 | |||
| Full name | Chesham United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Generals | ||
| Founded | 1917 | ||
| Ground | The Meadow,Chesham | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 (284 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Peter Brown | ||
| Manager | James Duncan and Michael Murray | ||
| League | National League South | ||
| 2024–25 | National League South, 13th of 24 | ||
Chesham United Football Club is asemi-professional football club inChesham,Buckinghamshire, England. Nicknamed "the Generals", they are currently members of theNational League South and play at the Meadow. They are sponsored by theChannel 4 programmeTaskmaster.
The club was established in 1917 by a merger ofChesham Town andChesham Generals.[2] The new club joined theSpartan League in 1919, which the Generals had been members of prior toWorld War I.[3] They won back-to-back league titles in 1921–22 and 1922–23, and were champions again in 1924–25.[4] League reorganisation in 1928 saw them placed in Division One West.[4] However, the following season saw them placed in the Premier Division after further reorganisation, and they were league runners-up in 1929–30, before going on to win the league in 1932–33.[4] DuringWorld War II they played in theGreat Western Combination.[5]
When the league resumed after the war, Chesham were placed in the Western Division of the Spartan League for the 1945–46 season.[6] The league was reduced to a single division for the 1946–47 season, after which the club switched to theCorinthian League.[7] They were runners-up in 1960–61 and 1961–62, but the league disbanded in 1963 and together with the majority of clubs in the league, Chesham were founder member of the new Division One of theAthenian League.[7] In1966–67 the club reached the first round of theFA Cup for the first time, losing 6–0 atEnfield. The following season saw them reach the final of theFA Amateur Cup, losing 1–0 toLeytonstone atWembley Stadium.[7] Another FA Cup first round appearance in1968–69 ended with a 5–0 defeat atColchester United.[7]
In 1973 Chesham switched to Division Two of theIsthmian League, which was renamed Division One in 1977.[7] They reached the FA Cup first round again in1976–77, losing 2–0 atBrentford.[7] In1979–80 the club progressed beyond the FA Cup first round for the first time; after beatingMinehead 2–1 in the first round, they defeatedMerthyr Tydfil 3–1 in a second round replay, before losing 2–0 at home toCambridge United in the third round.[7] A fifth appearance in the first round in1982–83 resulted in a 1–0 defeat byYeovil Town. The club were relegated to Division Two North at the end of the1985–86 season, but won the division at the first attempt and were promoted back to Division One.[7]
The1990–91 season saw Chesham win Division One, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They went on to win the Premier Division in1992–93,[7] but were denied promotion to theFootball Conference due to their ground failing to meet the necessary criteria.[2] The club were subsequently relegated back to Division One at the end of the1994–95 season, although they did reach the FA Cup first round, losing 1–0 toBashley. However, they returned to the Premier Division after winning Division One in1996–97. Following relegation to Division One North at the end of the2002–03 season, the club finished fourth in2003–04, earning promotion back to the same level, although they were transferred to the Premier Division of theSouthern League.[7]
Chesham finished bottom of the Southern League Premier Division in2005–06, resulting in relegation to Division One South & West. After one season in the division they were transferred to Division One Midlands.[7] A fifth-place finish in2008–09 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs, in which they lost 2–1 toNuneaton Town in the semi-finals. They reached the play-offs again thefollowing season with a fourth-place finish, and after beatingBurnham 1–0 in the semi-finals, they defeatedSlough Town 4–0 in the final to earn promotion back to the Premier Division.
The club went on to qualify for the Premier Division promotion play-offs in2011–12, losing 3–2 toAFC Totton in the semi-finals. Thefollowing season resulted in another play-off qualification, this time losing 2–0 toHemel Hempstead Town in the semi-finals. A third successive play-off campaign was secured when they finished as Premier Division runners-up in2013–14, but after beatingStourbridge 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–1 toSt Albans City in the final.[7] Thefollowing season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1994, and after beatingBristol Rovers 1–0, they were beaten 4–0 byBradford City in the second round.[7] In2016–17 another first round appearance resulted in a 2–1 defeat atPeterborough United.
At the end of the2017–18 season Chesham were placed in the Premier Division South due to league reorganisation. They finished fifth in2022–23 and qualified for the promotion playoffs, but lost 1–0 toBracknell Town in the semi-finals. Thefollowing season they were Premier Division South champions, earning promotion to theNational League South.[8]
In 2022 comedianAlex Horne was appointed a director of the club, whose ground had previously appeared as a location in his television seriesTaskmaster.[9][10][11] In the 2022–23 seasonTaskmaster became the club's shirt sponsor.[12][13] In the series 20 episode "Thompson", contestants were tasked with creating miniature representations of Chesham's mascot.
Chesham United reserves played in theGreat Western Suburban League in the 1919–20 season, before joining the new Division Two of the Spartan League, a year after the first team had joined the league.[14][4] They were Division Two champions in 1921–22, the same year as the first team won Division One.[4] When a second Division Two was added in 1925, they became members of Division Two A.[4] League reorganisation in 1928 saw them placed in Division Two West.[4] They did not rejoin the league afterWorld War II.[6]
After playing in the Suburban League, in 2010 the reserve team joined Division One of theSpartan South Midlands League. They left the league at the end of the2016–17 season.[15]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Joint Manager | James Duncan |
| Joint Manager | Michael Murray |
| Assistant Manager | Mick Johnson |
| First team Coach | Lee O'Leary |
| Head of Medical | Matt Loomes |
| Sports Rehabilitator | Jaydene London |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
51°41′56″N0°36′50″W / 51.69889°N 0.61389°W /51.69889; -0.61389
