Club History
Bideford A.F.C. is an English non-league football club from Bideford, Devon that plays in the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division with rival clubs from the counties of Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire, Berkshire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. Managed by Sean Joyce, the club is nicknamed "The Robins" due to their all-red strip. The club plays its home matches at The Sports Ground, Kingsley Road, Bideford.
Founded in 1946, the club played three seasons in the Exeter & East Devon League before joining the Western League in 1949. Bideford had a request to be elected to the Second Division denied, and had to play in the Third Division instead. This was the only season the Western League ran a Third Division, and Bideford won it without losing a game. Two seasons later they also won Division Two, and so took their place in Division One.
Bideford won the Western League three times before joining the Southern League in 1972. The club spent three seasons at that level before the expense involved and increased travelling took its toll, and they had to drop down back to the Western League. During their Southern League days, the club set an all-time FA Cup record, when in 1974-75 they played thirteen FA Cup games in a single season - they faced numerous replays in qualifying rounds including needing five games to beat Falmouth Town and four more to beat Trowbridge Town in the next round. With the subsequent abandonment of second and further replays, this record is likely to stand for a very long time. Two more Western League titles followed in the early 1980s.
Several players from the club have progressed to Football League status, the most recent of them being Tony Dennis and Shaun Taylor. Two former internationals have played for the club at the end of their career, Welshman Leighton Phillips, and Dermot Curtis from the Republic of Ireland.
Bideford have won the Toolstation Western Premier League 9 times over the years, as well as lifting silverware in the Devon St Lukes Bowl, Devon Professional Cup, and Western League Cup.
In FA competitions, Bideford AFC’s record is quite impressive, reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Cup on four occasions, and reaching the Semi-Final of the FA Vase in 2003/04. In 2008/09 the FA Vase campaign saw Bideford reach the quarter-final stages, where they were knocked out by an impressive Lowestoft.
Bideford AFC gained promotion from the Toolstation Western Premier League at the end of a fantastic 2009/10 season, in which they did the double winning the League and the Westinsure Devon St Lukes Bowl where they beat Exeter City 2-1 in the Final. Bideford AFC were promoted to the Evo-Stik Southern League South & West Division in May 2010, the first time they have played in the Southern League in 35 years. After finishing that first season in a credible 10th place, the 2011/12 season saw them crowned Champions by an impressive 11pt margin, gaining promotion for the first time in their history so the Southern League Premier Division.
Manager Sean Joyce is an ex-professional footballer, who spent his career playing for Doncaster Rovers, Exeter City and Torquay Utd. He has managed Bideford since 1998, bringing an unprecidented level of success to the Club during his time here.
Founded in 1946, the club played three seasons in the Exeter & East Devon League before joining the Western League in 1949. Bideford had a request to be elected to the Second Division denied, and had to play in the Third Division instead. This was the only season the Western League ran a Third Division, and Bideford won it without losing a game. Two seasons later they also won Division Two, and so took their place in Division One.
Bideford won the Western League three times before joining the Southern League in 1972. The club spent three seasons at that level before the expense involved and increased travelling took its toll, and they had to drop down back to the Western League. During their Southern League days, the club set an all-time FA Cup record, when in 1974-75 they played thirteen FA Cup games in a single season - they faced numerous replays in qualifying rounds including needing five games to beat Falmouth Town and four more to beat Trowbridge Town in the next round. With the subsequent abandonment of second and further replays, this record is likely to stand for a very long time. Two more Western League titles followed in the early 1980s.
Several players from the club have progressed to Football League status, the most recent of them being Tony Dennis and Shaun Taylor. Two former internationals have played for the club at the end of their career, Welshman Leighton Phillips, and Dermot Curtis from the Republic of Ireland.
Bideford have won the Toolstation Western Premier League 9 times over the years, as well as lifting silverware in the Devon St Lukes Bowl, Devon Professional Cup, and Western League Cup.
In FA competitions, Bideford AFC’s record is quite impressive, reaching the First Round Proper of the FA Cup on four occasions, and reaching the Semi-Final of the FA Vase in 2003/04. In 2008/09 the FA Vase campaign saw Bideford reach the quarter-final stages, where they were knocked out by an impressive Lowestoft.
Bideford AFC gained promotion from the Toolstation Western Premier League at the end of a fantastic 2009/10 season, in which they did the double winning the League and the Westinsure Devon St Lukes Bowl where they beat Exeter City 2-1 in the Final. Bideford AFC were promoted to the Evo-Stik Southern League South & West Division in May 2010, the first time they have played in the Southern League in 35 years. After finishing that first season in a credible 10th place, the 2011/12 season saw them crowned Champions by an impressive 11pt margin, gaining promotion for the first time in their history so the Southern League Premier Division.
Manager Sean Joyce is an ex-professional footballer, who spent his career playing for Doncaster Rovers, Exeter City and Torquay Utd. He has managed Bideford since 1998, bringing an unprecidented level of success to the Club during his time here.
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