| Full name | Notts Olympic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Olympians | ||
| Founded | 1876 | ||
| Dissolved | 1916 | ||
| Ground | Churchville, on Churchfields Lane | ||
| Chairman | Arthur Hines | ||
| |||
Notts Olympic Football Club was an English football club from the Radford district of Nottingham.
Notts Olympic was founded as Radford Excelsior, in the early 1870s, with matches reported from 1876. [1]
The club claimed a foundation date of 1884, [2] even though there are reports of the club playing under the Notts Olympic name from 1882; [3] the later foundation date marked when the club moved to the Churchfields ground and entered the FA Cup for the first time.
The club was "not disgraced" by its first FA Cup match in 1884–85, only losing 2–0 to Notts County in the first round; however Olympic did not manage a shot on target all match, or earn any corners, while County had 11 of the latter. [4]
The following year, the club beat Nottingham Wanderers in a replay at the Churchville ground, [5] which proved to be the club's only win in the main draw. In the next round, the club lost at Nottingham Forest by the same score, with the Olympans' play being described as "rough" and exhibiting "bad temper". [6] Forest repeated the result in 1886–87, and in 1887–88 the club were drawn to play Mellors Limited F.C. away from home. After a 6–3 defeat, the Olympians protested that the Muskham Street ground was too small; on measuring it was found to be 13 yards too short, so the Football Association ordered a replay at Churchville. It was to no avail as Mellors won the replayed match 2–1. [7]
The club twice reached the final of the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup. The first time, in 1887, Olympic lost 3–0 to Nottingham Forest on the latter's Gregory Ground; Forest fielded three reserves, and in later years both Forest and County only entered reserve XIs.
The second occasion was in 1893, the final against holders Mansfield Greenhalgh's being played off on a neutral ground at Hucknall. The Olympians were particularly cursed with injuries, not being able to field their captain, half-back Mounteney being a passenger in the second half after being injured just before half-time, and forward Newton having to retire hurt in the second half. Nonetheless, the Olympians turned around at half-time one goal ahead, but, after "a rough-and-tumble game, in which strength beat science", Greenhalgh's came from behind to win 2–1. [8] Two months later the club played in the Newark Cup final, but suffered an 8–1 hammering against Grantham Rovers. [9]
The club also entered the Birmingham Senior Cup in the late 1880s, reaching the third round (last 16) in 1887–88 (having beaten Burton Swifts 4–0) and the same stage - now titled the first round proper - in 1888–89, losing 6–4 at home to Walsall Town Swifts. [10]
The club continued to enter the FA Cup after qualifying rounds were introduced, but never got beyond the first match, the nadir being a 13–0 defeat to Leicester Fosse in 1894–95 - the Olympic had been drawn at home, but switched the tie to Leicester. [11] Its last entry was in 1896–97, the club bowing out of senior football with an 8–0 defeat at Rushden, in front of 800 spectators. [12]
As the club remained amateur, it became a founder member of the Midland Alliance in 1891, although the league only lasted two more seasons. The club therefore joined the Notts Amateur League, [13] resigning before the end of the 1899–1900 season as the club was unable to fulfil its fixtures; [14] in part this was due to the club's amateur status ensuring that it could not retain its better players. [15] The club however joined the Notts Alliance [16] and in 1906 a new incarnation of the Notts League. [17]
The club continued to play in minor leagues until the First World War, finishing bottom but one in the Notts Alliance in 1913–14, when it avoided last place only thanks to a points deduction for another club. [18] The final fixture for the club is recorded in April 1915, at Churchfield Lane, against Netherfield Rangers; [19] in May 1916 the club was described as defunct. [20]
The club originally played in white, changing to dark and light blue halves for the 1884–85 season. [21] In 1890 the club changed to red and green. [22] By February 1891 the club had changed to black and red stripes, [23] which also became the colours of AC Milan, as Olympian Herbert Kilpin took a set of shirts with him when sent to Milan for business. [24]
The club's home matches were originally played "on the Forest" [recreation ground] [25] [26] before moving to Churchfields Lane in 1884, the ground itself often called Churchville. In 1892, the club moved to the Gregory Ground, recently vacated by Nottingham Forest. [27] The move did not last long as in 1894 the club moved back to its "peculiar" old ground at Churchville. [28]
The name has been revived on occasion over the years, [29] the longest-running reincarnation being in existence from 1948 to 1959. The most recent reincarnation was set up in 2023. [30]
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team compete in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system.
