Club History
23 Jun 2006

Dovecrest Football Club is one of the longest serving members (if not the longest serving member) of the Notts Sunday League. The Club entered the NSFL in the 1972-73 season, as Filigree Textiles. In those days the League played afternoon football – Sunday morning football was unheard of. The Club played its home games at Farnborough Road, Clifton.

In 1974 the Filigree company moved its headquarters to South Normanton in Derbyshire. Whilst they offered new playing facilities for the team, many of the players lived in the Bridgford area, and were therefore reluctant to travel such a distance for home matches. Thus the team decided to end its relationship with Filigree. It is said that the players had a competition to choose a new name for the Club. Dovecrest was chosen, it is believed, because the symbol of Filigree Textiles was a blue dove.

The Club played its home games at Southglade Park in the 74/75 season before returning to Clifton the following season. After this somewhat nomadic existence the club moved to Bridgford Park in the 76/77 season, and played there until 1989, when Rushcliffe Borough Council decided to redevelop the park, and remove the football pitches. After half a season at Alford Road, the club moved to University Park, Highfields. In those days the football pitches were on the land to the east of what is now the tennis centre. Unfortunately in 1997 the city council earmarked this land for a science park (it has never been built) so the club moved to Colwick Racecourse, before returning to Highfields in 2000. Although the team progressed from the Junior section through to the Premier section in 1982-3, sadly this was more a reflection in the decline in afternoon football, rather than the prowess of the team. However, the team did finish third in its division in both 1979-80, and 1981-82, and also reached the final of the Section Cup in 1992.

The decline in afternoon football continued into the 1990’s. In 1992-93 the League put all fifteen remaining afternoon teams in one division, meaning 28 league games in the season – a real challenge to the Fixture and Club Secretaries!

1994 saw the end of afternoon football, with the Club joining the morning Junior league in the bottom division. As so often happens with established teams starting at the bottom, the Club romped away to arguably its most successful season, when it finished second in the league (winning 15 of the 19 games) as well as again reaching the final of the Section Cup. Although the team has never won a trophy on the field, it did win the Most Sporting Team of the Season accolade in 1999, which is awarded by a vote of the member clubs.

Although the Club has worn a mainly yellow kit for a number of years, it has not always been so. Originally the team played in claret & blue (i.e. Aston Villa / West Ham colours) before modifying to a sky blue shirt in 1976. The now traditional yellow shirts were first worn in 1980.

Dovecrest Football Club has seen many highs and lows during its time. Undoubtedly the low point was season 1988/9 when the team lost every one of its twenty league fixtures. Many clubs that have befallen such poor results fail to complete the season, but Dovecrest survived. An emphasised on the enjoyment of playing football, rather than the result, was, and still is undoubtedly a factor in its durability. Long may it continue!