Bromsgrove Sporting F.C.

Bromsgrove Sporting F.C. 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.

Bromsgrove Sporting
Full nameBromsgrove Sporting Football Club
Nickname(s)The Rouslers
Founded2009
GroundVictoria Ground
Capacity3,500 (2017 Limit) 4,893
OwnerBromsgrove Sporting Supporters' Trust (2009–present)
ChairmanMike Burke
ManagerBrendan Kelly
LeagueSouthern League Premier Division Central
2019–20Southern League Premier Division Central (season abandoned)

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,[1] and who subsequently failed to pay the agreed purchase money and was later made bankrupt by the administrator).[2] 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.[3] In August 2010, Bromsgrove Rovers were expelled from the Southern League, despite Sporting agreeing to make the Victoria Ground available,[4] 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.[5]

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.

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.

Players

Current squad
As of 17 July 2020 [6]

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 Max Beardmore
GK  ENG Jake Marsden
GK  ENG Daniel Platt
DF  ENG Josh Ezewele
DF  ENG Harry Higginson
DF  ENG Liam Spink
DF  WAL Tom Taylor (captain)
DF  ENG Jack Wilson
MF  ENG Nathan Binner
MF  ENG Leon Broadhurst
MF  ENG Charlie Dowd
Pos. Nation Player
MF  ENG Nathan Hayward
MF  ENG Tom Massey
MF  ENG Gift Mussa
MF  ENG Josh Quaynor
MF  ENG Will Shorrock
MF  ENG Kieren Westwood
FW  ENG Sam Collins
FW  IRL Jamie Gray
FW  ENG Chris Lait
FW  ENG Michael Taylor

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

Out of contract

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

Pos. Nation Player
MF  ENG Lewis Chester
MF  ENG Correy Davidson
FW  ENG Matt Higgins
Pos. Nation Player
FW  ENG Cameron Peters
FW  ENG Owain Taylor

Management
Victoria Ground clubhouse

Current technical staff
Name Nationality Role
Brendan Kelly IrelandFirst Team Manager
Andy Mason EnglandAssistant Manager
Leigh McCaffery EnglandKitman
Jon Ware EnglandFirst Team Scout
Faye Westlake EnglandSports Therapist/ Physio
Alan Horton EnglandU18 Youth Team Manager

Current club officials and previous managers

Previous managers
Name Nationality Role
Taylor and Co Accountants EnglandAccountants
Dave Stephens EnglandFootball Secretary
Phil Baker EnglandPR & Liaison Officer
Mike Burke EnglandChairman
Max Banner EnglandMedia Officer
Rob Birch EnglandBars Manager
David 'Shep' Sheppard EnglandApprentice Groundsman
Stephen 'The Rev' Levett EnglandClub chaplain
Jerome ‘Doc' Wallington EnglandClub Doctor

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