Bromsgrove Sporting F.C.

Bromsgrove Sporting Football Club is a football club based in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England. The club was founded in 2009 and played their first season, 2010–11, in Midland Football Combination Division Two, where they ended third. The club currently play in the Southern League Premier Division Central.

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Bromsgrove Sporting
Full nameBromsgrove Sporting Football Club
Nickname(s)The Rouslers
Founded2009 (2009)
GroundVictoria Ground
Capacity3,500 (2017 Limit) 4,893
OwnerBromsgrove Sporting Supporters' Trust (2009–present)
ChairmanMike Burke
ManagerGavin Hurren
LeagueSouthern League Premier Division Central
2021–22Southern League Premier Division Central, 18th of 21
WebsiteClub website

History

Bromsgrove Sporting club was founded in 2009 as a supporters consortium with the plan to buy Bromsgrove Rovers, and to take that football club out of administration. The supporters trust had become dissatisfied with the ownership and chairmanship of Tom Herbert, who had taken the club into administration. The administrator identified and preferred another potential buyer for the Rovers club (who it had been suggested had links to Tom Herbert,[2] and who subsequently failed to pay the agreed purchase money and was later made bankrupt by the administrator).[3] The consortium took it upon themselves to create a team to safeguard non-league football in Bromsgrove. On 2 June 2010 Sporting were offered the lease of the Victoria Ground, after they had promised to make the ground available for Bromsgrove Rovers fixtures too.[4] In August 2010, Bromsgrove Rovers were expelled from the Southern League, despite Sporting agreeing to make the Victoria Ground available,[5] and the Rovers club was subsequently dissolved. Bromsgrove Sporting thus inherited sole use of the Victoria Ground.

After high finishes in their first few seasons, and league re-organisations which led to their elevation from Midland Football Combination Division Two and Division One, for season 2012–13 Bromsgrove Sporting were promoted to the Midland Football Combination Premier Division.[6]

On 10 May 2014, in front of a crowd of 414 at the Victoria Ground, Bromsgrove, Sporting's first team lifted their first piece of silverware, recording a 4–1 victory over Paget Rangers in the final of the Smedley Crooke Memorial Charity Cup with goals by Danny Ludlow (2) & Billy Russell (2).

As of season 2014–15 the league was rebranded Midland Football League (MFL) after the Midland Football Combination merged with the Midland Alliance. Sporting played that season in the First Division of the MFL.

Bromsgrove gained a reputation for being the perennial bridesmaids, finishing 2nd for three consecutive years prior to 2016–17 in a league that offers just the one promotion place. However the 2016–17 season saw the club finish as champions and thus gaining promotion to the MFL Premier Division at last, becoming 'invincibles' in the process as the side remained unbeaten in the league. Sporting also reached the semi finals of the F.A. Vase, before being edged out 2–1 on aggregate by Cleethorpes Town one game from Wembley. Season 2017–18 saw Sporting become champions of the MFL Premier Division at their first attempt, thus achieving back to back promotions and securing a place in the Southern League Division One Central for season 2018–19. The club also won The Worcestershire FA Senior Urn for the second successive season.

The 2018-19 season saw The Rouslers finish in second place to Peterborough Sports, but after winning the Division One Central Play-Off Semi-Final against Sutton Coldfield 3-2 AET and the Final against Corby Town 4-3 AET in front of a crowd of 2,943 at the Victoria Ground, Sporting were once again promoted, to the Southern League Premier Central Division, for the 2019-20 season. The Southern League curtailed fixtures for that season following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. Sporting were in 4th place in the Division at that point with 10 matches remaining unplayed. Season 2020-21 was also curtailed, after just eight league matches, for the same reason. However Sporting did manage to secure the Red Recruitment Trophy, a one-off local initiative played between Worcestershire-based Non-League Step 3 teams, beating Alvechurch 1-0 in the Final in May 2021. '

Season 2021-22 (the club's 12th season and the first completed in full after the lifting of pandemic restrictions) saw a dramatic reversal in Sporting's fortunes on the field. Mixed results in the team's Southern League matches saw them in 11th position by mid-October. However a heavy home defeat by National League Grimsby Town in a televised FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round fixture was followed by a run of adverse league results such that by mid-March 2022, after a home defeat by Biggleswade Town, Sporting slid into the relegation zone. Something never experienced before for a club used to continued success on the field. The team rallied however and gained enough points in subsequent matches to move to safety, finishing the league season in 18th position. Some 40 different players had turned out for the club at some point during the season, with an almost constant turnover in playing personnel.

Attendances

Being the in-spirit replacement of Bromsgrove Rovers, Sporting had a much higher average attendance than the other teams in the Midland Football League. Their inaugural season had a home average attendance of 293 and their average for 2016–17 was 671. This increased again in 2017–18 (league and cup combined) to 721.

Sporting's record home attendance was on 11 March 2017 where 3,349 attended the FA Vase Semi-Final first leg match against Cleethorpes Town. The return leg a week later at Cleethorpes attracted a crowd of 1,154. Sporting's record home league attendance at the Victoria Ground to date was on 11 January 2020 when a crowd of 1,764 saw them beat Tamworth 1–0 in a Southern League Premier Central Division fixture. An away fixture in the MFL against ground tenants Worcester City on 26 December 2017 (also played at the Victoria Ground) attracted 1,672 fans. As mentioned above, although not strictly a 'home' fixture the Southern League Division One Central play-off final on 6 May 2019 attracted 2,943 supporters to the Victoria Ground. Before the Cleethorpes FA Vase match the best attended match Sporting had been involved in away from the Victoria Ground was 550 in the final of the Les James Challenge Cup on 6 May 2015 at Bescot Stadium, where they beat Southam United 3–2, with "The Rouslers" taking approximately 450 fans to Walsall.. In 2017–18 the Worcestershire FA Senior Urn final against Lye Town at Kidderminster's Aggborough Stadium, won by Bromsgrove on penalties, attracted 642 spectators.

