Southall F.C.

Full name	Southall Football Club
Founded	1871
Ground	Skyex Community Stadium,Hayes, Middlesex
Capacity	3,000
Owner	Stephen Harrison
Chairman	Sanjeev Sharma
Manager	Max Howell
League	Isthmian League South Central Division
2024–25	Isthmian League South Central Division, 13th of 22
Website	http://www.southallfc.com/
Home colours Away colours

Southall Football Club is afootball club representingSouthall in theLondon Borough of Ealing,England. The club is affiliated to theMiddlesex County Football Association.^[1] They are currently members of theIsthmian League South Central Division.

From the start of the 2025-26 season, Southall FC will ground share at Hayes & Yeading United's SKYex Community Stadium.^[2]

Southall FC was founded in 1871, making it one of England's oldestfootball clubs,^[3] and two seasons later they entered theFA Cup.^[4]

After playing friendlies and cup competitions they joined theWest London League as founder members in 1892, but only stayed for a single season.^[4][5] Four seasons later the club joined Division Two of theSouthern Football League in 1896.^[6]

The 1904–05 season saw the club attempt to go professional, but this left them with massive debts and they dropped out of the league at the end of the season, and also stopped playing in competitions the following season.^[4][6] Returning to amateur status, Southall merged with another club,Southall Athletic, and moved to a new ground at Western Road.^[4][7] In 1907 the club entered theGreat Western Suburban League, where they remained until theFirst World War.^[4][8]

After the First World War, Southall joined theAthenian League for the 1919–20 season.^[9] They stayed in The Athenian League until 1972–73, during which time they won the league once in 1926–27, two seasons after reaching theFA Amateur Cup final.^[10] Southall reached the FA Cup third round in1935-36, beatingSwindon 3–1 in the first round andNewport (IOW) 8–0 in the second round, before losing toWatford.

Southall became founding members of theIsthmian League Second Division for the start of the 1973-74 campaign.^[11] They finished as runners up in their second season in the Isthmian League and gained promotion to the league's top division.^[11] The club then changed its name toSouthall & Ealing Borough.^[11]

They spent three seasons in the top division before suffering two relegations in a row and finishing in the bottom division of the Isthmian league, after which the club changed its name back toSouthall.^[11] The club stayed in the bottom division until the end of the 1984–85 season.

They reached another FA final in 1986 when they lost toHalesowen Town in theFA Vase final atWembley Stadium.^[10] When the league reorganised for the 1991–92 season the club was moved up to the new Division Two.^[12] They played for two seasons in the higher division before being relegated back to the bottom division of the league.^[12]

In 1992, the club lost the use of its Western Road ground and was forced to start ground sharing with other clubs.^[4] They remained in the lowest division of the Isthmian League until the end of the 1999–2000 season when, after finishing bottom of the table, they were relegated to theCombined Counties Football League.^[10]

Southall remained in the Combined Counties League until March 2006, when they were expelled and their records for the 2005–06 campaign expunged due to financial irregularities.^[13] However, the club was able to clear its debts and continued to operate, restarting two levels lower in theMiddlesex County Football League Premier Division, from the 2006–07 season.^[14] After the division was cut from 15 to 11 teams, Southall were put in Division One Central and East. They finished runners up and immediately jumped back up to the Premier Division.^[15]

The 2011–12 season saw manager Steve Embleton guide the club to a third-place finish, securing promotion to theSpartan South Midlands Football League Division One.^[16]

With new manager Paul Palmer in charge for 2016–17, Southall reached the quarter-finals of the FA Vase, then the 2017–18 season saw the club crownedDivision One champions, Southall's first league title for 91 years. They finished the season with 94 points, with 116 goals scored and a +80 goal difference. The team also broke the club record for most wins at the start of a season (7).

For 2018–19, the club were members of theCombined Counties League Premier Division and, under the management of Max Howell, finished fourth.

The 2019-20 Combined Counties League Premier Division season was abandoned as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic led to further disruption the following season, with Southall's 2020-21 campaign starting in September, before being suspended in December with Southall in fifth place in the table.

The club celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2021 and gained promotion to Step 4 by finishing runners-up in the Combined Counties Premier Division North. From 2022 the club play in the Isthmian League South-Central Division and reached the playoffs in 2024.

