Framlingham Town F.C.
History
The club was established in 1887 and started playing in the Ipswich & District League. They dropped into the Framlingham League, before playing in the Leiston League and the Woodbridge League and returning to the Ipswich & District League.
Framlingham won Division Two of the (renamed) Suffolk & Ipswich League in 1980–81, and the League Cup in 1989–90. In the 1991–92 season, they won the Senior Division and the League Cup. Although they applied to join Division One of the Eastern Counties League, they were rejected because they did not have a stand or floodlights.
In 1995–96 they reached the final of the Suffolk Senior Cup, but lost 3–0 to Grundisburgh. Framlingham also entered the FA Vase for the first time in the 2010–11 season.
At the end of the 2011–12 season, Framlingham town were relegated from the Senior Division to Division One. However, they bounced back in the 2014–15 season, finishing second in Division One and earning promotion back to the Senior Division. After finishing fifth in the Senior Division in 2015–16, they were promoted to Division One of the Eastern Counties League.
They were Division One runners-up in 2017–18, securing promotion to the Premier Division. However, they finished bottom of the Premier Division the following season and were relegated to Division One North.
In the 2021–22 season, the club finished fifth in Division One North, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which they lost 1–0 to Harleston Town in the semi-finals. They finished third in the division in 2022–23, qualifying for the play-offs again. However, they lost 5–4 on penalties to Harwich & Parkeston after a 1–1 draw in the semi-finals.
Ground
The club initially played at Dickson's Meadow before moving to Brunnings Meadow, both of which are now part of Framlingham College. They later moved to the Red House Farm and then Hayning's Meadow in 1932. Following a pageant held at the site in 1935, Hayning's Meadow was renamed Pageant Field.
In 1951, a group of demobilised soldiers from World War II purchased sixteen acres of land on Badingham Road to establish a new sports club. The club later moved to this site, and then bought the land in 1983. A clubhouse was built on one side of the pitch, incorporating a seated stand named after John Durrant. On the opposite side of the pitch, a small covered stand was also erected.
In the early 2000s, floodlights were installed, after being bought from the Sizewell B nuclear power station.
Honours
- Suffolk & Ipswich League
- Senior Division champions 1991–92
- Division Two champions 1980–81
- League Cup winners 1989–90, 1991–92
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Preliminary round, 2017–18, 2019–20
- Best FA Vase performance: First round, 2010–11, 2023–24
References
- ^ Kings of the Castle David Bauckham
- ^ Framlingham set for FA Vase experience East Anglian Daily Times, 16 September 2010
- ^ Framlingham Town at the Football Club History Database