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| Full name | Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury |
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| Nickname(s) | Yellows, The Suds | ||
| Founded | 1 June 1999 (merger) | ||
| Ground | King's Marsh, Sudbury (Capacity: approx 3,800) |
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| Chairman | Keith Morris | ||
| Manager | Nicky Smith | ||
| League | Southern League Division One Midlands |
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| 2008–09 | Southern League Division One Midlands, 12th |
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A.F.C. Sudbury is an English semi-professional football club from Sudbury, Suffolk. The club was formed in 1999 by the merger of Sudbury Town and Sudbury Wanderers,[1] the process giving rise to the name Amalgamated Football Club Sudbury.[2] A.F.C. Sudbury won the Eastern Counties League Premier Division five seasons in a row and reached the final of the FA Vase three years in a row, both records for the respective competitions.[1][3] Their home ground is the King's Marsh Stadium in Ballingdon, a part of Sudbury, and their home colours are yellow and blue. The club competes in the Southern Football League Division One Midlands having been transferred from the Isthmian League Division One North after the end of the 2007–08 season.[4]
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History
A.F.C. Sudbury was formed on 1 June 1999 by the amalgamation of the town's two previous clubs, Sudbury Town (founded 1885) and Sudbury Wanderers (founded 1958).[1]
The club's relatively short history has seen Sudbury win several league and cup titles. In their debut season, 1999–2000, Sudbury finished in third place in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division.[2] The following five seasons all resulted in Sudbury winning the same league's title - a league record.[1] Sudbury did not take promotion at any of these opportunities, despite being entitled to. The financial constraints of owning two grounds led the board not to apply for promotion until the beginning of the 2005–06 season. After finishing third in 2005–06, and passing the necessary ground inspection, Sudbury were invited to take promotion into a resurrected Isthmian League Division One North, following the re-structuring of the National League System. Potential legal action from the Northern Premier League nearly scuppered this move,[5] but Sudbury started 2006–07 in the new division.[6] The management team of Gary Harvey and Michael Cheetham, who took the team up, both resigned before the season could begin, citing work and family commitments, respectively. New manager Mark Morsley was appointed in May 2006, signed from Needham Market. Sudbury's first season at this level saw the club finish in fifth place, qualifying them for the promotion play-offs. After beating Enfield Town in the semi-final, Sudbury lost to Harlow Town in a penalty shoot-out.[7] Sudbury again qualified for the play-offs in 2007–08, finishing second in the table, but were defeated in the semi-final by eventual winners Canvey Island.[8] In the close-season manager Morsley resigned[9] and was replaced by his assistant, Nicky Smith.[10] Sudbury were moved into the Southern Football League Division One Midlands for 2008–09 following a restructuring of the English football pyramid.[4]
As well as consistently good league performances, Sudbury have enjoyed several successful runs in the national cup competitions. In 2000–01 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup before being comprehensively defeated away at Darlington.[11] Sudbury have mostly made a name for themselves nationally in the FA Vase. In 2001–02 the club reached the competition's semi-finals, before being knocked out by Tiptree United. The following three seasons saw Sudbury reaching the final each year (a Vase record), but being defeated every time, by Brigg Town,[12] Winchester City[13] and Didcot Town, respectively. Sudbury have also won the Suffolk Premier Cup three times, in 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04, and the Eastern Counties League Cup in 2005–06.[2]
Colours and badge
A.F.C. Sudbury's club colours are yellow and blue. The club's kit for the 2008–09 season comprises yellow shirts with blue trim along the shoulders, blue shorts with yellow trim down the sides, and plain yellow socks. The kit is manufactured by Vandanel, and the front of the shirts features the logo of the club's sponsor, The MEL Group, an aerospace design and manufacture company.[14] The style of the blue trim has varied from season to season, taking the form of broad bands towards the end of the sleeves in the 2006–07 season.[15] The club's second kit, worn when playing another team with a predominantly yellow kit, is all red with yellow and blue trim,[1] although in past seasons other colours have been used, such as all white in the 2007–08 season.[16] Yellow and blue were the colours of Sudbury Town.[17] The club badge is the town crest of Sudbury, which incorporates a talbot dog with its tongue sticking out.
