Bromsgrove Sporting F.C.

Bromsgrove Sporting

Full name	Bromsgrove Sporting Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Rouslers
Founded	2009
Ground	Victoria Ground Bromsgrove
Capacity	3,500 (2017 Limit) 4,893
Owner	Bromsgrove Sporting Supporters' Trust (2009–present)
Chairman	Mike Burke
Manager	Brendan Kelly
League	Southern League Division One Central
2017–18	Midland League Premier Division, 1st of 22 (promoted)
Home colours Away colours

Bromsgrove Sporting F.C. are 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 Division One Central.

History

Bromsgrove Sporting club was founded in 2009 as a supporters consortium with the plan to buy Bromsgrove Rovers and take them out of administration. When another owner was found for Rovers it was decided to create a new club instead. 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.^[1] However in August 2010, Bromsgrove Rovers were expelled from the Southern League, thus allowing Sporting sole use of the Victoria Ground. The Rovers club was subsequently dissolved.

For season 2012–13 Bromsgrove Sporting were promoted to the Midland Football Combination Premier Division due to a reorganisation of that league.^[2]

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.

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 10th April 2018 when a crowd of 1,423 saw them beat ground tenants Worcester City 2-1 in the Midland Football League Premier Division. The away fixture against Worcester on 26 December 2017 (also played at the Victoria Ground) attracted 1,672 fans. Before the Cleethorpes 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. The club was the 49th best-supported team in Non-League football.

Current first team squad

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

No. Position Player GK Jono Brown GK Reece Francis DF Marcel Simpson DF Harry Higginson DF Aaron Roberts DF Tom Rankin DF Jack Wilson DF Daniel Morris DF Josh Quaynor DF Craig Jones (captain) DF Tom Taylor

No. Position Player MF Nathan Hayward MF Jack Cresswell MF R'Mar Murray MF Danny Jackman MF John Pykett MF Charlie Dowd MF Liam Armstrong MF Liam Spink MF William Shorrock FW Richard Gregory FW Ashanti Pryce FW Cameron Peters FW Jason Cowley

Forward Jason Cowley holds the club's all-time competitive goals record with 75 in 89 appearances, and defender Aaron Roberts holds the record for the most competitive appearances for the club, with 210 to date.(As at 30 April 2018).

Seasons

Management

Victoria Ground clubhouse

Current technical staff

Name	Nationality	Role
Brendan Kelly	Ireland	First Team Manager
Andy Mason	England	Assistant Manager
Kevin Barry	England	First Team Coach
Emma Waters	England	Sports Therapist/ Physio
Alan Horton	England	U18 Youth Team Manager
Dave Smith	England	U21 Manager
Jon Daniels	England	U21 Assistant Manager

Current club officials

Name	Nationality	Role
John Teece	England	book keeper
Dave Stephens	England	Football Secretary
Phil Baker	England	PR & Liaison Officer
Mike Burke	England	Chairman
David 'Shep' Sheppherd	England	Apprentice Groundsman
Stephen 'The Rev' Levett	England	Club chaplain

Previous managers