Royal Wootton Bassett Town F.C.
Royal Wootton Bassett Town Football Club are an English football club based in the town of Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire. The club has two senior men's, one ladies, two veterans, 20 youth and mini soccer and three girls teams, and is affiliated to the Wiltshire County Football Association. The record match attendance was 2,103 versus Swindon Town in July 1991. The club's men's first team are currently members of the at level nine of the English football league system. History Situated in the small market town six miles west of Swindon, Royal Wootton Bassett Town have been playing football since their establishment in November 1882, making the club one of the oldest in the county of Wiltshire. From 1930, when the club was reformed after a two decade hiatus, until 2013, Bassett played at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground at Rylands Way. The ground was donated by local dignitary Major Gerard Buxton for sporting activities within the town and opened in May 1930. Since 2015 they have played at the New Gerard Buxton Sports Ground on the outskirts of the town. After one season in the Vale of the White Horse League, Bassett entered the Swindon & District League in 1899. Progress made there culminated in the side entering the Wiltshire County League in 1903–04, a year after the club reached the finals of both the Advertiser Cup and the Wiltshire Senior Cup. Bassett made the final of the Wiltshire Senior Cup again during its first year playing at county level, but lost to Swindon Town Reserves. At the time, the County League featured clubs such as Melksham Town, Devizes Town and Chippenham Town as well as – from further afield – Bath City and Yeovil Casuals (now Yeovil Town). Bassett had mixed fortunes during its spell in this division, coming last in 1904/05 before finishing runners-up a year later. During this period, the club's home games took place at 'The Close', upon which Tanners Close now stands, whilst they were based at the Royal Oak public house. Bassett resigned from the Wiltshire County League in the summer of 1908 after failing to comply with league regulations which insisted players must reside within a specific radius of the town – the majority of the Bassett side at the time lived in Swindon, while financial pressures meant the club would fold. Years in the wilderness followed, thanks partly to the First World War – during which The Royal Oak was used as a barracks for German prisoners of war – and the presence of the 1920–21 FA Amateur Cup finalists Swindon Victoria, who for many years played in the town. However, owing to the opening of the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground in May 1930 and the desire for it to have tenants alongside the town cricket club, the football club was revived. Starting in the Calne & District League, Bassett had much early success, finishing runners-up in 1930/31 before going on to win the league on three occasions. The division