In 1969 a group of enthusiasts from the Prospect Youth Club, attached to St Matthias’s Church, Worcester Park, decided to form a football team. How little did they know what they had started. From this small group of youngsters, Old Wimbledonians Football Club grew to be one of the largest and best-organised Sunday League Clubs in the region.
After a year of playing friendlies, 1970 saw the team officially registered with the FA for the first time and soon joining the newly formed Leatherhead and District Football League calling themselves Prospect Youth F.C. with their home pitches at Cheam Recreation Ground. Club members included several Old Wimbledonians, some of whom were playing rugby at Chessington on Saturdays as well as football on Sundays. This link was used as a lever to gain permission to use the Old Wimbledonians ground at Chessington for football.
In 1976 Prospect Youth F.C came to Chessington and the name of the club was altered to Prospect (O.W.) F.C. This was later changed to Old Wimbledonians (Prospect) F.C and finally, when Rugby and Football moved to the Atkinson & Morley Ground in West Wimbledon, to Old Wimbledonians F.C.
Over the years the club prospered with more success on the social front than on the field. In the early years the annual dinner attracted upwards of 150 people at prestigious hostelries in the Wimbledon area.
The club so prospered that in the late 1970’s it was found possible to run two sides in the Leatherhead and District League and in 1980 the club continued to expand with the formation of a 3rd Team. The club continued to develop and mature by asking its members to approve a constitution and introducing a club kit. At this time the club also decided to finally break with the Leatherhead & District League and move to the more demanding and highly regarded Morden & District League.
The Old Wimbledonians Association in partnership with Donhead School bought the current home ground in Coombe Lane in 1997. After forceful and persuasive negotiating by the Football Club at the time, this led to the use of two pitches rather than the previous one pitch and once again expansion was on the cards and a fourth side was created. Unlike the other three sides this new side, the Strollers, was not a league side but initially a Vets/Friendly side but still playing around 20 games a season including games in the Millennium Friendly League. The 2003/2004 season saw the Strollers finally join the other 3 teams when they joined Morden & District’s newly created Vets Division.
2015 saw the club win two cups with the Strollers winning the Barbara Short Vets cup on penalties and the Millennium side finally winning the Millennium Cup after being losing finalists on five occasions.
The 2015/16 season saw the three non-vets sides leave the ailing Morden & District League and return to the Leatherhead & District League whilst the vets side enjoyed slightly further trips afield in the Farnham & District League.
The Football Club consists of:
Annual subscriptions are £30 (£20 for students/non working), Match Fees are £10 and there is a Registration fee of £20.
There is also the Wimbledonian subscription option where you play £35 per month and don’t pay any match fees.
