Sandhurst Town Club History

Sandhurst Town • Club History

Sandhurst Football Club was formed in 1910 and played in the Reading & District League until 1979 apart from a short spell in the East Berkshire Football League. In 1979, the Club was elected into the Aldershot & District Football League.1984 saw the Club finish as runners-up from whence they became founder members of the Chiltonian Football League and a stepping-stone toward becoming a senior club.

The best season in the Chiltonian Football League was in 1986-1987 when they finished in second place.In1990theClubappliedformembershipoftheCombinedCountiesFootballLeagueandwere granted senior status by the Berks & Bucks County Football Association. The first two seasons were disastrousfinishinginbottomplaceoneachoccasionandonlyescapedrelegationbacktotheChilto- nianFootballLeagueattheendofthesecondseasonduetotheresignationofanothermemberclub. However,theformoftheClubimproveddramaticallythereafterwithmanagerPeterBrowningbringing the Club the Aldershot Football Association Senior Invitation Challenge Cup in his first season followed by the Southern Combination Cup. Since then, the first team have managed to finish 5th in the premier division of the Combined Counties Football League, and in season 2006/2007 were winners of the Berks & Bucks FA SeniorTrophy.

ThefirstgroundusedbytheClubwasafieldadjacenttotheBullButcherpublichousethatmaywell havebeenusedastheclubheadquarters.Afterafewyears,amovewasmadetotheMemorialPark where the Club remained until the 1996 close season, apart from a couple of seasons during the 1950’s spent on a nearby pitch in St. John’sRoad.

The introduction of the National Lottery prompted an immediate bid for funding for a new ground in BottomMeadowadjacenttotheMemorialPark.Withsupportandbackingthroughadditionalmatched fundingfromBracknellForestBoroughCouncilandSandhurstTown Council,theClubweresuccess- fulinthefirstroundofallocationsbytheNationalLotteriesCharitiesBoard.

The new facilities opened in August 1997 at a cost of £265,000.The club celebrated it’s Centenary season in 2010/11 winning the League Cup final and getting through to two other semi-finals as well asfinishing7thintheCombinedCountiesLeaguePremierDivisionourbestleaguepositionformany years.

In season 2013/14 we added three new exciting squads of youngsters for the first time in our long history. An U18's, U16's playing in the prestigious FA Junior Premier League winning the league and runners up in league cup and U13's squads. They ran alongside our existing 1st team, U18's and ladiesteam.Theyoungstersbenefittedfromtheexpertiseandexperiencestheclubandit'steamhad toofferandwerevitalstepforusbuildingastrongerfuturewewereabletotakedirectcontrolofplayer development and progression to the senior squads. This paid dividends again last year when our youth team were champions of the Allied Counties PremierDivision.

This year we kick the season off with 4 teams, a First team playing in the Hellenic League Division One, a Development team playing in the Allied Counties League, a team playing in the Aldershot Sunday League and a Ladies team playing in the Thames Valley Women's League.