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 | Juanjo Bezares | ||
| League | Gibraltar Football League | ||
| 2024–25 | 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. They share their home ground, Victoria Stadium, with all other teams in Gibraltar.
Lincoln Red Imps are the country's top champions. They have won 29 league titles. This includes an amazing fourteen titles in a row from 2003 to 2016. In 2014, they were the first team from Gibraltar to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. In August 2021, Lincoln made history again. They became the first Gibraltar club to reach the group stages of a European competition. This happened after they beat Riga FC from Latvia in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round.
The club has won the "treble" (three major trophies in one season) seven times. They also won the "double" (two major trophies) four times. They hold a European record for not losing a league match for 88 games. This amazing streak lasted over five years, from May 2009 to September 2014.
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Club History and Achievements
The Lincoln Red Imps football club started in 1976. It was formed by Elton Duarte. A group of young players from an old police youth team, called the "Blue Batons," joined up. Other players from Glacis United and St Jago's also joined. The first Lincoln team played in Gibraltar's fourth division as a youth team. They got their name from Lincoln City FC in England. That team is nicknamed the "Imps."
When the players grew older, the team moved to the GFA second division. They quickly rose to the top. In the 1981–82 season, they won the league and the division cup. They were promoted to the GFA's first division. The very next year, in 1983–84, Lincoln won the league again. This earned them promotion to the Gibraltar Premier Division.
In their first season in the Premier 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 then won 14 Gibraltar Premier Division titles in a row. This incredible run lasted from 2003 to 2016. It broke the old record of nine titles held by Glacis United. They also won the national treble (League, Rock Cup, and Senior Cup) in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011.
European Adventures Begin
In 2014, Gibraltar became a member of UEFA. This meant Lincoln could play in the UEFA Champions League. They were the first Gibraltarian team to do so. They drew their home match 1–1. But they lost 5–2 away to HB from the Faroe Islands. This meant they were out in the first qualifying round.
More European Progress
In 2015, Lincoln won both the 2015 Rock Cup and the 2014–15 Gibraltar Premier Division. This was their second "double" in a row. They played in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers again. In the first round, they faced FC Santa Coloma from Andorra. After a 0–0 draw at home, Lincoln won 2–1 away. Goals from Anthony Bardon and Lee Casciaro helped them win. This made Lincoln the first Gibraltar club to reach the second round of Champions League qualification. They then played against FC Midtjylland from Denmark. Lincoln lost 0–3 on total score and were eliminated.
A Famous Victory
In 2016, Lincoln achieved a surprising victory. They beat Scottish Premiership champions Celtic 1–0 at home. Lee Casciaro scored the winning goal in the 48th minute. This was in the second round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. It was also Brendan Rodgers' first game as Celtic's manager. Even though Celtic won the return leg 3–0 and went through, Lincoln's 1–0 win is still remembered as a big upset.
Reaching the Group Stage
On August 26, 2021, Lincoln made history again. They became the first team from Gibraltar to reach the group stage of a European competition. They beat Riga FC 3–1 (4–2 on total score) to qualify for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League group stage.
Home Ground: Victoria Stadium
Lincoln Red Imps play all their league games at Victoria Stadium. This stadium has seats for 2,000 people. Lincoln shares this stadium with all other clubs in the Gibraltar Premier Division. They also share it with teams in the Gibraltar Women's Football League. Lincoln Red Imps also has a women's team.
For a while, the stadium did not meet European rules. So, Lincoln and other clubs had to play their European matches in Portugal. This was at the Estadio Algarve. Improvements were made to Victoria Stadium. The stadium is expected to be updated and made bigger. It will become a football-only stadium with space for 8,000 fans.
Club Trophies
Lincoln Red Imps have won many trophies:
- Gibraltar National League: 29 times
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- 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, 2024–25
- Rock Cup: 20 times
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- 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 times
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- 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2022
- Gibraltar League Senior Cup: 18 times
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- 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's first game in a UEFA competition was in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League. This was a big moment for Gibraltarian football.
Overall European Stats
| Competition | Games Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 28 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 28 | 46 | –18 |
| UEFA Europa League | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 25 | –12 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 31 | –22 |
| Total | 55 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 50 | 102 | –52 |
Current Team Players
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Club Staff and Management
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Juanjo Bezares |
| Assistant coach |  Daniel Segovia |
| Goalkeeper coach | Miguel Ángel Bazán |
| Fitness coach | Álvaro Echevarne Gómez |
| U23 Head coach | Ryan Casciaro |
| U23 Assistant coach | Kyle Goldwin |
| Head physio | Keith Ramirez |
| Team doctor | Francisco Moya |
| Kitman | Alberto Torremocha |
| Performance Analyst |  Diego Bartoli |
| Board | |
| President | Dylan Viagas |
| Director | Christian Laguea |
| Director | Elton Duarte |
| Sporting director | Juan José Gallardo |
| Secretary | Michael Ruiz |
Images for kids
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Lincoln Red Imps squad in May 2014
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UEFA President Michel Platini at the 2014 Rock Cup presentation
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Lincoln Red Imps Captain lifting 2014 Rock Cup from Platini
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Lincoln Red Imps players with 2014 silverware
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Joseph Chipolina holding plaque commemorating club's Rock Cup victory
See also
In Spanish: Lincoln Red Imps Football Club para niños
