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Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club in
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the
English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...
. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National League. Rovers was founded in 1883 as Black Arabs F.C. and entered the Bristol & District League as Eastville Rovers in 1892. They moved to Eastville Stadium in 1897, when they joined the Birmingham & District League. Two years later, now called Bristol Rovers, they joined the Southern League. Rovers won the Southern League in 1904–05 and were admitted to the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
in 1920. They were allocated to the Third Division South, and remained there until winning promotion as champions in 1952–53. They recorded their highest Football League position, sixth place in the Second Division, in each of the 1955–56 and 1958–59 seasons. Rovers were relegated in 1962. Promoted as Third Division runners-up in 1973–74, they spent another seven seasons in the second tier until relegation in 1981. Following the sale of the land at Eastville in 1986, the club spent ten years at
Twerton Park Twerton Park is a association football, football stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, Somerset, Bath, England. It has a physical capacity of 8,840, containing 1,006 seats. It is currently the home of Bath City F.C., who have played there si ...
in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
. Rovers won the Third Division title in 1989–90, and spent three seasons in the second tier before relegation in 1993. In 1996, the club relocated to its current home venue at the Memorial Stadium in
Horfield Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monk ...
. Another relegation took the team down to the fourth tier ahead of the 2001–02 season. Rovers won the 2007 Football League Two play-off final, but relegations in 2011 and 2014 saw the club drop into the Conference Premier. They finished second in the Conference under the stewardship of Darrell Clarke and immediately regained their Football League status with victory in the 2015 Conference Premier play-off final. They followed up this success by gaining promotion out of League Two at the end of the 2015–16 season. They were relegated from the third tier in 2020–21 but returned at the first attempt, claiming the final automatic promotion spot to League One. In 2024–25, they finished 22nd of the 24 clubs, and will return to League Two in 2025–26. The club's official nickname is "The Pirates", reflecting the maritime history of Bristol, but they are known locally as "The Gas", derived from the
gasworks A gasworks or gas house is an industrial plant for the production of flammable gas. Many of these have been made redundant in the developed world by the use of natural gas, though they are still used for storage space. Early gasworks Coal ...
next to their former home, Eastville Stadium. "The Gas" was originally a derogatory term used by fans of neighbouring Bristol City, but it was affectionately adopted by the club and its supporters. Matches between the two Bristol clubs are known as the Bristol Derby. Besides their various divisional titles and promotions, Rovers have won the Gloucestershire Cup 32 times. They won the Third Division South Cup in 1932, the Watney Cup in 1972, and have been
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
finalists twice.


History


Early years

The club was formed following a meeting at the Eastville Restaurant in Bristol in September 1883. It was initially called Black Arabs F.C., after the Arabs rugby team and the predominantly black kits in which they played. This name only lasted for the 1883–84 season, and in a bid to draw more fans from the local area the club was renamed Eastville Rovers in 1884. The club played only friendly games until the 1887–88 season, when it took part in the Gloucestershire Cup for the first time. In 1892, the club became a founder member of the Bristol and District League, which three years later was renamed the Western League. In 1897, Eastville Rovers joined the Birmingham and District League, and for two seasons played in both this league and the Western League. At the beginning of the 1897–98 season, the club turned professional and changed its name to Bristol Eastville Rovers, and, on 17 February 1899, the name was officially changed to Bristol Rovers. In 1899, Bristol Rovers joined the newly formed Southern League, where they remained until 1920, winning the league title along the way in 1905.


