About | FCB Magpies

HONOURS

HISTORY

FCB Magpies was formed in 2013, initially as a group of friends who drank at the Bruno's Bar & Restaurant, calling itself FC Bruno's Magpies.

In our 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/ organizing/ 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.

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 will remain in the Second Division next 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.

With the arrival of Haig Oundjian as co-chariman and then becoming the sole owner of the club, the clubs fortunes started to change. Now in the Gibraltar Premier League, there was more of an interest in the club, and through Haig's extensive contacts, more sponsors were to partner with the club, giving it a better budget to compete in the Premier League.

Haig also took the step to appoint a full time Director of Football, who would oversee the recruitment of the first squad coaches and players and also to start a youth development pathway.

In their debut season of the Premier League, the Magpies achieved a respectful 7th position in the league of 12 teams that season, cementing their place officially in the top tier of Gibraltar Football.

For the 2020/21 Season, the Gibraltar Football Association along with the 11 remaining clubs, decided to introduce a split of the league after one round, where the top six would compete against each other for the league and European Competitions in the Championship Group and the bottom five would compete against each other in the Challenge Group. This format proved a challenge for the Magpies, and having not made the top six, had to settle to competing in the Challenge Group, where they would eventually finish as winners of that group.

The 2021/22 Season did not start any better, and with the Magpies just about in sixth position of the league table and in contention for promotion to the Championship Group, it was decided to recruit a new younger manager. On 1st January 2022, FC Bruno's Magpies was to change its future with the appointment of Nathan Rooney, a young up and coming coach who was well versed with the modern game. With victories in his first two games, Rooney sealed Magpies position of sixth in the table and into the Championship Group.

With clever recruitment of players in January complementing the players already at the club, Rooney was to implement a new style of refreshing football that would eventually become the talk up and down the league.

The Magpies were soon to become a team hard to break down and dangerous on the counter, this was evident with Magpies instant results on the pitch, shooting them up the table eventually settling for fourth in the table only 1 point behind 3rd place St Joseph's, after starting 8 points adrift since Rooney took over. With Rooney also guiding the Magpies to a narrow 2-1 defeat in the Rock Cup Final against Lincoln Red Imps the league champions, FC Bruno's Magpies were confirmed as making the UEFA Europa Conference League for the first time in their history, becoming what most of the international press said " The Most Successful Pub Club in the History of Football" qualifying for a UEFA competition.

On the first of June 2022, FC Bruno's Magpies announced that it was the perfect time to rebrand it's image in line with its participation in UEFA competition for the first time. A change of logo, kit colours, along with a change of name to FCB Magpies, was to be the basis on which the Magpies was to start it's new future.

Magpies made history again, by being the first team to win their debut game in a UEFA competition, beating Crusaders from Northern Ireland 2-1 at home, but two late goals in the away leg was to knock out the Magpies on a 4-3 aggregate score. Still a respectful debut, but one that left the Magpies wanting more and thinking what if.

The Journey Continues....

In April 2023, FCB Magpies made more history, by not only qualifying for the Europa Conference League for a second successive season by finishing in their highest place of 3rd in the league, but also winning their first major domestic competition, The Rock Cup. Avenging their last seasons final defeat, by beating Lincoln Red Imps on Penalties in the final.