Southport Football Club is an association football club based in Southport, Merseyside. They play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 5,414. They are known by their nickname "the Sandgrounders". The club's main honour is winning the 1972–73 Football League Fourth Division championship and they have won a number of titles in non-League football. Founded in 1888 as Southport Central, the club were members of regional leagues such as the Lancashire League, the Lancashire Combination and The Central League for many years until 1921 when they were invited to become a founding member of the newly formed Football League Third Division North. Southport held membership of The Football League from 1921 to 1978. They failed to gain re-election in 1978 and since then have been members of the Northern Premier League (1978 to 1993), the Football Conference (1993 to 2003) and then the Northern Premier League Premier Division (2003–04). Southport were transferred to the new National League North in 2004 and, since then, have played in either that division (tier 6) or the tier 5 National League. In 2017, Southport were relegated from tier 5 to tier 6 and currently (2022–23) they are again playing in the National League North. Prior to their formation, a number of amateur sides played football in the town, the earliest of which was formed in 1881 from the remnants of a failed Rugby team, and participated in the FA Cup in the 1882–83 tournament. Southport's best performance in the FA Cup came in the 1930–31 tournament when they reached the quarter-finals (last eight) but were then beaten 9–1 by Everton at Goodison Park. Southport had another good FA Cup run in 1965–66 when they reached the fifth round (last sixteen) and were beaten 2–0 by Hull City at Boothferry Park. Southport took part in the Football League Cup from 1960 to 1978 but never progressed beyond the first two rounds. The team reached the final of the FA Trophy in 1997–98, played at the old Wembley Stadium, but lost 1–0 to Cheltenham Town. History The Original Amateur Club: 1881–1886 Although association football was played in the town’s private schools in the late 1870’s the first association club was not formed in the town until November 1881. Bearing the name of Southport Football club, the club had originally begun as a rugby club, the ‘handling code’ having been played competitively since