Nelson F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nelson

Full name	Nelson Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Admirals, Blues
Founded	23 October 1882
Ground	Victoria Park, Nelson
Ground Capacity	1,500 (150 seated)
Chairman	Chris Price
Manager	Arron Ripley
League	North West Counties League Division One North
2018–19	North West Counties League Division One North, 14th of 20
Home colours Away colours

Nelson Football Club is an English football team from Nelson, Lancashire. The club started in 1882. They played in different local leagues before joining the Football League in 1921.

Nelson FC became champions of the Third Division North in 1923. This win promoted them to the Second Division. But they only stayed there for one season.

In 1931, the club left the Football League. They went back to playing in local leagues. After a break, Nelson FC started up again in 1946. They joined the Lancashire Combination. In 1982, this league became the North West Counties League.

Nelson FC left the league for a few years between 1988 and 1992. They played in the West Lancashire League instead. They left again in 2010 but came back the next year. Today, they are still part of the North West Counties League Division One North. They play their home games at Victoria Park.

History of Nelson FC

How it all started (1882–1921)

Nelson Football Club began on 23 October 1882. Members of the Nelson Cricket Club met and decided to form a football team. About 25 people joined the new club. Their first game was on 2 December 1882, which they lost 3–1 to Burnley Olympic.

Nelson was one of the first teams in the Lancashire League in 1889. They finished 4th in their first season. In 1895–96, they won the league championship. They won 22 out of 30 games and scored 105 goals!

The club faced some tough times. They were suspended by The Football Association (FA) and stopped playing in 1898. But they reformed and joined the Lancashire League again in 1900. In 1901, they moved to the Lancashire Combination. The club closed down during World War I in 1916. They reformed in 1918 and joined the Central League in 1919.

Playing in the Football League (1921–1936)

In 1921, Nelson FC became a founding member of the Football League's Third Division North. Their first league game was on 27 August 1921. They lost 2–1 to Wigan Borough. A record 9,000 fans came to watch.

The 1922–23 season was amazing for Nelson. They won the Third Division North championship! This meant they were promoted to the Second Division. This was the highest level the club ever played at.

Before their Second Division season, the team went on a tour to Spain in 1923. They made history by beating Real Madrid 4–2. They were the first English team to beat Real Madrid in Spain!

Nelson only stayed in the Second Division for one season. They finished 21st and were relegated back to the Third Division North. Even so, they were the first team to score against Blackpool that season. They also beat Leeds United at home and even Manchester United.

In 1926, a record 14,143 fans watched Nelson draw 2–2 with Bradford Park Avenue. The club reached the second round of the FA Cup twice. Once in 1926–27 and again in 1930–31.

However, the club faced financial problems. In 1927–28, they finished last and were £6,500 in debt. In 1931, they finished last again. They were voted out of the Football League. Their last game in the Football League was a 4–0 loss to Hull City on 2 May 1931. Nelson then went back to the Lancashire Combination.

Due to money troubles, the club stopped playing football on 4 August 1936. They took a ten-year break before starting up again.

After World War II (1946–1982)

After Second World War, Nelson FC reformed on 6 April 1946. They immediately joined the Lancashire Combination. In 1949–50, they became champions of the Lancashire Combination. They scored 125 league goals that season! They also won the Lancashire Combination Cup.

In 1950–51, they were runners-up, missing the title by goal difference. They scored 120 goals and won the Combination Cup again. They also reached the second round of the FA Cup. They beat teams like Lancaster City and Hyde United. They lost 3–2 to Port Vale in the second round.

Nelson won the Lancashire Combination championship again in 1951–52. They scored an amazing 139 goals! Joe Fagan, who later managed Liverpool, was in charge then. Even with these wins, the club could not get back into the Football League.

In 1954–55, they won the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy. They also won the Lancashire Combination Cup for a third time in 1959–60. The Lancashire Combination league changed a lot over the years. Nelson stayed in it until it merged with another league in 1982.

The Modern Era (1983-Present)

In 1982, Nelson became a founding member of the new North West Counties Football League. They finished 10th in their first season.

In 1988, the club had to leave the league. Their home ground, Victoria Park, needed upgrades. They played in the West Lancashire League for four seasons. After Victoria Park was improved, they rejoined the North West Counties League in 1992.

In 1996–97, they won the Division Two Trophy. In 2005–06, they finished 3rd and were promoted to the First Division. This was their first promotion in 83 years!

On 15 July 2010, Nelson left the North West Counties League. But they still ran their junior teams. They applied to rejoin the league for the 2011–12 season, and the FA approved it. In 2013–14, Nelson were crowned champions of the NWCFL Division One. This promoted them to the Premier Division.

Playing Grounds

Early Homes (1882–1889)

From 1882 to 1884, Nelson FC played at the Seedhill Cricket Ground. They also played at the Flower Show Field. This was off Scotland Road. For a short time, they played at an unknown site outside of town. By 1887, they were back at Seedhill Cricket Ground, which was then called Seedhill Football Ground.

Seedhill Football Ground (1889–1971)

Nelson FC played at Seedhill Football Ground for a long time. It was next to a park, so some people called the club "The Parksiders." The ground had a small wooden stand and a covered area behind one goal. The rest of the ground had grass banking for fans.

In 1922, a large wooden stand was built. It could hold 2,000 people. The biggest crowd at Seedhill was 14,979 fans. This was for a game against Bradford City on 27 April 1929. Nelson lost that game 1–0.

Nelson played their last home game at Seedhill on 28 March 1971. Over a thousand fans watched them beat Clitheroe 5–3. Seedhill was later used for speedway and stock car races. It was pulled down in the early 1980s when the M65 motorway was built.

Victoria Park (1971-Present)

Nelson moved to Victoria Park in 1971. Locals sometimes call it "Little Wembley." Their first game there was on 28 August 1971. They lost 1–0 to Accrington Stanley.

Victoria Park can hold 2,000 people today. About 1,700 can stand. Trees surround the park on two sides. There is a low-roofed wooden stand with seats. The dugouts are on the opposite side. The clubhouse and changing rooms are behind one goal.

In 2009, Nelson started an appeal to improve the floodlighting at Victoria Park. In 2013, the dugouts were replaced and made better. This helped the club meet league requirements.

Honours

• Football League
  • Third Division North champions 1922–23
• Lancashire Combination
  • Champions 1949–50, 1951–52
  • League Cup winners 1949–50, 1950–51, 1959–60
  • Bridge Shield winners 1975–76, 1981–82
  • George Watson Trophy winners 1978–79
• Lancashire League
  • Champions 1895–96
• North-East Lancashire Combination
  • Champions 1899–1900
• North-East Lancashire Shield
  • Winners 1899–1900
• North West Counties League
  • Division One champions 2013–14
  • Division Two Trophy winners 1996–97
• Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy
  • Winners 1907–08, 1954–55

Records

Nelson has achieved the second round of the FA Cup three times: in 1926–27, 1930–31, and 1950–51. Their best FA Trophy performance was reaching the second qualifying round in 1975–76. Their best FA Vase performance was reaching the third round in 2009–10. The record attendance for a Nelson home game was 14,979 people. This was for a Third Division North game at Seedhill on 27 April 1929 against Bradford City.

See also

• List of Nelson F.C. seasons
• Nelson F.C. players
• Nelson F.C. managers