There is evidence of a football club at Little Oakley just before and after the First World War when an informal team played friendlies on a field behind the village school. However, the current club was formed at the Memorial Club as Little Oakley War Memorial FC in 1947, the main instigators being Nat Seaborn, Ted Messenger, Bill Wright ,the AA Man, and Arthur Rush, the Club’s secretary. In those early days the teams changed in the local Bank manager’s barn behind Foulton Hall, accessing the pitch via a gate at the top left hand corner of the field.

The club joined the Harwich & District Junior League in 1949/50 and entered a reserve team in the B section of the league a year later.. After 2 seasons in the Tendring Hundred League from 1953, the club was elected into Division One of the Colchester & East Essex League when the First team’s place in the THL was taken by the reserves. After topping the Colchester table in 56/57 season, the first team was promoted to the Premier Division and although they dropped back to Division One in 1960, they finished third two seasons later.

On the strength of this and the standard of their facilities at the War Memorial Ground, they were accepted into the Border League Division One on 1963-64 season lifting the Divisional Knock Out Cup that very season. The season was completed when they took the Harwich Junior Charity Cup.

The club moved around various league until returning to the Border League 1973/74 and enjoyed success throughout the following 20 years which culminated in winning the Essex Intermediate Cup in 1989/90 which followed league winning seasons in 1987/88. A few disappointing seasons followed but we returned to league winning ways in 2002/03 winning the Border League Premier division for the fifth time.

The club has moved quickly following a hugely successful Border League double winning season in 2015/2016 under the management of Sean Tynan and Paul Sadler. This led to a successful application to join the Eastern Counties League with the club investing over £300k in improved facilities at the Memorial Gound, including floodlights, fencing plus a new standing covered area and 50 seater stand. In addition, the investment in a 5v5 3G facility has reaped major rewards with the youth football section now having home for their coaching sessions.

As part of the FA National League restructuring at step 6, we were moved across to the Thurlow Nunn First Division South on 2018/19. The pandemic led to 2 shortened but successful seasons and on the back of that, the club were promoted to the Step 5 Essex Senior League for the 2020/21 season.

The club is now at the forefront of the local community with over 20 youth football teams and 6 thriving Walking football teams with a number of players representing England at the Over 70 age group.

In the 25/26 season, the club achieved the impossible and won the ESL league title and promotion to the Isthmian League

Now playing at the highest level it has ever competed at, the club continues to grow.


8	Canvey	4	3
9	Stow	4	4
10	Cambridge	3	2
11	Little Oakley	3	1
12	Buckhurst Hill	3	1
13	Gorleston	3	2
14	Lowestoft	3	3

Little Oakley

Match Outlook

North Division