Bristol is one of those cities where there are two main clubs. Fans are either Bristol City or Bristol Rovers in the majority of scenarios. Though in the 2020s, it isn’t likely that you’ll see a lot of elite silverware heading to Bristol, the city is still a proud footballing city where the game is at the heart of the community.
Football clubs in Bristol are central to the community. Tens of thousands of people every single week flock to the stadiums to see either the reds half or blue half of Bristol playing.
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is the biggest football team in Bristol in terms of attendances. Usually, over 20,000 people flock to the stadium on a matchday, and they play in the second tier of English football, the Championship.
people flock to the Bristol City Stadium on matchday
Bristol City are known for their iconic red kit, which has contributed to the nickname of “The Robins” as a robin is also found on their club crest. Their home games take place at Ashton Gate, but this wasn’t always the case as they played at St. John’s Lane before this.
The club was founded back in 1894, when they competed in the Southern League and Western League, eventually being allowed to play in the Football League from 1901 onwards.
Throughout the early 1900s, Bristol City had ups and downs, including a loss in the FA Cup final of 1909. They were relegated to the Third Division South back in the 1920s, they wouldn’t reach the top flight again until the 1970s.
In more recent history, Bristol City have been up and down throughout the football leagues, with some of their most recent wins being:
- They won the Football League Trophy in 2003, a competition that doesn’t include teams from the top two flights of English football
- They were promoted from League One in 2006-07 and again in 2014-15 after dropping out of the Championship again.
Currently, Bristol City are one of the longest-serving teams in the Championship having been there for almost a decade. Many teams have been promoted and relegated in this time but Bristol City have been something of a mainstay for the league.
People know all about the relationship between Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. These two Bristol football teams have a rivalry and the times when they compete are often fiercely contested. However, Bristol City also consider Cardiff City as rivals and they contest the cross-border Severnside derby.
Bristol City don’t have a lot of honours to their name, but they do have the Second Division title in 1905–06 as well as some other minor trophies.
Bristol City Women
Like so many other teams now, Bristol City has an affiliated women’s team. This team has been on an unusual journey, though.
The team was founded in 1998 and was the result of a merger of a Bristol Rovers’ girls team and the Welsh side Calbe-Tel. The Welsh team had a senior squad, which gave a way for women to progress into adult football after playing for Bristol Rovers’ youth team.
Bristol City jumped between grounds in the early years. They’ve played at grounds including:
- Lodge Road (home of Yate Town)
- Cossham Street (Mangotsfield United)
- The Memorial Stadium (Bristol Rovers)
- Fry's Sports Ground in Keynsham
- The Hand Stadium (Clevedon Town)
Eventually, they would have their own home ground built at Stoke Gifford Stadium on the grounds of South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
In 2013 amid some financing issues, the team (then called Bristol Rovers W.F.C.) signed a sponsorship deal with Bristol City FC and changed their kit to the iconic red. It was three years later they changed their name to Bristol City Women's Football Club.
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers may not be a high-flying Premier League club like the Manchester football teams, but they are an immensely historic club, and it is worth delving into their history for those who are interested in football or even just the history of Bristol.
Bristol Rovers Football Club competes in League One, the third tier in England, so they’re lower in the pyramid when compared to Bristol City (at the moment). The club's nickname is "The Pirates" due to the fact that the city has a piratical history. Commonly, in the modern age, people call the club "The Gas" due to the fact that when they played at Eastville Stadium, there was a gasworks next door.
Now, they play at the Memorial Stadium (formerly known as the Memorial Ground).
Football clubs have some interesting names. British football clubs are famous for it, and football clubs in London, for instance, need to differentiate themselves. One of the most unusual names was the name that Bristol Rovers originally went by, the Black Arabs.
In September 1883, five young men founded the club, and got the name from the black shirts worn by players at a rugby club that were known as the Arabs in the area. The Black Arabs were born, quickly getting a nickname of 'The Purdown Poachers’.
The club changed name again and were known known as Eastville Rovers in 1884-85, but when they eventually went professional they took the name Bristol Rovers. They’ve been Bristol Rovers for over 130 years now!
Bristol may get forgotten about sometimes in the footballing world. There aren’t as many trophies as we would see in some locations such as London or even Birmingham's football clubs.
North of the border in Scotland, Glasgow Celtic and Rangers are hugely decorated clubs (not something that Bristol Rovers can boast.)
Rovers do have some honours, though, especially at lower levels. They won the third division in 1952–53, and again in 1989–90.
Like some Scottish and Welsh clubs, they also compete in more regional locations. They have won the Gloucestershire Cup on so many occasions!
Start your journey by using online maps to locate "football training near me" and find the nearest facilities.
Bristol Rovers have won the Gloucestershire Cup on 32 different occasions, most recently in 1995.
Bristol Rovers Women
Bristol Rovers Women, also known as the Gas Girls, are another part of the Bristol Rovers Football Club family. The story is unusual, as the team formerly known as Bristol Rovers became Bristol City Women.
Fourteen years after Bristol Rovers Women became Bristol City Women, a new team was launched. Initially, they played in the Gloucestershire County Women's Football League. They haven't been able to play up against some of the bigger teams from London or elsewhere just yet.
The team plays its home matches at Lockleaze Sports Centre.
The Gas Girls' kit proudly features the traditional blue and white quarters, mirroring the iconic design worn by the men's team. Even if the club is not huge, the blue and white quarters are instantly recognisable.
In terms of honours, Bristol Rovers Women have achieved notable success since their reformation. The team won the Gloucestershire County Women's League in the 2019-2020 season. In 2023/24 they finished top of the South West Regional League.
The club have worked on community issues and won 'Best Community Football Development Initiative Award' at the 2020 FA Women's & Girls Football Awards. The women’s club explains its four key values (Community, Education, Participation & Performance). The club has also had a community partnership with Bristol Pride and created a special shirt in conjunction with the organisation.
Bristol as a Football City
Bristol has a huge football heritage. Clubs across the UK, from Edinburgh's football scene to the South Coast, instantly recognise the clubs from Bristol. Seen as one of the more remote parts where football is played, and closer to Wales (they even have derbies with Welsh clubs).
Bristol Manor Farm F.C. are among the other, semi-professional or amateur teams within Bristol, and there are plenty of ways to get involved in other football clubs in Bristol. If you are a football enthusiast, there are also a lot of different facilities where you can play and train within Bristol, like a lot of the football hubs in the UK.
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