Bromsgrove Sporting: bouncing back for local football

Bromsgrove Sporting will host Banbury United at the Victoria Ground for this year’s Non-League Day (15:00 GMT).

‘The Rouslers’, led by Scott Adey-Linforth, are currently 14th in the Southern League Premier Division Central (English football’s seventh tier), with 44 points after 34 fixtures so far this season.

Tickets for their NLD fixture cost £12 for adults, £9 for over-65s, £10 for disabled supporters, £3 for youngsters (12-17 year olds) and under-12s get free entry (must be accompanied by a paying adult). Premier League or EFL season-ticket holders will get a 50% discount as long as they show it on the day.

Proceeds from the Athletic Club shirt raffle will be donated to St. Basils, a local charity dedicated to ending youth homelessness in the West Midlands.

Sporting invite any Athleticzales in the region to attend the match wearing their Athletic Club home shirt as we look to celebrate our colours together.

The Victoria Ground, now known as the UK Electrical Stadium for sponsorship reasons, has a capacity of 3,500 spectators. The town of Bromsgrove is located in the heart of the West Midlands, about 30 minutes from Birmingham city centre by car and 20 minutes by train from Birmingham New Street Station.

 

Bromsgrove Sporting History

The club was formed by local fans in 2009 amid the financial troubles and administrative mismanagement that brought about the demise of Bromsgrove Rovers, a legendary English non-league outfit that had existed in the town since 1885.

Initially, the Rouslers’ founders had hoped to purchase Rovers. But when that plan fell through, they instead set up Sporting and purchased the lease to Victoria Ground in order to guarantee the existence of a football team in the town.

Rovers’ downfall had a profound impact on the town and thus plays a major role in Sporting’s ethos as a club. As such, the ‘Bromsgrove Sporting Supporters Society’ owns 26.125% of the club’s shares and appoints three directors to the Sporting’s board, while no other individual or group can own more than 10% of the club.

Sporting started life in Tier 12 of English football, in the Midland Football Combination Division 2. Due to inheriting Rovers’ facilities and fanbase, the Rouslers quickly rose through the division, climbing to Tier 7, where they are now, by 2019/20. 

The club is a focal point in Bromsgrove. They have a vibrant youth set-up, a veteran’s side and three women’s teams plus a development scheme for female football in the town.

What’s more, they let charities advertise at the club for free and organise several events to connect with the local community. For example, in May, they will hold a ‘Party on the Pitch’ music festival at the UK Electrical Stadium to celebrate 140 years of football in the town.

 

The history of Sporting’s red and white stripes

The Rouslers have played in red and white since their foundation as a nod to their predecessor club.

Although most would associate Bromsgrove Rovers with green and white stripes – now Sporting’s away colours – Rovers played in red and white up until World War II. They changed designs during the war as most local kit manufacturers had closed down and they couldn’t source their red and white stripes.

 A club representative at the time came back from Ireland with the green and white tops, so they adopted those colours until Rovers’ dissolution in 2010.

When Bromsgrove Sporting was formed, they reverted to red and white stripes and have never looked back.

 

A celebration of our colours

In the week leading up to Non-League Day 2025, Athletic Club will publish a series of articles about each of the clubs involved in this initiative with information about their respective histories, their kits and further details about their NLD matches.

Monday March 17 - Altrincham FC
Tuesday March 18 - Bromsgrove Sporting
Wednesday March 19 - Evesham United
Thursday March 20 - Sheppey United
Friday March 21 (morning) - Steyning Town
Friday March 21 (afternoon) - Witton Albion

Below are the details of their Non-League Day fixtures. If you’re an Athleticzale in England that weekend, we encourage you to attend one of these matches.

Altrincham FC vs Barnet FC. March 22, 17:30 GMT. J Davidson Stadium.
Bromsgrove Sporting vs Banbury United. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Victoria Ground.
Evesham United vs Cribbs. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Spiers & Hartwell Stadium.
Sheppey United vs Deal Town. March 22, 15:00 GMT. Holm Park.
Steyning Town vs Margate. March 22, 15:00 GMT. The Shooting Field.
Witton Albion vs Avro. March 22, 15:00 GMT. Wincham Park.

 

About Euskal Non-League Day

Inspired by the British movement, started by James Doe in 2010, Athletic Club Foundation is preparing a third edition of Euskal Non-League Day for the weekend of March 22-23.

Non-League Day is an initiative that connects directly with Athletic Club’s identity. Besides playing a crucial role in local communities, grassroots football is a fundamental part of the club’s youth development strategy and Athletic has affiliate agreements with close to 170 clubs across the Basque Country.

Athletic Club is the only side in LaLiga that organises such an event with the purpose of celebrating non-professional football and encouraging attendance at local grounds during the March international break.

Check out the Athletic Club Foundation’s website for more information about Euskal Non-League Day and all their other projects across the Basque Country.