Into the Football League

For the 1920–21 season, the Southern League teams were moved into the new Division Three of the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
, which became Division Three (South) the following season. They remained in this division for over 30 years, before winning the league, and promotion in the 1952–53 season. The team has won promotion on six other occasions: in 1973–74 from the Third Division to the Second Division, again in 1989–90 as Division Three champions, in 2006–07 to the Football League One, in 2014–15 to League Two from the Conference Premier, in 2015–16 to League One and then in 2021-22 to League One from League Two. The club has been relegated eight times—in 1961–62, 1980–81, 1992–93, 2000–01, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2020–21 and most recently at the end of the 2024–25 season. The highest position in the football ladder reached by Rovers at the end of season is sixth place in the second tier, which they achieved twice; once in 1955–56, and again in 1958–59. The closest they came to the top flight was in 1955–56, when they ended the season just four points below the promotion positions. The lowest league position achieved by the club is twenty-third out of twenty-four teams in the fourth tier, which has occurred twice. In the 2001–02 season, relegation from the Football League was narrowly avoided on two counts; firstly they ended just one league position above the relegation zone, and secondly the rules were changed the following season to increase the number of relegation places to two, meaning that if Rovers had finished in that position one year later they would have been relegated. This position was matched at the end of the 2013–14 season, which this time saw Rovers relegated to the Conference for the first time. They returned to the league at the end of their first Conference season, with a
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
victory over
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
in the play-off final. In February 2016, it was announced that a 92% stake in the club had been bought by the Jordanian al-Qadi family, and that Wael al-Qadi, a member of the
Jordan Football Association The Jordan Football Association (JFA; ) is the governing body for football in Jordan. Board members *President: Prince Ali Bin Hussein Current partners * Financial trading partner: CFI Financial Group * Official bank: Arab Bank * Official ...
, would become the president. Since 2016, the club has been owned by Dwane Sports Ltd, with 92.6% of the shares, while Bristol Rovers Supporters Club owns the remaining 7.4%. In May 2016, the club recorded a second consecutive promotion by finishing in the final automatic promotion position in League Two after a 92nd-minute goal secured victory over Dagenham and Redbridge and Accrington Stanley failed to win on the final day of the season. It marked the first time Rovers had reached the third tier of English Football since relegation in 2011. In June 2020, it was announced that president Wael al-Qadi had bought a controlling stake in Dwane Sports Ltd, after he bought the shares of other members of his family, while it was also announced that the club's debt would be capitalised and a new training facility would begin construction at Hortham Lane,
Almondsbury Almondsbury () is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the A38 road in the Avon Green Belt north of Bristol city centre. It is adjacent to junction 16 of the M5 motorway and Almondsbury Interc ...
, which is close to the
M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
. Rovers have owned the site formerly known as 'The Colony' and re-branded by the club 'The Quarters' since 2017, and, in June 2020, the club announced that it would be ready for the beginning of the 2020–21 season. On 3 August 2023,
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
i businessman Hussain AlSaeed bought a controlling 55% share in Dwane Sports, the
holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...
for the football club, thus becoming chairman. As part of the
takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are publicly listed, in contrast to the acquisi ...
, all debt owed to the company was capitalised. On 22 November 2024, AlSaeed reached an agreement to purchase the remaining 45% of shares owned by both Wael and Samer al-Qadi, the acquisition to be completed over an eighteen-month period.


Cup competitions

The only major cup competition won by Bristol Rovers is the 1972 Watney Cup, when they beat Sheffield United in the final. The club also won the Division Three (South) Cup in 1934–35, as well as winning or sharing the Gloucestershire Cup on 32 occasions. The team has never played in European competition; the closest Rovers came was when they missed out on reaching the international stage of the
Anglo-Italian Cup The Anglo-Italian Cup (, also known as the Anglo-Italian Inter-League Clubs Competition and from 1976 to 1986 as the Alitalia Challenge Cup, Talbot Challenge Cup or Gigi Peronace Memorial) was a European football competition. The competition was ...
in the 1992–93 season on a coin toss held over the phone with
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. In the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, Rovers have reached the quarter-final stage on three occasions. The first time was in 1950–51 when they faced
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
at
St James' Park St James' Park is a Association football, football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United F.C., Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,305, it is the List of football stadiums in England, 8th la ...
in front of a crowd of 62,787, the record for the highest attendance at any Bristol Rovers match. The second time they reached the quarter final was in 1957–58, when they lost to
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
, and the most recent appearance at this stage of the competition was during the 2007–08 season, when they faced
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
. They were the first Division Three team to win an FA Cup tie away to a
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
side, when in 2002 they beat Derby County 3–1 at Pride Park Stadium. They have twice reached the final of the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
, in 1989–90 and 2006–07, but finished runners-up on both occasions. On the second occasion they did not allow a single goal against them in the competition ''en route'' to the final, but conceded the lead less than a minute after the final kicked off.


