Woking F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Woking Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Cardinals/The Cards | |||
| Short name | WFC | |||
| Founded | 1887 | |||
| Ground | Laithwaite Community Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 6,036 (2,500 seated) | |||
| Coordinates | 51°18′23″N 0°33′32″W / 51.30639°N 0.55889°W | |||
| Owner | Drew Volpe | |||
| Manager | Michael Doyle | |||
| League | National League | |||
| 2018–19 | National League South, 2nd of 22 (promoted via play-offs) | |||
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Woking Football Club is a professional football team from Woking, Surrey, England. They play in the National League, which is the fifth highest level of football in England.
The club started in 1887. They joined the Isthmian League in 1911–12. Woking won the FA Amateur Cup in 1957–58. The team faced some tough times, being moved down a league twice in the 1980s. But they also moved up three times in the late 1980s and early 1990s to reach the Football Conference.
Woking won the FA Trophy three times in the 1990s. They also finished second in the Conference league twice. They stayed in the top non-League football division until 2008–09. Woking then got promoted back in 2011–12. After another move down in 2017–18, they quickly got promoted back to the National League in 2019 through the play-offs.
The club plays its home games at the Laithwaite Community Stadium. Their nickname is the Cardinals, often called the Cards.
Contents
Club History
How Woking FC Started
Woking Football Club was founded in 1887. In 1895–96, they joined the West Surrey League and won the title. By 1908, the club had money problems and was almost going to close.
A big moment happened in January 1908. Woking played Bolton Wanderers in the first round of the FA Cup. Woking had won five qualifying rounds to get there. They lost the game 5–0, but their story made national news. Bolton Wanderers were so impressed that they played a friendly match in Woking the next season. This game helped Woking get enough money to keep going.
Playing in the Isthmian League
In 1911, Woking joined the Isthmian League. They stayed in the top division for 72 years! In 1956–57, they finished second to Wycombe Wanderers.
The next season was even better. In 1958, Woking played Ilford in the F.A. Amateur Cup final. They won 3–0 in front of 71,000 fans. This was the last time the final was shown live on TV.
After this success, the club's performance went down. They were moved down a league for the first time in 1982–83. By 1984–85, they were in Division Two South of the Isthmian League. Geoff Chapple, a former player, became manager in September 1984. He couldn't stop them from being moved down again.
However, things soon improved. Woking won the Division Two South title in 1986–87. After finishing third twice in Division One, they moved back up to the Premier Division in 1989–90.
FA Cup Adventures
In the 1990–91 season, Woking had an amazing run in the FA Cup. They beat three teams from the Conference league. This led to a third-round game against Second Division team West Bromwich Albion.
Woking was losing 1–0 at half-time. But they came back to win 4–2! Tim Buzaglo scored three goals in that game. In the Fourth Round, Woking played First Division team Everton. The game was moved to Everton's home ground, Goodison Park. Woking lost a close game 1–0.
Promotions and FA Trophy Wins
Woking moved up to the Conference league in 1991–92. They won the Isthmian League title in April, with seven games left. They were 18 points ahead of the second-place team. The next season, Woking finished eighth.
The club then signed Clive Walker. He was a famous winger who had played for big clubs like Chelsea. He helped Woking have their most successful time ever.
- 1994: Woking won the FA Trophy for the first time. They beat Runcorn in the final at Wembley.
- 1995: They won the FA Trophy again! This made them only the second club to win it two years in a row. They beat Kidderminster Harriers.
- 1997: Woking won the FA Trophy for a third time, beating Dagenham & Redbridge.
The Cards also finished in the top five of the Conference league five times in a row. They were runners-up in 1994–95 and 1995–96. They also kept doing well in the FA Cup. In 1996–97, they beat Millwall and Cambridge United. They then drew 1–1 away to Premier League team Coventry City. Coventry won the replay 2–1.
After the 1996–97 season, manager Geoff Chapple left. This started a less successful period for the club.
The 21st Century
After a few managers, Geoff Chapple came back to Woking. The club was having serious money problems. In February 2002, a local businessman and fan named Chris Ingram bought the club. He became chairman and wanted to help the club earn more money and be stable for a long time.
Glenn Cockerill became manager later that year. He brought some stability to the club. But he was fired in 2007. The 2008–09 season was very bad. Three different managers took charge, and the club was moved down to the Conference South.
That summer, a group of fans called a "supporters' trust" took over running the club. Woking finished 5th in their first Conference South season. But they lost in the play-off final. The next season, they struggled.
