Ryde Sports F.C.
| Full name | Ryde Sports Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1888 1998 (reformed) |
| Dissolved | 2004 |
| Ground | Smallbrook Stadium, Ryde |
Ryde Sports Football Club (1888–1997) was an English football club based in Ryde, Isle of Wight.
Before its demise, Ryde Sports was for many years a successful and significant club on the Isle of Wight and in Hampshire, and an important part of the town of Ryde.
Ryde Sports F.C. was founded in 1888 and became one of the eight founder members of the Hampshire League in 1896. Although finishing at the foot of the table the club soon improved by twice finishing runners-up before winning the title in 1899-00. Ryde also spent the 1898–99 season in the Southern League when it finished as runner-up in the Southern Section. Success returned to the club in 1925–26 when it completed the double by winning the league title and Hampshire Senior Cup.
The Thirties continued to be very successful for the club, which won the County Senior Cup five seasons running from 1935 to 1939. The league title eluded Ryde during this period although a top five final position was achieved each season. It was also during this period that Ryde recorded some fine runs in the FA Cup, most notably when they reached the 1st Round proper in 1936–37, losing 1–5 to Gillingham.
It was not until the 1952–53 season that Ryde Sports suffered its first setback when, for the first time, the club was relegated from the Hampshire League's top flight. After several years of consolidation Ryde returned as Division 2 runners-up five years later, only to be relegated straight back again. Worse was to follow in 1963–64 when Ryde were relegated again to Division 3 but made a good recovery by immediately returning as champions; and in 1967–68, finished as runner-up in Division 2, which was enough to return to the top-flight.
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