Rivalries

Bristol Rovers's main rivals are city neighbours Bristol City, with whom they contest the Bristol derby. An in-depth report by the Football Pools in 2008 deemed this rivalry 8th fiercest rivalry in English football. The most recent encounter between the clubs as of March 2025 took place on 4 September 2013, which saw Rovers beaten by City in a
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
tie at Ashton Gate Stadium by a 2–1 scoreline. Other rivals are Newport County and mainly teams from the West Country, such as
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
,
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
, Yeovil Town and Forest Green Rovers. In the past, rivalries also emerged with Severnside rivals Cardiff City known as the Severnside derby. Rovers' most recent meeting against Cardiff was an
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
defeat in August 2024. The last time Cardiff and Bristol Rovers were in the same league was in the 1999–2000 season in the Second Division. The first time Rovers encountered Yeovil was a
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
match in October 2001, which Rovers won via a penalty shoot-out. The most recent encounter between the teams was in the EFL Trophy in October 2018, which Rovers won 2–0. As of September 2024, Rovers last played
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
in October 2022 in the EFL Trophy (a 3–0 win),
Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...
in the 2023–24 League One season, a 3–1 victory, and Forest Green Rovers in the 2022–23 League One season (a 3–1 away victory).


Colours and badge

Bristol Rovers are known for their distinctive blue and white quartered shirts, which they have worn for most of their history. The current home kit consists of a light blue and white quartered shirt and white shorts, while the away kit is mainly grey with black accents. The away strip raises attention for blindness, and features braille on the body. During the 2008–09 season, a special third strip, which was black with a gold sash, and a reproduction of the original ''Black Arab'' shirt, was used for a single match to celebrate the club's 125th anniversary. The team began playing in black shirts with a yellow sash from their foundation in 1883 as Black Arabs F.C. until 1885, by which time they were called Eastville Rovers. For the next fourteen years, until 1899, the team wore blue and white hooped shirts. These were replaced by black and white striped shirts until 1919. When Rovers were admitted to
The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
in 1920 they wore white shirts with blue shorts. These remained the team colours until 1930, when the colours were reversed to blue shirts and white shorts for one season. The blue and white quarters were first worn in 1931, when they were introduced to try to make the players look larger and more intimidating. Rovers continued to wear the quarters for 31 years, until they were replaced by blue pinstripes on a white background. Over the next ten years, Rovers went on to wear blue and white stripes, all blue, and blue shirts with white shorts before returning to the blue and white quarters in 1973, which have remained the colours ever since. During the 1996–97 season, Rovers wore an unpopular striped quartered design, prompting fans to refer to it as the
Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...
bag shirts because of their similarity to the design used for the company's carrier bags. The change in design prompted the Trump''ton Times''
fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...
to change its name to ''Wot, No Quarters?'' The black and gold shirts were also used as the away kit for the 2002–03 season, the club's 120th anniversary. In 2005, Rovers ran an April Fools' joke on their official website, stating that the team's new away strip would be all pink. Although this was intended to be a joke, a number of fans petitioned the club to get the kit made for real, and also suggested that funds raised through the sale of the pink shirts should be donated to a
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
charity. Although the pink shirts were never used in a competitive fixture, they were worn for a pre-season friendly against Plymouth Argyle in 2006. A pirate features on both the club badge and the badge of the supporters club, reflecting the club nickname of The Pirates. Previous club badges have featured a blue and white quartered design, based on the quartered design of the team's jerseys.


Kit suppliers and sponsors

Rovers first used Bukta as an official kit supplier in 1977, and Great Mills as the first kit sponsor followed 1981. Rovers' longest running kit supplier is Errea who supplied the club kits for eleven years (2005–16). The club's longest running kit sponsorship was from local company Cowlin Construction, who sponsored the club for 11 years before ending the deal in 2009. Following the end of the Cowlin deal, sponsors were chosen by raffle, via the 1883 Club. This process lasted nine seasons before the club announced Football INDEX as new sponsors for both home and away kits. In 2019, Utilita become the main shirt sponsors of both the home and away kits for the 2019-2020 season, and the deal was then extended in July 2020 to cover the 2020-2021 season, marking the first time a shirt sponsor had lasted for more than one season since the end of the Cowlin sponsorship in 2009.


