Cambridge City F.C.
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| Full name | Cambridge City Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Lilywhites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1908 (as Cambridge Town) |
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| Ground | City Ground, Cambridge (Capacity 3,000 (1,000 seated)) |
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| Chairman | Kevin Satchell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Gary Roberts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Southern League Premier Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007-08 | Conference South, 14th (demoted) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.
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[edit] History
The club was founded in 1908 as 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, but 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 F.C.[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.
In the 1960s and early 1970s Cambridge City were a dominant force, commanding the highest attendances in non-league football.[citation needed] 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 F.C. were elected into the Football League in 1970,[2] and from that point City struggled to attract as many supporters to their games as their cross-city rivals - by the early 1980s, the club were attracting fewer than 200 supporters to each game.[citation needed] 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 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 one of the directors' companies, York Development. The board announced that it was to scrap the first team and make the reserve team into a feeder for Cambridge United.[3] This prompted the formation of a supporters' trust, who within weeks had taken over the running of the club.[3] The trust took York Developments to court, where it was ruled that the club were victims of fraudulent misrepresentation,[4] though the original deal was not overturned.[5]
In May 2008 City were demoted from the Conference South, after their ground failed an FA inspection, to the Southern League Premier Division, where they will kick-off the 2008–09 season.[6]
[edit] Colours & badge
Cambridge City have traditionally played in white shirts, leading to the club being nicknamed "The Lilywhites", but they currently play in white and black striped shirts, white shorts and white socks. Their current away strip is sky blue shirts, navy 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.
[edit] Stadium
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For more details on this topic, see City Ground, Cambridge.
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 1km north of the city centre. The ground was one of the largest outside the football league and was estimated to have a capacity in excess of 20,000, although the highest recorded attendance was 12,058 against Leytonstone on 11th Feb 1950. The capacity is currently 3,000.
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.[4]
[edit] First-team squad
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[edit] Honours & records
- Southern League
- Champions 1962–63
- Southern League Southern Division
- Champions 1985–86
- FA Cup
- 2nd round 2004–05
- FA Trophy
- 5th round 2004–05, 2005–06
- FA Amateur Cup
- Semi-final 1927–28
[edit] Reserve team
Cambridge City Reserves F.C. joined the Eastern Counties Football 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 F.C..
- 1959-60 Joined Eastern Counties League
- 1961-62 Runners-up
- 1963-64 Joined Metropolitan League
- 1965-66 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
- 1966 Left Eastern Counties League
- 1973-74 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
- 1976 Left Eastern Counties League
- 1991-92 Rejoined Eastern Counties League, in Division One
- 1995 Left Eastern Counties League
- 1996-97 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
- 1998 Left Eastern Counties League
- 1999-00 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
- 2003-04 Eastern Counties League Division One Champions; Promoted to Premier Division
- Best league position: 2nd in Eastern Counties League, 1961-62[8]
[edit] Source
- Cambridge City at the Football Club History Database
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Cambridge City FC - history. www.cambridgecity.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-01-22.
- ^ Cambridge United Potted History. www.cambridge-united.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-04-30.
- ^ a b History - How Did The Trust Come About?. Cambridge City FC Supporters Trust. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
- ^ a b High Court Success for City. Non-League Daily (2007-09-20). Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
- ^ The supporters who took on a property developer and won (2007-10-03). Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
- ^ Cambridge City fail in FA appeal. BBC Sport Online (2008-05-28). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Players First Team Squad:Season 2008-09. www.cambridgecityfc.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
- ^ Cambridge City Reserves at the Football Club History Database
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Cambridge City Supporters Trust Website
- CCFC Fans Forum
- Unofficially City Fan Site
- Cambridge City on Myspace
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