The 61 FC Early Years
The club was formed in 1961 by Richard Everitt. After several years of playing local league football, 61 joined the Hellenic League for the 1972-73 season, finishing fourth place in Division Two before being transferred to Division One of the South Midlands League.
After consistent finishes, the team won the Division One title in 1980-81 and promotion to the Premier Division at their Kingsway Recreation Ground home. A couple of seasons later they ended as league runners-up.
The Spartan South Midlands League Years
Upon league reorganisation, the club was placed in the Senior Division as a founder member of the Spartan South Midlands League (SSML) in 1997-98. The side was relegated but quickly reestablished its former status. However, the club was demoted at the end of the 2003-04 campaign as the facilities at Kingsway were deemed insufficient.
61 were crowned as Division Two champions
in 2008-09. A fourth place came in 2013-14 before performances fell away in the
following years. Chris Mapp had a short spell in charge of the team before Everitt returned to the post.
The team struggled at the wrong end of the table in the years following the pandemic, before improving in the 2025-26 season.
My visitsThursday 26th July 2012
I had the day off work and was on my way to meet my pal Gary for tea before taking in that evening's Bedfordshire Premier Cup clash between Dunstable Town and Luton Town. I had just called in at Kenilworth Road to grab some photos of the ground for their page on this blog.
The sun was beaming down, so I took the opportunity to follow the roads down to see the Kingsway ground. I went past the easiest way to get in and ended up walking up Beverley Road, where I came across an entrance.
The ground looked beautiful in the sun, but it soon became obvious why they struggled to meet the required ground grading, as it wasn't secured. Anybody could walk around it. The pitch was surrounded by a post-and-rail fence.
There were two dugouts and a slope down to the houses on the Connaught Road side. The Kingsway End had a playground behind the goal, where young Asians, including some in burkas, were having an impromptu game of football.
The Dunstable Road side sloped down to the pitch, with a couple of park benches near the entrance from the road. In the corner further down were the changing rooms and a small cover for spectators with a training floodlight on top.
I left, pleased that I had made the effort to have a look, but annoyed that the bus to Luton went straight past a former Spartan South Midlands League ground, the home of Luton Old Boys FC.
Still, you can't do it all in one day!
Sanctions were slowly being lifted as the UK tried to recover from COVID-19.
Some lower-ranking non-league competitions were running shortened seasons or
competitions to keep up interest.
The caveat being that only games staged in open public grounds were allowed to have spectators. This ridiculous ruling meant that grounds where regulated track and trace was possible and in operation were ruled out.
A perusal of possible matches drew my attention to a game at Kingsway, where I’d only previously been to take photos. I contacted my pal Ian, who was also keen on a meet-up. A plan was hatched.
Football had hit the headlines because of the announcement of plans for the proposed European Super League. I was livid. Therapy was desperately needed, so the timing of the outing was perfect, as was the weather.
I took the train from West Hampstead to Luton, from where I walked to
Kenilworth Road for a possible last chance of photography, depending on my hopeful
departure to Thailand and the Hatters' move to a new stadium.
My walk continued, popping into Tesco’s on Dunstable Road in the Maidenhall district of town for some small craft beer cans to go with the snacks I bought. It was a relief to see the teams warming up on my arrival. Ian was waiting for me ahead of the 6.15pm kick-off.
Some local lads were keen to point out that the bar was open in the permanent building, which was good news. Other locals decided that riding a motorcycle around the ground was a worthy activity, while others hogged a bench and enjoyed exotic substances.
We had a wander around and took up a position behind the clubhouse end goal for the first half. It was definitely not the highest standard game I've ever watched, with the hard, bumpy pitch not helping matters.
The visiting keeper made a proper howler with a pass straight to a 61 player in the box, who couldn’t put away a gilt-edged opportunity. At the interval, we patronised the bar. The choice was limited, but it was good to help the club shift some stock.
Fortunately, a bench became available for the second half, offering us a raised view of proceedings as the chill drew in. The youngsters of Ampthill looked the better side throughout, seeing a couple of efforts go narrowly over in the first half.
They went ahead through Connor Saunders before Charan Basra added a second with a fine individual effort. The result was about right. I enjoyed every minute at a traditional club in good company, having a couple of beers, and watching every player give 100%.
Not for the glamour or money. Because of their love and passion for our beautiful
game. I felt I was in my natural habitat, and no curtain twitchers were looking to report anyone for having fun in a safe outdoor environment.
My mate kindly dropped me off at Luton station after the game, meaning I was back home for 10pm to get a proper rest before my early shift the next day.