From the start of the 2025-26 season, Southall FC will play their home games atHayes & Yeading United's SKYex Community Stadium in Beaconsfield Road, Hayes.^[17]

Up to and including the 2024-25 season, Southall FC played their home games at The 1878 Stadium inBurnham, groundsharing with Burnham FC for a second time, having previously played their home fixtures at Burnham and then at the Robert Parker Stadium inStanwell, groundsharing withAshford Town (Middlesex).

Southall have shared grounds with other clubs since having to move from their Western Road stadium in 1992, including Hanwell Town FC, Chalfont St Peter FC and Yeading FC. They were playing their home games atBurnham FC when they secured their first league title since 1927 in the2017-18 season. They have plans to return toSouthall and are reported to be in discussions with Ealing Council and private landowners about building a new stadium.^[18][19][20]

The club is proposing a community health and wellbeing centre, to be incorporated into the new stadium as a hub for sports projects and educational use. The new community stadium would offer local residents training and fitness equipment, health checks, sports injury prevention advice, martial arts and boxing coaching sessions. Across the community classes are proposed that will suit the elderly, disabled, youth and other local community groups, and will include female only classes.^[21]

Ahead of Southall's 1986 FA Vase final againstHalesowen Town, Thames News televised a preview for the final, interviewing the team's managerGordon Bartlett at the club's Western Road ground. The piece shows footage of former Southall playersAlan Devonshire andLes Ferdinand, who at the time was Southall's leading goalscorer.^[22]

The UK television seriesMinder episode "Last Orders at the Winchester" made by Euston Films in 1993 includes a charity football match filmed at the Western Road ground between a police team and a team of regulars from the Winchester Club.^[23][24][25]

Reggae singerMaxi Priest made an appearance for Southall in 2003. Priest registered to play with the club suffering from a player shortage crisis, as a result of injuries and suspensions. He came on as a substitute during a 3–0 defeat against Feltham, playing alongside his sonMarvin.^{[26][27][28][29]}

A group of Southall FC fans, including the club's former secretary Dave Considine and club historian Gary Drew, set up the Southall FC Independent Supporters Association on 27 June 2025.

Former Southall wingerGordon Hill, who went on to play for Millwall, Manchester United, Derby County, QPR and England, became the association's first patron. TV astrologerRussell Grant is one of Southall FC's celebrity fans.^[30]

• Highest league position:^[36] 14th in Isthmian League Premier Division (1976–77)
• FA Cup best performance:^[10] Third round (1935–36)
• FA Trophy best performance:^[36] Second qualifying round (1975–76, 1978–79, 2022–23, 2023–24)
• FA Vase best performance:^[10] Finalists (1985–86)
• FA Amateur Cup best performance:^[10] Finalists (1924–25)
• Highest attendance:^[37] 19,094 vWatford (1935-36 FA Cup Third round proper)
• Biggest win:^[37] 12-0 v Cranleigh
• Biggest defeat:^[37] 14-0 vGrays United

• Record appearances: Reg Short (450+)
• Record goalscorer: Ken Merry (117)
• Record goals scored in a season:Charles Roach (57)

Notable former Southall players includeLes FerdinandMBE (QPR, Tottenham, Newcastle and England),Alan Devonshire (West Ham and England),Gordon Hill (Manchester United and Millwall),Justin Fashanu (Norwich),Eric Young (Brighton, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and Wales),Mark Nicholls (Chelsea),Graham Wilkins (Chelsea and Brentford),Rowan Vine (Portsmouth, Birmingham and QPR),Colin Viljoen (Ipswich, Manchester City, Chelsea and England), former Bradford and Wigan managerChris Hutchings (who played for Chelsea, Brighton and Huddersfield) and former Leyton Orient head coachRoss Embleton.

Myles Hippolyte played for a number of clubs including Livingston, Falkirk, St Mirren, Dunfermline Athletic, Yeovil Town, Scunthorpe United, Stockport County and AFC Wimbledon. He has represented Grenada. He won the Scottish Challenge Cup with Livingston in 2015, the Scottish Championship with St Mirren in 2018, the National League and League Two titles with Stockport in 2022 and 2024 respectively, and scored the winning goal in AFC Wimbledon's 1-0 League Two play off final against Walsall at Wembley on 26 May 2025.

