The history of Cambridge United F.C. covers over 100 years. Since establishment in 1912 as Abbey United to play friendly games, the club grew quickly and was eventually elected to the Football League, of which it was a member for 35 years before relegation in 2005. The club came close to becoming a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, but currently compete in the Football League One, following promotion back to the Football League in 2014 and a subsequent promotion from Football League Two in 2021. History From inception to the professional league The club was founded in 1912 as Abbey United (named after the Abbey district of Cambridge in which they play); although a club called Cambridge United existed in Cambridge from 1909, it was not linked to the club that exists today. The club played in local amateur leagues, with some success, for many of its early years, moving from ground to ground around Cambridge (see Cambridge United § Stadium) before settling at the Abbey Stadium. In 1949 the club turned professional, and changed its name to Cambridge United in 1951. They played in the Eastern Counties League until finishing as runners-up in 1957–58, which saw them elected to the Southern League. Three years later, Cambridge United reached the Premier Division of the Southern League. The club was elected to the Football League in 1970 to replace Bradford (Park Avenue), after back-to-back titles in the Southern League. Eight years later they reached the Second Division and peaked at 8th place in 1980, but went back down to the Third Division in 1984 after winning just 4 league games all season. A second successive relegation followed in 1985, again after only 4 wins, and a year later Cambridge United finished third from bottom in the Fourth Division – this was the last season in which the league's bottom four clubs had to apply for re-election. Luckily, Cambridge United and the other three teams retained their league status. Cambridge United gradually improved, and as the 1980s drew to a close, they were looking like promotion challengers. Glory in the early 1990s Cambridge United's biggest successes came in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They won the Fourth Division playoffs under John Beck in 1990, beating Chesterfield 1–0 at Wembley. The following year United were crowned champions of the Third Division. Their key player of this era was high