 | ||
| Full name | Gymnasium Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Gymns | |
| Founded | 1890 | |
| Ground | Tromode Park, Tromode Road Douglas, Isle of Man | |
| Chairman | Tony Hewson | |
| Manager | Vacant | |
| League | Isle of Man Football League Division Two | |
| 2025–26 | Combination Two, 6th of 13 | |
Gymnasium A.F.C. are a football club from Douglas on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League. They wear a light blue and white shirt, black shorts and light blue and black socks, and play their home games at Tromode Park in Douglas.
Gymnasium A.F.C. was founded on Saturday 11 October 1890, at a meeting held in the reading room of the Douglas Gymnasium. In the meeting it was decided, on the casting vote of the chairman, that the club would adopt the Association code, rather than Rugby, which was more prevalent on the Isle of Man at the time.This meeting is fully reported in the Isle of Man Times edition dated Wednesday 15 October 1890.
Gymns were one of eight teams that initially made up the official Manx Football League.
The club has been Isle of Man Football League champions seven times, including four consecutive championships from 1902–03 to 1905–06. [1] They have also won the Manx FA Cup ten times. [2]
The club experienced an internal power struggle during 1987, resulting in the resignation of a section of the committee and players to form spin off club Douglas Royal, who even copied the Gymns kit of the time and to this day are considered a rival club.
In 2001–02 Gymns were relegated to Division Two, [3] but were promoted back to Divison One the following season as runners-up. [4] However, they spent just one season back in the top flight, finishing the season having won just two games. [5] Then in the following season, 2004–05, they again earned promotion as runners-up. [6] Following that turbulent period, the club was able to consolidate its position within the top tier.
In addition to the Senior team, the club has a reserve team that play in the Isle of Man Football Combination.
Thanks to links with a prominent Premier League club, Gymns were donated a playing kit for the 2002–03 season. A mix-up in communication resulted in blue/white stripe shirts being provided instead of the club's traditional all-white. As a result, Gymns altered the club colours that season to reflect this new kit, later switching the shorts and socks from blue to black.
During the 2008–09 season, the club achieved The Football Association Charter Standard status, the FA's kitemark scheme for quality assurance.
The 2013-14 Season saw a strong trophy haul for the club, with both the first and the combination teams winning their respective league titles, as well as lifting the Woods Cup trophy.
The club then experienced a lean spell and have been back in the second division for a number of years.
After some departures from the club, Gymns were only able to field a combination side. The team struggled to get going in 2024, sitting bottom of the table on just 7 points by the end of the calendar year. However, after some tactical changes and the return of a couple of players, the team began to improve and were able to finish the season strongly, earning 16 points in the final 7 matches (5W-1D-1L), with the only loss in that run being to league champions, Colby. This late run of form saw Gymns climb off the bottom of the table and up to a 10th place finish.
Club captain Daniel Kewley won Players Player of the Season, with Ricky Bell receiving the Managers equivalent. Ollie Horbury won Young Player of the Year, and Dean Corlett received the award for best Newcomer. Alex McKeeman, Ally Sinclair and Danny Shefford were all given awards for behind-the-scenes contributions to the club.
Gymns were again only able to field a combination side. The team began the season looking to build on the strong finish of 2024/25. With no official manager, players on the club committee stepped up to lead the squad until a new manager can be appointed.
After starting the season slowly, with just 1 point from the opening 3 games, the team impressively went on to climb to 4th in the table following a 5-match unbeaten streak (DWWWD) that included 3 victories by a margin of 5+ goals.
| GK | DEF | MID | FWD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Saunders | Adam Clucas | Andrew Burkitt | Ally Sinclair |
| Josh Kingett | Alessandro Mazzotta | Dean Corlett | Charles Simuchimba |
| Phil Cowin | Alex Hamilton | Daniel Kewley (c) | Courage Ohikhuae |
| Alex McKeeman | George Rumney | Hayden Gray | |
| Brandon Quayle | Mokebe Malatjie | Joe Hoy | |
| Corben Kewley | Ricky Bell | Joe Price | |
| Danny Shefford | Ste Faragher | Theo Boland |
In early-2025, it was agreed that Celton would become the clubs primary sponsor for the upcoming 2025-26 Season.
The club is a member of the Cronkbourne Sports & Social Club, which also includes the Cronkbourne Cricket Club and the Cronkbourne Bacchanalians Hockey Club. This partnership enables the CSSC pavilion facilities to be used during the football season to provide a further level of comfort to home and visiting players.
| League | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Division One | 7 | 1897-98, 1902-03, 1903-04, 1904-05, 1905-06, 1919-20, 1986-87 |
| Division Two | 4 | 1970-71, 1974-75, 1981-82, 2013-14 |
| Division Two Combination | 1 | 2013-14 |
| Competition | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Manx FA Cup | 10 | 1894–95, 1901–02, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1910–11, 1931–32, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1999–2000 |
| Railway Cup | 5 | 1906–07, 1924–25, 1927–28, 1950–51, 1986–87 |
| Hospital Cup | 3 | 1921–22, 1922–23, 1986–87 |
| Omnitec Invitational Trophy | 1 | 2009-10 |
| Woods Cup | 1 | 2013-14 |
