F.C. Bruno's Magpies
| Full name | Football Club Magpies | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Magpies[1][2] | ||
| Founded | 2013 | ||
| Ground | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Chairman | Haig Oundjian | ||
| Manager | Terence Jolley | ||
| League | Gibraltar Football League | ||
| 2024–25 | 5th | ||
| Website | www | ||
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Football Club Magpies, also known as FC Magpies, is a semi-professional football team from Gibraltar. They play in the Gibraltar Football League and the Rock Cup.[3][4] From 1 June 2025, Calpe City became part of the club, following a merger with Calpe City, with the new club commencing play in the 2026–27 season.
History
The club was formed in 2013 as Football Club Bruno's Magpies, initially as a group of friends who drank at the Bruno's Bar & Restaurant (a bar in Gibraltar).[5][6][7] The club derive their nickname The Magpies from Newcastle United.[1][2] In its first two seasons, the club achieved respectable mid-table finishes in the Gibraltar Second Division. Mick Embleton was appointed the first manager of the team and was instrumental in the initial setting up, organising and managing of the squad.
With the introduction of Chestertons, a Gibraltarian real estate agent, as the sponsor in 2015–16, the intent grew more serious, with moves to professionalise the club and establish a fanbase with the introduction of matchday programs and incentives for fans who attended games. The club finished fourth in that season and were the runners-up in the Second Division Cup, losing in extra time to Second Division champions Europa Point.
In October 2016, the club appointed Davie Wilson as manager, who has previously been assistant-manager the Gibraltar national football team and had recently departed Gibraltar Premier Division side Lions.[8] The club enjoyed a dominant start to the campaign, however a faltering winter saw them embroiled in a title race with the resurgent Gibraltar Phoenix. Ending the season in second place, they entered the play-off with Manchester 62, who finished 9th in the 2016–17 Gibraltar Premier Division. However, a 3–1 defeat ensured that The Magpies remained in the Second Division for the following season.
In August 2017, the club announced a new sponsorship deal with GVC Holdings. The side finished 3rd in the league that season, however, in May 2019 they completed a league and cup double, securing the Second Division title while also winning the Second Division Cup. After the season concluded, the club announced that former Watford chairman and British Olympian Haig Oundjian had purchased a stake in the club and become co-chairman with Louis Perry.[9]
The appointment of Nathan Rooney midway through the 2021–22 season saw a significant upturn in Magpies' fortunes in the league, with a 4th-place finish and a first Rock Cup final. The next season, along with an overhaul of the club's image, saw more improvement, with a 3rd-place finish and victory in the 2022–23 Rock Cup. However, on 17 May 2023, Rooney announced his departure from the club,[10] only to return as manager on 1 September. During this time, the club rebranded as FCB Magpies. A third place finish followed ensuring another season of European football. On 18 July 2024, Magpies knocked Derry City out of the UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds,[1][2] but were then themselves knocked out in the next round by F.C. Copenhagen after losing 8–1 on aggregate.[11]
On 6 April 2025, after securing their second Rock Cup victory against Lions Gibraltar the week prior, the club announced a merger with youth club Calpe City FC, with the new entity, Calpe City Magpies, officially launching on 1 June 2025.[12] This launch was delayed by a year in June, however, meaning that the club would continue to operate as FCB Magpies for one more season, in order to allow the club to compete in UEFA competitions.
Current squad
First team
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Club Management | |
| Head Coach | Terrence Jolley |
| Assistant Coach | Garry Lowe |
| Goalkeeper Coach | TBC |
| Fitness Coach | Adrián Conde |
| Sports Therapist | Frederick Martin |
| First Team Doctor | Dr Lorena Soler Dr Catalina Fernández Suárez |
| Kit manager | |
| Board | |
| Joint Chairmen | Louis Perry |
| Haig Oundjian | |
| Vice-chairman | Aaron Edwards |
| Financial Director | Mike Nicholls |
| Director of Football Development | Alfonso Cortijo |
| Youth Development Manager | Terrence Jolley |
| Secretary | David Frier |
Honours
- Rock Cup: 2
- 2023
- GFA Challenge Trophy: 1
Club achievements
- Best league finish – 3rd, Gibraltar Football League: 2022–23, 2023–24
- Biggest win – 17–0 vs Hound Dogs, 15 February 2025
European record
- Accurate as of match played 1 August 2024
| Competition | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Conference League | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 25.00 |
| Total | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 25.00 |
Legend: GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1Q | Crusaders | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–4 |
| 2023–24 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1Q | Dundalk | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
| 2024–25 | UEFA Conference League | 1Q | Derry City | 2–0 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | 3–2 |
| 2Q | Copenhagen | 0–3 | 1–5 | 1–8 | ||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Conference League | 1Q | Paide Linnameeskond |
- Notes
- 1Q: First qualifying round
- 2Q: Second qualifying round
References
- ^ a b c Lake, Evie (20 July 2024). "Inside story of UEFA's other Newcastle United-themed side - & their Conference League journey". newcastleworld.com.
- ^ a b c Mewis, Joe (19 July 2024). "Newcastle United missed out on Europa League football – but Bruno hasn't". fourfourtwo.com.
- ^ "Gibraltar Football Association". Archived from the original on 2018-05-11. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
- ^ "Hops and dreams - the former pub team aiming to shock Europe". 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "'I paid £500 to start a football team in a pub aged 18 – now we're playing in Europe'". 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Houston, Rory (21 June 2022). "From pub team to Europe, Bruno's Magpies soar". rte.ie.
- ^ "La historia del Bruno's Magpies: del pub a Europa". as.com. 6 July 2022.
- ^ Magpies appoint Wilson as head coach GibFootballTalk. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
- ^ Oundjian appointed joint-chairman of Bruno's Magpies Football Gibraltar. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ Nathan Rooney departs Magpies Bruno's Magpies. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ Ignacio, Stephen (25 July 2024). "Magpies find Copenhagen too strong". Gibraltar Chronicle. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
- ^ Club Joint Statement April 2025 FCB Magpies. 6 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ FC Magpies | Squad UEFA.com. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ First Team Squad Bruno's Magpies. Retrieved 10 July 2022.