Bristol Rovers

The Bristol Rovers Football Club was formed in September 1883, under the name Black Arabs. The club was formally formed after a meeting of five young people in a restaurant on Stapleton Road, in the Eastville county of Bristol . The team got the name “Black Arabs” thanks to black game shirts and a rugby team called “Arabs”, which played nearby in the east of Bristol. The Black Arabs played their first match (friendlies) on December 1, 1883, and played nine games in their first season. During this time, the nickname "Poachers Poachers" became attached to them. The club became known as the Eastville Rovers in 1884 and continued to play friendly matches for several seasons. They also changed the venue of home games several times.

The Rovers joined the Bristol and District League (the forerunner of the Western League) in 1892 and moved to the Eastville venue in 1897. The club became professional and changed its name to Bristol Eastville Rovers at the beginning of the 1897/98 season, and then before the start of the next year received the name "Bristol Rovers."

The history of the club in the XX century is associated with the participation of “Rovers” in the second echelons of the English football leagues since 1939. In 1956 and 1959, “Bristol Rovers” took, so far, the highest position for itself in the 6th division of England. And in 2002, Bristol was one step away from flying to a football conference for the first time in 63 years, but at the last moment it was saved from this fate. Rovers are currently playing in League 1 (the 3rd most powerful division in England), having entered it from third place in League 2.

Bristol City , based in the southeastern part of Bristol, is the main rival for Bristol Rovers from the city’s Northwest. The club’s official nickname is “Pirates,” reflecting Bristol’s maritime history. Local fans are called The Gas, from a gas plant located next to their former Eastville Stadium. The Gas was originally a derogatory term used by City fans, but it was kindly received by the Rovers team and fans. According to a December 2003 survey, Cardiff City and Swindon Town are considered the second and third largest Rovers rivals.

In June 2011, Bristol Rovers announced its intention to build a new UWE Stadium instead of the old and cramped Memorial Stadium. To finance the new stadium, club souvenirs were sold in Sainsbury`s supermarket chain. Permission to build the UWE Stadium was obtained in July 2012. Work on the new stadium should be completed by the 2015/16 season. The Memorial Stadium will continue to be used until the construction of the new Bristol Rovers Arena, with a capacity of 21,700 spectators, is completed.

• Third Division Cup Holders
  • 1934/35
• Third Division Winners (South)
  • 1952/53
• Watney Cup Holders
  • 1972
• Exit to the Third Division
  • 1973/74
• Third Division Winners
  • 1989/90
• Second Division Playoff Winners
  • 2006/07

As of August 15, 2017

• Bristol City

• Official site