Mulbarton Wanderers F.C.

Mulbarton Wanderers

Full name	Mulbarton Wanderers Football Club
Founded	1993
Ground	Mulberry Park
Chair	Danny Gaskin
Managers	Ben Thompson & Danny Self
League	Eastern Counties League Premier Division
2023–24	Eastern Counties League Premier Division, 3rd of 19
Home colours Away colours

Mulbarton Wanderers Football Club is a football club based in Mulbarton, Norfolk. The men's first team are currently members in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at Mulberry Park.

History

The football club was established in 1993 when the youth team of Mulbarton United, a now-defunct Anglian Combination side, broke away to form their own youth team.^[1] They merged with the Harford Belles girls team in 2001 and establish in the Central and South Norfolk League, a men's senior team, in Division Four.^[2] The club won promotion in their first season, continued to rise through the league, and beginning in 2007–08 season reached Division One.^[2] They were promoted to the Anglian Combination Division Six in 2009, and achieved six successive promotions, reaching the Premier Division in 2015.^[3][2] After finishing second in 2018, the club successfully applied to join the Eastern Counties Football League, entering in Division One North for 2018–19.^[4]

Their debut season in the Eastern Counties League saw the club compete in the FA Vase for the first time, and in the following season saw the club enter the FA Cup for the first time, losing to Boston Town in the extra preliminary round.^[3] In 2021 the club were promoted to the Premier Division based on their results in the abandoned 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.

In addition to the men's first team, the club is also home to three women's teams (playing in the Eastern Region Women's Football League and Norfolk Women and Girls Football League), a men's reserve team playing in the Anglian Combination, an under 18 team playing in the Thurlow Nunn Youth League and 27 junior teams (2 in the Eastern Junior Alliance, 19 in the Norfolk Combined Youth Football League and 6 in the Norfolk Women and Girls Football League). It also runs the Wildcats programme and U5 and U6 programmes.

Ground

Adult teams plays at Mulberry Park.^[5] The ground has two stands, the Ken Lewis Stand and the Pip Skips stands, which each have sixty seats.^[2]

Junior teams play at Orchard Park, next to Mulberry Park, and the Hewett Academy.

Honours

• Anglian Combination^[3]
  • Division One champions 2014–15
  • Division Four champions 2011–12
  • Division Five champions 2010–11
• Mummery Cup^[6]
  • Winners 2016–17
• Cyril Ballyn Cup^[7]
  • Winners 2012–13
• Norfolk Senior Cup
  • Winners 2021–22
• Youth Teams
  • U13s 4sports trophy winners 2023-24

Records

• Highest league position: 3rd in Eastern Counties League Premier Division, 2023–24^[3]
• Best FA Cup performance: First Qualifying Round, 2021–22^[3]
• Best FA Vase performance: Fifth round, 2020–21^[3]
• Best Norfolk Senior Cup performance: Winners, 2021–22^[3]

References

1. Buildbase Blog: Diary of a Groundhopper: talkSPORT's Tony Incenzo – Mulbarton Wanderers + Norwich United – Buildbase Blog, accessdate: January 26, 2020
2. 20190831-Res-Mulbarton.pdf: Programme – Mulbarton 2019 – 20190831-Res-Mulbarton.pdf, accessdate: January 26, 2020
3. MULBARTON WANDERERS at the Football Club History Database
4. Eastern Daily Press: Mulbarton Wanderers could face Liverpool FC and Manchester City in FA Cup | Norwich City FC and Norfolk and Suffolk sport | Eastern Daily Press, accessdate: January 26, 2020
5. Thurlow Nunn League: Mulbarton Wanderers – Thurlow Nunn League, accessdate: January 26, 2020
6. Great Yarmouth Mercury: Disappointing end to season as Acle are beaten in Mummery Cup Final | Great Yarmouth Sport News | Great Yarmouth Mercury, accessdate: January 26, 2020
7. 2 Mulbarton Wanderers : First Team: Match Overview: Bungay Town 1 – 2 Mulbarton Wanderers : First Team, accessdate: January 26, 2020

External links

• Official website

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