The City Ground is a football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest F.C. since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,455.
The Nottingham derby is the name given to football matches contested between Nottingham Forest and Notts County.
Carlton Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Gedling, Nottinghamshire, England. Founded in 1904 as Sneinton Football Club, its early years were marked by considerable local success, leading to the club being described by the Manchester Courier in 1909 as "the leading amateur football club in Nottingham". Its reputation declined for several decades afterwards, with the team participating in obscure county divisions until the 1995–96 season saw the club join the nationwide league system. Carlton currently competes in the Northern Premier League Division One East at the eighth tier of the English football pyramid.
Gedling Town Football Club was a semi-professional football club based in Stoke Bardolph, Nottinghamshire, England. Founded in 1985 as R & R Scaffolding, the works team of a construction firm from Netherfield, Gedling played its first four seasons in the Notts Amateur League until the 1990–91 campaign saw the club join the nationwide league system. At the time of its dissolution in 2011 due to insolvency, Gedling competed in the East Midlands Counties Football League (EMCFL) Premier Division at the tenth tier of the English football pyramid.
Birmingham St. George's F.C. was a football club based in Smethwick, England. The club started as St George's FC in Aston, before moving to the Cape Hill brewery in 1886 under the name Mitchell St George's.
Long Eaton Rangers Football Club was a football club based in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England, which, for a brief period in the 1880s, had a legitimate claim to being one of the best teams in the country. They were founding members of the second ever league, The Combination, in 1888, and when that folded, the Football Alliance in 1889.
Herbert Kilpin was an English football player and manager, best known as the main founding father of AC Milan. After playing as an amateur in his native city of Nottingham, in the early 1890s he moved to Italy to work in the textile industry and he became one of the pioneers of football in the country, first as a player for Internazionale Torino and then as player, manager, and charter member of Milan.
The Nottinghamshire Football Association, often known simply as the Notts FA, is the governing body of football in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. The Nottinghamshire FA runs a number of cups at different levels for teams across most of Nottinghamshire, as well as educating their affiliated clubs and members with relevant courses and events. A small number of clubs in the north of the county are members of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association.
Harry Butler Daft was an English footballer who played for Notts County, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1894, as well as making five appearances as a left winger for the national side. He was also an accomplished first-class cricketer, playing 200 matches for Nottinghamshire between 1885 and 1899.
Wednesbury Strollers F.C. was an English football club based in Wednesbury, Staffordshire which was active in the 1870s and 1880s.
Notts Rangers Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1868 under the name Nottingham St James. They became Nottingham Rangers in 1880 and by 1886 were habitually referred to as Notts Rangers.
The Castle Ground was a cricket and football sports ground in the Meadows area of Nottingham, England. The ground was used by Nottingham Forest between 1879 and 1881, and by Notts County between 1880 and 1894.
Newark F.C. was a football club from the town of Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. It was one of the first clubs to play association football.
Nottingham Wanderers F.C. was an English association football club from Nottinghamshire.
Nottingham Swifts Football Club, usually referred to as Notts Swifts, was an English football club, founded in or before 1876 under the name Mansfield Road. They became Nottingham Swifts in 1880.
Mellors Limited Football Club, also variously given as Mellors' or Mellor's Limited, was an English football club from Nottingham.
Basford Rovers Football Club was an English football club from Nottingham.
Jardines F.C. was an English association football club from Nottingham, England.
The Midland Alliance was an association football league for teams in the Midlands of England, which ran for three seasons in the 1890s.
