Hinckley F.C. was a football club based in

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England. It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in the administrative county of Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughbor ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Until 2010–11 they played in the

East Midlands Counties Football League The East Midlands Counties Football League was an English football league that operated from 2008 to 2021, covering the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands. The league had one division, which stood a ...

, having joined from the

Leicestershire Senior League The Leicestershire Senior League (currently sponsored by Everards Brewery) is a football competition based in Leicestershire, England. History The league was formed in 1896, had a two-year hiatus between 1901 and 1903, and has run continuously ...

at the end of the 2007–08 season. They resigned from the league in 2011.

History

The club was established in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

as Downes Sports — initially playing in the South Leicestershire League. For season 1974–75, whilst members of the Leicester & District League, they changed their name to Downes Athletic but reverted to Downes Sports the following season. After finishing in third place in the Premier Division of the Leicester & District League, they joined the

Leicestershire Senior League Division One The Leicestershire Senior League (currently sponsored by Everards Brewery) is a football competition based in Leicestershire, England. History The league was formed in 1896, had a two-year hiatus between 1901 and 1903, and has run continuously ...

for the

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

–88 season. They gained promotion to the Premier Division by finishing third in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

–92. Their highest-placed finish was in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

–2008, when they claimed third place. Season 2003–04 saw Downes Sports finish as runners-up in the Leicestershire Senior Cup. After ending the 2006–07 season in 17th place (of 18 clubs), the club was reprieved from relegation due to a lack of suitable promotion candidates from the First Division. The club changed its name from Downes Sports to Hinckley Downes in time for the 2007–08 season, when they effectively became the reserve side to Hinckley United, who played their home games at Greene King Stadium. Their best seasons in the F.A. Vase were in 2001–02 and 2006–07 (as Downes Sports) and 2007–08 (as Hinckley Downes), when they lost in the First Round Proper on each occasion. In the summer of 2010, the club again changed their by dropping the 'Downes' part to become simply Hinckley. The club resigned from the league in 2011.EMCL – Hinckley FC & Gedling Town
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References

Association football clubs established in 1967 1967 establishments in England 2011 disestablishments in England Hinckley Defunct football clubs in England East Midlands Counties Football League Defunct football clubs in Leicestershire {{England-footyclub-defunct-stub