AC London F.C.
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| Full name | Academic Club London Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | ||
| Dissolved | 2018 | ||
| Ground | Crystal Palace National Sports Centre (2015–16) Merland Rise (2016–17) Church Road (2017–18) | ||
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| |||
Academic Club London Football Club, commonly known as AC London, was a semi-professional football club based in London, England. The club was expelled from the Combined Counties Football League in November 2018 and folded.
History
[edit]The club was established by Prince Choudary as a youth team in July 2012 as a response to the 2011 London riots,[1] before adding a full age team the following year, with Choudary becoming the youngest manager and chairman in senior football.[2] They applied to join the Kent Invicta League for the 2015–16 season, and despite initially being turned down,[3] were eventually accepted.[4] They finished tenth in their first season, after which they were transferred to the Combined Counties League.[5] In 2016–17 the club won the Division One Challenge Cup, beating Redhill in the final.[6]
In 2017–18 AC London participated in the FA Cup for the first time, making Prince Choudary the youngest manager in FA Cup history.[1] However, at the end of the 2017–18 season, the club were expelled from the Combined Counties League by a vote at a league EGM due to "the organisation and management of the club [falling] below the standards appropriate to membership of the competition."[7] However, the club started the 2018–19 season still in the league after the club appealed and whilst a FA investigation was carried out. When the investigation was concluded in November 2018, the club were removed from the league.[8]
Season-by-season
[edit]| Season | Division | Position | Significant events |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Kent Invicta League | 10/20 | Transferred to the Combined Counties League |
| 2016–17 | Combined Counties League Division One | 7/18 | Division One Challenge Cup Winners |
| 2017–18 | Combined Counties League Division One | 8/19 | |
| 2018–19 | Combined Counties League Division One | – | Expelled from the league in November 2018 |
Ground
[edit]During the 2015–16 season the club played at the 16,000-capacity Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, before moving to Banstead Athletic's Merland Rise ground for the 2016–17 season.[9] They relocated to Whyteleafe's Church Road ground in 2017.[1]
Honours
[edit]- Combined Counties League
- Division One Challenge Cup winners 2016–17
Records
[edit]- Best FA Cup performance: Preliminary round, 2017–18[4]
- Best FA Vase performance: First round, 2016–17[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "FA Cup: AC London founded by a 16-year-old after London riots". BBC Sport. 3 August 2017.
- ^ We wish to be a blue print for other non-league and grassroots clubs that want to progress through the National League System, says AC London boss Prince Choudary, 20 Kentish Football, 13 June 2015
- ^ Southern Counties East League will have 19 teams at step 5 in 2015/16 Kent Online, 10 June 2015
- ^ a b c AC London at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Ryman League Division 1 South and North line-up for season 2016/17 Kent Online, 13 May 2016
- ^ Honours[permanent dead link] Combined Counties League
- ^ CoEGM And AGM News Combined Counties League
- ^ AC London removed from Combined Counties League Football in Bracknell, 16 November 2018
- ^ Kent Invicta League season 2015/16 Archived 28 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine AC London