Bracknell Town Football Club is a football club based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England. Affiliated to the Berks & Bucks Football Association and nicknamed ''The Robins'', they are currently members of the and play their home matches at Bottom Meadow in Sandhurst.

History

The club was established in 1896 as Old Bracknell Wanderers.Info & Honours
Bracknell Town F.C. They joined the Ascot & District League in 1904, and were runners-up in the league in 1907–08. The following season the club won the League Cup, and in 1911–12 they were league champions. Two seasons later they won Division Two. They were league champions again in 1932–33. In 1949 the club switched to the Reading & District League and were renamed Bracknell Football Club. They remained in the league until joining the

Great Western Combination The Great Western Combination was a football league in south-central England. History The league was established in 1939, initially as a wartime competition as many other leagues had been abandoned following the outbreak of World War II. Its or ...

in 1958. In 1962 the club adopted its current name, and a year later joined the

Surrey Senior League The Surrey Senior League was an English regional football league for teams based in Surrey although teams from outside the county were often admitted as well. The league existed from 1922 until 1978, when it was rebranded as the Home Counties Leagu ...

.Surrey Senior League 1922–1978
Non-League Matters They finished bottom of the league in 1965–66, but went on to win the League Cup in 1968–69 and the double of the title and League Cup in 1969–70. After winning the league, the club joined the

Spartan League The Spartan League was a football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League. History The Spartan League was establish ...

. They won the League Cup in 1974–75, and when the league merged with the

Metropolitan–London League The Metropolitan–London League was a short-lived football league for clubs in and around London. It was formed in 1971 by a merger of the Greater London League and the Metropolitan League (which had lost several clubs to the Southern League). ...

to become the London Spartan League at the end of the season, Bracknell were placed in Division One.Spartan League 1955–1983
Non-League Matters They finished as runners-up in the new league's first season, losing the title to

Farnborough Town Farnborough Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. Founded in 1967 as Farnborough Town, they are currently members of the , the sixth tier of English football and play at Cherrywood Road. H ...

on goal average, as well as losing the League Cup final. In 1977 Division One was renamed the Premier Division, and despite finishing fourth in 1978–79, the club were relegated to the Senior Division. They won the Senior Division in 1980–81, earning promotion back to the Premier Division, and the following season saw them finish as runners-up and win the League Cup. They went on to win the Premier Division and the League Cup in 1982–83. After being rejected by the

Athenian League The Athenian League was an English amateur football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,Athenian Football League minutes 1912-1921 (National Football Museum, Preston). but this nam ...

,History
Bracknell Town F.C. Bracknell joined Division Two South of the Isthmian League in 1984. They finished as runners-up in 1985–86 and were promoted to Division One. However, they were relegated back to Division Two South at the end of the 1988–89 season. League reorganisation saw them placed in Division Three in 1991, but after winning the division in 1993–94, they were promoted to Division Two, where they remained until relegation back to Division Three at the end of the 1988–89 season. In 2000–01 the club reached the first round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

for the first time, eventually losing 4–0 at Lincoln City. Further league reorganisation in 2002 saw Bracknell placed in Division One South, and two seasons later they were transferred to Division One West of the Southern League; this became Division One South and West in 2006. After finishing bottom of the division in 2009–10, they were relegated to the Premier Division of the Hellenic League. They were relegated again, this time to Division One East, at the end of the 2011–12 season after finishing bottom of the Premier Division. Despite finishing only fifth in Division One East the following season, the club was promoted back to the Premier Division. The 2016–17 season saw the club win three cups; the Hellenic League Challenge Cup was won by defeating Highworth Town 2–0 in the final; the Berks & Bucks County Senior Trophy was secured with a 2–0 win against

Binfield Binfield is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, which at the 2011 census had a population of 8,689. The village lies north-west of Bracknell, north-east of Wokingham, and south-east of Reading at the westernmost extremity of ...

, whilst the club beat Binfield again in the Reading Senior Cup final. In 2017–18 Bracknell were runners-up in the Hellenic League Premier Division, earning promotion to the South Central Division of the Isthmian League, as well as retaining the Challenge Cup with a 3–1 win over Thatcham Town in the final. The following season saw them finish as runners-up in the Isthmian League's South Central Division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Westfield 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–0 to

Cheshunt Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, ...

in the final. In 2021–22 the club won the division, securing the championship by mid-March, earning promotion to the Premier Division South of the Southern League. The 2022–23 season saw Bracknell qualify for the first round of the FA Cup for the second time, with the club losing 3–0 at home to

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

Ground

The club originally played on a field near the Downshire Arms, before moving to Station Field, a site that later became

Ranelagh School Ranelagh School is a Church of England day school in Berkshire close to the centre of Bracknell. The school was founded by Lord Ranelagh in 1709. Admissions Attendance is limited to Church of England children whose parents attend church at l ...

.Bracknell Town
Pyramid Passion In 1933 they moved to Larges Lane, where the pitch featured a significant slope for the first 20 years of use. After being left money by Raymond Brown, the club was able to build a new clubhouse, which was opened by

Stanley Rous Sir Stanley Ford Rous (25 April 1895 – 18 July 1986) was an English football referee and the 6th President of FIFA, serving from 1961 to 1974. He also served as secretary of the Football Association from 1934 to 1962 and was an international ...

. A seated stand was built behind the dugouts in 1988, with another seated stand and a covered terrace on same touchline. A covered terrace is located behind one goal. In 2016 a

3G pitch Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commerc ...

was installed and a new stand erected. In 2018, Larges Lane hosted a number of games in the

CONIFA World Cup The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA. Competitions Women's football All members of CONIFA are encouraged to in ...

. At the end of the 2020–21 season the club moved to Sandhurst Town's Bottom Meadow ground.Ground sale crucial for Bracknell Town FC's ambitious plans
Bracknell News, 26 April 2021

Honours

*Isthmian League **South-Central Division champions 2021–22 **Division Three Champions 1993–94 *Spartan League **Premier Division champions 1982–83 **Senior Division champions 1980–81 **League Cup winners 1974–75, 1981–82, 1982–83 *Hellenic League **Challenge Cup winners 2016–17, 2017–18 *Surrey Senior League **Champions 1969–70 **League Cup winners 1968–69, 1969–70 *Ascot & District League **Champions 1911–12, 1932–33 **Division Two champions 1913–14 **League Cup winners 1908–09 *Stimulus Cup **Winners 1998–99 *Fielden Cup **Winners 1950–51, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1982–83 *Berks & Bucks County Senior Trophy **Winners 2016–17 *Reading Senior Cup **Winners 2016–17

Records

*Best

performance: First round, 2000–01, 2022–23 *Best FA Trophy performance: Fifth round, 2022–23 *Best FA Vase performance: Quarter-finals, 2017–18 *Record attendance: 2,500 v

Newquay Newquay ( ; kw, Tewynblustri) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, in the south west of England. It is a civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries, spaceport and a fishing port on the North Atlantic coast of ...

, FA Amateur Cup, 1971 *Most appearances: James WoodcockMike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) ''Non-League Club Directory 2013'', p671 *Most goals: Justin Day

References

External links