Croydon Athletic F.C.
 | |||
| Full name | Croydon Athletic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Rams | ||
| Founded | 1986 (as Wandsworth & Norwood) | ||
| Dissolved | 2011 | ||
| Ground | Keith Tuckey Stadium Mayfield Road Thornton Heath | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 (300 seated) | ||
| 2011–12 | Isthmian League Division One South, resigned | ||
|
| |||
Croydon Athletic Football Club was an
football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, London, England. It was founded in 1986 and initially named as Wandsworth & Norwood until 1990. The club progressed through various leagues, eventually winning the Isthmian League Division Three in 2001-02 and Division One South in 2009-10. In 2008, property developer Mazhar Majeed bought the club. However, in 2010, allegations of Majeed's involvement in spot-fixing and money-laundering led to turmoil within the club, including management resignations, player departures, and the chairman's suicide. By 2011, the club was effectively defunct. Fans formed AFC Croydon Athletic, which joined the Combined Counties Football League
. Croydon Athletic played at the Keith Tuckey Stadium in Thornton Heath.
History
Founded in 1986, the club was a merger between Wandsworth F.C. and Norwood F.C. and was initially named Wandsworth & Norwood until 1990 when the club's name was changed to Croydon Athletic FC.Ajax Amsterdam. Wandsworth FC was an old club which had spent most of its long history playing on Wandsworth Common.
The merged club initially played in the
London Spartan League, where they were promoted to the Premier Division in 1986–87. In 1988–89 they missed out on the Premier Division title on goal difference. In 1993–94 they finished as runners-up again and applied to join the Isthmian League
but were rejected due to the state of their ground. The following year they finally won the league title but again were refused promotion. In 1996–97 they finished in third place and after extensive ground redevelopment were finally able to join the Isthmian League.
In 2001–02 the team won the championship of the
Division One South
, where they remained until they won the title in 2009–10.
The club was bought in 2008 by
spot-fixing during the Pakistan cricket tour of England, Croydon Athletic were investigated by HM Revenues and Customs due to allegations that Majeed had been using the club for money-laundering purposes, after Majeed was recorded by an undercover journalist stating that that was the only reason he had bought the club.[2] This led to the manager and his assistant leaving the club after a match on 4 September 2010.[3] The following day the club announced on its website that upcoming league and cup games were being postponed, resulting in the team forfeiting an FA Cup match.[4][5] Following these events squad members began to transfer to other teams, with the club's official website referring to an "exodus from the KT Stadium".[6] On 2 October 2010 the club chairman, David Le Cluse, was found dead, with a bullet wound, having committed suicide in a garage in Sutton.[7]
The club received a £7,500 fine and a ten-point deduction after a case of financial irregularities was proven on 8 December 2011.Croydon Advertiser stated that the club was effectively no more [9]
Fans of the club formed AFC Croydon Athletic, which was accepted into the Combined Counties Football League Division One (Level 10, Step 6) for the 2012–13 season
Stadium
Croydon Athletic played at the Keith Tuckey Stadium in Thornton Heath. It is named after the Chairman of the club from its foundation in 1986 until his death in March 2006.[10]
Club records
- Best league performance: 1st in Isthmian League Division One South, 2009–10
- Best FA Cup performance: 3rd qualifying round, 2003–04
- Best FA Trophy performance: 3rd qualifying round, 2005–06
- Best FA Vase performance: 4th round, 2000–01 and 2001–02
References
- General
- Croydon Athletic at the Football Club History Database
- Wandsworth & Norwood at the Football Club History Database
- Specific
- ^ Says, Calneeagle (16 January 2011). "Croydon facelift". The Ball is Round. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ Slater, Matt (2 September 2010). "BBC Sport – Football – Croydon Athletic at risk after Pakistan betting scandal". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "BBC Sport – Cricket – Pakistan trio should be banned if guilty says Hasan". BBC News. 5 September 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Ryman League Press Release". Croydon Athletic. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Kingstonian Match Off". Croydon Athletic. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Tom, Ben And Sam Move On". Croydon Athletic. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "BBC News – Boss of Croydon Athletic linked to match-fixing dies". Bbc.co.uk. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Croydon Athletic Fined £7,500". 8 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012.
- ^ "Croydon Athletic Football Club 'on the brink of closure'". 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "History of Croydon Athletic". Croydon Athletic F.C. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
External links
- Official website (archived 17 September 2011)
- Squad (archived 13 October 2016)
- Istmian Div. 1 South League table
- Isthmian League website