Club History

Believed to be one of the oldest clubs in the county of Somerset, Radstock Town Football Club’s official year of foundation, as recognised by the F.A., was 1895, although there is evidence that appears to show that a Radstock team was playing much earlier – maybe as early as the 1860’s.

The club was “hewn out of the coal seams of the Radstock mines” and the hard working, hard playing miners who founded the club would probably find it hard to believe but very gratifying to know, that their dream of providing a football club for the community would still be alive and growing 110 years later.

In the early days the club played home games at Roundhill, where our ‘A’ team and some youth section sides still play before moving to Southill Park for a number of years, where their stay was enforced because of an American tank division being billeted at Southfield during the Second World War.

The original move to Southfield took place in 1927, when as a kind of First World War memorial the miners purchased the field through an issue of £5 shares. Unfortunately, it appears that the issue was not totally successful and as a consequence the control of the ground was gifted to the then Urban District Council and the Miners Welfare, who remain ultimately responsible for the area to this day.

As founder members of the Western League the clubs playing history has been one of many ups and quite a few downs! As well as the Western League the club has competed in both the Somerset and Wiltshire County leagues with varying degrees of success. With thirteen victories to its name the club has won the Somerset Senior Cup on more occasions than any other side in the county. The first time being in the competitions inaugural year of 1895 when they defeated Wells City 4-0 in a replayed final at Midsomer Norton, at that time there were only 59 teams registered with the F.A. in the County.

As we stand the club is in the second year of its current period in the Western League following relegation to the County League in 1994. It was to be 10 years before the club managed to find its way back into the Western league. With many of the players being products of the clubs junior section it was expected to take a little while for them to find their feet but they quickly settled in and were promoted for a second successive season to the Premier division, at the first attempt. A very creditable mid-table finish was achieved and the future for the club looks safe in the hands of the youngsters.

The club remains an integral part of the community and has been awarded the FA’s Charter Standard Community Club status, which ensures it provides quality coaching and football opportunities for all age groups from under 9 to 18’s as well as 3 adult Saturday sides, which means some weekends well over 100 players will pull on a club shirt .