{{short description|English football club}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Worcester Raiders | image = Worcester Raiders FC.png | fullname = Worcester Raiders Football Club | nickname = | founded = 2001 | ground = Claines Lane, [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] | capacity = | chairman = Steve Harris | manager = Jordan Lewis | league = {{English football updater|WorcestR}} | season = {{English football updater|WorcestR2}} | position = {{English football updater|WorcestR3}} | pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=|pattern_so1=|leftarm1=FF0000|body1=FF0000||rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=000000|socks1=FF0000 }}
'''Worcester Raiders Football Club''' is a [[association football|football]] club based in [[Worcester, England|Worcester]], [[Worcestershire]], England. They are currently members of the {{English football updater|WorcestR}} and play at Claines Lane.
==History== The club were formed in 2001 as a youth club. In 2010 an adult team was formed and joined the Saturday division of the Worcester & District League. In their first season in the league they won the Nursing Cup, beating [[Malvern Town F.C.|Malvern Town]] 2–1 in the final,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fulltime.thefa.com/newsArticle.html?league=5804612&id=2552307|title=Breaking news|website=Worcester & District League|date=5 May 2011}}</ref> and the Phipps Cup, beating Perrywood 5–1.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fulltime.thefa.com/newsArticle.html?league=5804612&id=9368457|title=BReaking news!|website=Worcester & District League|date=21 April 2011}}</ref> In 2011–12 they won the league's Bayliss Cup, beating the [[University of Worcester]] 3–2 in the final.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fulltime.thefa.com/newsArticle.html?league=5804612&id=600926447|title=Worcester Raiders Lift Baylis Cup|website=Worcester & District League|date=26 April 2012}}</ref> They retained the Bayliss Cup in 2012–13, and were league champions, resulting in promotion to Division Two of the [[West Midlands (Regional) League]].
Worcester Raiders finished third in Division Two in their first season in the West Midlands (Regional) League, earning promotion to Division One.<ref name=FCHD>{{FCHD|id=WORCRAID|name=Worcester Raiders}}</ref> In 2018–19 they were Division One champions and were promoted to the Premier Division.<ref name=FCHD/> At the end of the [[2020–21 West Midlands (Regional) League|2020–21 season]] the club were transferred to Division One of the [[Hellenic Football League|Hellenic League]]. In the [[2021–22 Hellenic Football League|2021–22]] season, Worcester Raiders were runners-up in Division One, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. They defeated [[Pershore Town F.C.|Pershore Town]] 3–0 in the semi-finals, but lost 3–0 to [[Hereford Pegasus F.C.|Hereford Pegausus]] in the final.<ref name=FCHD/> However, the club were later promoted to the Premier Division after a vacancy was created by [[Walton Casuals F.C.|Walton Casuals]] folding.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Raiders promoted after club withdraw from the league |url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/sport/20202573.worcester-raiders-promoted-hellenic-league-premier/ |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=Worcester News |language=en}}</ref>
==Ground== Worcester Raiders initially played at Claines Lane.<ref>{{cite web|title=Worcester Raiders: Floodlights and 100-seat stand planned at Claines Lane|url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/sport/16034195.worcester-raiders-floodlights-100-seat-stand-planned-claines-lane//|website=Worcester News|date=20 February 2018|access-date=22 August 2020}}</ref> In 2020 they started groundsharing at the [[Sixways Stadium]] of [[English Premiership (rugby union)|English Premiership]] [[rugby union]] club [[Worcester Warriors]], with Worcester Warriors' co-owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham becoming joint majority owners of Worcester Raiders in the process.<ref>{{cite web|title=Football comes to Sixways with Worcester Raiders deal|url=https://warriors.co.uk/2020/07/29/football-comes-to-sixways-with-worcester-raiders-deal/|website=Worcester Warriors|date=29 July 2020|access-date=22 August 2020}}</ref> In September 2022 the gates to the ground were locked as a result of Worcester Warriors' financial problems. However, Raiders reached an agreement with the Warriors' administrators to remain at Sixways.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/sport/23026559.worcester-raiders-will-return-sixways-2022-23-season/|title=Worcester Raiders will return to Sixways for 2022/23 season|website=Worcester News|date=6 October 2022}}</ref> The club returned to Claines Lane in 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/25272861.worcester-raiders-ground-renamed-diary-debt-collector-stadium/|title=Worcester Raiders ground renamed Diary of a Debt Collector Stadium|website=Worcester News|date=28 June 2025}}</ref>
==Honours== *'''West Midlands (Regional) League''' **Division One champions 2018–19 *'''Worcester & District League''' **Division One champions 2012–13 **Bayliss Cup winners 2011–12, 2012–13 **Nursing Cup winners 2010–11 **Phipps Cup winners 2010–11
==Records== *Best [[FA Cup]] performance: First qualifying round, 2022–23, 2025–26<ref name=FCHD/> *Best [[FA Vase]] performance: Second qualifying round, 2021–22, 2022–23<ref name=FCHD/>
==See also== *{{c|Worcester Raiders F.C. players}} *{{c|Worcester Raiders F.C. managers}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.worcesterraidersfc.com Official website]
{{Hellenic League}} {{Coord|52.2241|N|2.2112|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=title}}
[[Category:Worcester Raiders F.C.| ]] [[Category:Men's football clubs in England]] [[Category:Football clubs in Worcestershire]] [[Category:Association football clubs established in 2001]] [[Category:2001 establishments in England]] [[Category:Sport in Worcester, England]] [[Category:West Midlands (Regional) League]] [[Category:Hellenic Football League]]