Bangor 1876 FC
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- Wales - Championship North 30 Wales - Pokal 4 Wales - Ligapokal 2
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Wikipedia - Bangor 1876 F.C.
Bangor 1876 Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-Droed Bangor 1876) is a Welsh football club in Bangor, Gwynedd, who play in the Cymru North, the second tier of football in Wales.
History
Formation of the club
In 2019, the Supporters Association of Bangor City voted overwhelmingly to create a breakaway club in order to protect football in the city, given the club's recent history under Vaughan Sports Management. They stated, “We want fans to reconnect with each other and restore the pride and feeling of being a supporter of our historic club. The new club is a creative and positive solution for an ever-changing and precarious situation. We are not disowning Bangor City FC or its history, the club is OURS, it belongs to the fans and local community. “Owners” will come and go but the people remain. Keep the faith.”
An application was submitted to the Football Association of Wales to enter the new club in the Welsh football league system, and a Supporters' trust set up. A women's team, Bangor 1876 Women's FC, was also formed. The club play their home matches at Treborth, Bangor University.
First season
The club competed in the tier five Gwynedd League for the 2019–20 season. The first manager was Mel Jones, with Dylan Williams as his assistant. Former Llandudno and Caernarfon Town manager Iwan Williams was also appointed as Director of Football.
The club's inaugural match was against fellow fan-owned team FC United of Manchester, and the first competitive match was in the Gwynedd League, a 4–1 away victory against Ogwen Tigers on 10 August 2019. A successful first season saw the club leading the league, with a 100 per cent win ratio, when the season was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. They were crowned league champions following the announcement that all Welsh football seasons would finish with a table decided on a points per game basis.
Second season
The club joined the newly formed North Wales Coast West Football League in the tier four Premier Division in 2020. The inaugural season was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic and instead started in August 2021. The club finished as divisional runners up in the 2021–22 season and was promoted to the tier three Ardal NW League for the 2022–23 season. The club rounded the season off by winning the North Wales Coast West Football League Premier Cup, beating Bodedern Athletic 3-0 in the final.
Promotion to the second tier
The club won their opening match in the third tier against Rhydymwyn FC 8-1. They finished the season in second place and hence qualified for the Ardal Northern play–off final. The club won the play–off final and secured promotion to the tier two Cymru North.
Die Heimspiele trägt der Verein im Farrar Road Stadium aus, das eine Kapazität von 3.500 Zuschauern hat. Die Vereinsfarben sind Rot und Schwarz.
Bangor 1876 FC gewann in seiner Geschichte zweimal den walisischen Pokal (1889 und 1962) und einmal den walisischen Ligapokal (1998). Außerdem nahm der Verein mehrfach am Europapokal der Pokalsieger teil.
Zu den bekanntesten Spielern, die für Bangor 1876 FC gespielt haben, gehören unter anderem Iwan Roberts, Neville Southall, Mark Hughes und Craig Bellamy.
Der Verein befindet sich derzeit in einer schwierigen finanziellen Situation und kämpft um das Überleben. Im Jahr 2022 wurde Bangor 1876 FC von der walisischen Fußballverband (FAW) mit einer Geldstrafe belegt, weil der Verein seine Spieler nicht bezahlt hatte.
Trotz der finanziellen Probleme ist Bangor 1876 FC ein Verein mit einer langen und stolzen Geschichte. Der Verein ist ein wichtiger Teil der walisischen Fußballkultur und hat viele großartige Spieler hervorgebracht.