Bromley are getting into a brand new chapter of their 132-year historical past, a chapter that many thought would by no means be written, after incomes promotion to the EFL.
For the primary time ever, Bromley are competing within the Soccer League; ascending from the non-league ranks to the promised land {of professional} soccer. A celebration of what’s doable when need meets exhausting effort, this journey is distinguished by neighborhood assist, strategic management, and tenacity.
It’s also a monument to the membership’s resiliency. The climb from non-league obscurity to the Soccer League is a path much less traveled; for Bromley, it has been an extended one.
From their early days within the South London League in 1892 to their time within the Southern League, Isthmian League, and the Nationwide League, the Ravens’ journey has been one in every of persistence and evolution. In an exhilarating promotion last in opposition to Solihull Moors, membership captain Byron Webster scored the game-winning penalty.
That method, they clinched their progress to the Soccer League. It was a second that encapsulated the spirit of Bromley—a membership that has at all times punched above its weight.
Lifelong fan and membership historian Roy Oliver, who has supported Bromley by way of thick and skinny, summed up the feelings of many when he mentioned, “We by no means dreamed this may occur, 132 years within the making. It’s mind-boggling.”
Proprietor Robin Stanton-Gleaves’s imaginative and prescient
The imaginative and prescient and management of Bromley’s chairman and proprietor, Robin Stanton-Gleaves, are largely liable for the corporate’s current success. An area man, Stanton-Gleaves took full management of the membership in 2020 and instantly set about modernizing the membership’s infrastructure.
Bromley went from a non-league crew to a neighborhood middle with amenities that match Championship groups; all because of his investments within the membership’s infrastructure, which embrace new floodlights, stands, and seats.
The gray constructing that homes Bromley’s workplaces and Broomfields bar is a testomony to this transformation. It consists of seven lecture rooms, gyms, altering rooms, package rooms, a first-team breakout space, a restaurant, and workplaces; all of that are of Championship commonplace.
This funding has not solely improved the membership’s amenities but in addition strengthened its ties to the local people.
Stanton-Gleaves has been clear about his targets for the membership. He informed BBC:
“We’re not getting carried away, we’ve obtained to study this league. We’ve obtained to study to journey [further for away games] each different week, study to handle the larger squad, study to function throughout the switch home windows. And as we do this, then we develop the soccer floor and we maintain our onward trajectory in our journey.”
Day of celebration
Bromley’s first match within the Soccer League noticed them safe a 2-0 victory over Harrogate City; it was a dream begin to life in League Two.
The thrill continues as they put together for his or her first residence league recreation in opposition to AFC Wimbledon, a crew with whom they share a wealthy non-league historical past. This match, a London derby, can be a major second for each golf equipment; particularly for Bromley, as they make their residence debut within the Soccer League.
Whereas Bromley’s entry into the Soccer League is a trigger for celebration, it additionally brings new challenges.
The membership’s finances stays tight, and supervisor Andy Woodman now has the duty to navigate the complexities {of professional} soccer on a restricted finances. Regardless of these constraints, Woodman stays optimistic about Bromley’s prospects, even suggesting that the membership might problem for a play-off place of their first season in League Two.
For chairman Stanton-Gleaves, nonetheless, the speedy precedence is extra modest: survival.
He understands that the transition to the Soccer League can be a studying curve for everybody concerned, from the gamers to the administration crew. “It’s not nearly staying within the league, we’ll show lots of people fallacious,” he mentioned, reflecting the dedication that has come to outline Bromley’s rise.
Photograph credit: IMAGO / Focus Photographs : IMAGO / Focus Photographs
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