Ebbsfleet United F.C.

Ebbsfleet United

Full name	Ebbsfleet United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Fleet
Founded	1946 (as Gravesend & Northfleet)
Ground	Stonebridge Road Kent (Capacity: 5,011 (500 seated))
Chairman	Phil Sonsara
Head Coach	Liam Daish
League	Conference National
2010–11	Conference South, 3rd (promoted via play-offs)
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Ebbsfleet United Football Club is an English professional football team currently playing in the Conference National. The team plays their home matches at Stonebridge Road in Northfleet, Kent. However, the club is now looking to build a new stadium in the Ebbsfleet Valley vicinity in Gravesham.

Prior to May 2007 the club was called Gravesend & Northfleet. The change was announced at a public consultation meeting on the evening of 1 May 2007.^[1] The club is sponsored by Adams & Moore, a local firm of Audit, Accounts, Tax and Business Advisers based in Dartford.

Since February 2008, the club has been owned by the web-based venture MyFootballClub, whose members may vote on team selection and player transfers, instead of those decisions being made exclusively by the club's management and staff as at most other clubs.^[2]

History

Gravesend & Northfleet F.C. was formed in 1946, following the Second World War, after a merger between Gravesend United (originally formed in 1893) and Northfleet United (originally formed in 1890) with the new club retaining the red & white home colours (and the Stonebridge Road stadium) of Northfleet United.^[3]

In 1979, the team was one of the founder members of the Alliance Premier League (now today's Conference National),^[4] but were relegated back into the Southern League Premier three seasons later.^[5]

For the 1997–98 season, Gravesend & Northfleet left the Southern League and joined the Isthmian League. They played in the Premier Division of the league until the 2001–02 season, when they finished as champions and earned promotion back into the Conference, where they remained until being relegated to the Conference South at the end of the 2009-10 season.

The current head coach is former Coventry City defender Liam Daish, and the assistant manager is Paul McCarthy, a former player for the club. Gravesend and Northfleet have also been managed in the recent past by Andy Ford, who resigned after a GLS Cup game after an extended run of poor fixtures, only to pursue a coaching job at Stevenage Borough a few months later.

On 10 May 2008, Ebbsfleet United won the FA Trophy, defeating Torquay United 1–0 in the final on the club's first trip to Wembley, becoming the first Kentish team to win this trophy.^[6] Ebbsfleet United went on to win the Kent Senior Cup in the same season, with a 4–0 victory over Cray Wanderers on 26 July 2008.

On 15 May 2011, Ebbsfleet United won the Conference South playoff final 4–2 against Farnborough and were thus promoted back to the Conference National at the first time of asking.^[7]

Ebbsfleet United v. Stafford Rangers at Stonebridge Road, November 2007

MyFootballClub takeover

On 13 November 2007, it was announced that the website MyFootballClub had entered a deal in principle to take over the club.^[8] Approximately 27,000 MyFootballClub members each paid £35 to provide an approximate £700,000 takeover fund and all own an equal share in the club but make no profit nor receive a dividend. Members have a vote on transfers as well as player selection and all major decisions. Because of the nature of MyFootballClub, it was announced that manager Liam Daish would become instead the first team Head Coach. His backroom staff would remain at the club.^[8]

Between 16 January and 23 January 2008, MyFootballClub members were given the choice to vote on whether to proceed with the takeover and whether to allow Liam Daish to continue with his plans for the January transfer window. Both resulted in overwhelming "Yes" votes: 95.89% voted to proceed with the takeover while 95.86% voted to allow Daish to continue his transfer plans. The deal was ratified at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the club's board on 19 February.

However, after one year of ownership a majority of MyFC members failed to renew, with membership numbers dropping from a peak of 32,000 at the time of the takeover to just over 9,000 on deadline day 2009. The club had previously stated that 15,000 was the minimum required.^[9] As of September 2010, two and a half years after the takeover, there were around 3,500 members.^[10]

In an October 2010 vote among MyFC members, the earlier decision to allow the team manager autonomy in transfer dealings was rescinded by a majority of 35 on a total vote of 132, meaning that the membership would have 48 hours to endorse a proposed signing or sale before it can be finalised. Both the manager and the club secretary opposed the change.^[11]

Colours

Ebbsfleet's home colours are red shirt with white detailing, white shorts and red socks. Away colours have typically been yellow shirts with black detailing, black shorts and yellow socks.

Since taking ownership in 2008, Myfootballclub members have voted ^[12] on kit manufacturer and designs for each season. For the 2008/2009 season, white with red detailing was chosen as the away colour, but a clash with the home colours of Woking F.C. and other clubs was not spotted until after the kit had been supplied, so a third shirt with green body and white sleeves was used with the white shorts and socks. For the 2009/2010 season, Vandanel were chosen as kit suppliers ^[13] and the away colours were again chosen as yellow and black. After Vandanel went into liquidation^[14] and unable to supply the kit for the 2010/11 season, Lotto were given the contract, and members made the unusual choice of purple for the away kit. Another provider, XBlades, were chosen to provide the kit for 2011/12, with the colours unchanged.

