FORGOTTEN FOOTBALL CLUBS

PHILIP D'ROURKE EXAMINES THE CLUBS WHO HAVE FALLEN OFF THE FOOTBALL MAP FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.

- PHILIP D'ROURKE

FOOTBALL is something that can bring out emotions that no other sport can. It is, after all, the most popular sport in the world.

It also creates nostalgia for those who can remember the good times and the bad. Unfortunately, the bad times mean the end of some football clubs’ existence altogether. While most of us would like to think the football clubs we follow will always be around, even when we are not, it is not the case for every one.

It doesn’t matter what country you follow your football in, every nation has its ‘Forgotten Clubs’. Now, when we say ‘Forgotten Club’, we don’t mean they have been forgotten from memory. No, the concept and criteria of a ‘Forgotten Club’ is that it is no longer in its original form.

That could mean the club, from the time it was founded, has either merged with another club or clubs, has become a phoenix club, or has completely disappeared from the footballing world entirely.

Clubs of all sizes have fallen into this category, from football clubs that many may not have heard of to household names that have won their own national league titles - and even European trophies. No country or football club is untouchable.

Bury FC are probably the most high-profile football club in recent years to become a ‘Forgotten Club’. However, clubs like Macclesfield Town can maybe feel a bit abandoned as they never received the publicity that Bury did in the media.

In other big European leagues, the likes of Chievo Verona, who only recently played in Italy’s Serie A, have become defunct since 2021, only running a youth team at present.