Southport F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Southport

Full name	Southport Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Sandgrounders, The Port
Founded	1888; 137 years ago (1888)
Ground	Haig Avenue
Ground Capacity	6,008
Chairman	Peter Mitchell
Manager	Jim Bentley
League	National League North
2018–19	National League North, 14th of 22
Home colours Away colours

Southport Football Club is a football team from Southport, Merseyside, England. They are often called "the Sandgrounders." The club plays its home games at Haig Avenue, which can hold 6,008 fans.

Southport FC plays in the National League North. This is the sixth level of football in England. The club was started in 1888 as Southport Central. For many years, they played in local leagues.

In 1921, Southport joined The Football League. They were one of the first teams in the new Football League Third Division North. Their biggest win in the Football League was becoming champions of the Football League Fourth Division in 1972–73.

However, in 1978, Southport left the Football League. Since then, they have played in non-league competitions. They have been in the Northern Premier League and the Football Conference. In 2017, they were moved to their current league, the National League North.

Southport has also had some exciting runs in cup competitions. In 1930–31, they reached the quarter-finals (last eight) of the FA Cup. They lost to Everton 9–1. In 1965–66, they made it to the fifth round (last sixteen) of the FA Cup. They also reached the final of the FA Trophy in 1997–98 but lost 1–0 to Cheltenham Town at the old Wembley Stadium.

Club History

Early Days: 1881–1888

Football began in Southport's schools in the late 1870s. The first football club in the town was formed in November 1881. It was called Southport Football Club. This club actually started as a rugby team.

A former Welsh international player, Thomas Blundell Burnett, helped the club switch to football. He was very important to Southport's early football history. He was the club's secretary and captain.

The club played its games on a field near Scarisbrick New Road. In 1882, Southport joined the Lancashire and English Football Associations. They also entered the English, Lancashire, and Liverpool and District Challenge Cups. Their first ever FA Cup game was against Liverpool Ramblers on October 7. About 300 people watched the game, which ended in a 1–1 draw.

In 1884–85, the club joined with the Southport Athletic Society. The team moved to the Sports Ground on Sussex Road. They changed their red jerseys to red and white striped shirts. This is how they became known as “The Stripes.”

More football clubs started in Southport as the game grew. But Southport Football Club was seen as the town's best team. However, the club faced money problems and lots of competition. In 1886, after five years, Southport's first football club closed down.

Southport Wanderers and a New Start: 1884–1888

Southport Wanderers was another amateur team. It was formed in 1884 by members of the Southport Olympic rugby club. By 1886, Wanderers became very popular. They were even able to have two teams playing regularly.

In June 1886, Southport Wanderers invited the original Southport Football Club to join them. Many former Southport players and fans joined Southport Wanderers. The Wanderers moved to a new ground on Scarisbrick New Road for the 1886-87 season. This new ground was large and had a covered stand for 140 fans.

At a meeting, it was decided that the club would be called ‘Southport Football Club’ again. This name showed that it was the main team for the town.

Southport Central: A Professional Era Begins (1888-1921)

On June 2, 1888, a local newspaper announced a plan to create a strong professional football club in Southport. This was the year the Football League was founded in England. People felt that a better team was needed to represent the area.

A meeting was held on June 12 to form this new club. A week later, at another meeting, it was decided the club would be named “Southport Central Association Football Club.” The club decided to pay players, bringing in "foreign talent" (players from outside the area).

In their first season, Southport Central played 40 games, winning 21, drawing 6, and losing 13. A very exciting event was when Preston North End visited on May 13. Preston North End had just won both the League and Cup. They were welcomed by a marching band and a record crowd of 3,500 fans. Preston North End won 4-2.

Southport Central then joined the newly formed Lancashire League. In 1905–06, the club moved to its current home, Haig Avenue. It was known as Ash Lane back then. In 1911, the club helped start the Central League. In 1918, the club was renamed Southport Vulcan because it was bought by the Vulcan Motor Company. This made them the first club to have a sponsor's name.

Joining the Football League: 1921–1978

In 1921, the club, now simply called Southport, joined the Football League. They became a founding member of the Third Division North. In 1931, Southport made history by being the first club from the Third Division North to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. They lost 9–1 to Everton.

A year later, the club had its biggest ever crowd. 20,010 fans watched them play Newcastle United in the FA Cup.