In 2016–17 Sporting played at Step Six of the non-league pyramid, and had the highest average league attendance of any team at that level in the country. This achievement was repeated in 2017–18 at pyramid Step Five level with home league attendances averaging 777, and again in 2018-19 at Step Four level with home league gates averaging 952 (boosted to 1,090 with the inclusion of the play-off games), making Bromsgrove Sporting the 43rd best-supported team in non-League football. In the curtailed 2019-20 season at Step Three level (Southern League Premier Central Division) Sporting's 17 home league matches attracted an average of 979 supporters.

Despite the team's adverse results, the completed 2021-22 season saw only a modest reduction in home attendances, with the 27 league and cup matches at the Victoria Ground attracting an average of 849 supporters. The highest attendance was 3,219 for the FA Cup match against Grimsby Town.

Players

Current squad

As of 25 March 2022 [7]

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

Pos. Nation Player
GK  ENG Aaron Clayton
GK  ENG Adam Marusiak (player-goalkeeper coach)
GK  ENG Ollie Taylor
DF  ENG Jake Bloomer
DF  ENG JJ Cole
DF  ENG Josh Dugmore
DF  ENG Cody Fisher
DF  ENG Joel Kettle (captain)
DF  ENG Michael McGrath
DF  ESP Roque Nchaso
DF  ENG Dominic Perkins
DF  ENG Toby Raison (on loan from Hereford)
DF  JAM David Solademi
DF  ENG Liam Spink
DF  WAL Tom Taylor
DF  ENG Charlie Wise
Pos. Nation Player
MF  ENG Emmitt Delfouneso
MF  ENG Kieran Dunbar
MF  ENG Jordan Goddard
MF  ENG Nathan Hayward
MF  ENG Jack Newell
MF  ENG Josh Quaynor
MF  POR Miro Pais
MF  ENG Will Shorrock
MF  ENG Joe Willis (on loan from Walsall)
FW  ENG Matthew Barnes-Homer
FW  ENG Mitchell Candlin
FW  ENG Callum Ebanks (on loan from Cheltenham Town)
FW  ENG Jonathan Letford
FW  ENG Jamie Molyneux
FW  ENG Jordan Wilson (on dual registration to Ashby Ivanhoe)

The Southern Football League does not use a squad numbering system.

Management and coaching staff

Victoria Ground clubhouse

Boardroom

As of 20 May 2021 [7]
Position Name
Chairman Mike Dork
Football Secretary Dave Stephens
Director of Football Graham Scott
PR & Liaison Officer Phil Baker
Accountants Taylor & Co Accountants
Utilities David Sheppard
Club Chaplain Stephen Levett
Club Doctor Jerome Wallington

Current staff

Position Name
Manager VACANT
Assistant Manager/First Team Coach Gary Birch
Player-Goalkeeper Coach Adam Marusiak
Sports Therapist/Physio Faye Westlake

Managerial history

Period Manager
2010 Myles Day
2010–2011 Stewart Brighton
2011–2013 Keith Draper
2013 Graham Scott
2013–2014 Adrian Mander
2014 Graham Scott (caretaker manager)
2014–2018 Paul Smith
2018–2021 Brendan Kelly
2021– Gavin Hurren

Seasons

Season Division Pos P W D L F A GD Pts FA Cup FA Vase Other Cups Notes Manager
2010–11 12 Midland Football Combination Division 2 3rd 30 20 4 6 82 27 +55 64 R1,R1 Inaugural season. Promoted to Division 1 after league reorganisation Myles Day / Stewart Brighton
2011–12 11 Midland Football Combination Division 1 3rd 34 19 8 7 94 44 +50 65 R2,Final, R2, SF Promoted to Premier Division after league reorganisation Stewart Brighton / Keith Draper
2012–13 10 Midland Football Combination Premier Division 6th 34 18 6 10 73 54 +19 57 R3,SF, R3, SF Keith Draper / Graham Scott
2013–14 10 Midland Football Combination Premier Division 2nd 34 23 3 8 92 35 +57 72 R1 SF, SF, Won Graham Scott / Adrian Mander
2014–15 10 Midland Football League Division 1 2nd 38 27 5 6 121 41 +80 86 PR R3 Won,

R2, R1

Adrian Mander / Paul Smith
2015–16 10 Midland Football League Division 1 2nd 38 29 4 5 102 41 +61 91 PR R1 R2

Final Final

Paul Smith
2016–17 10 Midland Football League Division 1 1st 38 33 5 0 132 23 +109 104 PR SF R1

Won SF

Promoted to Midland Football League Premier Division Paul Smith
2017–18 9 Midland Football League Premier 1st 42 31 5 6 110 50 +60 98 PR R5 R2

R3 Won

Promoted to Southern Football League Division One Central Paul Smith / Brendan Kelly

See also

References

  1. https://bromsgrovesporting.co.uk
  2. "Ward set to lead new-look Rovers". Worcester News. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  3. "Bankruptcy petition filed against Bromsgrove Rovers chairman". Bromsgrove Advertiser. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  4. Lease offered to Bromsgrove Sporting (3 June 2010)
  5. "Bromsgrove seal vital lease deal". 23 July 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  6. Premier Division Football
  7. "The Team". Bromsgrove Sporting F.C. Retrieved 25 March 2022.

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