Bristol Rovers F.C.

Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National League.

Rovers was founded in 1883 as Black Arabs F.C. and entered the Bristol & District League as Eastville Rovers in 1892. They moved to Eastville Stadium in 1897, when they joined the Birmingham & District League. Two years later, now called Bristol Rovers, they joined the Southern League. Rovers won the Southern League in 1904–05 and were admitted to the Football League in 1920. They were allocated to the Third Division South, and remained there until winning promotion as champions in 1952–53. They recorded their highest Football League position, sixth place in the Second Division, in each of the 1955–56 and 1958–59 seasons. Rovers were relegated in 1962. Promoted as Third Division runners-up in 1973–74, they spent another seven seasons in the second tier until relegation in 1981. Following the sale of the land at Eastville in 1986, the club spent ten years at Twerton Park in Bath. Rovers won the Third Division title in 1989–90, and spent three seasons in the second tier before relegation in 1993. In 1996, the club relocated to its current home venue at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield.

Another relegation took the team down to the fourth tier ahead of the 2001–02 season. Rovers won the 2007 Football League Two play-off final, but relegations in 2011 and 2014 saw the club drop into the Conference Premier. They finished second in the Conference under the stewardship of Darrell Clarke and immediately regained their Football League status with victory in the 2015 Conference Premier play-off final. They followed up this success by gaining promotion out of League Two at the end of the 2015–16 season. They were relegated from the third tier in 2020–21 but returned at the first attempt, claiming the final automatic promotion spot to League One. In 2024–25, they finished 22nd of the 24 clubs, and will return to League Two in 2025–26.

The club's official nickname is "The Pirates", reflecting the maritime history of Bristol, but they are known locally as "The Gas", derived from the gasworks next to their former home, Eastville Stadium. "The Gas" was originally a derogatory term used by fans of neighbouring Bristol City, but it was affectionately adopted by the club and its supporters. Matches between the two Bristol clubs are known as the Bristol Derby. Besides their various divisional titles and promotions, Rovers have won the Gloucestershire Cup 32 times. They won the Third Division South Cup in 1932, the Watney Cup in 1972, and have been Football League Trophy finalists twice.