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| Full name | Hackney Wick Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Wickers | ||
| Founded | 1995 (Bari) 2015 (Hackney Wick) 2017 (merger) | ||
| Ground | Spa Road, Witham | ||
| Capacity | 2,500 (157 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Bobby Kasanga | ||
| Manager | Ernest Eghan | ||
| League | Eastern Counties League Division One South | ||
| 2023–24 | Eastern Counties League Division One South, 8th of 22 | ||
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Hackney Wick Football Club is a football club in Essex, England. They are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Division One South and play at Spa Road in Witham.
History
[edit]Bari Football Club was established in 1995 and played in the South Essex Football League until 1998.[2] After leaving, the club joined Division One of the Asian League.[2] In 2011–12 the club won the Essex Corinthian Sunday Football League. They then successfully applied to join the Essex Senior League, adopting the name London Bari.[3] In the club's first season in the league, they finished tenth. The following season saw them finish bottom of the league.[3]
In 2017 the club merged with Middlesex County League club Hackney Wick, which had been founded in 2015 and played at Mabley Green in Hackney. The merged club took the Hackney Wick name and London Bari's place in the Essex Senior League.[4] In 2017–18 they finished bottom of the Essex Senior League and were relegated to the new Division One South of the Eastern Counties League.
Ground
[edit]After joining the Essex Senior League, London Bari started groundsharing with Clapton at the Old Spotted Dog Ground.[5] The merged club continued playing at the ground. The club was due to move to the London Marathon Community Track stadium for the 2018–19 season,[5] but ground issues put the move on hold and the club remained at the Old Spotted Dog Ground. In the opening weeks of the 2019–20 season, Hackney Wick, and fellow tenants Clapton, were forced to vacate the Old Spotted Dog due to issues at the ground. Hackney Wick subsequently entered a groundsharing agreement with Haringey Borough at Coles Park.[6] On 23 July 2020, the club announced a groundsharing agreement with Witham Town at Spa Road.[7]
Records
[edit]- Best FA Cup performance: Preliminary round, 2018–19[8]
- Best FA Vase performance: First round, 2016–17[3]
- Record attendance: 785 vs Clapton, Essex Senior League, 7 October 2017[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2016) Non-League Club Directory 2017, Tony Williams Publications, p368 ISBN 978-1869833695
- ^ a b About Us Bari FC
- ^ a b c London Bari at the Football Club History Database
- ^ Local community football team Hackney Wick FC to turn semi-pro Hackney Citizen, 28 April 2017
- ^ a b Clapton groundsharers Hackney Wick to quit the Old Spotted Dog Clapton News, 28 January 2018
- ^ "Clapton given seven days to find a ground in Old Spotted Dog crisis". Clapton FC News. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ Hackney Wick F.C. [@HackneyWickFC] (23 July 2020). "Many thanks to @Withamtownfc who will be accommodating us next season ensuring we keep our semi professional status. This again highlights the lack of infrastructure in place in the borough of Hackney. We will now endeavour with our consortium to have our facilities very soon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Hackney Wick at the Football Club History Database
- ^ "Four Essex Senior League clubs record highest attendance ever as Tons come to own – analysing figures during Clapton fans' boycott". Clapton News. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.