Stadium


Grounds

*Purdown – 1883–1884 *Three Acres – 1884–1891 *Schoolmasters Cricket Ground – 1891–1892 * Durdham Down – 1892–1894 *Ridgeway – 1894–1897 * Eastville Stadium – 1897–1986 *
Twerton Park Twerton Park is a association football, football stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, Somerset, Bath, England. It has a physical capacity of 8,840, containing 1,006 seats. It is currently the home of Bath City F.C., who have played there si ...
 – 1986–1996 * The Memorial Stadium – 1996–present


History

Rovers play their home games at the Memorial Stadium in
Horfield Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monk ...
, a ground they formerly shared with Bristol Rugby. The team moved to The Mem, as it is known informally, at the beginning of the 1996–97 season, initially as tenants but purchased it two years later. When Bristol Rovers were known as Black Arabs F.C. in 1883, they played their home games at Purdown, Stapleton. The following year they moved to Three Acres, the precise location of which is not known, but is believed to have been in the Ashley Down area of Bristol, where they remained for seven years. This was followed by brief stays at the Schoolmasters Cricket Ground, Durdham Down and Ridgeway. For the majority of their history, Bristol Rovers have played their home games at the Eastville Stadium, where they remained for a period of 89 years from 1897 to 1986. Financial problems led to the team being forced to leave Eastville, now it is an IKEA Store. Bristol Rovers found a temporary home at Twerton Park, the home of Bath City. They stayed in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
for 10 years, before returning to Bristol in 1996. Rovers also played five home games at Ashton Gate Stadium, home of rivals Bristol City, following a fire which destroyed the South Stand of the Eastville Stadium on the night of the 16–17 August 1980. Rovers returned to Eastville in October 1980. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, some friendly matches were played in Kingswood, and in their early history some games were played at Parson Street, Bedminster In January 2007,
planning permission Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to buil ...
was granted for a new 18,500 capacity
all-seater stadium An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football and Amer ...
to be built on the site of the Memorial Stadium. The project was abandoned after a series of delays. In June 2011, the club announced its intention to relocate the club to a new 21,700 all-seater stadium on the
University of the West of England The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a Public university, public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With more than 39,912 students and 4,300 staff, it is the largest provider of hi ...
's Frenchay campus. The planned UWE Stadium was shelved in August 2017 due to disputes between the club and the university, and attention returned to redeveloping the Memorial Stadium. In 2017, there was a crowd recording at the Memorial Stadium for '' Early Man'', a 2018 Aardaman film. In June 2020, the club began construction of a new training facility at a site on Hortham Lane,
Almondsbury Almondsbury () is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the A38 road in the Avon Green Belt north of Bristol city centre. It is adjacent to junction 16 of the M5 motorway and Almondsbury Interc ...
near the
M5 motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...
. The site is set to include two full size pitches, a goalkeeping area, a gym and a clubhouse building. Having owned the land since 2017, no work had previously been carried out before the club moved into the training ground for the start in October 2020. On 6 April 2023, Conygar Investment Company exchanged contracts with the Wholesale Bristol Fruit Market for the land at St. Philips Marsh, with the football club seeing it was a 'move in the right direction' with regards to a new stadium, having been involved in discussions for years prior. In October 2023, new owner Hussain AlSaeed confirmed that the club's proposed move to the site was off and they would instead be redeveloping the Memorial Stadium.


