Full name | Chippenham Town Football Club |
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Nickname(s) | The Bluebirds |
Founded | 1873 |
Ground | Hardenhuish Park, Chippenham |
Capacity | 3,000 (300 seated) |
Chairman | Neil Blackmore |
Manager | Mark Collier |
League | Southern League Premier Division |
2016–17 | Southern League Premier Division, 1/24 (promoted) |
Website | Club home page |
Chippenham Town Football Club is a football club based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. They are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division and play their games at Hardenhuish Park
The club was established in 1873. They joined the new Wiltshire League in 1901, and finished joint top of the table with Warminster Town, but lost the championship play-off replay 1–0, following a 1–1 draw in the first match. They joined Division Two of the Western League in 1904, but also continued to play in the Wiltshire League. The 1904–05 season saw them finish bottom of the Western League and second in the Wiltshire League. At the end of the 1905–06 season the club withdrew from the Western League, and went on to win the Wiltshire League in 1907–08 and 1908–09, before finishing as runners-up in 1909–10. They were runners-up again in 1912–13, 1921–22 and 1922–23, before winning the league in 1928–29.
In 1930 Chippenham rejoined Division Two of the Western League. The league was reduced to a single division in 1939, and the club were runners-up when the league resumed in the 1945–46 season. The 1951–52 season saw them win the Western League for the first time, and they also reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 3–0 at Leyton. They were Western League runners-up again in 1954–55. However, they left the Western League at the end of the 1964–65 season, dropping back into the Wiltshire League. In 1968 the club joined the Premier Division of the Hellenic League, where they played until rejoining the Western League in 1973. When the league gained a second division in 1976, the club were relegated to the new Division One. They were Division One champions in 1980–81, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 1999–2000 the club reached the final of the FA Vase, eventually losing 1–0 to Deal Town at Wembley Stadium.