Southport League Performances Since Entering The Football league

After the 1957–58 season, the club moved into the Football League Fourth Division. This happened because the Third Divisions were reorganized. Southport's first promotion came in 1966–67. They finished second in the Fourth Division under manager Billy Bingham. He later managed the Northern Irish national team.

They were relegated back to the Fourth Division in 1970. But they won promotion again in 1973, becoming Fourth Division Champions. However, they were relegated again the very next season. This started a tough time for the club. Crowds became very small, sometimes only a few hundred people. The stadium also started to fall apart.

In 1978, Southport was voted out of the Football League. This happened after they finished 23rd (out of 24) for three seasons in a row. Wigan Athletic took their place. Southport was the last club to leave the Football League this way. After this, automatic relegation was introduced.

Non-League Football: From 1978 Onwards

After leaving the Football League, Southport played in non-league football. Brian Kettle became manager and helped the club have some very successful years. In the 1990–91 season, the team scored 100 league goals by March. They also reached four semi-finals in cup competitions.

The 1992–93 season was very important. Southport won the Northern Premier League with 96 points, scoring 100 goals again. They also won two more cup competitions. An excellent FA Cup run saw them reach the second round for the first time since 1968.

In 1998, the club made its first trip to Wembley. They played in the final of the FA Trophy but lost 1–0 to Cheltenham Town. About 10,000 Southport fans traveled to London to watch the game.

Southport (in yellow) playing against Kidderminster Harriers at Haig Avenue, November 22, 2005.

Southport was relegated back to the Northern Premier League in 2003. In 2004–05, they became founding members of the new Conference North. They were the first champions of this league, earning promotion back to the Conference National. In 2005–06, Southport managed to stay in the league with a great five-game unbeaten run.

Full-Time Football (2006–2008)

In 2006, the club decided to become a full-time professional team. Many players left because they could not or did not want to play full-time. This caused problems, and the new manager, Paul Cook, was let go in January 2007.

Peter Davenport then became manager. His team started to get good results. However, Southport often gave up late goals. They were relegated back to the Conference North in 2007. The club stayed full-time, hoping to get promoted quickly.

In April 2008, Peter Davenport and his assistant left the club. Former player Gary Brabin took over as caretaker manager. He led the team to the play-offs, but they lost on penalties. Brabin then left to manage Cambridge United.

Return to Part-Time Football (from 2008)

The Conference North trophy, which Southport won in the 2009–10 season.

On June 30, 2008, Liam Watson returned as manager. This change meant the club went back to being part-time. Many new part-time players joined the team.

In the 2008–09 season, Southport reached the Conference North play-offs but did not get promoted. However, in 2009–10, Southport finally won the League title! They finished just one point ahead of Fleetwood Town. The team won 25 of their 40 games. They also won the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy.

Non-League Top Flight (2010 to 2017)

In the 2010–11 season, Southport finished in a relegation spot. But they were saved when Rushden & Diamonds were removed from the league.

The 2011–12 season was much better. Southport had a new training plan and improved their results. They set a club record with eight away wins in a row. They finished in an impressive 7th place, their highest league finish in 10 years.

In 2012–13, Southport did not do as well and finished close to the relegation zone. Liam Watson left the club in April 2013. Alan Wright became the new manager in May 2013. Southport started the 2013–14 season well with four home wins. But then they had a run of eight away defeats. Alan Wright left the club in December 2013.

John Coleman, a former Southport player, became the new manager. He helped the club avoid relegation. However, Coleman was not kept on as manager. Martin Foyle took over, but he was dismissed in October 2014.

Gary Brabin returned for his second time as manager. Southport had a good FA Cup run, reaching the third round. But Brabin soon left for a role at Everton. Paul Carden became manager and helped the club stay in the league in 2015.

Carden left in November 2015, and Dino Maamria became the seventh manager since April 2013. In March 2016, Andy Bishop became caretaker player/manager. In September 2016, Liam Watson returned to Southport as Operations Director. Steve Burr was announced as manager.

On January 30, 2017, Steve Burr was sacked. Andy Preece became manager in February. But the team's poor form continued. On April 14, 2017, Southport was officially relegated to the National League North. After this, long-time chairman Charlie Clapham and vice-chairman Sam Shrouder left the board. Andy Preece also left in May 2017.

National League North and New Board (from 2017)

On May 15, 2017, James Treadwell became the club's new chairman. He brought back former manager Mark Wright as Head of Development. Alan Lewer was appointed manager. The 2017–18 season started well, but after losing six games in a row, Wright and Lewer were dismissed in September 2017.

