Cambridge City F.C.

Football club infobox
clubname = Cambridge City


fullname = Cambridge City Football Club
nickname = The Lilywhites
founded = 1908 (as Cambridge Town)
ground = City Ground,
Cambridge
capacity = 3,000 (1,000 seated)
chairman = Kevin Satchell
manager = Gary Roberts
league = Southern League Premier Division
season = 2007-08
position = Conference South, 14th (demoted)
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_blackstripes|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=ffffff|body1=ffffff|rightarm1=ffffff|shorts1=000000|socks1=ffffff
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=00ddff|body2=00ddff|rightarm2=00ddff|shorts2=191970|socks2=00ddff

Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.

History

The club was founded in 1908 as Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport. The club competed in the Southern Amateur League, developing a fierce rivalry with Ipswich Town that was evident both on and off the pitch.cite web
url = http://www.cambridgecityfc.com/afolder/Club_History.shtml
title = Cambridge City FC - history
publisher = www.cambridgecity.co.uk
accessdate = 2008-01-22] In 1936 the club were invited to apply to the Football League, but declined in order that the club should uphold its amateur nature, though Ipswich took up the offer and were elected in 1938.

The resumption of football after the Second World War saw Cambridge Town joining the Spartan League, winning the competition 3 times between 1945 and 1950, before joining the Athenian League for the 1950-51 season. Cambridge was formally granted city status in 1951. Both Cambridge Town and their neighbours Abbey United applied to change their name to Cambridge City. Cambridge Town's application was approved because it arrived first and therefore Abbey United changed their name to Cambridge United F.C. In 1958, 22 years after turning down the chance to apply to the Football League, Cambridge City joined the Southern League South Eastern zone as a professional club. The club went on to make five applications to join the Football League between 1959 and 1974, all of which were unsuccessful.cite web|url=http://www.pyramidpassion.co.uk/html/cambridge_city.html|title=Cambridge City FC|publisher=www.pyramidpassion.co.uk|accessdate=2008-10-06]

In the 1960s and early 1970s Cambridge City were a dominant force, commanding the highest attendances in non-league football. Fact|date=January 2008 They were Southern League Champions in 1962-63 and stayed in the League's top division until 1968, when they were relegated and turned semi-professional. They were promoted back to the Premier Division after finishing in the Division One runners-up spot in 1969-70, and finished second in their first season back in the Premier Division.

Cambridge United F.C. were elected into the Football League in 1970, [cite web|url=http://www.cambridge-united.premiumtv.co.uk/page/History/0,,10423~61508,00.html|title=Cambridge United Potted History|publisher=www.cambridge-united.co.uk|accessdate=2008-04-30] and from that point City struggled to attract as many supporters to their games as their cross-city rivals - by the early 1980s, the club were attracting fewer than 200 supporters to each game.fact|date=April 2008 1975-76 saw the second relegation in the club's history, into the Southern League's Division One North. They remained here until 1979-80, when a re-organisation of the league's structure, in order to become a feeder to the newly-formed Football Conference, placed City in the Midland Division. A switch was made to the Southern Division in the 1982-83 season, and 1985-86 saw City win the division on goal difference and gain promotion back to the Premier Division.

After several years in the 1990s avoiding relegation, the club joined the Football Conference's newly-formed South Division in 2004-05, embarking on a successful FA Cup run in the same season - following United's relegation from the League in 2005, the two Cambridge clubs were only one division apart. However, the club was encountering financial difficulties and the club's City Ground was sold to an Isle of Man company called Ross River, which was linked to Brian York, a man who had briefly been a director of the club. The then board announced that it was to scrap the first team and make the reserve team into a feeder for Cambridge United.cite web|url=http://www.cambridgecityfc.com/trust/history.shtml|title=History - How Did The Trust Come About?|publisher=Cambridge City FC Supporters Trust|accessdate=2008-06-10] This prompted the formation of a supporters' trust, who within weeks had taken over the running of the club. The club took Ross River to court, where it was ruled that the club were victims of fraudulent misrepresentation and bribery - the former Chief Executive Arthur Eatham having taken a £10,000 payment from Brian York.cite web|url=http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=45097|title=High Court Success for City|publisher="Non-League Daily"|date=2007-09-20|accessdate=2008-06-10] though the original deal was not overturned. [cite web|url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/10/03/the_supporters_who_took_on_a_p.html|title=The supporters who took on a property developer and won|Publisher="The Guardian"|date=2007-10-03|accessdate=2008-06-10]

In May 2008 City were demoted from the Conference South, after their ground failed an FA inspection, to the Southern League Premier Division, where they will kick-off the 2008–09 season. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/7423974.stm|title= Cambridge City fail in FA appeal|publisher=BBC Sport Online|date=2008-05-28|accessdate=2008-05-29]

Colours & badge

Cambridge City have traditionally played in white shirts, leading to the club being nicknamed "The Lilywhites", but they currently play in white and black striped shirts, white shorts and white socks. Their current away strip is sky blue shirts, navy blue shorts and sky blue socks.

The club's badge is a simplified version of the crest of the city of Cambridge, featuring a fortified bridge over a river.

tadium

The City Ground (also known as "Milton Road"), has been Cambridge City's home ground since 1922. It is located in the Chesterton area of the city, approximately 1km north of the city centre. The ground was one of the largest outside the football league and was estimated to have a capacity in excess of 20,000, although the highest recorded attendance was 12,058 against Leytonstone on 11th Feb 1950. The capacity is currently 3,000.

The club has been in a legal dispute with their landlords over the ground, which was sold by a previous Board of Directors for less than its market value. The High Court ruled that the club had been fraudulently misrepresented, and has allowed City to remain at the City Ground until at least 2010 and receive 50% of the development profits on the site.

First-team squad

"As of 19 August 2008" [cite web|url=http://www.cambridgecityfc.com/afolder/Players_1st_Team.shtml Players|title=First Team Squad:Season 2008-09|publisher=www.cambridgecityfc.com|accessdate=2008-06-10]

Honours & records

* Southern League
**Champions 1962–63
*Southern League Southern Division
**Champions 1985–86
* FA Cup
**2nd round 2004–05
* FA Trophy
**5th round 2004–05, 2005–06
*FA Amateur Cup
**Semi-final 1927–28

Reserve team

Cambridge City's reserve team joined the Eastern Counties League in 1959 and won the Division One title in 2004. They were replaced in the league in 2006 by the newly-formed feeder club Cambridge Regional College F.C..

*1959-60 Joined Eastern Counties League
*1961-62 Runners-up
*1963-64 Joined Metropolitan League
*1965-66 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
*1966 Left Eastern Counties League
*1973-74 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
*1976 Left Eastern Counties League
*1991-92 Rejoined Eastern Counties League, in Division One
*1995 Left Eastern Counties League
*1996-97 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
*1998 Left Eastern Counties League
*1999-00 Rejoined Eastern Counties League
*2003-04 Eastern Counties League Division One Champions; Promoted to Premier Division

* Best league position: 2nd in Eastern Counties League, 1961-62 [fchd|id=CAMBRIC2|name=Cambridge City Reserves]

ource

*fchd|id=CAMBRIDC|name=Cambridge City

References

External links

* [http://www.cambridgecityfc.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.cambridgecityfc.com/artman_st/publish/index.shtml Cambridge City Supporters Trust Website]
* [http://www.thelilywhites.com CCFC Fans Forum]