Fleetwood Town F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Fleetwood Town Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Fishermen, The Cod Army | |||
| Founded | 1908 (as Fleetwood) 1928 (as Fleetwood Windsor Villa, later Fleetwood) 1977 (second reformation as Fleetwood Town) 1997 (third reformation Fleetwood Wanderers) |
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| Ground | Highbury Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 5,327 (2,672 seated) | |||
| Chairman | Jamie Pilley | |||
| Manager | Charlie Adam | |||
| League | League One | |||
| 2018–19 | League One, 11th of 24 | |||
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Fleetwood Town Football Club is a professional association football team from Fleetwood, England. They play in EFL League Two, which is the fourth level of English football.
The club you see today started in 1997. But the team's history goes all the way back to 1908! Their home colors are red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts. They play their games at Highbury Stadium in Fleetwood. Fans of the club are often called the "Cod Army," which is also a nickname for the team. Another nickname is "The Fishermen." Fleetwood Town has a local rivalry with Blackpool, and their matches are known as the Fylde Coast derby.
The first Fleetwood team was formed in 1908. They won a league title in 1924 but faced money problems and stopped playing in 1928. A new team, Fleetwood Windsor Villa, took their place and won several cups. This club became a founding member of the Northern Premier League in 1968. However, they also ran into financial trouble and folded in 1976. The club was then restarted in 1977 as Fleetwood Town. This version of the club reached the final of the FA Vase in 1985 but also stopped playing in 1997.
The current club began in 1997 as Fleetwood Wanderers. They won a league title in 1999. In 2002, they changed their name back to Fleetwood Town. A new chairman, Andy Pilley, joined in 2004 and helped the club grow a lot. Fleetwood won several promotions, moving up through different leagues. In 2012, they reached the Football League for the first time! In 2014, they won a big play-off final at Wembley and were promoted to League One. This was their sixth promotion in just ten years! In 2024, they moved back down to League Two.
Contents
Fleetwood Town's Journey Through Football
Early Days and Challenges (1908–1997)
The story of Fleetwood Town Football Club began in 1908. The first team was simply called Fleetwood F.C. They became champions of the Lancashire Combination league in the 1923–24 season. Sadly, this club had money problems and had to leave the league in 1928.
A new team, Fleetwood Windsor Villa F.C., started playing in 1928. They later changed their name to Fleetwood F.C. and joined the Lancashire Combination. This team won the Lancashire Combination Cup three times in a row, from 1932 to 1934. A famous goalkeeper named Frank Swift, who was only 18, played for them in their first cup win. In 1968, the club helped start the new Northern Premier League. This league was like the fifth level of English football at the time. Fleetwood finished 10th in their first season there. They won the Northern Premier League Cup in 1971. But, like the first club, they faced money issues and stopped playing in 1976.
The club was restarted again in 1977, this time as Fleetwood Town F.C. They joined the Cheshire County League and then the North West Counties League in 1982. They were promoted in 1984. In 1985, the team made it to the final of the FA Vase cup. They played at Wembley in front of 16,000 fans but lost 3–1 to Halesowen Town. This third version of the club also faced financial problems and closed down in 1997.
New Beginnings and Rise to Success (1997–2011)
The current Fleetwood Town F.C. started in 1997. It was first called Fleetwood Wanderers F.C. They quickly won a league title in 1999. In 2002, the club's name changed back to Fleetwood Town. In 2003, Tony Greenwood became the manager. Soon after, Andy Pilley became the chairman. With his support, the club started to climb up the football pyramid very quickly.
Fleetwood Town won the North West Counties League in 2005. Then, they were promoted from the Northern Premier League First Division in 2006. This brought them to the Northern Premier League Premier Division. In the 2006–07 season, Fleetwood Town won the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup.
In the 2007–08 season, Fleetwood won the Northern Premier League title. This promotion took them to the Conference North. They also had the most fans attending their games in that league.
