Dover Athletic
Also written as Dover.
The club
Dover Athletic Football Club are a semi-professional club from Dover, Kent, England, nicknamed the Whites. The club is not Dover F.C., the earlier town club that folded over debts in 1983; Dover Athletic were formed that year and took the older club's place in the Southern League. They have played at the Crabble Athletic Ground since formation. Wikipedia's infobox gives a capacity of 6,500 while its stadium section gives 5,745, so the sources differ. Traditional colours are white and black.
Jake Leberl is listed as manager, since 2023, with Jim Parmenter as chairman. Whether Leberl is still in charge in November 2026 was not established from the sources read here.
Recent seasons
In 2014-15 Dover reached the FA Cup third round and lost 4-0 to Crystal Palace. In 2015-16 they finished fifth in the National League, the club's highest ever finish. In 2020-21 they played only 15 fixtures, the results were expunged and the club was fined 40,000 pounds. In 2021-22 they began with a 12-point deduction and were relegated to the National League South after a 2-0 home defeat to Yeovil Town. They then dropped to the Isthmian League, finishing bottom with four wins (the season was given only approximately as 2022-23). In 2024-25 they won the Isthmian play-off final against Dartford to return to the National League South, and in 2025-26 they finished 20th of 24 there.
Honours and landmarks
Southern League Premier Division champions 1989-90 and 1992-93; Southern League Southern Division champions 1987-88; Isthmian League Premier Division champions 2008-09 (104 points, the club record); Isthmian League Division One South champions 2007-08; Conference South play-off winners 2014; Isthmian play-off winners 2024-25; Kent Senior Cup winners 1990-91 and 2016-17. Best FA Trophy run: the semi-finals in 1997-98. Highest home attendance 5,645, against Crystal Palace in 2014-15. All-time top scorer Lennie Lee (160 goals); most appearances Jason Bartlett (539).
Notable scorelines
In 2010-11 Dover beat Gillingham and Aldershot Town (2-0) and reached the third round for the first time, losing to Huddersfield Town. In 2013-14 they lost 1-0 to Milton Keynes Dons in the second round. In 2014-15 they beat Morecambe 1-0 and Cheltenham Town 1-0 before the 4-0 loss to Palace. Biggest win 8-0 against East Preston in September 2009; heaviest defeats 7-1 at Poole Town in April 1984 and 6-0 to Grimsby Town in October 2021.
European record
None. The sources read here mention no European competition.
Quotes
No directly quoted material was confirmed from the sources read here.
Right now (2026-27 season)
Dover Athletic play in the National League South, the sixth tier. Wikipedia lists a squad as of 18 August 2026 with Mitch Walker as captain. League position and results for 2026-27 were not established from the sources read here. In the FA Cup first round proper they are drawn against Wealdstone, a National League club (a tier above), on Saturday 7 November 2026. Wikipedia's 2026-27 FA Cup page lists the tie at the Crabble Athletic Ground at 15:00; a fan-site draw list shows Dover as the home side with kick-off unconfirmed, and one preview site gives 15:00 UK time, which it does not confirm. Their qualifying-round results were not established from the sources read here.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Athletic_F.C. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026%E2%80%9327_FA_Cup https://fanbanter.co.uk/fa-cup-first-round-proper-fixtures-full-draw-and-verified-round-information/ https://www.sport-flash.com/sports/football/uk/events/fa-cup-2026-2027/dover-athletic-wealdstone
Researched and written for not4quarters. Where a fact could not be established from the sources read, this page says so rather than guessing.