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Bristol Rovers F.C. is an English football club based in the city of Bristol. The history of Bristol Rovers covers the period from their formation in 1883 as the Black Arabs until the present day. The club spent their early days playing matches that were arranged on an ad-hoc basis, not joining a formal league until becoming founder members of the Western League in 1892. Full professionalism followed shortly afterwards, and in 1899 they were admitted to the Southern League. Rovers were invited to join the Football League in 1920, when the competition expanded to incorporate a third division. They remained a Football League club for 94 years, surviving re-election on one occasion prior to the Second World War, until their relegation to the Football Conference in 2014. ==The early years (1883—1892)== In September 1883, in a meeting organised by school teacher Bill Somerton at the Eastville Restaurant on Stapleton Road in Bristol, the foundation was laid for the team that would go on to be known as Bristol Rovers. The area was at the time a rugby stronghold, and this led the fledgling club to be named after local rugby side The Arabs – their all-black kits leading to the football club being known as Black Arabs F.C.〔Byrne & Jay 2003, p. 27.〕 A gold sash was later added to the black shirts,〔Byrne & Jay 2003, p. 29.〕 and the black and gold colour scheme went on to become a recurrent theme in the team's away kits in the 21st century.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Coca Cola League One 2008 – 2009 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Npower League One 2010 – 2011 )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Npower League Two 2012 – 2013 )〕 The Black Arabs played their home games on Purdown in Bristol, but found fixtures hard to come by in their early days due to a dearth of association football teams in the Bristol area.〔Jay 1987, p. 9.〕 A total of ten fixtures were eventually arranged for the inaugural season: two against Wotton-under-Edge, two against Warmley, four against Bristol Wagon Works and Two against Right & Might.〔 The club's first fixture was played on 1 December 1883 when the Black Arabs took to the field in a friendly match against Wotton-under-Edge, a team based in Gloucestershire. The game ended in a 6–0 defeat for the Bristolians, and although no team line-ups or detailed match reports have survived,〔Byrne 2009, p. 162.〕 a brief paragraph describing the game appeared in the Dursley Gazette two days later.〔 During that first season the team came to be known by the nickname ''The Purdown Poachers'', after the location of their home pitch, and despite the fact they only played there for a single season the moniker stuck for some time.〔 In November 1884 the name of the club was changed to ''Eastville Rovers'', giving them an identity in their own right, rather than being named after a rugby club. The change in name to one based on a geographical location came about in an effort to broaden the appeal of the club and to draw players from a wider area.〔 The team also moved to a new pitch for the 1884–85 season. Known as Three Acres, the open field with no changing facilities was in the Ashley Down area of Bristol. The precise location of the ground is not known, but it is thought to have lain somewhere between Muller Road and the County Cricket Ground.〔Byrne & Jay 2003, p. 30.〕 The team moved to a third new home in as many seasons when they began the first of two spells playing at Durdham Down in 1885, remaining here for six seasons.〔Byrne & Jay 2014, p. 10.〕 It wasn't until 14 January 1888 that Eastville Rovers took part in a formal competition for the first time. In a meeting between Rovers and fellow Bristol-based football teams Clifton Association, Globe, Southville, St George, St Agnes and St Simon held in September 1887 the Gloucestershire Cup was established, a single-elimination knockout tournament open to teams in the Bristol and Gloucestershire area. The competition began the following January and Rovers took to the field against Clifton Association at Bell Hill, St George. Unfortunately for Rovers, they lost a player to injury just two minutes into the game, and in the era before the introduction of substitutes they were forced to play almost the entire match with ten men. They lost the game 4–1, with outside-left Bill Bush taking the honour of becoming Eastville Rovers' first goalscorer in a competitive match.〔Byrne & Jay 2014, pp. 11–12.〕 The following season, on 6 April 1889,〔Byrne & Jay 2003, p. 31.〕 Rovers won their first ever trophy by beating Warmley in the final of the second running of the Gloucestershire Cup. A single goal by Bill Perrin, scored during the second half, was enough to earn Rovers the silverware.〔Byrne & Jay 2014, p. 12.〕 Eastville Rovers continued to play mainly friendly matches for the next few years, as well as taking part in the Gloucestershire Cup each year. In 1890, Rovers again reached the final of this competition, losing 7–2 to Clifton Association in a game that was refereed by noted cricketer W. G. Grace. Rovers moved to their fourth home in 1891, having negotiated a fee of £8 a year to allow them to play at the Schoolmasters Cricket Ground, Horfield. The deal also meant that the football club would be responsible for the upkeep of the fencing at the ground and they also had to provide a groundsman. ;Honours *Gloucestershire Cup — 1888–89 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Bristol Rovers F.C.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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