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 | |||
| Head coach | Pete Wild | |||
| 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, Lancashire, England. They play in EFL League Two, which is the fourth level of English football.
The club was first started in 1908, but the current team began in 1997. Their home kit is red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts. They play their home games at Highbury Stadium. Fans of the club are often called the "Cod Army," which is also a nickname for the team, along with "The Fishermen." Fleetwood Town has a local rivalry with Blackpool, known as the Fylde Coast derby.
The original Fleetwood club won the Lancashire Combination in 1923–24. Over the years, the club faced money problems and reformed a few times. The current club, first called Fleetwood Wanderers, started in 1997. They worked their way up through different leagues. In 2012, they reached the Football League for the first time. In 2014, they won a play-off final at Wembley to get promoted to League One. This was their sixth promotion in ten years! They were relegated back to League Two in 2024.
Contents
Club History
Early Years and Challenges (1908–1997)
The Fleetwood Town club you see today was officially formed in 1997. However, its history goes back to 1908 with earlier versions of the club.
The first club, Fleetwood F.C., won the Lancashire Combination in the 1923–24 season. This club had to stop playing in 1928 because of money problems.
Later, a team called Fleetwood Windsor Villa F.C. took their place. They won the Lancashire Combination Cup three times in a row in the early 1930s. A famous goalkeeper named Frank Swift played for them when he was just 18. In 1968, the club became one of the first teams in the new Northern Premier League. They even won the Northern Premier League Cup in 1971. But in 1976, this version of the club also closed down due to financial issues.
The club was started again in 1977 as Fleetwood Town F.C. They played in the Cheshire County League and then the North West Counties League. In 1984, they were promoted to Division One. They even reached the final of the FA Vase in 1985, but lost to Halesowen Town at Wembley. This third version of the club also faced money problems and stopped playing in 1997.
Rising Through the Ranks (1997–2011)
The current club began in 1997 as Fleetwood Wanderers F.C. They quickly changed their name to Fleetwood Freeport because of a sponsorship deal. In 1999, they were promoted to the Premier Division of the North West Counties League. In 2002, they changed their name back to Fleetwood Town.
In 2004, Andrew Pilley became the chairman. He invested a lot of money into the club, which helped them achieve great success. Fleetwood won the North West Counties League Premier Division in 2005. They also got promoted from the Northern Premier League First Division in 2006. In 2007–08, Fleetwood Town won the Northern Premier League title, moving up to the Conference North.
In the 2008–09 season, the club had a tough start. The manager, Tony Greenwood, was replaced by Micky Mellon. Fleetwood reached the Second Round of the F.A. Cup for the first time, but lost to Hartlepool United.
In 2009–10, 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. For the 2010–11 season, all players became full-time professionals. Fleetwood finished fifth in the league and made it to the play-offs, but lost to Wimbledon.
Joining the Football League (2011–Present)
The 2011–12 season was amazing for Fleetwood. They reached the Third Round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing to local rivals Blackpool. In the league, Fleetwood went on a 29-game unbeaten run and won the Conference National title. This meant they were promoted to the Football League for the very first time! After this season, player Jamie Vardy moved to Leicester City for a record fee for a non-league player.
In the 2012–13 season, Fleetwood started well but then had a difficult period. Manager Micky Mellon was replaced by Graham Alexander. The team finished 13th in League Two.
The 2013–14 season was another big success. Fleetwood finished fourth in League Two. They won their play-off semi-final against York City. Then, in the play-off final at Wembley on May 26, 2014, they beat Burton Albion 1–0. This win promoted them 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 finished 10th in League One. 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 harder. The club decided to focus on developing young players. Manager Graham Alexander was replaced by Steven Pressley, who helped the team avoid relegation. In 2016, Alex Ferguson officially opened the new £8 million Poolfoot Farm training ground.
In 2016–17, Uwe Rösler became manager. He led the club to its highest ever finish, 4th place in League One. However, they lost in the play-off semi-finals to Bradford City.
In 2017–18, Rösler was sacked after a series of defeats. John Sheridan took over and successfully kept the club in League One.
Joey Barton was appointed manager for the 2018–19 season, guiding the team to an 11th-place finish.
The 2019–20 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fleetwood was in a play-off spot but lost to Wycombe Wanderers in the semi-finals.
In the 2020–21 season, most games were played without fans. Joey Barton was sacked in January 2021 and replaced by Simon Grayson, who led the team to a 15th-place finish.
The 2021–22 season was a struggle. After a poor start, Grayson was sacked. Stephen Crainey became interim manager and helped Fleetwood avoid relegation on the final day of the season.
In May 2022, former Celtic player Scott Brown was appointed head coach. Fleetwood finished 13th in the 2022–23 season and reached the FA Cup fifth round for the first time. In May 2023, Andrew Pilley, who had been a key figure in the club's growth, stepped down as chairman. His son, Jamie Pilley, later took over in May 2024.
Relegation to League Two
The 2023–24 season started with many defeats, leading to Scott Brown's departure. Lee Johnson took over, but after more losses, he was also sacked in December 2023. Former Blackpool player Charlie Adam became the new head coach. Despite his efforts, Fleetwood was relegated back to League Two at the end of the season.
In December 2024, Charlie Adam was sacked, and Pete Wild became the new head coach.
Highbury Stadium
Fleetwood Town plays its home games at Highbury Stadium. The original club played at different locations before moving to the current ground in 1939.
Over the years, the stadium has been greatly improved. In 2007, the new Percy Ronson Stand was opened. More plans for redevelopment were announced, and in 2008, new North and West stands were built. The West Stand, called the Highbury Stand, has seats and facilities for disabled fans and the press. The North Stand, known as the Memorial Stand, is a standing area.
A new East Stand, called the Parkside Stand, was completed in 2011. This stand helped increase the stadium's capacity to over 5,000, meeting the requirements for Football League teams.
Today, Highbury Stadium can hold 5,327 people, with 2,672 seats. It is one of the smaller stadiums in the English Football League.
Supporters and Club 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 neighbours, Blackpool. This is known as the Fylde Coast derby. Other local teams they have rivalries with include Morecambe, Southport, and Barrow. These teams have played against Fleetwood many times when they were all in the non-League divisions.
Players
First-Team Squad
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Players on Loan to Other Clubs
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U21s/U18s Squad
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U21s/U18s Players on Loan
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Coaching Staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Pete Wild |
| Assistant head coach | Adam Temple |
| Assistant first team coach | Matt Lawlor |
| First team goalkeeping coach | Barry Roche |
| Head of sports science | Jake Atherton |
| Physiotherapists | Josh O'Keefe, Brad Steedman, Lloyd Balazs |
| Head of academy | Jack Higgins |
| Under 18s manager | Mark Yeates |
Club Records
- Best league finish: 4th in League One (third level) in 2016–17.
- Best FA Cup run: Reached the 5th Round in 2022–23.
- Best League Cup run: Reached the 3rd Round in 2020–21 and 2024–25.
- Biggest win: 13–0 against Oldham Town in 1998.
- Biggest loss: 0–9 against Bradford City in 1949.
- Most appearances for the club: 498 by Nathan Pond (2003–2018).
- Record goalscorer: 101 goals by Dave Barnes.
- Record transfer fee received: £1,700,000 for Jamie Vardy when he moved to Leicester City in 2012. This was a record for a non-league player.
Club Achievements
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
- FA Vase
- Runners-up: 1984–85
- Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
- Winners: 1971, 2007
- Lancashire Combination Cup
- Winners: 1926, 1932, 1933, 1934
See also
In Spanish: Fleetwood Town Football Club para niños
