AFC Rushden & Diamonds
The club
AFC Rushden & Diamonds are a fan-owned club from Rushden, Northamptonshire, England, nicknamed the Diamonds, formed in July 2011 as a phoenix club. The club is NOT the original Rushden & Diamonds F.C., a former Football League side formed in 1992 that was expelled from the Conference and liquidated; it is also not Rushden & Higham United, with whom it shares a ground. They play at Hayden Road, Rushden, with a capacity of 2,955 of which 257 is seated, and have planned a permanent home including a site at Slater's Lodge. Their playing colours were not established from the sources read here; the badge reflects the original clubs' crests, including blue diamonds and red stripes.
Wikipedia gives Elliot Sandy as manager, appointed in summer 2025 after Michael Harriman left by mutual consent.
Recent seasons
The club were relegated from Step 3 in 2022-23, avoided relegation on the final day in 2023-24 after Loughborough Dynamo's demise, finished 14th in 2024-25, and in 2025-26 finished 12th in the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands, with the best FA Trophy run in their history.
Honours and landmarks
United Counties League Premier Division champions and Knock-Out Cup winners in 2014-15; United Counties League Division One runners-up in 2012-13; Southern League Division One Central runners-up in 2017-18; Hillier Cup winners in 2016, 2019 and 2024; Maunsell Cup winners in 2016 and 2024; James Victory Cup winners in 2013 and 2014; Supporters Direct Shield winners in 2014; FSA Brian Lomax Cup winners in 2025.
Notable scorelines
They first entered the FA Cup in 2013-14, reaching the third qualifying round and losing 3-1 to Dover Athletic. In 2015-16 they reached the fourth qualifying round, losing 1-0 in a replay to Barwell. Their record wins are 9-0 against Buckingham Town and 9-0 against Desborough Town, and their record defeat is 8-2 against Bromsgrove Sporting in the Southern League Premier Division Central on 5 October 2019.
European record
None. AFC Rushden & Diamonds have never played in a European competition, as far as the sources read here show.
Quotes
No directly quoted material was confirmed from the sources read here.
Right now (2026-27 season)
The club play in the Northern Premier League Midlands Division. A fan-site page showed no standings or results for 2026-27, so their league position was not established from the sources read here. Wikipedia says they reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time, beating Morecambe 2-1 at Hayden Road. A news headline dated 2 November 2026 on the fan site refers to the club's historic FA Cup tie and to Billy Sharp returning from retirement for it; the opponent, venue and kick-off were not established from the sources read here, though the round is dated Saturday 7 November 2026.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFC_Rushden_%26_Diamonds https://fanbanter.co.uk/northern-premier-league/afc-rushden-diamonds/
Researched and written for not4quarters. Where a fact could not be established from the sources read, this page says so rather than guessing.