Felixstowe & Walton United F.C.

Felixstowe & Walton United
Full name Felixstowe & Walton United Football Club
Nickname(s) The Seasiders
Founded 2000
Ground Dellwood Avenue, Felixstowe
Capacity 2,000 (200 seated)[1]
Chairman Andy Wilding
Manager Kevin O'Donnell
League Eastern Counties League
Premier Division
2013–14 Eastern Counties League
Premier Division, 3rd

Felixstowe and Walton United F.C. is an English football club based in Felixstowe, Suffolk. Formed in 2000 by a merger of Felixstowe Port & Town and Walton United, the club are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at Dellwood Avenue.

History

Felixstowe Port & Town

Felixstowe F.C. were officially formed in 1890, although there are records of the club dating back to 1888.[2] They were founder members of the Ipswich & District League in 1896. In 1900 they were relegated to Division Two of the league, and left at the end of the following season. They rejoined Division One in 1902 under the name Felixstowe Town and were league champions in 1910–11. They left the league again at the end of the following season, but returned in 1923. They won their second title in 1936–37.

After World War II the club merged with neighbours Walton United to form Felixstowe United, before reverting to the name Felixstowe Town in 1952.[2] They won the league for a third time in 1957–58 and a fourth in 1964–65. In 1966 they switched to the Essex & Suffolk Border League. In 1966–67 they won the Suffolk Senior Cup with a 3–2 over Oulton Broad. They won it for a second time in 1974–75. After finishing as runners-up in 1974–75 and 1975–76 the club joined the Eastern Counties League in 1976. In 1996 the club was renamed Felixstowe Port & Town.[3]

Walton United

Walton United were established in 1895 and joined Division Two of the Ipswich & District League in 1901, but left after a single season.[2] They joined the amateur version of the league in 1912. They won the IDL in 1920–21 and in 1922 they were renamed Walton & Felixstowe, before reverting to their original name a year later. They won a second title in 1925–26. In 1947 they merged with Felixstowe Town, but were reformed in 1950 and rejoined the Ipswich & District League (later the Suffolk & Ipswich League). By 1979 they had dropped into Division Four, but after several promotions they returned to the top division in 1994. They won the Suffolk Senior Cup in 1998–99.

Merged club

The two clubs reunited in 2000 to establish the modern club,[4] taking Port & Town's place in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division. However, at the end of the 2001–02 season they finished twenty-first out of twenty-two clubs, and were relegated to Division One.[5] They returned to the Premier Division after finishing runners-up in Division One in 2005–06.

Honours

Felixstowe Port & Town

Walton United

Records

References

  1. Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) Non-League Club Directory 2013, p646 ISBN 978-1-869833-77-0
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Blakeman, M (2010) The Official History of the Eastern Counties Football League 1935–2010, Volume II ISBN 978-1-908037-02-2
  3. Felixstowe Town at the Football Club History Database
  4. Felixstowe Port & Town at the Football Club History Database
  5. Felixstowe & Walton United at the Football Club History Database

External links

Coordinates: 51°58′14.57″N 1°21′20.83″E / 51.9707139°N 1.3557861°E