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| Full name | Rushall Olympic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Pics | ||
| Founded | 1893; 132 years ago (1893) | ||
| Ground | Dales Lane,Rushall,Walsall | ||
| Capacity | 1,400[1] | ||
| Coordinates | 52°36′3.128″N1°57′8.179″W / 52.60086889°N 1.95227194°W /52.60086889; -1.95227194 | ||
| Chairman | John Allen | ||
| Manager | Ian Long | ||
| League | Northern Premier League Premier Division | ||
| 2024–25 | National League North, 22nd of 24 (relegated) | ||
| Website | http://www.rofc.co.uk/ | ||
 Current season | |||
Rushall Olympic Football Club is an Englishfootball club based inRushall, a formermining village that forms part of theMetropolitan Borough of Walsall. The team competes in theNorthern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of theEnglish football league system.
Although football had been played in the village for at least 20 years previously, the earliest known reference to Rushall Olympic Football Club is in local newspaper reports on matches from the 1893–94 season. The club joined the Cannock & District League in 1895, finishing as runners-up in their first season and later joined the Junior (where they were champions in 1903–04), Amateur, Parks and Senior sections of the Walsall & District League.
During the inter-war years, the team won a number of local honours. At this time, the team comprised mainly local colliery workers and played on a field behind the Miners Armspub in Rushall and changed in the pub itself. However, some time prior to theSecond World War, the club disbanded.
In 1951, a group of local young men decided to re-form the club. They approached the proprietor of a local fish and chip shop for permission to use his premises as their headquarters and secured the use of Rowley Place as a home ground. The club joined the Walsall & District Amateur League, where the team won the Second Division championship in 1952–53, and later the First Division championship in 1955–56, after which they gained promotion to theStaffordshire County League (South), where they won the Second Division title at the first attempt.
Following promotion to the First Division, the club won four championship titles between 1960 and 1965. In 1975, in a bid to gain a higher league status, the club decided to move three miles away to theAston University Sports Ground, just off the main A34Walsall toBirmingham road. Meanwhile, the club obtained the lease on some land in Daw End, Rushall, and the new Dales Lane ground was officially opened on 14 August 1977.
The club were accepted into theWest Midlands (Regional) League in 1978, and won the First Division title in 1980. The club enjoyed 14 seasons of moderate success in the Premier Division, with a highest finish of fifth place achieved in 1988–89. In 1994, the "Pics" became founder members of the newMidland Football Alliance. Although the late 1990s brought only mid-table performances in the league, the Pics did defeat the then-Southern League clubRocester at theBescot Stadium – home ofWalsall – in a penalty shoot-out to lift theWalsall Senior Cup in 2000.
After finishing in second place in both 2000–01 and 2002–03, the Pics finally claimed the league title in 2004–05, and with it promotion to theSouthern League Division One West. They were then transferred to theSouthern League Division One Midlands for the2006–07 season, where they stayed for two years, qualifying for the play-offs in their last season by finishing fifth.
Due to the restructuring ofNorthern Premier League Division One, they were transferred yet again to theNPL Division One South for the2008–09 season, when they again finished fifth and qualified for the play-offs. They were also unsuccessful in achieving promotion this time. Manager Paul Holleran then left the club to be replaced by Neil Kitching, who started his first season brightly before tailing off to finish in mid-table; the team also reached the final of the Walsall Senior Cup under Kitching.
Despite further budget restriction, Kitching was supported by a relatively youthful backroom staff, including Nick Amos and Ian Cooper, and they went on to finish third in the2010–11 season, before going on to reach the play-off final, after a 3–0 win overBrigg Town in the semi-final. A 2–0 victory over Grantham Town in the final saw Rushall Olympic reach theNorthern Premier League Premier Division, the first time the club had ever reached the seventh level of theEnglish football league system.
The first season at this higher level saw Rushall Olympic finish eighth in the league. They reached the final of three cup competitions: the league cup, where they lost to North Ferriby United after extra time; the Staffordshire Senior Cup, where they lost to Kidsgrove Athletic; and the Walsall Senior Cup, which they retained. Rushall also equalled their best ever performance in the FA Cup, reaching the fourth qualifying round, where they were knocked out by Stourbridge.
In 2012–13, Rushall made their debut in the first round proper of the FA Trophy, having qualified with victories over Woodford United, Chasetown and Droylsden. Their reward was a trip to Wrexham, where they suffered a defeat against a team that went on to win the final of the competition. In the league, Rushall again were on the verge of the play-offs finishing in sixth position, but failed to make the end of season competition.[2]
In 2013–14, Rushall Olympic made the fourth qualifying round of theFA Cup before losing out atGrimsby Town. Rushall eventually finished in seventh place in the league, narrowly missing out on the play-offs. However, there were two cup final appearances, as the Pics lost out in the final of the Walsall Senior Cup but won theStaffordshire Senior Cup, beatingPort Vale 2–1 at Vale Park. At the end of the season, the club parted company with manager of five years Neil Kitching; his assistant, Nick Amos, also left the club. Rushall then appointed formerWest Bromwich Albion andBolton Wanderers midfielderRichard Sneekes as manager, with Steve Hinks as his assistant.[3]
During the2022-23 Southern Football League season, Olympic finished 5th in the table and qualified for the playoffs. The Pics defeatedCoalville Town on penalty kicks and advanced to the playoff finals, where they defeatedNuneaton Borough, also on penalty kicks. As a result, the club was promoted to theNational League North for the first time in club history.[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  John Allen |
| Vice-Chairman | Nick Allen |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Ian Long |
| Assistant Manager | Richard Colwell |
| First Team Coach |  Richard Sneekes |
