{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Shaftesbury | fullname = Shaftesbury Town Football Club | nickname = Shaftesbury Rockies | image = Shaftesbury_F.C._badge.png | image_size = 200px | founded = 1888 | ground = Cockrams | capacity = 2,500 | chairman = Steve Coffen | owntitle = Vice Chairman | owner = Nick Crane | manager = Josh Staunton | league = {{English football updater|Shaftesb}} | season = {{English football updater|Shaftesb2}} | position = {{English football updater|Shaftesb3}} | pattern_la1 = _whitelines | pattern_b1 = _whitestripes | pattern_ra1 = _whitelines | pattern_sh1 = _whitebottom | pattern_so1 = _color_3_stripes_white | leftarm1 = FF0000 | body1 = FF0000 | rightarm1 = FF0000 | shorts1 = 00FF00 | socks1 = 000000 | pattern_la2 = | pattern_b2 = | pattern_ra2 = | leftarm2 = 00FF00 | body2 = 00FF00 | rightarm2 = 00FF00 | shorts2 = 00FF00 | socks2 = 00FF00 }} '''Shaftesbury Football Club''' are a [[football (soccer)|football]] club based in [[Shaftesbury]], [[Dorset]], [[England]]. The club is affiliated to the [[Dorset County Football Association]] and is a FA chartered Standard club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dorsetfa.com/clubs/charter-standard/dorset-cs-clubs |title=Dorset CS Clubs |publisher=DorsetFA |access-date=2012-12-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005022845/http://www.dorsetfa.com/clubs/charter-standard/dorset-cs-clubs |archive-date=2013-10-05 }}</ref> They are currently members of the {{English football updater|Shaftesb}}.
==History== The club was established in 1888 and by the 1905–06 season were winners of the Dorset Junior League.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitshaftesburydorset.co.uk/detail.asp?entry=228&category=1 |title=Shaftesbury Football Club Cockrams Coppice Street Shaftesbury Dorset SP7 8PF 01747 853990 |publisher=Visitshaftesburydorset.co.uk |access-date=2013-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210559/http://www.visitshaftesburydorset.co.uk/detail.asp?entry=228&category=1 |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}</ref><ref name="dlclubhist">{{cite web |url=http://www.s299639758.websitehome.co.uk/shaftesbury.html# |title=Shaftesbury |publisher=S299639758.websitehome.co.uk |access-date=2013-02-06 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The club became members of the Dorset Senior League for the start of the 1931–32 campaign and a season later were winners of the competition.<ref name="dlclubhist"/>
After the Second World War, the club played in the [[FA Cup]] for the first time, reaching the Extra Preliminary Qualifying round before being knocked out by [[Alton Town F.C.|Alton Town]].<ref name="fchd">{{fchd|name=SHAFTESBURY [DORSET]|id=SHAFTESD}}</ref> The club became one of the founder members of the [[Dorset Premier Football League|Dorset Football Combination League]] at the start of the 1957–58 season.<ref name="dlclubhist"/> Four seasons later the club reached the final of the [[Dorset Senior Cup]], for the first time but lost out to [[Dorchester Town F.C.|Dorchester Town]].<ref name="dlclubhist"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dorchestertownfc.co.uk/history/honours.shtml |title=History » Honours |publisher=Dorchester Town FC |access-date=2013-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108202427/http://www.dorchestertownfc.co.uk/history/honours.shtml |archive-date=2012-11-08 }}</ref> The club continued in the Combination until the end of the 1961–62 competition, when they dropped into the Dorset leagues again.<ref name="dlclubhist"/>
The 1976–77 season saw the club return to the Dorset Combination league.<ref name="fchd"/> The club went on to win the combination league in the 1988–89 competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/nonleaguetables/lt1988-1989.html#DORS |title=Non League Tables for 1988–1989 |publisher=NonLeagueMatters |access-date=2013-02-07}}</ref> They repeated another title success again in the 1996–97 campaign.<ref name="fchd"/>
When the [[Wessex Football League]] expanded for the start of the 2004–05 campaign, the club moved to the newly created Division Two.<ref name="nlm">{{cite web |url=http://www.nonleaguematters.net/Regs1SthA/Wesx86.htm |title=Wessex League 1986–2011 |publisher=Nonleaguematters.net |access-date=2013-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215744/http://www.nonleaguematters.net/Regs1SthA/Wesx86.htm |archive-date=2013-10-04 }}</ref> The next season saw the club enter the [[FA Vase]] for the first time, where they were knocked out in the First Qualification round by [[Westbury United F.C.|Westbury United]].<ref name="fchd"/> The club stayed in the Wessex League a further season, when they finished bottom of the league and were relegated to the [[Dorset Premier Football League]].<ref name="fchd"/> In 2013–14, Shaftesbury Town continued their [[Dorset Premier League]] challenge, starting on 10 August against Wareham Rangers.
