Darlington 1883

Darlington 1883 is an English football club that currently plays at Blackwell Meadows, Darlington. The company Darlington 1883 Limited was incorporated on 18 January 2012 and went on to purchase the assets of Darlington Football Club on 3 May 2012 when a creditors voluntary agreement (CVA) could not be agreed with creditors. In line with its policy of not allowing clubs that go bust to continue without paying debts, The Football Association decree that when a CVA is not agreed and a club has to be liquidated, any 'phoenix' club is considered a new club. This policy had previously been applied to other collapsing clubs, such as Chester City FC and Halifax Town AFC. Despite the FA's decision being consistent with previous club's treatment (although the circumstances faced by each club were different), the 'new club' ruling is hotly disputed by the fans, who reject the determination of the Football Association and refuse to recognise the enforced name change or the removal of the historic honours of Darlington Football Club.