City's home ground since 1922. It is located in the Chesterton area of the city, approximately 1 km north of the city centre. At this time, the ground was one of the largest outside the football league and was estimated to have a capacity in excess of 16,000, although the highest recorded attendance was 12,058 against Leytonstone on 11th Feb 1950. The capacity is currently 3,000 with approximately 700 seats.
The club has been in a legal dispute with their landlords over the ground, which was sold by a previous Board of Directors for less than its market value. The High Court ruled that the club had been fraudulently misrepresented, and has allowed City to remain at the City Ground until at least 2010 and receive 50% of the development profits on the site.[5]
In February 2010, Cambridge City announced a three year ground-share with local team Newmarket Town F.C. at their Cricket Field Road ground in Newmarket for the 2010-2011 season. This ground will need work to bring it up to the required standard.[8] During this time Cambridge City will continue to look for a permanent home closer to Cambridge. The groundshare was later deferred by a year as Cambridge City managed to reach an agreement to stay at the City Ground for the 2010–11 season, now moving to Cricket Field Road for 2011-12.[9] In January 2011 the club agreed to extend the deal to stay at the City Ground until the end of the 2012-13 season, and will now move to Cricket Field Road for the 2013-14 season.[10]
As of 18 October 2011[11]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Cambridge City's reserve team joined the Eastern Counties League in 1959 and won the Division One title in 2004. They were replaced in the league in 2006 by the newly formed feeder club Cambridge Regional College.