AFC Wulfrunians

AFC Wulfrunians are a football club based in Castlecroft in South Staffordshire, England. They play in the Midland League Premier Division.

History
The club was established in 2005,[1] although it is an offshoot of the Old Wulfrunians club, which has existed since 1922. Teams from the club still compete in the Birmingham Amateur Football Association under the Old Wulfrunians name.[2] AFC Wulfrunians joined the West Midlands (Regional) League in 2005. In their first season, they won the Division Two Championship, and in their second they finished as runners-up in Division One, earning promotion for the 2007–08 season to the West Midlands Regional League Premier Division.[3] In the 2008–09 season the club won the championship of this league, followed by third-place finishes in 2009–10 and 2010–11. In the 2011-12 season, the club finished 5th, with long serving manager Tim Tipton stepping down at the end of the season due to family commitments.[4] Under the guidance of the new joint management team of Steve Palmer and Jon Purdie, Wulfrunians were crowned 2012–13 champions of the Premier Division[5] for the second time in their existence, securing promotion to the Midland Alliance in their final game, a 2-0 win away at Malvern Town.[6]

After ending as runners up in 2007–08 and 2008–09, AFC Wulfrunians won the JW Hunt Cup in 2010–11[7] with a 3–0 win against Gornal Athletic. The club reached the final of the JW Hunt Cup again the following year, though on this occasion were beaten by Black Country Rangers at Molineux.

Ground
Castlecroft Stadium, home of AFC Wulfrunians, was originally built in the 1950s by Wolverhampton Wanderers as a training ground.[8] In the 1990s, it was bought by the Rugby Football Union to be used as a schools and referees training centre / regional headquarters. AFC Wulfrunians are now leaseholders of the ground after buying the lease from the RFU. The stand, situated on the west side of the pitch, holds up to 500 spectators. In August 2012, it was announced that Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C. would be playing home games at Castlecroft Stadium for the 2012-13 season.