 | |||
| Full name | Football Club Romania | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Wolves[1] | ||
| Founded | 2006 | ||
| Ground | Theobalds Lane,Cheshunt | ||
| Capacity | 3,174[2] | ||
| Owner | Ionuţ Vintilă | ||
| Chairman | John Saunders | ||
| Manager | Ryan Handley | ||
| League | Eastern Counties League Division One South | ||
| 2024–25 | Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division, 18th of 18 (relegated) | ||
| Website | www | ||
Football Club Romania is afootball club based inCheshunt,Hertfordshire, England. The club are members of theEastern Counties League Division One South and groundshare atCheshunt's Theobalds Lane.
The club was established in August 2006 by Ionuţ Vintilă, an immigrant from Romania, with the team name reflecting theRomanian immigrant background of most of the team.[1] They started inSunday league football, initially playing in theSunday London Weekend League. After winning their division at the first attempt, the club switched to Saturday football, joining the Essex Business Houses League in 2008.[3] In 2010 they joined Division One (Central and East) of theMiddlesex County League. After finishing as runners-up in their first season in the division, they were promoted to the Premier Division. In 2011–12 the club finished as runners-up in the Premier Division,[4] but were unable to be promoted due to ground grading regulations.[3]
In 2012–13 the club entered theFA Vase for the first time, beatingTring Athletic in the first qualifying round, before losing 7–0 atHoddesdon Town in the next round.[5] In the same season the club finished second in the Premier Division for a second successive season and were promoted to the Essex Senior League after a groundsharing agreement withCheshunt allowed them to meet the ground grading regulations. The season also saw them win the Middlesex County League's Open Cup with a 3–1 win over Bratham in the final.[3] In2014–15 the club entered theFA Cup for the first time, reaching the second qualifying round, where they lost toSutton United.
The2017–18 season saw FC Romania win the Essex Senior League's Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy, beatingTakeley 1–0 in the final.[6] The club also finished third in the league, and afterShaw Lane folded, they were promoted to the South Central Division of theIsthmian League as part of the league readjustments. At the end of the2020–21 season, which was curtailed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, they were transferred to Division One Central of theSouthern League.
Following a takeover of the club at the start of the 2022–23 season,John Mackie and Terry Spillane were appointed joint-managers, the first managers of the club since it was founded other than Vintilă. However, Mackie left after a month, and Spillane soon after. The club were near to collapsed but Vintilă re-purchased the club in February 2023 and appointed himself as manager, but was unable to save the club from relegation after the league deducted 3 points for ineligible player in November 2022 againstHadley at past regime, as they finished bottom of Division One Central and were relegated to the Premier Division of theSpartan South Midlands League.
The club originally played onHackney Marshes, before moving to the Low Hall Recreation Ground inWalthamstow when they moved up to the Essex Business Houses League.[3] When the club joined the Middlesex County League they began playing at Leyton Sports Centre.[3] In 2012 the club began ground sharing at Theobalds Lane.[3]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Ryan Handley |
| Assistant Manager | Vacant |
| First Team Coach | Vacant |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Vacant |
Ionuţ Vintilă
John Mackie & Terry Spillane
Chico Ramos Ionuţ Vintilă Rak Hudson| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ionuţ Vintilă |
| Chairman | John Saunders |
| Club Secretary | Darren Bacon |
| Welfare Officer | George Georgiou |
| Head of Communications | Barbara Saunders |
| Club Photographer | Scott Lear |
51°41′39.829″N0°2′29.976″W / 51.69439694°N 0.04166000°W /51.69439694; -0.04166000
