Lincoln Red Imps F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Lincoln Red Imps Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Red Imps | ||
| Short name | Lincoln | ||
| Founded | 1976 as Blue Batons | ||
| Ground | Victoria Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Owner | Dylan Viagas | ||
| Head coach | David Campaña | ||
| League | Gibraltar Football League | ||
| 2023–24 | 1st | ||
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The Lincoln Red Imps Football Club is a professional football team from Gibraltar. They play in the Gibraltar Football League. Like all other clubs in Gibraltar, they share the Victoria Stadium.
The Red Imps are the most successful team in Gibraltar. They have won the league title 27 times! This includes an amazing fourteen wins in a row from 2003 to 2016. In 2014, they were the first team from Gibraltar to play in the UEFA Champions League. In 2021, Lincoln Red Imps made history again. They became the first club from Gibraltar to reach the group stages of a European competition. This happened in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.
The club has won the "treble" (winning the league, main cup, and another cup in one season) seven times. They also hold a European record for being unbeaten in the league for 88 matches. This amazing streak lasted for over five years, from May 2009 to September 2014!
Contents
Club History: How the Red Imps Started
The Lincoln Red Imps football club began in 1976. It was started by Elton Duarte at a place called the quarry pitch. A group of young players from an old Police youth team, called the "Blue Batons", joined with players from other teams. Together, they formed the first Lincoln team. They played in Gibraltar's fourth division as a youth team.
The team got its name from Lincoln City FC, a team in England. That team is nicknamed the "Imps" because of a local legend about the Lincoln Imp. The "Red Imps" part of the name came from a sponsor, Reg Brealey. He was a former chairman of Sheffield United and lived in Lincoln, England.
When the young Lincoln team grew older, they moved to the GFA second division. They quickly became champions in the 1981–82 season. They won the league and the division cup, moving up to the first division after just one year. In 1983–84, Lincoln won the league again and were promoted to the top division, the Gibraltar Premier Division.
In their first season in the top division (1984–85), Lincoln shared the championship with Glacis United. This was the first of seven league titles they won between 1984 and 1994.
Lincoln Red Imps then won the Gibraltar Premier Division an incredible 14 times in a row, from 2003 to 2016. This broke the old record of nine wins in a row. They also won the "treble" (League, Rock Cup, and Senior Cup) many times during this period.
Playing in Europe: A Big Step in 2014
In 2014, Gibraltar joined UEFA, which is the main football organization in Europe. This meant Gibraltarian teams could play in big European tournaments. Lincoln Red Imps became the first team from Gibraltar to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.
They drew their first home match 1–1. But they lost the away game 5–2 to a team from the Faroe Islands called HB. So, they were knocked out in the first round.
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The Lincoln Red Imps team in May 2014.
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UEFA President Michel Platini at the 2014 Rock Cup awards.
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The Lincoln Red Imps captain lifting the 2014 Rock Cup with Platini.
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Lincoln Red Imps players celebrating with their trophies in 2014.
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Joseph Chipolina holding a plaque for the club's Rock Cup win.
More European Adventures in 2015
In 2015, Lincoln won both the 2015 Rock Cup and the 2014–15 Gibraltar Premier Division. This meant they got to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers again.
They played against FC Santa Coloma from Andorra. After a 0–0 draw at home, they won 2–1 away. This was a huge moment! Lincoln became the first club from Gibraltar to reach the second round of Champions League qualification. Next, they faced FC Midtjylland, the champions of Denmark. Lincoln lost both games, 0–2 and 0–1.
Beating Celtic in 2016
In 2016, Lincoln Red Imps caused a huge upset! They played against Celtic, the champions of Scotland, in the Champions League qualifiers. Lincoln won the home game 1–0, with a goal from Lee Casciaro. This was a big shock for Celtic, especially as it was their new manager's first game. Even though Celtic won the second game 3–0 and went through, Lincoln's 1–0 win is still remembered as a famous moment in their history.
Making History in 2021
On August 26, 2021, Lincoln Red Imps made history again. They beat Riga FC from Latvia 3–1 (4–2 on total score) to qualify for the group stage of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League. This was the first time a team from Gibraltar had ever reached the group stage of a major European competition!
Home Stadium: Victoria Stadium
Lincoln Red Imps play all their league games at the Victoria Stadium. This stadium has seats for 2,000 fans. All the clubs in the Gibraltar Premier Division share this stadium. The Gibraltar Women's Football League also plays here, and Lincoln Red Imps has a women's team too.
Sometimes, the stadium hasn't met the rules for European games. Because of this, Lincoln and other Gibraltarian teams had to play their European matches in Portugal at the Estadio Algarve. This happened while improvements were being made to Victoria Stadium.
There are plans to make the stadium even bigger and better. It is expected to become a football-only stadium with space for 8,000 fans.
Club Achievements
Lincoln Red Imps have won many trophies over the years:
- Gibraltar National League: 28 titles
- 1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Rock Cup: 20 titles
- 1985–86, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1992–93, 1993–94, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2021–22, 2023–24
- Pepe Reyes Cup: 12 titles
- 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022
- Gibraltar League Senior Cup: 18 titles
- 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14
European Football Record
Lincoln Red Imps have played many matches in European competitions. Their first European game was in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League. They drew that game after scoring a penalty.
Here's a summary of their overall performance in European competitions:
| Competition | Games Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference |
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| UEFA Champions League | 25 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 24 | 43 | –19 |
| UEFA Europa League | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 25 | –12 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 13 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 28 | –20 |
| Total | 51 | 11 | 8 | 32 | 45 | 96 | –51 |
Current Players
First Team Squad
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Players on Loan
Sometimes players are sent to other teams for a short time to get more experience. These players are "on loan".
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Club Staff
Here are some of the important people who work for the club, helping the team succeed:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  David Campaña |
| Assistant coach | Juan José Bezares |
| Goalkeeper coach | Dani Lima |
| Strength & conditioning coach |  Liam Mesilio |
| U23 Head coach | Ryan Casciaro |
| U23 Assistant coach | Kyle Goldwin |
| Head physio | Keith Ramirez |
| Team doctor | Francisco Moya |
| Kitman | Alberto Torremocha |
| Board | |
| President | Dylan Viagas |
| Director | Christian Laguea |
| Director | Elton Duarte |
| Sporting director | Juan José Gallardo |
| Secretary | Michael Ruiz |
See also
In Spanish: Lincoln Red Imps Football Club para niños
- List of unbeaten football club seasons
