Sittingbourne F.C.
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| Full name | Sittingbourne Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Brickies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Bourne Park Central Park Complex Sittingbourne, Kent (Capacity 3,000) |
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| Chairman | Andy Spice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Gary Abbott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Isthmian League Division One South |
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| 2007-08 | Isthmian League Division One South, 9th [1] |
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Sittingbourne F.C. are a football club based in Sittingbourne, Kent, England. They were established in 1886 and were founder members of the Kent League. They have reached the 2nd round of the FA Cup at least twice in their history. They are currently playing in the Isthmian League Division One South.
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[edit] History
Although an earlier Sittingbourne United club had been playing since as early as 1881, Sittingbourne F.C. traces its lineage to 1886 when the club was reorganised under the new name. The club moved to a field behind the Bull pub in 1892, where they were to remain for nearly 100 years. Senior status was acquired in 1893, and the following year the club joined the first incarnation of the Kent League. They were league champions on at least one occasion,[2] before withdrawing to enter the South Eastern League in 1905.
After World War I the club rejoined the Kent League, where they played until 1927 when they joined the Southern League. In 1930 they left this league and it is unclear where they played next. After World War II the Brickies rejoined the Kent League once again, where they were champions in 1957-58 and 1958-59. After the second title win they rejoined the Southern League, but after a promising start their performances declined and in 1966-67, after finishing bottom, they dropped out to join the newly-formed Kent Premier League (a successor to the original Kent League, which had folded, and soon to be renamed the Kent League itself).
Sittingbourne were Kent League champions in 1975-76, 1983-84 and 1990-91, the third title win earning them a place back in the Southern League. In 1992-93, by now playing at the new Central Park ground, they won promotion to the Southern League Premier Division, however a financial crisis led to relegation two years later. Although the team bounced back, winning the Southern Division title at the first attempt, they were relegated again in 1998 as the club hovered on the brink of being wound up completely. A move out of Central Park and a drastic reduction in the playing budget saw the Brickies through their troubles, but they flirted with relegation back to the Kent League for a number of years, only finishing in the top half of the table on one occasion in the next eight seasons.
In 2006 a re-organisation of the English football league system saw Sittingbourne moved into the Isthmian League, starting in Division One South.
[edit] Club records
- Best league performance: 8th in Southern League Premier Division (then Step 2), 1993-94 and 1996-97
- Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round proper, 1925-26 and 1928-29
- Best FA Trophy performance: 2nd round proper, 1998-99
- Best FA Vase performance: 4th round, 1992-93 [1]
[edit] Ground
Sittingbourne played at The Bull Ground until 1990 when they sold the site for £4.5 million and built the new Central Park ground, but chronic overspending on the new ground caused the club financial difficulties and they were forced to sell the ground to the local council and lease it back. The ground was eventually leased to a company which ran greyhound racing events, who allowed the football club to sign a seven-year lease (a requirement of the Southern League) but the club found it hard to guarantee the availability of the stadium due to the racing.[3]
In 2002 the club agreed to move out of the main stadium and construct a new ground on the site of the former training pitches. One stand was relocated from the main stadium and a second temporary stand added. Floodlighting and a new clubhouse have since been added.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Sittingbourne at the Football Club History Database
- ^ The club's own website says they won the league in 1897-98, however The Football Club History Database and RSSSF both say they came third.
- ^ a b History page from the club's official website
[edit] External links
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