Harrogate Town A.F.C.
English football team.
Harrogate Town are a professional football club who play their domestic football in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club has the nickname "The Sulphurites," which is derived from the town's famous sulphur springs. Harrogate Town famously play in black and yellow shirts, colors they have worn since their inception. They play home games at Wetherby Road, also known as the EnviroVent Stadium for sponsorship reasons, which has been their home since 1920.
The club was founded in 1914 as Harrogate Association Football Club, but the outbreak of World War I prevented them from playing any competitive matches. After the war, the club was reformed in 1919 as Harrogate Town. They joined the West Yorkshire Association Football League and began their journey through the English football pyramid.
Unlike some of the more established clubs in English football, Harrogate Town's rise to prominence has been relatively recent. For much of their history, they played in regional leagues, slowly climbing the non-league system. The club's first major success came in 2002 when they won the Northern Premier League Division One, earning promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
The most famous period in the club's history began in 2004 when they became founding members of the Conference North (now known as the National League North). This marked the beginning of a period of steady progress for the club. In 2018, under the management of Simon Weaver, who had been appointed in 2009, Harrogate Town achieved promotion to the National League via the play-offs.
The 2019-20 season proved to be the most significant in the club's history. Despite the season being curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrogate finished second in the National League and entered the play-offs. They defeated Boreham Wood in the semi-final and then beat Notts County 3-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium, securing promotion to the Football League for the first time in their 106-year history.
This promotion marked a remarkable achievement for Harrogate Town, making them one of the few clubs to have played in all top five divisions of English football. It also necessitated improvements to their stadium to meet Football League requirements, including the installation of a new artificial pitch.
In their first season in League Two (2020-21), Harrogate Town managed to secure their place in the division, finishing 17th. They also achieved success in the FA Trophy, winning the delayed 2020 final against Concord Rangers at Wembley Stadium in May 2021. This victory gave the club their first major trophy.
Harrogate Town's rapid rise through the divisions has been overseen by the Weaver family. Simon Weaver has been the manager since 2009, while his father, Irving Weaver, became the majority shareholder in 2011. This stability in leadership has been a key factor in the club's success.
The club's biggest rivals are generally considered to be York City. However, given their recent rise, many of their traditional non-league rivalries have been left behind.