Sunderland RCA FC started life as Ryhope Youth Club. Its first season was in the Seaham and District League in 1963. The first game was against Seaham UDC at the Seaham CW ground, now home to Seaham Red Star, and it was a 3 – 3 draw. The first seeds had been sown three years earlier, in 1960, when the Ryhope Youth Club Centre opened in the Welfare Hall.
In 1965 the club moved to the Colliery Welfare ground and in 1971 changed its name to Ryhope Community Association. Competing in the Seaham, then Houghton and District Leagues, the club enjoyed success with eight cup wins and four league titles.
Rejected by the Wearside League because a Ryhope team already played in it, the club folded after the 1975-76 season. Re-formed three years later, the club joined the Northern Alliance in 1978 and won the League Challenge Cup at St James Park in Newcastle, in only their third season. Ryhope CA were also league runners up that year, even though they were reduced to playing on a school field.
After some persuasion, the ambitious club convinced the council to lease them some derelict land – Meadow Park was underway. Financial help was obtained from Sunderland and Tyne and Wear Councils and the Sports Council to build a football ground. The club members and community joined together to carry out the building work, resulting in the enclosed ground where football games are played and enjoyed today.
In 1982 the club became a founder member of the Northern League Second Division, achieving promotion as runner up in the 1983-84 season. Despite a league placing of tenth the next season, survival proved difficult and the club was relegated in 1988.
In 1999 a new era commenced with the amalgamation with Kennek Roker of the Wearside League to form Kennek Ryhope Community Association. The seasons from 2003 onwards were tough, but in 2006-07 the club joined forces with Springboard Sunderland and a new era as Sunderland RCA FC began.
Progress continued to be made both on and off the pitch and after finishing fourth in the previous two seasons Sunderland RCA FC were promoted as Division 2 runners-up to Stokesley FC in season 2009-10 – a great achievement. Our first season back in Division 1 started badly, but we picked ourselves up, had a purple patch and finished the season in 13th place.
Progress continued in the following season when we achieved our highest finish in the league so far (4th) under the management of Neil Hixon.
The following season saw us almost relegated and we only retained first division status after a vote at the AGM went in our favour. The introduction of Martin Swales as manager brought a renewed belief to the club and the 2015 – 16 season saw a great FA Vase run where we reached the 5th round proper before being beaten by Bristol Manor Farm, then of the Toolstation Western League. This was followed by a similar run in the 2016-17 season, exiting in the 5th round against Newport Pagnell. In the 2017-18 season the club equalled its highest Northern League placing, finishing fourth after a sensational late season surge, when the side played highly entertaining and incisive attacking football.
After a 5th place finish in 2018-19, RCA went through a spell of being a mid-table side before starting the 2022-23 season brightly. However off the pitch financial issues and a lack of new volunteers saw the club brought to the brink of extinction, tendering their resignation to the Northern League early in 2023. Fortunately the off field issues were quickly resolved, new personnel and sponsors stepped forward, and the resignation was withdrawn. But back on the pitch things were not going so well. The entire first team had departed due to the financial problems and it was only the foresight of having revived the clubs reserve team in the Wearside League that season, that enabled the club to put out a side. The brave young squad took a step up of four divisions to keep the RCA flag flying and to give the club time to send for the cavalry. It arrived in the form of previous gaffer Martin Swales, who persuaded some of his old players from the ‘good times’ to come out of retirement in the clubs hour of need. The rescue act on the pitch was achieved, with Swales revitalised squad achieving enough points to avoid the drop. However in another cruel twist of fate an admin error made during the period when a whole new team was having to be registered with the league in the space of a few days, saw a three point deduction put the club into a relegation spot. Fortunately, though, Swales and the players efforts were not in vain. They had achieved the best points-per-game ratio of any Step 5 club in a relegation position anywhere in the country, and so when Harlow Town were demoted elsewhere in the pyramid, the deserved reprieve was gained.
Now under the new management of former Billingham Synthonia boss Dave Dickson and his assistant Callum Brown, and with their off the field problems resolved, the club are confidently looking forward to challenging again at the right end of the table in the coming seasons.
Acknowledgement
The club is very grateful to Joe Dixon for providing information about the early years of Sunderland RCA. Joe played for what was then Ryhope Youth Club and subsequently Ryhope Community Association from its first match in 1963 through to the 1978-79 season. Joe has turned from goal scorer to historian and a wealth of detail can be found on his web site – http://www.joedixon9.co.uk – about Joe’s playing days with RCA and other Sunderland and east Durham clubs.
Archives
Check out our archives at the original Sunderland RCA site: https://sunderlandrca.co.uk/archive
Sunderland RCA Football Club 