South Park Football Club was formed in 1897 and immediately became founder members of the Redhill & District Football League along with other local clubs Godstone, Meadvale and Reigate Priory Reserves. The club remain members of the league today.

Although the facilities were basic the early matches were played in the original sports field which was in upper South Park between Crescent Road and Church Road. In 1925 under the direction of Canon Gregory from the local church, the football club together with the village cricket club formed the South Park Sports Association with the aim of the Association to provide sport and sporting facilities for the people of South Park. Within a few years it was realised that this new concept would be better served by an improvement in facilities and playing conditions. Fortunately for both club’s suitable land existed in Whitehall Lane, the clubs current home and with the co-operation of the public spirited landowner, Harold Swannack, four acres of ground were purchased there. Always strapped for cash in these early years, the money was raised for the field largely by public subscription, which included door to door collections.

In order to preserve the land as a permanent sports ground, great foresight was exercised in vesting the land and subsequent purchases of further lots of two acres and four acres making ten acres in all in the National Playing Fields Association. The land became known as the ‘King Georges Field’ from 1935. The changing rooms were located on the far side of the field from Whitehall Lane at the bottom of the number two football pitch. Although the facilities were an improvement on their previous home they remained basic.

The football club flourished in the years leading to the Second Great War but obviously declined during and immediately after it. A handful of stewards rallied to the cause however and quickly resurrected its fortunes. One legacy of the hostilities, the air raid shelter, became the focus of attention when it became clear that further improvements were needed to the facilities if sporting aspirations were to be advanced. Thus it was that a shower room and toilet block and a modest clubhouse were attached to this building. Funding for this was achieved through the tireless efforts of the ‘Friends of South Park Sports Association’ organisation. Despite these commendable efforts, the Association lived for many years on a hand to mouth basis with the management all too frequently having to put their hands into their own pockets to ensure its survival.


During this period the playing side of the football club flourished with numerous honours won in the local leagues and cups together with appearances in County Cup finals. The club were also honoured in the fact that a number of players progressed to senior football with clubs such as Redhill and Eastbourne Town in the fifties and sixties, the heyday of non league football.

The seventies and eighties brought further improvements to the changing facilities and clubroom and the purchase of the land that is now pitch three were made. In the early seventies the football club started the junior’s section. Over the years the number of teams has increased on a regular basis and today we have boy’s teams from under eight’s through to under sixteen’s.

In 1997 the football club celebrated its Centenary year, the highlight of which was a celebratory dinner held at Reigate Manor Hotel at which over 150 people attended. Many players both past and present attended along with guests from The Football Association and Surrey County Football Association. The club was presented with its own unique framed certificate from the Football Association to mark this occasion.

The club was once again celebrating in 1998 when Geof Thatcher was awarded a Gold Medal by the Football Association to commemorate over 50 years service to football, the whole period with our club dating back to the war years when the club only played friendly matches as their was no competitive football during the war.

2001 saw Reigate Town Football Club move to South Park and the club became known as South Park & Reigate Town Football Club. In 2002 the club saw the formation of the first girl’s team to play under the clubs name and another team was added in 2003, the year which also saw the introduction of the youth team who are currently playing in the Southern Youth Floodlight League. This team are playing their home matches at Merstham Football Club as we do not have floodlights at South Park.

For the 2003/04 season the club reverted back to its original name of South Park Football Club. In February 2004 the club became only the fifth in Surrey to be awarded the status of ‘FA Charter Standard Community Club’. This game marks the clubs first appearance in one of the FA recognised cup competitions.

It must also be noted that without the tireless efforts of the late Fred Dearmun and Geof Thatcher and current Association President Ray Wilson and Geof Arnold to name but a few, the club would not be in the position it is today.