Garry Hill took over as manager in 2011. He improved the team's performance. In April 2012, Woking won the Conference South league with two games to spare. They were promoted to the Conference Premier. They finished with 97 points, nine points ahead of Dartford.
After five seasons in the National League, Garry Hill left the club in 2017. The club then appointed Anthony Limbrick as manager. The team started training more often. Despite a good run in the 2017–18 FA Cup, Woking's league performance was poor. Limbrick was fired after 11 months. Woking was moved down a league again on the last day of the season.
In May 2018, Alan Dowson became the new manager. Woking returned to the National League in 2019. They won the National League South play-off final 1–0 against Welling United. During this season, Woking reached the third round of the FA Cup. They beat League Two team Swindon Town. They then lost 2–0 to Premier League team Watford.
In the 2019–20 season, Woking finished 10th. The season ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020–21 National League season, Woking finished 20th.
In February 2022, Alan Dowson was fired after a long period of bad results. He said he would never return to Woking. Some board members resigned because of how he was fired. Ian Dyer became the temporary manager.
In March 2022, Darren Sarll became manager. In the 2022–23 season, Woking finished 4th. But they lost in the play-off quarter-final to Bromley. Sarll was fired in November 2023 after losses in the FA Cup and National League.
A month later, Michael Doyle became the new manager. He helped the club stay in the National League on the last day of the season.
In July 2024, there were reports that Woking could face serious money troubles if a new owner wasn't found. The owner, Drew Volpe, was willing to sell the club for just £1. A loan from his parents was keeping the club going. In November 2024, an American businessman named Todd Johnson agreed to buy most of Woking FC. Drew Volpe will still own a small part of the club.
Home Stadium
In 1922, Woking F.C. moved to Kingfield Stadium. Since August 2015, it has been known as the Laithwaite Community Stadium. Before that, the club played at the Horsell Cricket Ground. Then they moved to a football field on Pembroke Road in 1907.
The stadium has different areas for fans:
- The KRE: This is the main area for home fans. It's usually where the loudest cheering happens. It has a roof.
- The Leslie Gosden Stand: This is the biggest stand in the stadium. It has about 2,000 seats. A part of this stand is usually for away fans.
- The Chris Lane Terrace: This is a large standing area without a roof. It is for away fans.
- Moaners Corner: This is a small standing area without a roof. It's for long-time fans.
- Directors Box: This is a small stand where the club directors sit. It also has the media area.
- The Family Stand: This stand is next to the Directors Box. It has seats and is usually for families.
Team Mascot
Woking F.C. has a fun team mascot named K.C. Kat!
Club Rivals
Woking's main rivals have been Stevenage and Aldershot Town for many years. Games against these teams always bring in bigger crowds. The rivalry with Stevenage started in the 1990s. The rivalry with Aldershot is more recent because they are close by. Torquay United has also become a minor rival. This is because of intense games and fan disagreements when they were both in the National League South.
Current Players
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Players on Loan
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Club Records
- Highest League Position: 2nd in Conference National in 1994–95 and 1995–96.
- FA Cup Best Performance: Reached the Fourth Round in 1990–91.
- FA Trophy Best Performance: Winners in 1993–94, 1994–95, and 1996–97 (This is a joint record for most wins!).
- Largest Transfer Fee Received: £150,000 for Kevin Betsy when he moved to Fulham in 1998.
- Largest Transfer Fee Paid: £60,000 for Chris Sharpling from Crystal Palace in 2001.
- Record Win: 17–3 against Farnham in the Surrey Charity Shield in 1913.
- Heaviest Defeat: 0–16 against New Crusaders in the FA Cup in 1905.
- Record Attendance: 6,000 fans watched games against Swansea City (1978) and Coventry City (1997) in the FA Cup.
- Record Home League Attendance: 5,297 fans watched against Aldershot Town in the National League on 1 January 2023.
Club Honours (Trophies Won)
- League Titles:
- Isthmian League / National League South (level 6): Champions in 1991–92 and 2011–12.
- Play-off Winners: 2019.
- Cup Wins:
- FA Trophy: Winners in 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97.
- Conference League Cup: Winners in 2004–05.
- Isthmian League Cup: Winners in 1990–91.
- FA Amateur Cup: Winners in 1957–58.
- Surrey Senior Cup: Winners 13 times, including 1912–13, 1990–91, and 2016–17.
See also
In Spanish: Woking Football Club para niños
