The club was founded in 1883 as Black Arabs F.C. and entered the Bristol & District League as Eastville Rovers in 1892. The club moved to the Birmingham & District League in 1897, then changed divisions to the Southern League as Bristol Rovers in 1899. They won the Southern League in 1904–05 and were admitted to the Football League in 1920. They were placed in the Third Division South the following year and remained there until winning promotion as champions in 1952–53. They recorded their highest finishing positions in 1956 and 1959, a sixth-place finish in the Second Division, before suffering relegation in 1962. Promoted in second-place in 1973–74, they spent another seven seasons in the second tier until relegation in 1981. They won the Third Division title in 1989–90, though this time lasted just three seasons in the second tier and were relegated back into the fourth tier by 2001.
Rovers won the League Two play-off final in 2007, 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 play-off final. They followed up this success by securing 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.
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.[3]
Football: Wotton-under-Edge v Black Arabs (Bristol). A match under association rules has been played at Wotton-under-Edge between these clubs, resulting in the defeat of the visiting team. The home team were in every point superior to their antagonists and after a one-sided game Wotton were declared victors by six goals to nil.
Dursley Gazette, 3 December 1883, reproduced in Byrne & Jay (2003).[4] A report of the Black Arabs' first match.
The club played only friendly games until the 1887–88 season, when it took part in the Gloucestershire Cup for the first time.[failed verification] In 1892, the club became a founder member of the Bristol and District League, which three years later was renamed the Western League.[failed verification] In 1897, Eastville Rovers joined the Birmingham and District League, and for two seasons played in both this league and the Western League.[failed verification][5] At the beginning of the 1897–98 season, the club turned professional and changed its name to Bristol Eastville Rovers,[5] and, on 17 February 1899, the name was officially changed to Bristol Rovers.[6] In 1899, Bristol Rovers joined the newly formed Southern League, where they remained until 1920, winning the league title along the way in 1905.[additional citation(s) needed][7]
Into the Football League
For the 1920–21 season, the Southern League teams were moved into the new Division Three of the Football League, 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.[8]
Chart of yearly table positions in the Football League
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 seven times—in 1961–62, 1980–81, 1992–93, 2000–01, 2010–11, 2013–14 and most recently at the end of the 2020-21 season.[9]
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.[7] The closest they came to the top flight was in 1955–56, when they ended the season just four points below the promotion positions.[10] 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,[7] 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.[11] 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.[7][12] They returned to the league at the end of their first Conference season, with a penalty shootout victory over Grimsby Town in the play-off final.[13] 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, would become the president.[14] The club is now[when?] owned by Dwane Sports Ltd, with 92.6% of the shares,[15] while Bristol Rovers Supporters Club owns the remaining 7.4%.[16]
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.[17] It marked the first time Rovers had reached the third tier of English Football since relegation in 2011.[7] In June 2020, it was announced that president Wael al-Qadi had bought a controlling stake in Dwane Sports Ltd,[18] 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, which is close to the M5 motorway.[failed verification][19] Rovers have owned the site formerly known as 'The Colony' and re-branded by the club 'The Quarters' since 2017,[failed verification][20] and, in June 2020, the club announced that it would be ready for the beginning of the 2020–21 season.[vague][21]
On 3 August 2023, Kuwaiti businessman Hussain AlSaeed bought a controlling 55% share in Dwane Sports, the holding company for the football club, thus becoming chairman. As part of the takeover, all debt owed to the company was capitalised.[clarification needed][22]
In the FA Cup, Rovers have reached the quarter-final stage on three occasions. The first time was in 1950–51 when they faced Newcastle United at St James' Park[25] in front of a crowd of 62,787, the record for the highest attendance at any Bristol Rovers match.[26] The second time they reached the quarter final was in 1957–58, when they lost to Fulham,[25] and the most recent appearance at this stage of the competition was during the 2007–08 season, when they faced West Bromwich Albion.[27] They were the first Division Three team to win an FA Cup tie away to a Premier League side, when in 2002 they beat Derby County 3–1 at Pride Park Stadium.[25]
They have twice reached the final of the Football League Trophy, in 1989–90 and 2006–07, but finished runners-up on both occasions.[7] 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.[28]
In the past, rivalries also emerged with Severnside rivals Cardiff City known as the Severnside derby.[32] Rovers' most recent meeting against Cardiff was an EFL Cup defeat in August 2024.[33] The last time Cardiff and Bristol Rovers were in the same league was in the 1999–2000 season in the Second Division.[33]
The first time Rovers encountered Yeovil was a Football League Trophy match in October 2001, which Rovers won via a penalty shoot-out.[34][35] The most recent encounter between the teams was in the EFL Trophy in October 2018, which Rovers won 2–0.[35]
Other clubs in the West country such as Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City have also been considered rivals despite being further away from Bristol (162km for Plymouth and 104km for Exeter). Bristol Rovers last played Plymouth in the 2022–23 League One season where Rovers lost 2–0 away from home and they last played Exeter at home in the 2023–24 season when they lost 1–0.
