AFC Sudbury

A.F.C. Sudbury was formed on 1 June 1999 by the amalgamation of the town's two previous clubs, Sudbury Town (founded 1885) and Sudbury Wanderers (founded 1958). The new club played at Wanderers' ground, and were initially managed by Wanderers' Keith Martin.

In their debut season, 1999–2000, Sudbury finished in third place in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division. The following five seasons all resulted in Sudbury winning the Premier Division title – a league record. Sudbury did not take promotion at any of these opportunities, despite being entitled to. In this period Sudbury had a series of good performances in national cup competitions. In 2000–01 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup, where they were beaten 6–1 by Darlington. They reached the semi-final of the 2001–02 FA Vase, before being knocked out by Tiptree United. The following three seasons saw Sudbury reaching the final each year (a Vase record), but being defeated every time, by Brigg Town in 2003 (after which Martin left the club and was replaced by Gary Harvey), Winchester City in 2004 and Didcot Town in 2005. However, the club did win the Suffolk Premier Cup three times, in 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04.

The financial constraints of owning two grounds led the board not to apply for promotion until the beginning of the 2005–06 season. After finishing third in 2005–06, a season in which they won the Eastern Counties League Cup, and passing the necessary ground inspection Sudbury were invited to take promotion into a resurrected Isthmian League Division One North, following the re-structuring of the National League System. Potential legal action from the Northern Premier League nearly scuppered this move, but Sudbury started 2006–07 in the new division. The management team of Gary Harvey and Michael Cheetham, who took the team up, both resigned before the season could begin, citing work and family commitments, respectively. New manager Mark Morsley was appointed in May 2006, signed from Needham Market. Sudbury's first season at this level saw the club finish in fifth place, qualifying them for the promotion play-offs. After beating Enfield Town in the semi-final, Sudbury lost to Harlow Town in a penalty shootout. Sudbury again qualified for the play-offs in 2007–08, finishing second in the table, but were defeated in the semi-final by eventual winners Canvey Island. In the close-season manager Morsley resigned, and was replaced by his assistant Nicky Smith.

Sudbury were moved into the Southern League Division One Midlands for 2008–09 following a restructuring of the English football pyramid. After two seasons of mid-table finishes the club was moved back to the Isthmian League Division One North for 2010–11. Smith resigned in September 2011 and was replaced by his assistant Chris Tracey. At the start of the 2013–14, Sudbury appointed Wroxham manager David Batch as their new manager, after Chris Tracey left the club. Sudbury reached the final of the Isthmian League Cup in April 2014, but lost 3–0 away to Maidstone United. Batch left to join St Neots Town at the end of 2014, and was replaced by Jamie Godbold. Godbold led the club to a third-place finish and qualification for the play-offs, where they were defeated by Brentwood Town in the semi-final. The following season Sudbury won the division with three games to spare, earning promotion to the Premier Division. Their stay in the division only lasted one season as they were relegated back to Division One North at the end of the campaign, the club's first-ever relegation. Mark Morsley re-joined as first team manager in early 2017–18.

In 2021 Sudbury reached the first round of the FA Cup for a second time, causing an upset by beating Dartford 3-1 in the fourth qualifying round, who were two tiers above Sudbury, top of the league and unbeaten. In the first round, they were drawn at home against nearby League Two side Colchester United, losing 4–0 in front of a record but reduced capacity attendance of 2,000. The match was broadcast live on BBC Two and shown in 78 countries. The 2022–23 season saw them finish second in the North Division, going on to defeat Grays Athletic in the play-off semi-finals, before beating Heybridge Swifts after extra time in the final to earn promotion to the Premier Division Central of the Southern League.

Season-by-season record