Armthorpe Welfare Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Armthorpe, South Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Welfare Ground.
History The club was established in 1926,Club history Armthorpe Welfare F.C. and initially competed only in local leagues, including the Doncaster Red Triangle League. In 1935 they turned semi-professional and joined the Sheffield Association League. They first entered the FA Cup in the following season, and competed in the FA Amateur Cup for a few years after World War II. They left the Sheffield League in 1950 to join Division Two of the Doncaster & District Senior League. Their first season in the new league saw them promoted to Division One.
Although they were relegated two seasons later, Armthorpe won Division Two at the first attempt to earn promotion back to Division One. In just their second season in Division One they won the league title, and they would go on to win the title on a further four occasions in the next five years. They added further title wins in 1960–61, 1961–62 and 1964–65. However the club was relegated from the renamed Premier Division at the end of the 1966–67 season. They were relegated again in 1969–70, and sunk into Division Three after another relegation in 1972–73. In 1974 the club folded.
Two years later the club reformed and rejoined the Doncaster & District Senior League. They began in Division Three, which they won in 1978–79. The following season they won Division Two and the League Cup in 1979–80, and went on to retain the League Cup for the following two seasons. In 1981–82 they won the League Cup for a fourth consecutive season, as well as the West Riding Challenge Cup and the Division One title, earning promotion to the Premier Division. The following season saw them win four competitions; the Premier Division, the League Cup, the West Riding Challenge Cup and the Goole & Thorne FA Challenge Cup.
Following their Premier Division title, the club moved up Division Two North of the Northern Counties East League (NCEL). They finished as runners-up in their first season, earning promotion to Division One Central. They went on to win the division at the first attempt and were promoted to the Premier Division, where they have remained since, becoming the division's longest serving club. In 1987–88 the club finished as runners-up, losing the title to Emley on goal difference. In 2000–01 they finished in the relegation zone, but were reprieved from relegation after Ossett Albion were promoted to the Northern Premier League and no club was relegated in their place. Having remained in the Premier Division for a record 32 seasons, the club were relegated to Division One at the end of the 2016–17 season after finishing second-from-bottom of the table.
Season-by-season record Season Division Level Position FA Cup FA Amateur Cup FA Vase Notes1934–35Doncaster Red Triangle League––––1935–36Sheffield Association League–3/12–––1936–37Sheffield Association League–14/15EPR––1937–38Sheffield Association League–8/17PR––1938–39Sheffield Association League–EPR––1939–40Sheffield Association League––––1940–41Sheffield Association League––––1947–48Sheffield Association League–PR––1948–49Sheffield Association League–EPR––1949–50Sheffield Association League–EPR––1950–51Doncaster & District Senior League Division 2–EPR––Promoted1951–52Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1––––1952–53Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1––––Relegated1953–54Doncaster & District Senior League Division 2–1/12–––Champions, promoted1954–55Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–1/15–EPR–Champions1955–56Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1––3QR–1956–57Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–1/14–PR–Champions1957–58Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–1/16–4QR–Champions1958–59Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–2/13–1QR–1959–60Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–7/13–1QR–1960–61Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–1/12–4QR–Champions1961–62Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–1/12–––Champions1962–63Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1––––1963–64Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–3/12–––1964–65Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–1/12–––Champions1965–66Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–3/12–––1966–67Doncaster & District Senior League Premier Division–11/15–––Relegated1967–68Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–11/12–––1968–69Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1––––1969–70Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1––––Relegated1970–71Doncaster & District Senior League Division 2––––1971–72Doncaster & District Senior League Division 2––––1972–73Doncaster & District Senior League Division 2––––Relegated1973–74Doncaster & District Senior League Division 3––––1974–75Doncaster & District Senior League Division 3––––1975–76Club dissolved (1975) and reformed (1976)1976–77Doncaster & District Senior League Division 3––––1977–78Doncaster & District Senior League Division 3–1/14–––Champions, promoted1978–79Doncaster & District Senior League Division 2––––Promoted1979–80Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1––––1980–81Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–3/16–––1981–82Doncaster & District Senior League Division 1–1/14–––Champions, promoted1982–83Doncaster & District Senior League Premier Division–1/14–––Champions, promoted1983–84Northern Counties East League Division 2 North–2/14–––Promoted1984–85Northern Counties East League Division 1 Central–1/16––3RPromoted1985–86Northern Counties East League Premier Division–13/201QR–1R1986–87Northern Counties East League Premier Division–12/193QR–1R1987–88Northern Counties East League Premier Division–2/17PR–1R1988–89Northern Counties East League Premier Division–11/171QR–PR1989–90Northern Counties East League Premier Division–7/18PR–PR1990–91Northern Counties East League Premier Division–9/161QR–1R1991–92Northern Counties East League Premier Division–13/192QR–1R1992–93Northern Counties East League Premier Division–19/201QR–1R1993–94Northern Counties East League Premier Division–10/20PR–1R1994–95Northern Counties East League Premier Division–8/20PR–PR1995–96Northern Counties East League Premier Division–11/20PR–2QR1996–97Northern Counties East League Premier Division–12/20PR–2QR1997–98Northern Counties East League Premier Division–9/20PR–2R1998–99Northern Counties East League Premier Division–13/201QR–2QR1999–00Northern Counties East League Premier Division–11/201QR–1R2000–01Northern Counties East League Premier Division–19/20EPR–2QR2001–02Northern Counties East League Premier Division–6/20PR–1QR2002–03Northern Counties East League Premier Division–18/20EPR–1R2003–04Northern Counties East League Premier Division–14/201QR–1QR2004–05Northern Counties East League Premier Division918/201QR–2QR2005–06Northern Counties East League Premier Division910/202QR–1R2006–07Northern Counties East League Premier Division913/201QR–1QR2007–08Northern Counties East League Premier Division99/20EPR–1R2008–09Northern Counties East League Premier Division915/20PR–2QR2009–10Northern Counties East League Premier Division93/20EPR–4R2010–11Northern Counties East League Premier Division913/20PR–2R2011–12Northern Counties East League Premier Division913/201QR–3R2012–13Northern Counties East League Premier Division920/22EPR–2R2013–14Northern Counties East League Premier Division918/23EPR–2R2014–15Northern Counties East League Premier Division917/21PR–2QR2015–16Northern Counties East League Premier Division919/222QR–1R2016–17Northern Counties East League Premier Division921/22EPR–1QRRelegated2017–18Northern Counties East League Division One1016/22EPR–2QR2018–19Northern Counties East League Division One1017/20––1QR2019–20Northern Counties East League Division One10–––1QRSeason abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic2020–21Northern Counties East League Division One10–––1QRSeason abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic2021–22Northern Counties East League Division One1013/21––1QR2022–23Northern Counties East League Division One108/20––1R2023–24Northern Counties East League Division One1019/23––2QR2024–25Northern Counties East League Division One1013/22––2QR2025–26Northern Counties East League Division One107/22––2QR Season Division Level Position FA Cup FA Amateur Cup FA VaseNotesSource: Football Club History Database
Ground The club plays at the Welfare Ground on Church Street. It has a capacity of 2,500, of which 250 is seated and 400 covered.
Honours Northern Counties East League Division One Central champions 1984–85 Doncaster & District Senior League Champions 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1982–83 Division One champions 1981–82 Division Two champions 1978–79 Division Three champions 1977–78 League Cup winners 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83 West Riding Challenge Cup Winners 1981–82, 1982–83 Goole & Thorne FA Challenge Cup Winners 1982–83
Records Best FA Cup performance: Third qualifying round, 1986–87 Best FA Amateur Cup performance: Fourth qualifying round, 1957–58 Best FA Vase performance: Fourth round, 2009–10 Record attendance: 2,000 vs Doncaster Rovers, pre-season friendly, 1985–86
See also
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