The 2008–09 season started tough. The manager, Tony Greenwood, was replaced by Micky Mellon. Fleetwood made history by reaching the Second Round of the F.A. Cup for the first time. They played against Hartlepool United at Highbury in front of a record crowd of 3,280 fans, but lost 3–2.
In the 2009–10 season, Fleetwood was chasing promotion. They won promotion to the Football Conference (now called the National League) by winning the play-off final against Alfreton Town 2–1.
For the 2010–11 season, all of Fleetwood's players became full-time professionals. The club finished fifth in the league, which meant they qualified for the play-offs. In the semi-finals, they played against AFC Wimbledon. A new attendance record of 4,112 fans was set at their home game. However, Fleetwood lost both matches and did not get promoted.
Entering the Football League (2011–Present)
The 2011–12 season was amazing for Fleetwood. In the FA Cup, they reached the Third Round for the first time. They played against their neighbors Blackpool at home. Fleetwood lost 5–1, but Jamie Vardy scored their only goal in front of 5,094 supporters. In the league, Fleetwood went on an incredible 29-game unbeaten run! They were crowned champions with two games left, which meant they were promoted to the Football League for the very first time! After this successful season, Jamie Vardy moved to Leicester City for a record fee for a non-league player.
In the 2012–13 season, Fleetwood started well in League Two. However, results became difficult, and manager Micky Mellon was replaced by Graham Alexander in December 2012. The team finished 13th in League Two that season.
The 2013–14 season was another big success. Fleetwood was close to automatic promotion all season. They made it to the play-offs. After beating York City in the semi-final, Fleetwood played Burton Albion in the final at Wembley on May 26. They won 1–0 with a fantastic free-kick from Antoni Sarcevic. This victory meant they were promoted to League One for the first time in their history!
Life in League One
Playing at their highest level ever, the 2014–15 season was very good. Fleetwood was even at the top of the league after three games! They stayed in the top half of the league for most of the season, finishing 10th. The club also bought a hotel for its youth team and started building a new training ground called Poolfoot Farm.
The 2015–16 season was tougher. The club decided to focus on developing young players. Manager Graham Alexander was replaced by Steven Pressley in October 2015. Pressley helped the team stay in League One. In April 2016, famous football manager Alex Ferguson officially opened the club's new £8 million Poolfoot Farm training ground. This amazing facility has 12 grass pitches and two artificial pitches, plus a gym and offices.
Before the 2016–17 season, Steven Pressley resigned. Uwe Rösler became the new manager. He led the club to its highest-ever finish of 4th place in League One! However, they lost in the play-off semi-finals to Bradford City.
In the 2017–18 season, Uwe Rösler was replaced by John Sheridan in February 2018. Sheridan successfully kept the club from being relegated, finishing 14th.
Joey Barton was appointed manager for the 2018–19 season. He guided the team to an 11th-place finish.
The 2019–20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fleetwood Town was in 6th place and entered the play-offs. They lost to Wycombe Wanderers in the semi-finals.
The 2020–21 season was also affected by COVID-19, with most games played without fans. Joey Barton was replaced by Simon Grayson in January 2021. Fleetwood finished 15th that season.
In the 2021–22 season, Fleetwood struggled. Simon Grayson was replaced by Stephen Crainey. The team managed to avoid relegation on the very last day of the season, despite a loss to Bolton Wanderers.
On May 12, 2022, former Celtic player Scott Brown was appointed head coach. Fleetwood finished the 2022–23 season in 13th place. They also had their best-ever run in the FA Cup, reaching the fifth round before losing to Burnley.
In May 2023, Andy Pilley stepped down as chairman. Jamie Pilley, his son, later took over as chairman in May 2024.
Relegation to League Two
The 2023–24 season started with many losses, and Scott Brown was replaced by Lee Johnson. However, after more losses, Johnson was also replaced by Charlie Adam in December 2023. At the end of the season, Fleetwood Town was relegated back to League Two.