Colours and badge
Team colours from 1883 to 1885
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.[clarification needed][failed verification][39] 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.[40]
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.[41]
When Rovers were admitted to The Football League 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.[41] 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.[42] Rovers continued to wear the quarters for 31 years, until they were replaced by blue pinstripes on a white background.[clarification needed][41]
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.[clarification needed][41] During the 1996–97 season, Rovers wore an unpopular striped quartered design, prompting fans to refer to it as the Tesco bag shirts[43] because of their similarity to the design used for the company's carrier bags.[improper synthesis?] The change in design prompted the Trumpton Timesfanzine to change its name to Wot, No Quarters?[clarification needed][44]
The black and gold shirts were also used as the away kit for the 2002–03 season, the club's 120th anniversary.[citation needed]
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 charity.[failed verification][45] Although the pink shirts were never used in a competitive fixture, they were worn for a pre-season friendly against Plymouth Argyle in 2006.[failed verification][46]
A pirate features on both the club badge and the badge of the supporters club,[47] reflecting the club nickname of The Pirates.[improper synthesis?] Previous club badges have featured a blue and white quartered design, based on the quartered design of the team's jerseys.[improper synthesis?]
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).[48][49] 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.[50] Following the end of the Cowlin deal, sponsors were chosen by raffle, via the 1883 Club.[clarification needed][51] This process lasted nine seasons before the club announced Football INDEX as new sponsors for both home and away kits.[52] In 2019, Utilita become the main shirt sponsors of both the home and away kits for the 2019-2020 season,[53] and the deal was then extended in July 2020 to cover the 2020-2021 season,[54] marking the first time a shirt sponsor had lasted for more than one season since the end of the Cowlin sponsorship in 2009.[improper synthesis?]
Rovers play their home games at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, 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.[failed verification][55]
When Bristol Rovers were known as Black Arabs F.C. in 1883, they played their home games at Purdown, Stapleton.[citation needed] The following year they moved to Three Acres, the precise location of which is not known, but is believed[by whom?] to have been in the Ashley Down area of Bristol, where they remained for seven years.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] Financial problems led to the team being forced to leave Eastville, now it is an IKEA Store.[citation needed] Bristol Rovers found a temporary home at Twerton Park, the home of Bath City.[citation needed] They stayed in Bath for 10 years, before returning to Bristol in 1996.[citation needed]
Aftermath of the fire at Eastville Stadium, August 1980
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.[bettersourceneeded] Rovers returned to Eastville in October 1980.[citation needed] During World War II, some friendly matches were played in Kingswood, and in their early history some games were played at Parson Street, Bedminster[3]
In June 2020, the club began construction of a new training facility at a site on Hortham Lane, Almondsbury near the M5 motorway.[clarification needed][19] The site is set to include two full size pitches, a goalkeeping area, a gym and a clubhouse building.[clarification needed][19] Having owned the land since 2017,[failed verification][20] no work had previously been carried out before the club moved into the training ground for the start in October 2020.[vague][63]
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 2+1⁄2 years prior.[failed verification][close paraphrasing][64] 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.[close paraphrasing][65]
The nickname given to Bristol Rovers supporters is "Gasheads".[vague][67] "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 across the crowd.[failed verification][41] "Gasheads" was adopted as a name by a splinter group of Rovers supporters in the mid-1980s to early 1990s.[citation needed] 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.[bettersourceneeded][68] 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.[failed verification][67]
Based on September 2014 statistics released by the Home Office,[73] 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."[failed verification] Particularly dangerous was the scene on 3 May 2014 when the Rovers were assured relegation from the Football League for the first time.[clarification needed][74]
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.[75] In July 2016, the clubs played each other in a pre-season match in Spain.[additional citation(s) needed][76]
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.[additional citation(s) needed][41] 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.[failed verification][41] 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.[80]
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.
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.[82] The first inductee was the club's all-time record goalscorer Geoff Bradford.
Oldest living former Rovers player. Died on 3 June 2023 at the age of 98.[93]
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
36 men have been appointed as a manager of Bristol Rovers Football Club, excluding caretaker managers.[100][failed verification][101]Bobby 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.
