Chesham United Football Club is a

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...

football club in

Chesham Chesham ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, about north-west of Charing Cross, central London, and part of the London metropolitan area, London ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, England. Nicknamed "the Generals", they are currently members of the and play at the Meadow. They are sponsored by the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

programme '' Taskmaster''.

History

The club was established in 1917 by a merger of Chesham Town and

Chesham Generals Chesham United Football Club is a semi-professional football club in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England. Nicknamed "the Generals", they are currently members of the and play at the Meadow. They are sponsored by the Channel 4 programme '' Taskma ...

.History
Chesham United F.C. The new club joined the

Spartan League The Spartan League was a football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League. History The Spartan League was establi ...

in 1919, which the Generals had been members of prior to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. They won back-to-back league titles in 1921–22 and 1922–23, and were champions again in 1924–25. League reorganisation in 1928 saw them placed in Division One West. 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. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

they played in the

Great Western Combination The Great Western Combination was a football league in south-central England. History The league was established in 1939, initially as a wartime competition as many other leagues had been abandoned following the outbreak of World War II. Its or ...

. When the league resumed after the war, Chesham were placed in the Western Division of the Spartan League for the 1945–46 season.Spartan League 1934–1955
Non-League Matters The league was reduced to a single division for the 1946–47 season, after which the club switched to the

Corinthian League The League of Corinth, also referred to as the Hellenic League (, ''koinòn tõn Hellḗnōn''; or simply , ''the Héllēnes''), was a federation of Greek states created by Philip IIDiodorus Siculus, Book 16, 89. «διόπερ ἐν Κορίν ...

. 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 the

Athenian League The Athenian League was an England, English amateur association football, football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,Athenian Football League minutes 1912-1921 (National Football ...

. In 1966–67 the club reached the first round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

for the first time, losing 6–0 at Enfield. The following season saw them reach the final of the

FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footb ...

, losing 1–0 to

Leytonstone Leytonstone ( ) is an area in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, Stratford to the south-west, Leyton to the west, and Walthamstow to the nor ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

. Another FA Cup first round appearance in 1968–69 ended with a 5–0 defeat at

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...

. In 1973 Chesham switched to Division Two of the

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

, which was renamed Division One in 1977. They reached the FA Cup first round again in 1976–77, losing 2–0 at

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

. In 1979–80 the club progressed beyond the FA Cup first round for the first time; after beating

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and close to the Exmoor National Park. T ...

2–1 in the first round, they defeated

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

3–1 in a second round replay, before losing 2–0 at home to

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...

in the third round. A fifth appearance in the first round in 1982–83 resulted in a 1–0 defeat by

Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to: * Yeovil, a town in Somerset, England, with a council named Yeovil Town * Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset * Yeovil Town W.F.C., an English women's football team affiliated with Yeovil T ...

. The club were relegated to Division Two North at the end of the 1985–86 season, but won the division at the first attempt and were promoted back to Division One. The 1990–91 season saw Chesham win Division One, earning promotion to the Premier Division. They went on to win the Premier Division in 1992–93, but were denied promotion to the

Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...

due to their ground failing to meet the necessary criteria. The club were subsequently relegated back to Division One at the end of the 1994–95 season, although they did reach the FA Cup first round, losing 1–0 to Bashley. However, they returned to the Premier Division after winning Division One in 1996–97. Following relegation to Division One North at the end of the 2002–03 season, the club finished fourth in 2003–04, earning promotion back to the same level, although they were transferred to the Premier Division of the Southern League. Chesham finished bottom of the Southern League Premier Division in 2005–06, resulting in relegation to Division One South & West. After one season in the division they were transferred to Division One Midlands. A fifth-place finish in 2008–09 saw them qualify for the promotion play-offs, in which they lost 2–1 to

Nuneaton Town Nuneaton Town Football Club is an English football club that was based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. It withdrew from Southern League Premier Division Central on 18 January 2024 due to financial problems and faces liquidation. In 1889, Nuneaton S ...

in the semi-finals. They reached the play-offs again the following season with a fourth-place finish, and after beating Burnham 1–0 in the semi-finals, they defeated Slough 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 in 2011–12, losing 3–2 to

AFC Totton Amalgamated Football Club Totton is a football club based in Totton, Hampshire, England. The club is affiliated to the Hampshire Football Association and is an FA Standard Chartered club. They are currently members of the and play at the Test ...

in the semi-finals. The following season resulted in another play-off qualification, this time losing 2–0 to Hemel Hempstead Town in the semi-finals. A third successive play-off campaign was secured when they finished as Premier Division runners-up in 2013–14, but after beating

Stourbridge Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham, at the southwester ...