Honours

Part of the crowd at Wembley for the 2007–2008 FA Trophy Final in May 2008

• Southern League
  • Champions: 1957–58
• Southern League South Eastern Section
  • Runners Up: 1958–59
• Southern League Southern Division
  • Champions: 1974–75, 1993–94
  • Runners Up: 1988–89
• Isthmian League Premier Division
  • Champions: 2001–02
• Conference South
  • Playoff Winners: 2010–11
• Southern League Cup
  • Winners: 1977–78
  • Finalists: 1957–58
• FA Cup
  • Best season: 4th Round, 1962–63
• FA Trophy
  • Winners: 2007–08
• Kent Senior Cup
  • Winners: 1948–49, 1952–53, 1980–81, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2007–08
  • Runners-Up: 1947–48, 1976–77, 1990–91, 2005–06
• Kent Floodlight Cup
  • Winners: 1969–70
  • Runners-up: 1972–73

Players

As of 20 November 2011.^[15]

Current squad

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Preston Edwards 2 DF Craig Stone 3 DF Johnny Herd 4 MF Giannoulis Fakinos 5 DF Clint Easton 6 DF Paul Lorraine (captain) 7 MF Michael West 8 MF Ram Marwa 9 FW Calum Willock 10 MF Ricky Shakes 11 MF Tom Phipp 14 DF Joe Howe 15 FW Liam Enver-Marum 16 DF Ian Simpemba

No. Position Player 17 GK Joe Welch 18 MF Lanre Azeez 19 FW Adam Williams (on loan at Erith Town) 20 MF Alex Stavrinou (on loan at Lewes) 21 DF Paul McCarthy 22 DF Yado Mambo (on loan from Charlton Athletic) 23 FW Jamie Darvill 24 MF Neil Barrett 26 FW Nathaniel Pinney (on loan from Crystal Palace) 28 MF Connor Morris 29 MF Ike Robertson 30 MF Aaron Williams 31 MF Liam Devine 32 MF Che Mcdowell

References

1. ^ Hudd, Tony. "Shock as Fleet change their name". Kent Online. http://www.kentonline.co.uk/sport/default.asp?article_id=32101&startrecord=-1.#IND. Retrieved 2007–12–29. 
2. ^ "Fans website approve 'Fleet deal". BBC Sport. 2008–01–23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gravesend_and_northfleet/7190175.stm. Retrieved 2008–01–23. 
3. ^ Miller, Ed. "Official Website - before 1945". Ebbsfleet United F.C. Official Website. http://www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82&Itemid=158. Retrieved 7 June 2010. 
4. ^ Rundle, Richard. "1979–1980 Alliance Premier League". Football Club History Database. http://www.fchd.info/lghist/conf/conf1980.htm. Retrieved 29 December 2007. 
5. ^ Rundle, Richard. "1982–1983 Alliance Premier League". Football Club History Database. http://www.fchd.info/lghist/conf/conf1983.htm. Retrieved 29 December 2007. 
6. ^ Howard, Tom (10 May 2008). "Ebbsfleet make FA Trophy history". kentnews.co.uk. http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Ebbsfleet-make-FA-Trophy-history-newsinkent12788.aspx. Retrieved 12 May 2008. 
7. ^ "Ebbsfleet United delighted to bounce straight back up" BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 May 2011
8. ^ ^{a b} "Website agrees Ebbsfleet takeover". BBC Sport. 13 November 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gravesend_and_northfleet/7089473.stm. Retrieved 25 February 2008. 
9. ^ Andrews, Gary "Ebssfleet and MyFC vote to stay alive" Soccerlens.com. Retrieved 11 March 2010
10. ^ "What happened to MyFootballClub and Ebbsfleet United?" BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 September 2010
11. ^ Liam Daish's transfer dealings hang in the balance: KentishFootball.co.uk
12. ^ "New Nike kit ratified by MyFC members". Ebbsfleet United Football Club. 12 February 2008. http://www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=286:example-pages-and-menu-links&catid=48:news08&Itemid=212. Retrieved 2011–02–09. 
13. ^ "Ebbsfleet United substitute Nike with Vandanel". Football Shirts News. http://www.football-shirts.co.uk/fans/ebbsfleet-united-substitute-nike-with-vandanel_3288. Retrieved 2011–02–09. 
14. ^ "Kit question at Crabble". Doverathletic.com. http://www.doverathletic.com/index.php?p=news&id=1518. Retrieved 2011–02–09. 
15. ^ "First Team 2011–12". Ebbsfleet United F.C.. http://www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=77. Retrieved 2009–09–22. 

External links

• Official website
• myfootballclub.co.uk
• MyFC TV / Fleet TV
• Ebbsfleet and MyFC blog
• BBC: Ebbsfleet United Fan Travels to Home Games from Turin

  Coordinates: 51°26′58″N 0°19′21″E / 51.44943°N 0.322369°E / 51.44943; 0.322369