Horley Town FC is a non-league football club from the Surrey commuter town of the same name, which is located just north of Gatwick Airport around twenty miles south of London. The club were formed in 1896 as Horley FC, before they merged with Gatwick Rovers in 1908.
For the best part of eighty years the club competed in local competition, adding Town to their title in 1975, before moving from the Surrey Senior League to the London Spartan League in 1978. Three years later 'The Clarets', playing at The Defence which was named in memory of those who lost their lives defending the country, moved to the Athenian League.
After the Athenian League was disbanded, Horley joined the Combined Counties League in 1984. The club left that competition between 1996 and 2003 to play in the Surrey County Senior League before rejoining the former. At the same time Town moved into The New Defence, which was located next to the towns rugby club and sports centre.
Horley were demoted to Division One owing to ground grading issues in 2006, but these were soon corrected with the team winning promotion back to the Premier Division a season later. Town continued to build its youth structure with teams from the under-sevens age group upwards representing the club.
Trevor Smith was succeeded by Anthony Jupp former stalwart of the team, as manager in June 2014 after a spell as interim. The club continued to maintain their place in the Premier Division, weighing in with a seventh place finish at the end of the 2016-17 season.
Glynn Stephens joined in 2017 to work alongside Jupp before leaving in January 2019. The club was shifted to the Premier Division of the Southern Combination League for the two aborted 'Covid' seasons, before returning to familiar territory.
Jupp remained at the club in a management role before he departed in May 2022 at the same time as manager Matt Chapman, after previously filling in again as boss. Martin Rapson was given the job before he was joined by Tyler Chambers at the back end of the 2023-24 season, leading the side to ninth place in 2024-25.
Horley Town FC will play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South in the 2025-26 season.My visits
Thursday 25th October 2012
After finishing work for the weekend I had alighted at Redhill station and visited the towns' club, before taking a walk and a number 100 bus which dropped me off on Court Lodge Road, virtually outside the ground.
I was in a good mood as this was on the way to my hotel, where I'd spend the night before heading to Germany for four days of football, sightseeing, and socialising. I couldn't see the point in wasting opportunities, so visiting the two extra grounds was a no-brainer.
The ground was through the leisure centre car park next to the rugby club. The gates were open with the groundsman working on the pitch and a gent coming out of the clubhouse who gave me permission to click away.
The New Defence was a neat functional venue with some hard standing going all the way around the pitch, along with plenty of turf. The clubhouse was upstairs in a two-storey building with changing rooms and other facilities below. A roof overhang gave shelter to the seating at the front.
There was another small cover for standing spectators behind the goal by the turnstiles in what was a neat but more functional than atmospheric arena. At least that was the impression I took away with me.
I went on my merry way, nearly getting lost in the warren of little streets in the housing estate. Eventually I went back to the original bus stop and following a tour of the perimeter of the airport I alighted at the Ibis Hotel to check in for the evening.
Dorking 4 Epsom Athletic 5 (Friday 1st August
2014) Combined Counties League Division One (att: 150)
To read all about Dorking FC, and my matchday experience while they were tenants at The New Defence, click here.
