 | ||||
| Full name | Orpington Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Os | |||
| Founded | 1939 [1] | |||
| Ground | Goddington Park Orpington | |||
| Capacity | 1000 | |||
| Chairman | Tom Shrubshall | |||
| Manager | Steve Tindle | |||
| League | Kent County League Division One West | |||
| 2023–24 | Kent County League Division Two West, 5th of 13 (promoted) | |||
Orpington Football Club is a county level football club based in Orpington, Greater London, although the club is based in Goddington Park in Orpington. The club is a FA Charter Standard Community Club. [2]
Orpington F.C. was founded in 1880 and had played in local leagues up until the 1920s before folding for unknown reasons. The current incarnation of the club was founded in 1939. [1] From 1970 to 1998 (with a brief spell in the London Spartan League Intermediate Division from 1987 to 1991) the club played in the South London Alliance, winning the league a number of times. Since then the O's have been playing in the Kent County League, reaching the Premier Division in 2007–08 before relegation in 2009–10 left them in Division One West. Despite finishing 4th in 2010–11, the club were announced as founder members of the Step 6 Kent Invicta Football League on 2 June 2011. [3]
In their first game in the Kent Invicta Football League, Orpington lost 2–1 to Bearsted. The club endured a miserable start to the season and eventually finished bottom of the league, with 24 points. Their second season, under the leadership of former goalkeeper Sean Glover, saw a massive improvement as the club finished comfortably in mid-table with a 9th-place finish. The 2013–14 season saw another step forward under Sean Glover as the club finished a respectable 5th.
Byron Beard was appointed as manager of the first team for the 2014–15 with Sean Glover having resigned, Byron later stepped down during the 2015–16 season as Marc Bentz took over until the end of the 2016–17 season, each coach ensuring mid-table finishes. However, at the end of the season, financial problems led to the board resigning from the Southern Counties East Football League and dissolve their first team, with the reserves taking their place in the Kent County League. Appointing Steve Hall as manager, they were admitted to Division One West for the coming season, along with announcing a move from Green Court Sports Club to Goddington Dene, sharing with Westcombe Park RFC. An abysmal season followed, losing all of their first 10 games and conceding 75 goals in the process. Relegation followed, however the club stabilised the next season, finishing in 5th place.
On 10 July 2019, the club's offices in Goddington Park were broken into and ransacked, taking equipment and trophies. [4]
Orpington FC's First Team play their home games at Goddington Park in Orpington. The club's youth and other senior teams play on Saturdays and Sundays also at Goddington Park in Orpington.
Correct as of 29 September 2021Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
The club operates a soccer school and has 21 youth teams (including 3 girls' teams) from under 7–21 age groups, making it one of the largest youth football clubs in Bromley. [2] All youth games are played at Goddington Park. All matches are played within the SELKENT league on Sundays.
The youth teams are overlooked by members of the executive committee, each with roles designed to ensure the progression and development of all the coaches, players and the club as a whole.
Club Chairman: Richard Kettle
Welfare Officer: Head of Football (U7 – U12): Steven Tindle
Head of Football (U13+): Simon Morris
Orpington have won two leagues and four cup competitions in their history. [5]
Maidstone United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England. The team competes in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. The club's nickname is "The Stones" and they play in black and amber.
Croydon Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Croydon, London. Until 2006, they played in the Isthmian League, but lost their place in that league as part of the 2006 re-structuring of non-league football, and now play in the Southern Counties East League Division One. They play at Croydon Sports Arena in South Norwood. The club was founded in 1953 as Croydon Amateurs.
Folkestone Invicta Football Club is a football club based in Folkestone, Kent, England. They are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at Cheriton Road.
Cray Wanderers Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Chislehurst, London. Based on later reports, the club has a claim to have been established some time in 1860 in the twin villages of St Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, near Orpington. Such a date would make it one of the oldest football clubs in the world.
Crockenhill Football Club is a football club based in the village of Crockenhill near Swanley in Kent, England. Affiliated to the Kent County Football Association, the club are currently members of the Kent County League Division Two West and play at Wested Meadow.
Faversham Town Football Club is a football club based in Faversham, Kent, England. Nicknamed the 'Lilywhites' due to their white strip, they are currently members of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division and play at Salters Lane.
Sheppey United F.C. is a football club based on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The club are members of the Isthmian League South East Division and play at Holm Park. The club is affiliated to the Football Association and is an FA Charter Standard club.
Bridon Ropes Football Club is a football club based in Charlton, Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. They are currently members of the Southern Counties East League Division One and play at Meridian Sports & Social Club.
Sutton Athletic F.C. is an English football club in Sutton-at-Hone, near Dartford in Kent. The club plays in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division. Sutton Athletic has been playing football at a county level in Kent since the 1960s, winning leagues and cups in the Kent County Football League system, particularly during the late 1960s and early 1970s, when they won three successive league-and-cup doubles. Sutton were accepted into the newly formed Kent Invicta Football league for the inaugural 2011–12 season. The club is affiliated to the Kent County Football Association
Hollands & Blair Football Club is a football club based in Gillingham, Kent, England. They are currently members of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division and play at the Star Meadow.
Meridian Valley Park Football Club is a football club located in Charlton, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England. Affiliated to the Kent FA, they are currently members of the Southern Counties East League Division One and play at the Meridian Sports & Social Club.
Bearsted Football Club is a football club located in Bearsted, near Maidstone, in Kent, England. The club are currently members of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division and play at Honey Lane in Otham.
Kent Football United Football Club was a semi-professional football club based in Dartford, Kent, England. They play at the Glentworth Sports Club.
Phoenix Sports Football Club is an English football club located in Barnehurst, Kent. The club plays in the Isthmian League South East Division. Phoenix Sports spent most of its history in the Kent County Football League, with a six-year stint in the Spartan League in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The club was accepted into the newly formed Kent Invicta Football League for the inaugural 2011–12 season.
Sporting Club Thamesmead F.C. is an English football club located in Thamesmead in the London Borough of Bexley currently managed by the boss himself, Alexander White. The club is affiliated to the Kent Football Association. The first team plays in the Southern Counties East League Division One, the reserves in the Kent County League and the veterans team in the Southern Vets League.
Rusthall FC is an English football club located in Rusthall, near Royal Tunbridge Wells, in Kent. The club plays in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division. Rusthall spent most of its history in the Tunbridge Wells League before entering the Kent County Football League in 1983–84. After winning three championships at this level, the club was accepted into the newly formed Kent Invicta Football League for the inaugural 2011–12 season.
Eltham Palace Football Club was a football club based in Chislehurst, Greater London, England.
F.C. Elmstead is a semi-professional football club based in Elmstead, London, England. They are currently members of the Southern Counties East League Division One and groundshare at Sutton Athletic's Lower Road ground in Hextable.
Forest Hill Park Football Club is a football club based in Catford, London, England. They are members of the Southern Counties East League Division One and play at the Ladywell Arena.
The 2011–12 Kent Invicta Football League season was the first in the history of the Kent Invicta Football League, a football competition in England.
