Bideford A.F.C.

Bideford

Full name	Bideford Association Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Robins
Founded	1946
Ground	The Sports Ground, Bideford
Ground Capacity	2,000[1]
Chairman	Roy Portch
Manager	Sean Joyce
League	Southern Football League Premier Division
2014–15	Southern Football League Premier Division, 15th
Home colours Away colours

Bideford A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Bideford, Devon that plays in the Southern Football League. The club is nicknamed "The Robins" due to their all-red strip. The club plays its home matches at The Sports Ground, Kingsley Road, Bideford. The club are currently members of the Southern Football League Premier Division.

History

Founded in 1946, Bideford A.F.C. has avoided relegation every year since the war, a distinction it shares only with Arsenal. The club played their first three seasons in the Exeter & East Devon League before joining the Western League in 1949.^[2] Bideford had requested to the Western League to be elected to the Second Division, but this was denied and they had to start in Division Three instead. This was the only season the Western League ran a Third Division, and Bideford won it without losing a game. Two seasons in the 1951–52 season later they then won Division Two, and gained promotion to Division One.^[3]

Bideford won the Western League three times before joining the Southern League in 1972. The club spent three seasons in the Southern league before the extra expense involved and increased travelling took its toll, forcing them to drop down back to the Western League. During their time in the Southern League, the club set an all-time FA Cup record, when in 1973–74 they played thirteen FA Cup games in a single season – as a result of playing numerous replays in qualifying rounds including needing five games to beat Falmouth Town and four more to beat Trowbridge Town in the next round.^[4] With the subsequent abandonment of second and further replays, this record will never be beaten again. Two more Western League titles followed in the early 1980s, before a financial crisis hit the club. A re-formation took place in 1987, of the club leading to the current setup, a company limited by guarantee, under the revised company name Bideford AFC (1987) Ltd.^[2]

Under the chairmanship of Jim McElwee, and then Paul Mitchell, the club won four more Western League titles since 2000, and have also made the FA Vase semi-finals, where they lost to Winchester City.^[4] Despite winning the Western League four times, under Manager Sean Joyce, between 2000 to 2006, the club elected not to apply for promotion to the Southern League due to the amount of travelling and expense that would be involved in playing teams which, almost without exception, would be over 100 miles away.^[2]

However after winning the Western League again for the 10th time in the 2009/10 season and winning the Devon St Lukes Bowl where they beat Exeter City 2–1 in the Final.^[4][5] Bideford AFC accepted promotion to the Southern League in May 2010, joining Division One South & West. In their second season in Division One South & West the club gained promotion to the Southern League Premier Division as champions.^[6]

Seasons

This is 5 recent Bideford seasons for a full history look List of Bideford A.F.C. seasons

Ground

The Sports Ground

Bideford play their games at The Sports Ground, Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2LH.

Players

First-team squad

According to the official site.^[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Kyle Moore DF Danny Harrison DF Nick Milton DF Danny Tapp DF Nick Barker DF Ian Sampson DF Ed Palmer DF Chris McGrath DF George Swain MF Sean Downing MF Ben Wood MF Matt Andrew

No. Position Player MF Adam Copp MF Stephen Reed MF Sam Chaney (on loan from Torquay United) MF Richard Groves MF Matthew Hockley FW Jamie Chamberlain FW Kevin Squire FW Billy Tucker FW Jordan Charran FW Angus Wilson FW Joe Barker

Sponsorship

During the 2010/2011 season the first team were sponsored by Morrisons and in the 2011/2012 season by the Bideford & District Post, a local monthly newspaper; they are now sponsored by the Children's Hospice South West. The youth team has a number of clothing sponsors including Tesco and Sloman's removals.

Youth teams

At the start of the 2011/2012 season Bideford AFC launched 3 youth teams, an under 11s team, an under 13s team and an under 15s team. The youth teams play in the North Devon Youth League and train on the astro turf pitch at the nearby Bideford College.

Other teams

The club's reserve team plays in the Premier Division of the North Devon Football League. The Academy team (founded in 2014) competes in the North Devon League. There is also a ladies team which plays in the local Sunday league; the chairwoman, and manager, is Vanessa Saunders.

Club officials

• President: Jimmy McElwee
• Honorary vice-president: Kevin Keegan
• Chairman: Roy Portch
• Directors: Ian Knight & Kevin Tyrell
• Commercial Manager: Darren Hollyoak
• Media Manager: Liam Curtis

First team

• First team manager: Sean Joyce
• First team assistant manager: Rob Dray
• General Manager Steve Massey
• Physiotherapist: Tony Beal

Other teams

• Reserve team manager: Dean Johns
• Ladies team manager: Vanessa Saunders

Youth teams

• Youth Chairman: Bob Lovelace
• Vice Chairman / Team Manager: Quinton Davies
• Youth Secretary: Neil Blackburn
• Head Coach and Welfare Officer: Pete North
• Bideford under 9s team coach : Gary Bedler
• Bideford under 11s team coaches : Neil Armstrong and Craig Poole
• Bideford under 13s team coach : Chris Smailes
• Bideford under 15s team coach: Mark Floyd
• Bideford under 18s team coach: Peter North

Commercial staff

• Marketing consultant: Mike Lee
• Football secretary: Kevin Tyrrell
• Tannoy and announcer: Barry Weston
• Assistant editor: Ron Ackland

Supporters' club

• Chairman: Mike Bell
• Vice-chairman: Michael Lee
• Secretary: John Henderson
• Treasurer: Raymond Taylor

Honours

League

• Southern Football League Division One South & West^[6]
  • Winners(1): 2011–12
• Western League:^[4]
  • Winners (9): 1963–64, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1981–82, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10
  • Runners-up (6): 1962–63, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1984–85
• Western League Division Two:^[4]
  • Winners (1): 1951–52
• Western League Division Three: 1^[4]
  • Winners (1):1949–50

Cups

• Devon St Lukes Bowl:^[5]
  • Winners (5): 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1995–96, 2009–10
  • Runners-up (3): 1986–87, 1993–94, 1994–95
• Devon Professional Cup:
  • Winners (8):1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1973–74
• Western Football League Cup:^[8][9]
  • Winners (4):1971–72, 1984–85, 2001–02, 2003–04
• Western Football League Alan Young Cup:^[10]
  • Winners (2): 1964–65, 1969–70

Records

• Highest League Position:^[4] 1st in Southern League Division One South & West 2011–12
• FA Cup best performance:^[4] First round 1964–65, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1981–82
• FA Trophy best performance:^[4] Second round 1969–70
• FA Vase best performance:^[4] Semi-Final 2003–04
• Record home win: 16–1 v Soundwell, 1950–51
• Record home loss: 1–10 v Taunton Townl, 1998–99
• Record away win: 10–0 v Melksham, 2003–04
• Record attendance: 5,975 v Gloucester City, FA Cup, 1949

Former players

1. Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps.

Season-by-season record

References

External links

• Official club site
• multimap.com map of ground location

Coordinates: 51°1′18.840″N 4°12′31.410″W / 51.02190000°N 4.20872500°W / 51.02190000; -4.20872500