The History of Snodland Town Football Club

With the momentous decision in 2012 to amalgamate all the main adult and youth teams in the town under one club name – Snodland Town Football Club – football in Snodland has moved forward at a faster pace than at any time in its long and eventful past.

In 2012 the club acquired a lease from the local Town Council to enable development of its own ground. An ambitious development plan has since seen the ground transformed to meet Southern Counties East Football League standards including floodlighting and a 100-seat spectator stand. With new dressing rooms and hospitality facilities planned, the ground will become the focal point for all the club’s community activities.

During this time, new pitches have become available at the club’s Potyns Sports Field and the majority of our youth and junior teams will be playing there along with the adult teams. A new 3G facility is also now available to the club for training and small sided games.

Back in the late 1940’s, when Snodland first began playing matches at the Recreation Ground as Snodland Minors FC, such facilities would, of course, never have been in anyone’s mind. However, the founders of the Boys’ club were ambitious and by 1955 had purchased land adjacent to the Rec and constructed modest changing facilities.

The Snodland Minors were established in 1948 by John Morhen and Tom Freeman. The boys’ team enjoyed considerable success: in 1954-55 Snodland won the Medway Minor League Cup, the League Challenge Cup, the Maidstone Minor League Cup.

In the 1956-57 season the boys’ team evolved to a men’s team and entered Division 3B of the Maidstone and District Football League. The club immediately struck gold and won the division without losing a game. The following season brought further success, with Snodland completing a double by winning division 2A and the League’s Challenge Cup “B” competition. The club came runners up in Division 1 in 1958-59, and then won the newly christened “Maidstone Premier Division” in 1959-60 after a close fight against local rivals Wouldham FC.

Snodland also won the Kent Junior Cup “A” in 1961-62 and enjoyed further cup success in 1963-64 when the club won the Rochester League’s Quarter Century Cup. In the mid 1960s Snodland spent five seasons in the Rochester League, with their best finish being runners-up in 1963-64. The Club returned to the Maidstone League in 1968-69, playing in Division 1. This was a period of rebuilding for the club and it took until 1973-74 for Snodland to win the Division and return to the Premier Division.

In the 1977-78 season Snodland won both the Maidstone and District League’s Challenge Cup B competition and the Kent Junior Cup B.

The 1983-84 season saw Snodland complete a triple. After a wait of 23 years the club won the Maidstone Premier League, along with the Challenge Cup “A” and the Sittingbourne and Milton Charity Cup. In recognition of this achievement the Parish Council presented a silver salver to Snodland that was accepted on behalf of the club by Bill Wells, a longstanding player and manager.

At the beginning of the 1986-87 season Snodland moved its home ground to Potyns Sports Ground at the Community Centre. The new venue had much improved facilities and marks the beginning of the club’s transformation from village team to non-league football.

Our journey through the Kent County League started in the 1992-3 season and promotion to the Premier Division was won in 1998.  The club’s most successful season came a year later when the Premier Division title was won in front of a 300 strong crowd at home to eventual runners up, Bearsted.

In 2016 the club staged its first match in the Southern Counties East Football League, Division One, the highest level of football ever played in Snodland.

In the first full season following the Covid pandemic we made it to the First Division Play-Offs, unfortunately losing the semi-final.

At the end of the 2022/23 campaign, we were promoted to the Premier Division of the Southern Counties East Football League as Champions of Division One and now look forward to playing Step 5 football this season.

For the 2022/23 season we entered an Under 23 team in the SCEFL Development League. We also have our highly successful and ever expanding, Snodland Town junior and youth teams, enjoying success at every level, and our Reserves and Vets teams are established in the Kent County League.

The future is indeed bright for Snodland Town Football Club.

STFC Archive Gallery
Click on photo below

Snodland Minors FC 1954/55
This Minors photo is from their most successful season of 1954-55. The trophies are: the Maidstone Minor League and Cup; the Medway Minor League and Cup. It is taken in the grounds of The Bull Public House in Snodland. Note the garage behind the players and officials. It’s still there and is opposite the Co-Op door to the car park!

Snodland FC 1956/57

1977/78 Challenge Cup B Winners

Snodland FC 1969/70

Snodland FC 2011/12

Snodland Town FC Youth Football (Snodland Nomads)

Snodland Nomads Football Club was formed in 1969 and was amalgamated into Snodland Town Football Club for the 2012-13 season.

We are one of the largest voluntary organisations in the area, catering for the football needs of nearly 200 children, from 6 years to adults. We are currently working very closely with other local organisations, including Snodland Sports Association, the Football Alliance, the Town Council, the Community Association, Snodland Primary School and Holmesdale Technology College, to ensure that as many children as possible are able to participate in their chosen sport.

Snodland Town Nomads FC continually strives to improve standards and provide an increasingly safe environment for children to play football in, free from bullying and anti-social behaviour. To maintain this improvement the club has already achieved the FA Charter Standard, which is a target set by the FA and which all clubs are required to acquire in the future.

Our managers have attended Child Safety, First Aid and Level 1 Coaching courses, together with Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks, all of which will benefit the community.

In a bid to improve the standard of coaching at the club, some managers have also completed the FA Youth Award Modules 1 and 2 courses which looks at the development of the children in a football environment as well as the Level 1 goalkeeping course.

Together with other football clubs in Snodland we are developing a football pyramid system for which we hope to provide the foundation level for players who will then have the opportunity to progress to higher standards.

We are the largest organisation in the town and regularly arrange social activities in the town for our players and parents and local community, including our famous Father Christmas delivery run.

The 2012-13 football season was an historic event in Snodland when all the senior and junior clubs amalgamated to join as one club. The various clubs and teams from this date onward became known as:
Snodland Town F.C.
Snodland Town Reserves F.C.
Snodland Town Sunday F.C
Snodland Town Nomads F.C.

Currently we are fielding around 20 teams each week with the intention of introducing teams into new age groups to play in local and county leagues.

Original Snodland Nomads badge design
from which the current badge was adapted.