The [[2023–24 Wessex Football League#Premier Division|2023–24 season]] saw Shaftesbury promoted from the Wessex Premier Division, defeating [[A.F.C. Stoneham|AFC Stoneham]] 1–0 in the play-off final.<ref> {{cite web|url=https://www.wessexleague.co.uk/rockies-going-up|title=ROCKIES GOING UP!|website=www.wessexleague.co.uk|date=28 April 2024|accessdate=28 April 2024}}</ref>
==Ground== Shaftesbury play their home games at Cockrams, Coppice Street, Shaftesbury, SP7 8PF. But, when the council refused to give planning permission, the club called upon the local sponsor and supermarket, Tesco. Tesco built the club a new playground and a huge sheltered stand which is estimated to have around 2–300 persons capacity.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}
The club have played at Cockrams since moving there in 1974.<ref name="dlclubhist"/> The ground belongs to the local Shaftesbury council who lease the ground to the club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thisisdorset.co.uk/Town-council-support-football-club/story-14092924-detail/story.html#axzz2KG1ORUKd |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505121745/http://www.thisisdorset.co.uk/Town-council-support-football-club/story-14092924-detail/story.html%23axzz2KG1ORUKd#axzz2KG1ORUKd |url-status=dead|title=Town council support for football club |publisher=This is Dorset |date=2011-12-09 |access-date=2013-02-08 |archive-date=2013-05-05 }}</ref>
==Honours== ===League honours=== *'''[[Wessex League]] Premier Division''' ** Playoff winners (1): [[2023–24 Wessex Football League|2023–24]] *'''[[Dorset Premier Football League|Dorset Football Combination League]] ''':<ref name="fchd"/> ** Winners (2): 1988–89, 1996–97 *'''Dorset Senior League ''':<ref name="dlclubhist"/> ** Winners (1): 1932–33 *'''Dorset Junior League ''':<ref name="dlclubhist"/> ** Winners (2): 1905–06, 1962–63
===Cup honours=== *'''[[Dorset Senior Cup]]''':<ref name="dlclubhist"/> ** Runners-Up (3): 1960–61, 2017–18, 2023–24 *'''[[Dorset Premier Football League|Dorset Football Combination League]] Challenge Cup ''':<ref name="fchd"/> ** Winners (2): 1988–89, 1994–95 ** Runners-Up (1): 1987–88 *'''Dorset Junior League Cup ''':<ref name="dlclubhist"/> ** Winners (3): 1899–1900, 1905–06, 1975–76 ** Runners-Up (1): 1896–97 *'''Dorset Junior Cup ''':<ref name="dlclubhist"/> ** Winners (1): 1907–08
==Records== *'''Highest League Position''':<ref name="fchd"/> 3rd Wessex Premier League 2021–22 *'''[[FA Cup]] best performance''':<ref name="fchd"/> Second qualifying round, [[2021–22 FA Cup qualifying rounds|2021–22]], [[2025–26 FA Cup qualifying rounds|2025–26]] (replay) *'''[[FA Trophy]] best performance''':<ref name="fchd"/> Third qualifying round, [[2025–26 FA Trophy|2025–26]] *'''[[FA Vase]] best performance''':<ref name="fchd"/> Second round, [[2022–23 FA Vase|2022–23]]
==Former players== # Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league). # Players with full international caps. *{{flagicon|ENG}}[[Steven Thompson (footballer born 1963)|Steven Thompson]]
==Former coaches== # Managers/Coaches that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league). # Managers/Coaches with full international caps.
* {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Stuart Housley]] * {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Ken Wookey (footballer born 1946)|Ken Wookey]]
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== https://shaftesburyfc.co.uk/ {{Southern League}} {{coord|51|00|23|N|2|11|23|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=title}}
[[Category:Shaftesbury F.C.| ]] [[Category:Association football clubs established in 2007]] [[Category:2007 establishments in England]] [[Category:Shaftesbury]] [[Category:Dorset Premier Football League]] [[Category:Wessex Football League]] [[Category:Football clubs in Dorset]]