Feltham F.C. - History

History

Feltham Football Club was founded in 1946 as Tudor Park FC and competed under that name until the end of season 1962/63 when the name Feltham was adopted upon being granted Senior Status by the Middlesex County Football Association. Tudor Park played at Rectory Meadow in Hanworth, and also at the Remo Depot in Feltham, whilst Feltham FC played on the Glebelands playing fields before moving into its former home of Feltham Sports Arena in 1963. The Arena’s grandstand was opened in 1966 by former club President and Mayor of Hounslow, Edward Pauling JP.

In 1990, Feltham merged with local Southern League side Hounslow and the side competed under the name of Feltham and Hounslow Borough until the end of the 1994/95 season when it was decided to change the name back to Feltham FC.

For their first three seasons, Tudor Park were members of the West Middlesex Sunday Football League but in 1949/50 became affiliated to the Middlesex County Football Association and played Saturday football under the County’s jurisdiction as members of the Staines and District League and in turn were elected to the Parthenon League.

Feltham had their first taste of senior soccer from 1963/64 in the Surrey Senior League in which they had a successful five-season spell. 1968/69 saw the club replace Petters Sports in the Spartan League. At the end of the 1972/73 Season they were promoted to the Second Division of the Athenian League after finishing third.

In 1977, Feltham, along with fifteen other member clubs of the Athenian League resigned to join the newly-formed Second Division of the Isthmian League. It was from here that the club was promoted to the First Division in 1980/81 after securing maximum points in the very last game of the season at Barton Rovers, thereby winning the Second Division title. The 1982/83 season saw Feltham being the first team outside of the Football League to play their league fixtures on an Artificial Pitch.

In 1983/84, Feltham dropped back into Division Two South of the Isthmian League and in turn, they transferred to Division 3 in 1992 after the league was again restructured. The club stayed in this division until 1995, when due to new league rulings about ground grading, they were forced to resign.

Feltham joined the Combined Counties Football League for the commencement of season 1995/96. The following year saw Feltham defeat Godalming & Guildford 5–1 in the League Cup Final.

Season 2002/03 saw Feltham lift the Middlesex Senior Charity Cup after beating Northwood 2–0 in the Final. The Blues completed a cup double that season by defeating Hendon in the Final of the Middlesex Super Cup (The George Ruffell Memorial Trophy).

At the end of Season 2005/06 despite other clubs resigning, Feltham were relegated into Division One of the Combined Counties League. Their first season saw them finish in 9th place. Recent seasons have seen the club finish in mid to low positions and 2009/10 saw the side unsettled by management changes which resulted in the club finishing 20th – just avoiding relegation. Fortunes were of a similar keel in 2010/11, which resulted in the club finishing in sixteenth place.

Season 2011/12 saw manager Wayne Tisson back at the helm. The Division 1 structure now included Guernsey FC which saw Feltham play their first away ‘international’ in a number of years. Despite a very promising start which saw the Blues attain 15 out of a possible 21 points, their form slipped and the club found itself in a mid-table position, finally finishing in 13th place.

Feltham’s Reserve team lift the club’s first piece of silverware in 7 years – the Jeff Nardin Reserve Division Cup in 2009/10.

Feltham were eventually forced to move out of their Feltham Sports Arena ground due to constant vandalism and have ground shared with local clubs Egham Town, Hampton & Richmond Borough and Bedfont.

It was announced in May 2012 that Feltham would be joining forces with landlords Bedfont Football & Social Club to form a new club, Bedfont and Feltham FC. As Feltham's 1st XI have already entered the FA Vase for season 2012/13 the club has to wait until 2013/14 to fully adopt the new name.