Club History
The late Donald E Hall founded Tuffley Rovers FC in 1929. The Club’s Headquarters were in a former railway carriage, which also served as Mr Hall’s Boot and Shoe repair shop on the Stroud Road at Tuffley in the city of Gloucester. The Club started its playing life in the North Gloucestershire Football League.
During the early years Tuffley Rovers ran two teams on a regular basis and eventually settled in to the Stroud and District Football League and became one of the Clubs that regularly challenged for honours in Division One during the late 60’s and early 70’s taking the League title 3 times in a 5 year period. This success eventually led to promotion in to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League where further consolidation took place and in 1979/80 promotion was gained in to Division One of the Senior League. The following season 1980/81 Tuffley nearly managed to take the Division One title narrowly missing out to St Marks CA. It then took a further 7 seasons before the Club managed to take the Division One title beating Lydbrook Athletic by a clear 7 points and were promoted in to the Gloucestershire County League for the 1988/89 season.
After two seasons of consolidation the Club won the County League Title in 1990/1991, their applica- tion to join the Hellenic League was successful and they were accepted into Hellenic Division One. Progress continued as in the 1992/1993 season Rovers were Champions of Division One and also Division One League Cup Winners and after promotion competed in the Premier Division of the Hellenic League from 1993/1994, regularly finishing in the top half of the table. The 1998/1999 season saw Tuffley win the Norman Matthew’s Floodlit Cup defeating Carterton Town in the final. Whilst the Club enjoyed this success, the 2nd XI and 3rd XI also gained promotion and championship honours. The 1998/1999 season saw the 2nd XI win the Northern Senior League and reach the finals of both the County Cup and League Cup, unfortunately losing out on both occasions. Promotion, however, was not possible as reserve teams were not allowed at that point to enter the Gloucestershire County League and progress further up the pyramid system.
The Club continued to thrive in the Hellenic League and managed to win the Floodlit Cup again in the 2002/2003 season defeating Brackley Town over two legs in the final. However, the ever changing ground grading requirements, if the club was to remain in the Hellenic League, and the financial strain these improvements imposed on the Club forced Tuffley Rovers to make the decision to withdraw from the Hellenic League in 2005 and settle for local football in Gloucestershire.
After a difficult start Rovers were crowned champions of Division 2 of the Northern Senior League in the 2005/2006 season and were promoted to Division 1. After a slow start the team put together a consistent run and managed to claim the Division 1 Title as well as win the GFA Senior Amateur Cup and reach the final of the Reg Davis Memorial League Cup.
A return to the Gloucestershire County League followed and the club finished a very creditable 4th place (2007/8) but the summer of 2008 saw a number of senior players retire. The next season, a much younger side finished a slightly disappointing 11th but with a year’s experience gained the Rovers challenged again at the top of the table for most of the next season before finishing 3rd.
The 2010/11 season saw some variable performances in the league, with a final finishing position of 6th, followed by a third place finish in 2011/12. The 2012/13 Season marked an improvement for the club. After challenging for league championship honours all season, the club couldn’t quite maintain the form to secure the title, finishing second. However, this was enough to gain promotion to the Hellenic League Division One (West) for the 2013/14 season.
On their return to the Hellenic League, The Rovers survived a season that witnessed some turmoil – including the departure of manager, Doug Foxwell – to record a decent sixth place finish and some good cup results.
The following season saw them secure promotion back to the Hellenic Premier Division (after finishing second in Division One, West), under new manager Warren Evans, and in 2015/16 the team finished seventeenth, surviving relegation and securing a second consecutive season at Step 5 of the Non-League game. During the 2015/16 season Evans stood down from his post as manager, eventually being replaced by 27 year old Mark Pritchett, heralding a new era for The Rovers.
Pritchett saw his squad to two of their most successful campaigns in their recent history, as consecutive tenth placed finishes in the Hellenic League followed, but he resigned shortly before the start of the 2020/21 season, handing over the reins to his assistant, Rich Cox.
Cox’s spell, first as a caretaker during the second pandemic hit season of 2020/21 and then in a permanent capacity for 2021/22, was ultimately to prove ill-fated and after a run of eleven defeats in twelve competitive fixtures led to him resigning in December 2021.
The club turned to a local man, Neil Mustoe, in a bid to save their status as a Hellenic League, Premier Division club and the former Manchester United, Wigan Athletic, Cambridge United, Yeovil Town and Gloucester City player did enough to keep his side in the division, before being confirmed as the manager for 2022/23.
Away from the first team, the club has, over the past few seasons, developed considerably, so that they now field five senior sides on a Saturday, a Ladies’ side, a Veterans’ team and a full youth section, including Girls’ football teams.
