FAN'S FORMED CLUBS PART ONE - BROMSGROVE SPORTING

Being a supporter of the first fan's formed club Enfield Town I am always interested in the numerous other supporter formed clubs that have followed since 2001. Here is part one of 'Fans Formed Clubs' about Bromsgrove Sporting Football Club -

Bromsgrove Sporting were founded in 2009 as a supporter's consortium with a plan to buy financially troubled Bromsgrove Rovers and take them out of administration. After another owner was found for Rovers it was decided to create a new club. In 2010 Sporting were offered the lease to the famous Victoria Ground after they promised to make it available to Bromsgrove Rovers as well. Sadly in August 2010 Rovers were expelled from the Southern League and were dissolved.

For Rovers it had been a sad fall from grace as the club had finished runner's up in the Football Conference in 1993 to Wycombe Wanderers who were promoted to the football league. Since then both third placed Dagenham and Redbridge and fourth placed Yeovil Town have, of course, both moved upwards.

The 1996/97 season was Rovers last in non-league's top division - they were relegated back to the Southern League were they had been members from 1972 through to promotion in 1992. The decline continued with two further relegations and the club found themselves in the Midland Alliance in 2001/02. They were promoted after just one season and gained another promotion back to the Southern League Premier Division in 2007 where they stayed for just one season suffering relegation back down to the Southern League Midland Division. Their final season came in 2009/10 when they finished 20th of 22 teams sandwiched between Beaconsfield SYCOB and Barton Rovers.

During their spell in the Conference Rovers had an amazing FA Cup (1993/94) run in which they beat Football League side Northampton Town in the First Round, Fellow Conference side Yeovil Town in the Second Round and hosted Barnsley in the Third Round. A capacity crowd of nearly 5,000 people crammed into Victoria Road and with Rovers 1-0 up with only a few minutes to go it was all looking good for another Football League scalp only for the then Division One side to score two very late goals and luckily escape with a 1-2 victory. The run had started in the 1st qualifying round where they had beaten Gresley Rovers, Bedworth United (2q), Solihull Borough (3q) and Rushden & Diamonds (4q).

The financial problems started around the 2008/09 season when, after a failed attempt by a Supporter's consortium to take control of the club at the end of the 2007/08 season, a winding up petition was placed on the club which struggled on to 2010 when the lease to the Victoria Ground was awarded to the new Bromsgrove Sporting club and Rovers were, as stated, expelled from the Southern League.

Sporting started life in the Midland Football Combination Division Two for the 2010/11 season playing against teams such as Feckenham, Lichfield City and Young Warriors to name a few. They finished third and were promoted to Division One where they finished third in 2011/12 and gained a further promotion. Last season they finished second in the Premier Division.

Following a merger between the Midland Football Combination and the Midland Football Alliance a new Midland Football League has been created for the 2014/15 season where Bromsgrove Sporting will compete in Division One (step six of the non-league ladder) alongside Hinckley AFC - another fans formed club following the demise of then Conference North side Hinckley United.

You can follow Bromsgrove Sporting on twitter @SportingFC and visit their website at  bromsgrovesporting.co.uk