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.[103]
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..[failed verification] 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.[failed verification] The merger with Cable-Tel meant that Bristol Rovers had a senior squad.[failed verification] 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.[failed verification] In 2016, Bristol Academy were re-branded as Bristol City following a sponsorship arrangement with Rovers' local rivals.[additional citation(s) needed][104]
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.[failed verification] As of 2019, the first team played in Division One, with a development team playing in Division Two.[105][106]
Records
Scorelines
Bristol Rovers record goalscorer, Geoff Bradford. Picture taken in 1988, when he was 61 years old.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system.
Eastville Stadium, also known as Bristol Stadium and Bristol Stadium – Eastville, was a stadium in Eastville, a northern suburb of the English city of Bristol.
The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of the Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, and is the home of Bristol Rovers Football Club. It opened in 1921, dedicated to the memory of local rugby union players killed during the First World War, and was the home of Bristol Rugby Club until they moved to Ashton Gate in 2014.
Bristol Rovers W.F.C. are a women's association football club based in Bristol that plays in the FA Women's National League Division One South West. They are affiliated to Bristol Rovers F.C. and are known colloquially as the Gas Girls in recognition of Bristol Rovers' unofficial nickname of The Gas.
The 2006–07 season was the 124th year of football played by Bristol Rovers, and their 80th season in The Football League, and covers the period from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007. After finishing sixth in Football League Two, Rovers won the playoff final for the first time in their history, and won promotion for only the fourth time since joining The Football League. The previous promotions were all automatic, and came in the 1952–53, 1973–74 and 1989–90 seasons.
The history of Bristol Rovers F.C., an English football club based in Bristol, England, covers their entire history from their formation in 1883 as the Black Arabs until the present day.
The Bristol derby is the name given to football matches played between Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. The fans of each club consider the other to be their main rivals, leading to a heated atmosphere at these matches. The majority of the meetings between the teams have been in the Football League, and they used to meet annually in the Gloucestershire Cup.
The 2007–08 season covers the period from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008. It marks the 125th year of football played by Bristol Rovers F.C. and their 81st season in The Football League. The team plays in Football League One having won the Football League Two playoff game at Wembley Stadium on 26 May 2007, beating Shrewsbury 3–1 in front of a crowd of 61,589.
Harold James Jarman is an English former professional footballer and first-class cricketer. He spent the majority of his lengthy footballing career with Bristol Rovers, where he is the club's third-highest goalscorer of all time and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in April 2021.
During 2008 and 2009, Bristol Rovers Football Club participated in League One, The 2008–09 season covers the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009. It marks the 126th year of football played by Bristol Rovers F.C. and their 82nd season in The Football League.
Alfred George 'Alfie' Biggs was an English professional footballer, who spent the vast majority of his career at Bristol Rovers.
George Ernest Petherbridge was a professional footballer, who played for Bristol Rovers for seventeen years, between 1945 and 1962.
Raymond Richard Warren was a professional footballer who spent his entire career at Bristol Rovers. He joined the club on 12 March 1936, at the age of 17, and spent twenty years playing as a centre-half with the Eastville club until retiring in 1956. On 26 March 2021, Warren became the fifth player to be inducted into the newly created Bristol Rovers Hall of Fame.
During 2011 and 2012, Bristol Rovers Football Club participated in League Two, the fourth level of English football. It was 129th season of football played by Bristol Rovers, and their 85th in the Football League. The previous saw Bristol Rovers end a four-year tenure in League One. Despite initial optimism of an instant return, the campaign proved disappointing as Rovers struggled for much of the season under new manager Paul Buckle before being replaced by Mark McGhee who brought about an upturn in fortunes to finish 13th.
The 2012–13 season was the 130th season in Bristol Rovers' history and their 86th in the Football League. Rovers once again competed in League Two, the lowest level of the Football League, after finishing 13th in the 2011–12 season.
The 2013–14 season was the 131st season in Bristol Rovers' history and their 87th in the Football League. For the third season in a row, Rovers competed in the basement division of the Football League, League Two, having finished 14th in the 2012–13 season.
The 2020–21 EFL League One was the 17th season of Football League One under its current title and the 29th season under its current league division format.
The 2020–21 Bristol Rovers F.C. season was the 138th edition in Bristol Rovers F.C. history and the fourth consecutive season in EFL League One, Along with League One, the club contested the FA Cup, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy.
The 2021–22 season is Bristol Rovers' 139th year in their history and first season back in League Two since the 2015–16 season, following relegation the previous season. Along with the league, the club also competed in the FA Cup, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy. The season covers the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.
↑ Geoff Twentyman (presenter) & Steve Hamer (guest) (19 February 2016). Friday Night Sport (Radio broadcast). Bristol: BBC Radio Bristol. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
↑ "Back to Bristol". bristolrovers.co.uk. Bristol Rovers Football Club. 2 August 2007. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
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