Supporter culture

The team traditionally draws the majority of its support from north and east
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
and
South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Kingswood, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke. The southern p ...
. Many towns and villages in the surrounding area are also home to significant pockets of Rovers supporters. The nickname given to Bristol Rovers supporters is "Gasheads". "The Gas" was originally coined as a derogatory term by the supporters of Bristol Rovers's rivals Bristol City, and was in reference to the large gas works adjacent to the old Bristol Rovers stadium, in Eastville, Bristol which wafted the sometimes overpowering odour of
town gas Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
across the crowd. "Gasheads" was adopted as a name by a splinter group of Rovers supporters in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. The chant "Proud to be a Gashead" spread to regular fans, and a fanzine was produced called ''The Gashead''. The term "Gasheads" is now universally accepted within the English media and football fraternity as referring to Bristol Rovers supporters. After the club's relegation to the Third Division in 2001, the club designated the squad number 12 to the Gasheads, to signify them as the club's 12th Man in recognition of their loyal support. The retired
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
MP for Hayes and Harlington Terry Dicks was a Bristol Rovers fan. He mentioned the club in parliament ("now struggling in the second division of the Endsleigh league") on 5 May 1994 when debating with Labour MP and Chelsea fan Tony Banks. Other notable fans are local musicians
Roni Size Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. ...
and
Geoff Barrow Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak, and Quakers, and he has scored several films. Portishead was formed in 1991. He named the band after the ...
of Portishead and writer
David Goldblatt David Goldblatt HonFRPS (29 November 1930 – 25 June 2018) was a South African documentary Photographer noted for his dedicated portrayal of the South African peoples within the political landscape of the apartheid era.Weinberg, Paul.David ...
. Former Bristol Rovers player and manager, Ian Holloway, who also managed QPR and
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
as well as featuring as a pundit, is still a big fan of the club. Based on September 2014 statistics released by the
Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...
, the Rovers fan base were named the Most Dangerous English Football fan base for the 2013–2014 season, with 57 arrests on the season, of which 35% were for "violent disorder." Particularly dangerous was the scene on 3 May 2014 when the Rovers were assured relegation from the Football League for the first time. The Rovers fans have good relations with Spanish club CE Sabadell FC, which initially began due to several Rovers fans noticing that the club had the same colours. In July 2016, the clubs played each other in a pre-season match in Spain. One Bristol Rovers print fanzine is currently active and is entitled ''Last Saturday Night''. There is also a fan-run podcast and blog called ''GasCast''.


Club song

The song which is synonymous with Rovers is " Goodnight, Irene", which was written by
Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter ( ; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the ...
. Opinions differ as to how this came about, but it is thought to have become popular in the 1950s when a version of the song was in the British charts—the line "sometimes I have a great notion to jump in the river and drown"—seemed to be particularly apt when Rovers lost, as the Bristol Frome flows alongside the old Eastville ground. It is believed that John Clapham is responsible for the song as he used to work at Eastville stadium for the greyhound racing and the last record he would play at the end of the night was "Goodnight Irene" also having a daughter called Irene, the record would then be left in the player and was played at the football. Another theory is that it was sung at a fireworks display at the Stadium the night before a home game against Plymouth Argyle in the 1950s. During the game the following day, Rovers were winning quite comfortably and the few Argyle supporters present began to leave early prompting a chorus of "Goodnight Argyle" from the Rovers supporters—the tune stuck and "Irene" became the club song. Another popular Bristol Rovers song is "Tote End Boys", which was written and sung by Ben Gunstone. The name derives from the section of Gasheads who stood in the Tote End terrace at Rovers' old home, Eastville Stadium.


Players


Current squad

* * Players marked with a * will leave the club on 30 June 2025 following the expiry of their contracts.


Development squad and Under-18s


Out on loan


Notable former players


Hall of fame

The football club launched its official Hall of Fame in 2021 in partnership with Retro Rovers podcast with the purpose of recognising the players and managers who had had the greatest impact. It was announced that ten people would be inducted in the Hall at a rate of one per week in the first half of 2021, with three added per year thereafter. The first inductee was the club's all-time record goalscorer Geoff Bradford.


Other notable players

This is a list of the other most noted former players at Bristol Rovers Football Club (excluding those listed in the Hall of Fame above) stating the period that each player spent at the club, their nationality and their reason for being listed. To be included in this list a player must have made over 400 league appearances for the club, scored over 100 league goals or hold a club record. :''Note: all details from Byrne & Jay (2003), unless otherwise stated''