Ground
Sudbury play their home games at the King's Marsh Stadium in the Ballingdon part of Sudbury, previously home to Sudbury Wanderers.[18] At the time of A.F.C. Sudbury's formation the ground consisted of two pitches, a training area, clubhouse, floodlights, a 200-seat stand on the West side of the main pitch and covered ends behind the goals.[1] A 300-capacity terrace (The Shed) was constructed on the East side of the pitch in 2000 and houses the more vocal section of the crowd.[1] The ground is fully enclosed by fencing and has turnstiles at the main entrance.[1]
A.F.C. Sudbury sold Sudbury Town's former ground, the Priory Stadium, to a housing developer in June 2007. The money from this sale was earmarked for paying off loans, and capital gains tax, as well as a new clubhouse and changing rooms.[19] Planning permission for the construction of the new facilities was granted by Babergh District Council in August 2008, though various conditions regarding issues such as possible land contamination, the site's archaeological value, risk of flooding and drainage are required to be addressed before work may commence.[20]
Current squad
- As of 28 October 2009.[21]
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Honours, achievements and records
- Isthmian League
- League Cup Runners-up 2008 [22]
- Eastern Counties League
- FA Vase
- Runners-up 2003, 2004, 2005 [2]
- Suffolk Premier Cup
- Winners 2002, 2003, 2004 [22]
- FA Cup
- 1st round proper 2000–01 [2]
- FA Trophy
- 1st round 2006–07, 2008–09 [2]
League history
| Season | Division | Position | Significant Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formed as from merger of Sudbury Town & Sudbury Wanderers | |||
| Joined the Eastern Counties League Premier Division | |||
| 1999–2000 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 3 | – |
| 2000–2001 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 1 | Champions [A] |
| 2001–2002 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 1 | Champions [A] |
| 2002–2003 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 1 | Champions [A] |
| 2003–2004 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 1 | Champions [A] |
| 2004–2005 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 1 | Champions [A] |
| 2005–2006 | Eastern Counties League Premier Division | 3 | Promoted |
| 2006–2007 | Isthmian League Division One North | 5 | Lost in play-off final |
| 2007–2008 | Isthmian League Division One North | 2 | Lost in play-off semi-final |
| 2008–2009 | Southern League Division One Midlands | 12 | |
- A. ^ The club turned down the opportunity of promotion due to financial reasons.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "History". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/club/history.asp. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g "A F C SUDBURY". Football Club History Database. http://www.fchd.info/AFC-SUDB.HTM. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "FA Vase Summary". Football Club History Database. http://www.fchd.info/cups/favasesummary.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
- ^ a b "Leagues agreed for 2008/09 season". BBC Sport Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/7402814.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ "Promotion plans look set to stall". Suffolk Free Press. 2006-03-23. http://www.sudburytoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=851&ArticleID=1397333. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ "National League Club allocations agreed.". The Football Association. http://www.thefa.com/NR/rdonlyres/646409C9-CBE4-4F0E-9679-B503F259AD66/85198/CLUBALLOCATIONS.doc. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ Richard Whiting (2007-05-05). "Harlow Town 5 - 3 AFC Sudbury". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/match/matchreports.asp?ID=3321. Retrieved 2007-12-21.]
- ^ "MORSLEY STILL HURTING". Non-League Daily. 2008-05-02. http://www.nonleaguedaily.com/news/index.php?&newsmode=FULL&nid=49770. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
- ^ "AFC Sudbury: Morsley quits". Suffolk Free Press. 2008-05-13. http://www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk/sport/AFC-Sudbury-Morsley-quits.4062127.jp. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ^ "Squad > First - Player details - Nicky Smith". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/squad/players1detail.asp?playerid=133. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ^ "Darlington 6–1 AFC Sudbury". BBC Online. 2000-11-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/football/fa_cup/1028042.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ "AFC Sudbury lose FA Vase final". BBC Suffolk. 2003-05-10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/sport/2003/05/10/sudbury_lose_final.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ "AFC Sudbury 0-2 Winchester City - FA Vase Final". 2004-05-16. http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/sport/clubs/football/ridgeons_league/2004/05/fa_vase_report.shtml. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
- ^ "Match > Photos – 2008/2009". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/match/match_photos.asp?season=2008%2F2009&ID=4004. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ "Match > Photos – 2006/2007". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/match/match_photos.asp?season=2006%2F2007&ID=2845. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ "Match > Photos – 2007/2008". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/match/match_photos.asp?season=2007%2F2008&ID=3362. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ "Sudbury Town FC". Non-League Footy. http://www.nonleaguefooty.co.uk/club.php?001021020000. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ "AFC Sudbury". Pyramid Passion. http://www.pyramidpassion.co.uk/html/afc_sudbury.html. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "Priory Stadium sold". Suffolk Free Press. 2007-06-07. http://www.suffolkfreepress.co.uk/sport/Football-Priory-Stadium-sold.2936760.jp. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- ^ "Details of Planning Application - B/08/00881". Babergh District Council. 2008-08-28. http://planning.babergh.gov.uk/dcdatav2//AcolNetCGI.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=89706. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
- ^ "Squad > First". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/squad/players1.asp?squad=first. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
- ^ a b c "AFC Sudbury Honours". A.F.C. Sudbury. http://www.afcsudbury.com/club/honours.asp. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
External links
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