Ivybridge Town F.C.

Ivybridge Town

Full name	Ivybridge Town Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Ivies, The Bridgers
Founded	1925
Ground	Erme Valley, Ivybridge
Ground Capacity	2,000 (116 seated)
Chairman	Dave Graddon (2012)
Manager	Nicky Marker & Mark Berry
League	South West Peninsula League Premier Division
2015–16	South West Peninsula League Premier Division, 9th
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Ivybridge Town Football Club is an amateur football club based in Ivybridge, Devon, England and play in the South West Peninsula League Premier Division. Established in 1925, the club was a founder member of the Devon County League in 1992.

For the first decade of their membership of the County League, they were regular strugglers, finishing in the bottom half of the table for seven successive seasons. Since the turn of the millennium, they had become one of the stronger sides in the league, culminating in taking the title for the first time in the 2005–06 season.

Ground

Ivybridge Town play their home games at the Erme Valley, Ermington Road, Ivybridge, PL21 9ES, a multi-sport venue just across the main A38 dual carriageway to the south of the town with an average attendance of 50–100 for each game.^[1] Until 2010 it was one of the more basic venues in the League, and as such inhibited any ambitions to progress further up the National League System. This was also the reason they have yet to make their debut in national FA competitions

Erme Valley redevelopment

After a huge fundraising drive, contribution from generous sponsors and a grant from the Football Foundation the club redeveloped an area of Erme Valley to create a new pitch, complete with floodlights and spectator facilities much more in line with the requirements of league. The club opened their new "Erme Valley Stadium" in November 2010.

Post 2010

Unfortunately, the diversion of funds to the ground development project and a reduced budget for 2011–12 saw fortunes on the pitch take a dip with the first team battling for survival near the foot of the South West Peninsula League. Although technically finishing in one of the relegation positions in 19th, survival was secured after it was announced that Buckland Athletic F.C. would be promoted to the Western League, meaning only one team would be relegated from the South West Peninsula League Premier Division at the end of the 2011/12 season. That team was bottom-placed Royal Marines.

In May 2012 the club announced an agreement with South Devon League club Staverton & Lanscove F.C. to become Ivybridge Town Reserves. As a result, Ivybridge withdrew their current Reserve side from the Plymouth & West Devon Combination League. Both clubs were fully amalgamated for the start of the 2013/14 season and the South Devon League side known as Ivybridge Town Reserves.

After the club AGM in May 2012, local businessman Dave Graddon was appointed Chairman, replacing the long serving Bill Wakeham who later became Chairman at rival South West Peninsula League club Saltash United.

On 7 June 2012, the club appointed former Exeter City professional and local football stalwart Graeme Kirkup as First Team Manager, with long standing Manager and driving force being the club, Brian Howard moving into a General Manager role. Kirkup will work alongside existing First Team coach and former Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle and Blackburn Rovers defender Nicky Marker.

The club applied to enter both the FA Cup and FA Vase for the 2012–13 season, but in June 2012 The FA refused entry, along with a host of other South West Peninsula League sides, due mainly to a lack of designated toilets facilities in the home, away and referee's dressing rooms. Most disappointing was the fact that this requirement was a change in criteria from previous seasons and that clubs were, arguably, not given sufficient time or opportunity to make the changes. Ivybridge Town hope to incorporate these changes within a scheme to extend and improve the club house facilities planned for 2014.

On 18 December 2012 Ivybridge played Plymouth Argyle Reserves in the Second Round of the St Lukes Devon Bowl. The tie was originally scheduled to be played at Erme Valley but, after three postponements due to the waterlogged surface, the match was switched to Home Park. Argyle fielded a strong side including first team players Jamie Lowry, Robbie Williams and Warren Feeney and, as expected, dominated possession for large parts of the game. Ivybridge produced a battling display, eventually going down 1–0.^[2]

2013/14

On 26 May 2013 the club announced that first team manager Graeme Kirkup would be leaving the club to take up a role with Truro City F.C. and later announced that Nicky Marker would stay on and take the role of First Team Manager for the 2013/14 season with Mark Berry appointed as Player-Assistant Manager and Ryan McClements as Player-Coach.

The side performed excellently over the campaign, staying in contention for the title for much of the season, eventually finishing in fourth position behind Plymouth Parkway, Exmouth Town and Saltash United. The Ivies' successful campaign means that they qualify for the FA Vase for the 2014/15 season and work to improve and provide additional facilities in the dressing rooms started immediately after the conclusion of the 2013/14 season.

Honours

League honours

• Devon County League
  • Champions (1): 2005–06
  • Runners Up (2): 2002–03, 2003–04
• Plymouth & District League
  • Champions (1): 2003–04

Cup honours

• Devon Premier Cup^[3]
  • Winners (2): 2004–05, 2005–06
• Devon County League Charity Shield
  • Winners (1): 2003–04
• Throgmorton Cup^[4]
  • Winners (2): 2000–01, 2002–03
  • Runners Up (1): 2008–09

Club committee members

• President: Peter Kingwell (2007)
• Chairman: David Graddon (2012)
• Vice-Chairman: Trevor Parsons (2008)
• Club Secretary: Paul Cocks (2005)
• General Manager & Club Treasurer: Brian Howard
• Committee Member: Colin Sly (2011)
• Committee Member: Alan Noble

Management & coaching team

• First Team Manager: Nicky Marker
• Player/Assistant Manager: Mark Berry
• Player/Coach: Ryan McClements
• Match Day Assistant: Mark Mills

Season-by-season record since 1992

^[5]

Ivybridge Town Youth F.C.

Ivybridge Town operates a Youth setup consisting of teams in all competitive age-groups of the Devon Junior & Minor League from U9s through to U18s. The club also run a number schemes and coaching schools for potential players from the age of 6, labelled the Mini-Ivies.

The ambition is to ensure that the first and second teams have a consistent flow of players making themselves available from the club's youth structure. The club considers just one or two players each season breaking into the first team to be a success, while supplementing the reserve side in the process.

The Youth teams are based at Erme Valley, but the club also makes use of additional facilities at Ermington and Sparkwell, while training throughout the winter months on a 3G all-weather surface at Ivybridge Community College.

References

External links

• Official site

Coordinates: 50°22′56.89″N 3°55′26.68″W / 50.3824694°N 3.9240778°W / 50.3824694; -3.9240778