Club staff


Club personnel

As of 14 June 2025


Board of directors


Managerial history

36 men have been appointed as a manager of Bristol Rovers Football Club, excluding caretaker managers.
Bobby Gould Robert Alfred Gould (born 12 June 1946) is an English former footballer and manager. Early life Robert Alfred Gould was born in Wyken, Coventry, Warwickshire on Wednesday, 12 June 1946. He is the son of Henry Gould and Helen McKellar Gould ...
, Gerry Francis and John Ward are the only men to have been given the job on a permanent basis twice, although Garry Thompson had a spell as caretaker manager before later being appointed permanently, and Phil Bater was caretaker manager on two occasions. * Alfred Homer 1899–1920 * Ben Hall 1920–21 * Andrew Wilson 1921–26 * Joe Palmer 1926–29 * David McLean 1929–30 * Albert Prince-Cox 1930–36 * Percy Smith 1936–37 * Brough Fletcher 1938–50 * Bert Tann 1950–68 * Fred Ford 1968–69 * Bill Dodgin Sr. 1969–72 * Don Megson 1972–77 * Bobby Campbell 1977–79 * Harold Jarman 1979–80 * Terry Cooper 1980–81 * Ron Gingell 1981 (caretaker) *
Bobby Gould Robert Alfred Gould (born 12 June 1946) is an English former footballer and manager. Early life Robert Alfred Gould was born in Wyken, Coventry, Warwickshire on Wednesday, 12 June 1946. He is the son of Henry Gould and Helen McKellar Gould ...
1981–83 * David Williams 1983–85 *
Bobby Gould Robert Alfred Gould (born 12 June 1946) is an English former footballer and manager. Early life Robert Alfred Gould was born in Wyken, Coventry, Warwickshire on Wednesday, 12 June 1946. He is the son of Henry Gould and Helen McKellar Gould ...
1985–87 * Gerry Francis 1987–91 *
Martin Dobson Martin Dobson (born 14 February 1948) is an English former professional football player and coach. A midfielder who was an England national football team, England international, he was the first player to be transferred for £300,000, when Evert ...
* Dennis Rofe *
Malcolm Allison Malcolm Alexander Allison (5 September 1927 – 14 October 2010) was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora a ...
1992–93 * Steve Cross 1993 (caretaker) * John Ward 1993–96 * Ian Holloway 1996–2001 (player-manager 1996–99) * Garry Thompson 2001 (caretaker) * Gerry Francis 2001 * Garry Thompson 2001–02 * Phil Bater 2002 (caretaker) * Ray Graydon 2002–04 * Phil Bater 2004 (caretaker) * Russell Osman & Kevan Broadhurst 2004 (joint caretakers) * Ian Atkins 2004–05 * Paul Trollope 2005–10 * Darren Patterson 2010–11 (caretaker) *
Dave Penney David Mark Penney (born 17 August 1964) is an English football manager and former player. Born in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, Penney entered professional football at the relatively late age of 21. He had been working as a bricklayer an ...
2011 * Stuart Campbell 2011 (caretaker) * Paul Buckle 2011–12 * Shaun North 2012 (caretaker) *
Mark McGhee Mark Edward McGhee (born 25 May 1957) is a Scottish former professional football player and coach. A former forward, McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and had spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, ...
2012 * John Ward 2012–14 * Darrell Clarke 2014–18 *
Graham Coughlan Graham Coughlan (born 18 November 1974) is an Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre back. He is manager of club Boston United F.C., Boston United. Cou ...
2018–19 (caretaker) *
Graham Coughlan Graham Coughlan (born 18 November 1974) is an Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre back. He is manager of club Boston United F.C., Boston United. Cou ...
2019 *
Joe Dunne Joseph John Dunne (born 25 May 1973) is an Irish Manager (association football), football manager and former association football, footballer. He is youth team manager at Gillingham F.C., Gillingham. Dunne played as a defender (association fo ...
2019 (caretaker) *
Kevin Maher Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland international ...
2019 (caretaker) *
Ben Garner Ben Garner (born 19 May 1980) is an English professional football coach who is currently head coach of Right to Dream International Academy. Garner started his career as a youth coach at Crystal Palace's academy before being promoted to first ...
2019–20 * Tommy Widdrington 2020 (caretaker) * Paul Tisdale 2020–21 * Tommy Widdrington 2021 (caretaker) * Joey Barton 2021–2023 * Andy Mangan 2023 (caretaker) * Matt Taylor 2023–2024 * Iñigo Calderón 2024–2025 * Darrell Clarke 2025–


Youth Academy

The Bristol Rovers Academy currently operates at The City Academy Bristol and Sir Bernard Lovell School. Current first-team squad members Kofi Shaw and Jed Ward graduated from the Academy to earn professional contracts. In May 2021, U16s player Kyrie Pierre signed for
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
for an undisclosed six-figure fee, a record fee received by the Academy for a player. One former member of the academy is Scott Sinclair, who was signed by Chelsea in 2005 for £200,000, with further payments to the club possible, depending on performance. Other former Academy players currently contracted to teams in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
or
English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
include Ryan Broom ( Fleetwood Town), Ollie Clarke (
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
), Ellis Harrison ( Milton Keynes Dons), Alfie Kilgour (Mansfield Town), Tom Lockyer (
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
), Matt Macey (
Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
) and Donovan Wilson (
Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
).


