Feltham

Feltham FC is a non-league club based in the London Borough of Hounslow in Southwest London, which was originally formed as Tudor Park FC in 1946. The club played local football before becoming members of the Surrey Senior League in 1964, from where they progressed to the Spartan League for the 1968-69 campaign.

The club played at Rectory Meadow in Hanworth, Remo Depot in Feltham, and Glebelands Playing Fields before moving into Feltham Sports Arena in 1963. 

In 1973-74, the club moved to the newly expanded Athenian League before joining Division Two of the Isthmian League in 1977-78, winning the title and promotion to the top-flight in 1980-81. 

Feltham Arena

The Arena had an artificial pitch for a few seasons from 1982-83, seeing the club being the first outside the Football League to play on such a surface. A bottom-placed finish in 1983-84 saw Feltham relegated to Division Two South, where they remained until the end of the 1990-91 campaign when the club merged with Hounslow FC.

The newly named Feltham & Hounslow was placed in Division Three of the Isthmian League, where they struggled before resigning their position in the league at the end of the 1994-95 season to join the Combined Counties League, returning to become Feltham FC.

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Their Feltham Arena home continued to be blighted by vandalism. The roof was removed from the stand in 2000 over fears of asbestos, while the team returned mixed results on the pitch. In 2004, the club departed to share at Egham Town FC, Hampton and Richmond Borough and then at Bedfont Town FC.

The club's name, remembered during its second merger

The club applied to build a two-storey pavilion to complement the new pitches being laid at Feltham Arena. The application was to be considered by Hounslow Council, which, if successful, would have the club playing back there from the 2012-13 season.

However, nothing positive was forthcoming, and after several seasons of lower mid-table finishes, the club merged with Bedfont Football & Social Club to form Bedfont & Feltham FC, playing at The Orchard in May 2012. As Feltham had already entered the FA Vase, the new name would not come into being until the start of the 2013-14 season.

At the time of the merger with Bedfont, the Feltham chairman was Andy Lonsdale. He became the president of the new club. Any hope of the Feltham Arena being revived was diminished when Lonsdale used the site for his own company to deposit 73,000 m3 of soil and building rubble at the site.

Lonsdale became involved in the takeover at Hereford United, which saw that club go bankrupt in the hands of his colleague Tommy Agombar. 

In early 2021, former Feltham players and staff were keen to resurrect the name of their old club. Youth sides were formed to start the 2021-22 campaign, with Bedfont & Feltham changing their name to Bedfont FC following Feltham’s rise.

Spelthorne Sports Club. Feltham's home from the start of the 2023-24 season

An adult team gained admission to the Premier Division of the Middlesex County League for the commencement of the 2023-24 campaign, from which they were relegated while playing on the second pitch of Spelthorne Sports Club, the home of Spelthorne Sports FC. 

A move to become tenants of Feltham Rugby Club in Hanworth followed from the start of the 2024-25 season. The first team and reserves withdrew from the Middlesex County League during the 2025-26 campaign, with the club continuing to run its various age-group youth and kids' teams.

Feltham FC will play in the Middlesex County League South West Division in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

West Middlesex Sunday League Match of the Day (Sunday 15th January 1984)

I was finding new locations and taking photos on my old camera on a day's groundhopping when I ventured to the Feltham Arena. There was a game going on which I later discovered was in the West Middlesex Sunday League, which staged its weekly Match of the Day at the arena. 

The stadium was basic, save for an impressive Main Stand, which was a substantial size and contained bench seating as well as all the facilities. The pitch was surrounded by a track where Mo Farah began his athletics career, and slightly banked grass beyond that, all surrounded by a high wire fence, which obviously didn't secure the site as intended.