Arthur Shaw played 61 times as a wing half forArsenal during a seven-year period with the Gunners, including 25 league appearances during Arsenal's1952-53 Division One title winning season. A flag bearing his name flies in tribute on the Ken Friar Bridge, close to Arsenal tube station.^[38][39]

Fred Rouse was a prolific goalscorer who made more than 100 appearances as a centre forward for Wycombe, Grimsby, Stoke, Everton, Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion and Brentford. He represented theFootball League XI in matches versus theIrish League XI in 1905 and 1906, scoring once in a 6–0 victory in the second match.

Gerry CakebreadOBE made 374 appearances forBrentford as a goalkeeper. He set a club record of 187 consecutive appearances for Brentford between November 1958 and August 1962, and played for England Youth and England Under 23s. He remained a part-time player throughout his career.^[40] He was posthumously inducted into the BrentfordHall of Fame in 2015, and was described as "arguably Brentford's finest ever goalkeeper".^[41]

Many former Southall players played for other London clubs. More than one in four on the former players list below have also played forBrentford, withGriffin Park (Brentford's home until August 2020)^[42] located less than five miles fromSouthall. Many of the players listed below have represented at least one of the following London clubs:QPR,Chelsea,Wimbledon,Crystal Palace,West Ham,Millwall,Fulham,Tottenham,Arsenal andLeyton Orient.^[43]

Other former Southall players include:

• Charles Ballard – Played for Southall before emigrating to New Zealand in March 1913. After The Great War he represented New Zealand in two matches against Australia. His older brother Tommy 'Brancher' Ballard was a Southall stalwart, who was killed on the Western Front in October 1918. His last match at Western Road was for 3/8th Middlesex Regt., against Southall.
• Cliff Ette – Joined Southall after playing forWest Ham, where he had made one appearance and scored one goal. He captained Southall in their 3–1 win againstSwindon in the1935-36 FA Cup First round, and an 8-0 second round win againstNewport (IOW) saw Southall into the third round proper for the first time in the club's history.
• Frederick Chapman – Played forNottingham Forest prior to joining Southall and was part of the Great Britain team that won Gold at the1908 London Olympics.^[44][45]
• Ted Bennett – Played for QPR and Watford, was an England amateur goalkeeper and represented Great Britain at the1952 Olympics in Helsinki.^[46]
• Frederick Gamble – RepresentedBrentford,West Ham,Aldershot andReading and played first class cricket forSurrey between 1933 and 1935.^[47]
• Charles 'Wag' Roach – Scored 57 goals in one season for Southall, which remains a club record. Also played for Fulham, Reading and Tottenham's reserves. Known as Wag on account of his love of telling jokes.
• John 'Jack' Bowman played forStoke City,QPR andNorwich City and was later manager of Norwich and QPR.
• Alan Nelmes – Made more than 300 appearances for Brentford as a defender and was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame in 2014.
• Albert Thain – Made 153 appearances forChelsea, scoring 51 goals.
• Cyrus Vanterpool – Has made five appearances as an international forAnguilla.
• Maxi Priest andMarvin Elliott / Marvin Priest – Reggae singer Maxi Priest and his son Marvin have both played for Southall. Marvin was known by his given name, Marvin Elliott, during his Southall playing days.^[48][49]

Included on the former players list below are:

1. Players who have played/managed in thePremier League /Football League or foreign equivalents.
2. Players with international caps.
3. Players who have achieved success in other professions.

Included on the former managers/coaches list below are:

1. Managers/coaches who have played, managed or coached in thePremier League /Football League or a foreign equivalent
2. Managers/coaches who have international caps

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSouthall F.C..

• Official website
• Southall FC 150 Blog

51°32′20.33″N0°21′17.09″W / 51.5389806°N 0.3547472°W /51.5389806; -0.3547472

• Football clubs in England
• Association football clubs established in 1871
• Southern Football League clubs
• Isthmian League clubs
• Athenian League
• 1871 establishments in England
• Sport in the London Borough of Ealing
• Football clubs in London
• Spartan South Midlands Football League
• Combined Counties Football League
• Southall
• Middlesex County Football League
• London League (football)
• Great Western Suburban League

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from June 2015
• Use British English from June 2015
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Coordinates on Wikidata