Nickname(s) The Flying Blues Manager Gary Wiltshire | Chairman Bernard Carvell Founded 1977 | |
 | ||
Full name Marlow United Football Club Ground Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre 2015–16 Thames Valley Premier League Premier Division, 2nd League Thames Valley Premier Football League | ||
Marlow United Football Club is a football club based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. They were established in 1977 and were among the founding members of the Reading Football League in 1989. They are currently members of the Thames Valley Premier League Premier Division.
Contents
History
The club was formed in 1977 and started in division 5 of the Wycombe & District Football League for the 1977–78 season. The following season they were promoted to the second division, but at the end of the season United were expelled from the league due to the other member clubs voting the team out of the league. Marlow then joined the Pages East Berks Football League for the 1979–80 season. United returned to the Wycombe League in 1982–83, playing in the First Division. They remained in the First division until they were promoted as champions to the Senior Division in the 1984–85 season.
For the 1987–88 season United decided to leave the Wycombe & District Football League to join the Premier Division of the then Reading & District Football League. One season later United won promotion as runners up to the senior division. The Reading & District Football League & Reading Combination amalgamated and in 1990 became known as the Reading Football League with its Senior Division taking on Step 7 status in the FA National League System. Marlow United became joint founder members of this league. In 2004–05 they went on to become the only side from Buckinghamshire to ever win the Reading Football League championship.
At the end of the 2005–06 season United finished runners-up in the Senior Division and gained promotion to the Division One East of the Hellenic League, which was made possible two years previous when they embarked on a ground share agreement with Flackwell Heath FC, leaving their original home of Gossmore Lane. United created yet another first in the club's history when in the 2006–07 season as they made a historic first ever appearance in the FA Vase, seeing them triumph over Wessex League Premier team Bournemouth FC by 2–1 in front of a crowd of 161. Although United were to lose 2–1 in the next round they still earned the accolade of 'FA Vase team of the round' for their giant killing exploits over Bournemouth FC. The 2007–08 season saw United make their first ever appearance in the FA Cup, a 2–1 defeat to Cove, and in promotion to the Hellenic Premier division.
United stayed in the premier division until the end of the 2009–10 season, where they withdrew from the Hellenic league, for financial reasons and joined the Reading Football League again, playing in the Premier division. With the return to the Reading league United also moved to playing their games at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre. The following season the Club gained promotion to the Senior Division of the Reading league and have remained there since.
Ground
Marlow United now play at the Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, Bisham Village, Marlow Road, Bisham, Marlow, SL7 1RR.
Their highest attendance was 161 at their old ground of Wilks Park.