The History of Bath City F.C.

Although Bath is perhaps better known for the exploits of its rugby union team in a sporting sense, it should not be underestimated how popular football is in the city.

As well as a thriving amateur and junior scene, some 1,000 people make the bi-weekly journey to Twerton Park to watch Bath City F.C. in action.

Although the club has never yet progressed to the professional ranks, that’s not to say The Romans, as they are known, haven’t enjoyed some stellar days in their 133-year history.

European Adventures

When we think about continental football, our focus is usually on the elite teams of the sport. Those who bet on Champions League football will note this season that the favourites are Manchester City (11/4), Liverpool (5/1), PSG (6/1) and Bayern Munich (7/1), while even the second-tier competition – the Europa League – will feature the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Lazio and Roma.

But in decades gone by, lower league clubs were able to enjoy a European adventure of their own in the Anglo-Italian Cup, and it was this competition that served up some of Bath City’s most famous moments.

It was a tournament that saw Blackpool, Sutton United, Bath City,& Notts County each reach two finals & in 1972 led Carlisle to the Stadio Olympico to emerge victorious from a 5-goal thriller@SteTudor123 on the parochial madness of the Anglo-Italian Cup https://t.co/0mkmdSiRGB pic.twitter.com/HBXraqoe22

— Tifo Football (@TifoFootball_) October 11, 2018

In the 1976/77 season, The Romans took on and defeated famous clubs like Bari and Parma – the latter going on to become a staple in Serie A, Italy’s top division, and winning tournaments like the UEFA Cup and European Super Cup.

Bath would go on to lose to Lecco in the final, and a season later they repeated the feat – again reaching the final, but this time losing to Udinese… another club that has become a perennial Serie A contender since.

For an amateur club, Bath City really does have a storied history both at home and abroad.

Record Breakers

Here’s another fun fact about Bath City F.C. – they are the only semi-professional team in England to win a Football League trophy!

That happened during the Second World War, when The Romans were invited to compete in the temporary Division Two Northern Division, where they would take on such luminaries as Liverpool and Manchester United. Not only did they compete… they would go on to lift the trophy, too.

That was Bath’s only brush with professionalism, and they would twice suffer the heartbreak of not being elected to the Football League – back in the days where a members vote, rather than promotion on the pitch, was the deciding factor. In 1978/79, they missed out on ascending to the professional game by just a solitary vote.

Eric Cantona throws weight behind campaign to save Bath City: http://t.co/0gUw4qlQgQ pic.twitter.com/sYWiEcAwLt

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 30, 2015

Something else that is fairly unique about Bath City F.C. is that they are fan-owned, with the Bath City Supporters Society Ltd enjoying the majority share in the club. That came about after film director Ken Loach, who has been a lifelong supporter of The Romans, initiated fundraising efforts – bringing on board Manchester United legend Eric Cantona, who worked on the 2009 film Looking for Eric with Loach, and actor Ricky Tomlinson.

As of August 2022, Bath City were preparing for another season in the National League South – the sixth tier of English football. They will be hoping to add to that long and illustrious history.