History

Nicknamed The Oystermen after the town’s famous association with oyster fishery. Although the club was founded in 2022, Emsworth have had many football teams over time, with teams being traced back as far as the 19th century. But before the current club, the town went 3 years without a senior football club. Now we have football running on Saturday and Sunday. In 2022 Jimmy Ruston founded Emsworth Town Football Club after Andy Cooper founded Emsworth Town Youth Football Club in 2017. In the club’s first season we entered 2 teams into the City of Portsmouth Sunday Football League. We entered a First Team and Reserve Team. In 2022/23 the First Team would become Champions of Hampshire by winning the Hampshire FA County Cup Sunday Vase, beating Rushmoor Community in the final, becoming the first Emsworth based team to ever win a County FA Cup competition. While playing every round away from home and winning 4 rounds via penalty shoot-out. Also that season Emsworth won the City of Portsmouth London Cup at Westleigh Park against division rivals Coach and Horses Albion infront of a big 700 spectator crowd. The following season in 2023/24 Emsworth Town First Team competed in Division 1 after being promoted, while the Reserve Team lead by Luke and Steve Woolcombe won the Portsmouth Divisional FA Cup Sunday Plate by beating Creech Wood in the final 3-0 at AFC Portchester and also won the City of Portsmouth Division 7 league title that season, as a result got promoted up 3 divisions back to Division 4. After that season, the club decided to take Emsworth Town into Saturday football in an attempt to climb up the Football Pyramid. In 2024/25 Emsworth Town would enter the Mid Solent Football Football League, winning Division 1 title undefeated, winning every match played bar one draw. Winning the Mid Solent Football League Father Purcell Cup, beating Portchester Rovers in the final 3-1 at Havant & Waterlooville FC infront of a great crowd including Emsworth Town Youth FC players accompanying the players onto the pitch as mascots. And becoming Champions of Hampshire once again winning the Hampshire FA County Cup Saturday Vase, completing the treble and winning every trophy possible. This also resulting in Emsworth Town becoming the only Hampshire club in history to win the County Cup Vase on both a Saturday and a Sunday. While the old Reserve Team, now the single Sunday Team in the club would stay in the City of Portsmouth Sunday League competing in Division 4, finishing 3rd earning a promotion to Division 3. Meaning the club now have a team playing on a Saturday and a Sunday. For the 2025/26 season Emsworth Town secured a new home ground at Sidlesham Memorial Recreation Ground. A county standard facility with a main stand, floodlights, dug-outs, bar, fantastic pitch and changing rooms. With this move over the boarder, Emsworth Town joined the West Sussex Football League. The West Sussex Football League is the home of a lot of the previous Emsworth clubs since the 1960’s so it was fitting to bring this club to that league. We got placed into the Division 1 South based on our previous season accomplishments. The Oystermen won the league by 7 points, winning it under the lights at home infront of a packed crowd against Selsey Reserves. We also made it to the West Sussex Football League Centenary Cup Final, falling short losing 2-1 against Premier Division Champions Del United at Arundel Football Club. HONOURS: HAMPSHIRE FA COUNTY CUP: SUNDAY VASE CHAMPIONS: 2023🏆 SATURDAY VASE CHAMPIONS: 2025🏆 PORTSMOUTH DIVISIONAL FA CUP: SUNDAY PLATE CHAMPIONS: 2024🏆 CITY OF PORTSMOUTH SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE: LONDON CUP CHAMPIONS: 2023🏆 DIVISION 3 RUNNERS UP: 2023🥈 DIVISION 7 CHAMPIONS: 2024🏆 MID SOLENT FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DIVISION 1 CHAMPIONS: 2025🏆 FARTHER PURCELL CUP CHAMPIONS: 2025🏆 WEST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DIVISION 1 SOUTH CHAMPIONS: 2026🏆 CENTENARY CUP RUNNERS-UP: 2026🥈 ————————————————————————— PRE RE-FORMED EMSWORTH TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB (EST. 2022) RECORDS ‘EMSWORTH FC’ HONOURS: WEST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE: MALCOLM SIMMONDS CUP CHAMPIONS: 1973🏆 CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION CHAMPIONS: 1962🏆, 1970🏆, 1973🏆, 1988🏆 DIVISION 2 (SOUTH) CHAMPIONS: 1996🏆 DIVISION 3 CHAMPIONS: 1990🏆(RESERVES) DIVISION 3 CHARITY CUP CHAMPIONS: 1990🏆 DIVISION 4 (SOUTH) CHAMPIONS: 1996🏆(RESERVES), 1998🏆(RESERVES) BAREHAM TROPHY CHAMPIONS: 2000🏆 CHICHESTER CHARITY CUP CHAMPIONS: 1964🏆(RESERVES) HAMPSHIRE FA COUNTY CUP: SATURDAY VASE RUNNERS-UP 1995🥈 ‘EMSWORTH UNITED FC’ HONOURS: WEST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DIVISION 3 (SOUTH) CHAMPIONS: 1969 (RESERVES)🏆 ‘COAL EXCHANGE EMSWORTH FC’ HONOURS: WEST SUSSEX FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DIVISION 4 (SOUTH) CHAMPIONS: 2014🏆 DIVISION 4 CHARITY CUP CHAMPIONS: 2014 DIVISION 5 (SOUTH) CHAMPIONS: 2003🏆 DIVISION 5 CHARITY CUP CHAMPIONS: 2003🏆 BAREHAM TROPHY CHAMPIONS: 2014🏆 HAMPSHIRE FA COUNTY CUP: SATURDAY VASE RUNNERS-UP: 2019🥈 ‘BLUE BELL PIRATES EMSWORTH FC’ HONOURS HAVANT SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE: CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPIONS: 2010🏆 ‘EMSWORTH WEDNESDAY FC’ HONOURS: PORTSMOUTH DIVISIONAL FA CUP: SUNDAY PLATE CHAMPIONS: 1960 🏆 (If you have any Emsworth based football history that we don’t have please get in touch) Records since established in 2022: 2022/23 team statistics: Sunday First Team: 23 wins 3 draws 3 loses Hampshire Cup (Sunday Vase): Winners Portsmouth League (Division 3): Runners-Up League Cup: 2nd Round Division Cup (London Cup): Winners Sunday Reserve Team: 2 wins 2 draws 16 loses Hampshire Cup (Sunday Vase): Round 2 Portsmouth League (Division 4): 9th League Cup: 3rd Round Division Cup (London Cup): 2nd Round 2023/24 team statistics: Sunday First Team: 7 wins 0 draws 12 loses Hampshire Cup (Sunday Trophy): Round of 16 Portsmouth Cup (Sunday Victory Cup): Quarter Final Portsmouth League (Division 1): 7th League Cup: 2nd Round Division Cup (Buster Gordon Cup): 1st Round Sunday Reserve Team: 25 wins 0 draws 4 loses Hampshire Cup (Sunday Vase): 1st Round Portsmouth Cup (Sunday Plate): Winners Portsmouth League (Division 7): Winners League Cup: Quarter Final Division Cup (Adelaide Cup): Quarter Final 2024/25 team statistics: Saturday Team: 31 wins 1 draws 1 loses Hampshire Cup (Saturday Vase): Winners Mid Solent League (Division 1): Winners League Cup (Father Purcell Cup): Winners Sunday Team: 12 wins 2 draws 8 loses Hampshire Cup (Sunday Vase): Round of 32 Portsmouth Cup (Sunday Trophy): 1st Round Portsmouth League (Division 4): 3rd League Cup: 3rd Round (Promoted) Division Cup (London Cup): 1st Round 2025/26 team statistics: Saturday Team: 14 wins 1 draws 4 loses 1 void Hampshire Cup (Saturday Vase): Round 2 West Sussex League (Division 1 South): Winners (Promoted) League Cup (Centenary Cup) Runners-Up Divisional Cup (Malcolm Simmonds Memorial Cup): Round 2 Sunday Team: 13 wins 2 draws 11 loses Hampshire Cup (Sunday Vase): Round of 16 Portsmouth Cup (Intermediate Cup): Round of 16 Portsmouth League (Division 3: 6th League Cup: Quarter Final Division Cup (London Cup): Round 1