2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–1 to St Albans City in the final. The following season saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1994, and after beating

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

1–0, they were beaten 4–0 by

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The club competes in , the third tier of English football, and is managed by Graham Alexander. The club was founded in 1903 and ...

in the second round. In 2016–17 another first round appearance resulted in a 2–1 defeat at

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...

. At the end of the 2017–18 season Chesham were placed in the Premier Division South due to league reorganisation. They finished fifth in

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

and qualified for the promotion playoffs, but lost 1–0 to

Bracknell Town Bracknell Town Football Club is a football club based in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England. Affiliated to the Berks & Bucks Football Association and nicknamed ''The Robins'', they are currently members of the and play their home matches at Botto ...

in the semi-finals. The following season they were Premier Division South champions, earning promotion to the

National League South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National League (English football), National Leagues and step ...

. In 2022 comedian

Alex Horne Alexander James Jeffery Horne (born 10 September 1978) is an English comedian. Horne is the creator of BAFTA award-winning TV series '' Taskmaster'', in which he takes the role of assistant to the Taskmaster Greg Davies. He is the host and ba ...

was appointed a director of the club, whose ground had previously appeared as a location in his television series '' Taskmaster''. In the 2022–23 season ''Taskmaster'' became the club's shirt sponsor.

Reserve team

Chesham United reserves played in the

Great Western Suburban League The Great Western Suburban League was a football league that was primarily held in the Home counties, founded in 1904. History The Great Western Suburban League was founded on the 18 May 1904, at a meeting called by Mr. W. G. Langdon of Staine ...

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.Spartan League 1907–1934
Non-League Matters They were Division Two champions in 1921–22, the same year as the first team won Division One. When a second Division Two was added in 1925, they became members of Division Two A. League reorganisation in 1928 saw them placed in Division Two West. They did not rejoin the league after

. After playing in the Suburban League, in 2010 the reserve team joined Division One of the

Spartan South Midlands League The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwest Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire. It is a feeder to the Southern Football League or the Isthmian League, ...

. They left the league at the end of the 2016–17 season.

Non-playing staff

First XI squad
Chesham United F.C.

Honours

*Isthmian League **Premier Division champions 1992–93 **Division One champions 1990–91, 1996–97 **Division Two North champions 1986–87 *Southern Football League **Premier Division South champions 2023–24 *Spartan League **Champions 1921–22, 1922–23, 1924–25, 1932–33 **Division Two champions 1921–22 *Athenian League **Memorial Cup winners 1963–64, 1968–69 *

Berks & Bucks Senior Cup The Berks & Bucks FA County Senior Cup is the Senior County Cup competition of the Berks & Bucks FA. History The competition first took place in 1878–79 – a time when the FA Cup had only been going for seven years, there was no Football Lea ...

**Winners: 1921–22, 1925–26, 1928–29, 1933–34, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1975–76, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2017–18

Records

*Best

performance: Third round, 1979–80 *Best

performance: Runners-up, 1967–68 *Best

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...

performance: Fourth round, 1998–99 *Record attendance: 5,000 vs

, FA Cup third round, 5 December 1979Mike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) ''Non-League Club Directory 2013'', p646 *Most appearances: Martin Baguley *Most goals: John Willis *Record transfer fee received: £22,000 from

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...

for

Fitz Hall Fitz Benjamin Hall (born 20 December 1980) is an English former professional footballer and current football agent. He played as a defender during his professional career and as a striker in amateur football. Club career Early career Hall bega ...

, 2002

References

External links

* {{Coord, 51, 41, 56, N, 0, 36, 50, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Football clubs in England Football clubs in Buckinghamshire Chesham 1917 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 1917 Spartan League Great Western Combination Corinthian League (football) Athenian League Isthmian League clubs Southern Football League clubs Spartan South Midlands Football League Great Western Suburban League category:National League (English football) clubs