Highbury Stadium: Fleetwood's Home Ground
The first Fleetwood club played on a pitch near the North Euston Hotel. In 1939, the club moved to its current home, Highbury Stadium.
Over the years, the stadium has been improved a lot. In 2007, the new "Percy Ronson Stand" was opened. In 2008, two more new stands were built: the "Highbury Stand" with seats and the "Memorial Stand" for standing fans. New floodlights were also installed.
More improvements continued. In 2010, construction began on a new East Stand. This stand, now called the "Parkside Stand," was completed in 2011. It helped increase the stadium's capacity to over 5,000, which was needed for the Football League.
Today, Highbury Stadium can hold 5,327 people, with 2,672 seats. It is the smallest stadium in their division.
Fans and Rivalries
Fleetwood Town supporters are often called the "Cod Army." This nickname is also used for the club itself, along with "The Fishermen."
Fleetwood has a growing rivalry with their nearby neighbors, Blackpool. This is known as the Fylde Coast derby. Even though they haven't played each other many times, it's an exciting match for fans. Other local rivals include Morecambe and Preston North End.
Fleetwood also has traditional rivalries with teams they played against often when they were in lower leagues. These include Morecambe, Southport, and Barrow. Other teams like Accrington Stanley, Chorley, and Lancaster City have also been rivals.
A survey in 2019 showed that Fleetwood fans see Blackpool, Morecambe, and Accrington Stanley as their biggest rivals.
Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Charlie Adam |
| Assistant manager | Maurice Ross |
| First team coach | Ross Wallace |
| First team goalkeeping coach | Owain Fôn Williams |
| Head of Sports Science | Jake Atherton |
| Physiotherapists | Josh O'Keefe, Brad Steedman, Lloyd Balazs |
| Head of academy | Jack Higgins |
| Head of coach and player development | Matt Lawlor |
Club Records and Achievements
Fleetwood Town has achieved many great things in its history.
- Best League Finish: 4th place in League One (third level) in the 2016–17 season.
- Best FA Cup Run: Reached the 5th Round in the 2022–23 season.
- Best League Cup Run: Reached the 3rd Round in 2020–21 and 2024–25.
- Best FA Vase Run: Runners-up in 1984–85.
- Biggest Win: 13–0 against Oldham Town in 1998.
- Record Transfer Fee Paid: £400,000 for Kyle Dempsey in 2017.
- Record Transfer Fee Received: £1,700,000 for Jamie Vardy in 2012 (a record for a non-league club at the time).
Most Appearances
- 498 – Nathan Pond (2003–2018)
- 421 – Jack Ainscough (1954–1966)
- 416 – Percy Ronson (1949–1964)
Top Goalscorers
- All-time Record Goalscorer: 101 goals by Dave Barnes.
- Football League Record Goalscorer: 43 goals by Paddy Madden.
Most Capped Player
- 25 – Conor McLaughlin for Northern Ireland (2011–2017).
Honours and Trophies
Fleetwood Town has won many titles and cups throughout its history:
League Titles
- League Two (level 4)
- Play-off winners: 2014
- Conference (level 5)
- Champions: 2011–12
- Conference North (level 6)
- Play-off winners: 2010
- Northern Premier League Premier Division
- Champions: 2007–08
- Northern Premier League First Division
- Champions: 1987–88
- North West Counties Football League Premier Division
- Champions: 2004–05
- North West Counties Football League First Division
- Champions: 1983–84, 1998–99
- Lancashire Combination
- Champions: 1923–24
Cup Wins
- Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1971, 2007
- Northern Premier League President's Cup
- Winners: 1990
- North West Counties Football League First Division Trophy
- Winners: 1999
- Lancashire Combination Cup
- Winners: 1926, 1932, 1933, 1934
- Peter Swales Memorial Shield
- Winners: 2008
Images for kids
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Fleetwood Town Football Club logo
See also
In Spanish: Fleetwood Town Football Club para niños