Women's team

The club formerly had a women's team, set up in 1998, as Bristol Rovers W.F.C., following a merger with Cable-Tel L.F.C.. This merger came about as Bristol Rovers only had girls' teams up to the under-16 age group level, so when girls reached the age of 16 they were forced to leave the club. The merger with Cable-Tel meant that Bristol Rovers had a senior squad. The club's name was changed to Bristol Academy W.F.C. in 2005, to reflect the increased investment from the Bristol Academy of Sport. In 2016, Bristol Academy were re-branded as Bristol City following a sponsorship arrangement with Rovers' local rivals. In 2019, it was announced that Rovers were to reform their women's team. They began fielding two teams in the Gloucestershire County Women's Football League in the 2019–20 season. The relaunched Bristol Rovers Women's FC was founded by Matthew Davies and Nathan Hallett-Young. As of 2019, the first team played in Division One, with a development team playing in Division Two.


Records


Scorelines

* Biggest League Win: ** 7–0 (v Brighton & Hove Albion, Division Three (South), 29 November 1952) ** 7–0 (v Swansea City, Division Two, 2 October 1954) ** 7–0 (v Shrewsbury Town, Division Three, 21 March 1964) ** 7–0 (v
Alfreton Town Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street. History The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alf ...
, Conference Premier, 25 April 2015) ** 7–0 (v Scunthorpe United, League Two, 7 May 2022) *** Biggest Cup Win: ** Competition proper: *** 6–0 (v
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...
, FA Cup round 1, 14 November 1987) *** 6–0 (v
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
, FA Cup round 2, 29 November 2020) ** Qualifying: 15–1 (v Weymouth, FA Cup Third Qualifying Round, 17 November 1900) * Biggest League Defeat: 0–12 (v
Luton Town Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
, Division Three South, 13 April 1936)


Players

* Most League Appearances: 546 – Stuart Taylor, 1966–1980 * Most Goals for club: 242 – Geoff Bradford, 1949–1964 * Most Goals in a season: 33 – Geoff Bradford, 1952–53 * Highest
Transfer Fee In professional football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one association football club to another. In general, the players can onl ...
Paid: £375,000 – Andy Tillson from Queens Park Rangers, November 1992 * Highest Transfer Fee Received: £2,600,000 – Barry Hayles to Fulham, November 1998


Other

* Record Home Attendance: 38,472 (v Preston North End,
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, 30 January 1960) * Best
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
performance: Quarter-finals, 1950–51, 1957–58, 2007–08 * Best League Cup performance: Quarter-finals: 1970–71, 1971–72 * Best League Trophy performance: ''Runners-up,'' 1989–90, 2006–07 * Best
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
performance: First round, 2014–15


Honours

Bristol Rovers have won the following honours: League * Third Division South / Third Division (level 3) **Champions: 1952–53, 1989–90 **Runners-up: 1973–74 * Fourth Division / League Two (level 4) **Promoted: 2015–16, 2021–22 **Play-off winners:
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
* Conference Premier (level 5) **Play-off winners:
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
* Southern League **Champions:
1904–05 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' D ...
* Western League **Champions: 1899–1900 **Runners-up: 1902–03 Cup * Associate Members' Cup / Football League Trophy **Runners-up: 1989–90, 2006–07 * Third Division South Cup **Winners: 1934–35 * Watney Cup **Winners: 1972 * Gloucestershire Cup **Winners (32): 1888–89, 1902–03, 1904–05, 1913–14, 1924–25, 1927–28, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1937–38, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95


Notes


References


Sources

*


External links


Supporters club website

Vital Gas

The odd link between Bristol Rovers and the singer Leadbelly
{{Authority control Football clubs in England Southern Football League clubs English Football League clubs National League (English football) clubs Football clubs in Bristol Association football clubs established in 1883 1883 establishments in England