Kevin Davies became manager in October 2017. Southport managed to stay in the league in April 2018. But Davies was dismissed at the end of April. Liam Watson was reappointed manager of Southport on May 7, 2018. This was his third time as manager.

In 2019, Phil Hodgkinson, who owned Southport, stepped down. He sold his shares to Ian Kyle, Steve Porter, and manager Liam Watson. This created a new group of owners for the club.

Liam Watson stepped back from his manager role in August 2023 to focus on being a Club Director. Jim Bentley was then appointed the club's new manager.

New Ownership (2023)

On October 27, 2023, the Big Help Group bought Southport FC. They became the main owners. Peter Mitchell, the CEO of Big Help Group, became the new chairman.

On November 10, 2023, Southport FC held its first Fan Forum under the new owners. Assistant Manager Andy Burgess announced that the team would start using GPS vests in training. This shows the club is using modern methods to improve player performance.

At the forum, Peter Mitchell shared his big plans for the club. He said, "We want to be a full-time football club." He also promised to invest a lot of money. He said they would put in £250,000 now and another £250,000 at the start of next season.

Mitchell also talked about improving the club's stadium. He wants to build a new two-story building next to the main stand. This building would have changing rooms for both teams and officials, plus offices upstairs. He plans to ask Sefton Council for permission to build this. He believes getting the "off the field facilities right" will help them get back into the Football League.

Summary of Recent Seasons

Trust in Yellow

Trust in Yellow is a group of supporters for Southport FC. It was started on April 26, 2006. Fans created it because they wanted more communication with the club. They also wanted to have a bigger say in how the club was run.

Trust in Yellow is part of Supporters' Direct. This group helps football fans get more involved with their clubs. In 2021, Trust in Yellow paid for a new Fanzone building inside the club's stadium.

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Chris Renshaw 2 DF Matthew Thomson 3 DF Jack Doyle 4 DF Festus Arthur 5 DF Harry Flowers 6 DF Nathaniel Knight-Percival 7 MF Danny Lloyd 8 MF David Morgan 9 FW Jamie Proctor 10 FW Marcus Carver 13 GK Tony McMillan

No. Position Player 14 DF Keenan Quansah 15 DF Tom Moore 16 DF Jordan Keane (Captain) 17 MF Finlay Heath 18 MF Sonny Hilton 20 MF Luke Burgess 22 DF Sam Minihan 23 DF Jack Stafford 25 MF Danny Philliskirk (Vice Captain) 26 DF Finlay Turner 27 MF Matthew Hawkins 28 FW Renato De Oliveria Gomes

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 24 FW Will Russ (on loan to Warrington Rylands)

Club Officials

Board of Directors

• Chairman: Peter Mitchell
• Director: Steve Porter
• Director: Tammy Burgess
• Director: Joe Goulding
• Director: Liam Watson
• Director: Mike Black
• Director: Collette Goulding
• Director: Ollie Gottmann
• Sporting Director: Tammy Burgess
• Secretary: Mark Lockyear
• Chief Operations Officer: Steve Dewsnip
• Head of Finance: Lydia Davies
• Head of Commercial: Mike Black
• Head of Media: Rob Urwin

Coaching and Medical Staff

• Manager: Jim Bentley
• Assistant Manager: Andy Burgess
• First-Team Coach: Alan Morgan
• Player and First-Team Coach: David Morgan
• First-Team Coach: Simon Beswick
• Player and Goalkeeping Coach: Tony McMillan
• Physiotherapist: Daniel Gabrielson
• Performance Analyst: Shaun Slater
• Analyst: Sam Lambert
• Kit Manager: Hamish Morton

Managerial History

Club Honours

Here are some of the main trophies and achievements Southport FC has won:

League Titles

• Fourth Division (level 4)
  • Champions: 1972–73
  • Runners-up: 1966–67
• Conference North
  • Champions: 2004–05, 2009–10
• Northern Premier League
  • Champions: 1992–93

Cup Competitions

• Third Division North Cup
  • Winners: 1937–38
• FA Trophy
  • Runners-up: 1997–98
• Lancashire Senior Cup
  • Winners: 1904–05
• Lancashire Junior Cup
  • Winners (11): 1919–20, 1992–93, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23
• Liverpool Senior Cup
  • Winners (12): 1930–31, 1931–32, 1943–44, 1962–63, 1974–75, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1998–99, 2011–12, 2018–19
• Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
  • Winners: 1990–91

See also

In Spanish: Southport Football Club para niños