Croydon Athletic Football Club was an
English football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is around north of the town of Croydon, and south of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the Coun ...
in the
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of mid-2023, making it the most populous London borough. It is London's southernmost ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England. It was founded in 1986 and initially named as Wandsworth & Norwood until 1990. The club progressed through various leagues, eventually winning 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 ...
Division Three in 2001-02 and Division One South in 2009–10. In 2008, property developer
Mazhar Majeed
Mazhar Majeed (born 1975) is a British sporting agent and runs a Talent Management Agency, Star People which is in the business of managing brands, film and TV personalities and sporting athletes. In 2022, Mazhar Majeed became the manager for two ...
bought the club. However, in 2010, allegations of Majeed's involvement in spot-fixing and money-laundering led to turmoil within the club, including management resignations, player departures, and the chairman's suicide. By 2011, the club was effectively defunct. Fans formed
AFC Croydon Athletic
Association Football Club Croydon Athletic is a football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England. Founded by supporters of Croydon Athletic after it folded, the club are currently members of the and play at the ...
, which joined the
Combined Counties Football League
The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's Association football, football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the wester ...
. Croydon Athletic played at the Keith Tuckey Stadium in Thornton Heath.
History
Founded in 1986, the club was a merger between Wandsworth F.C. and Norwood F.C. and was initially named Wandsworth & Norwood until 1990 when the club's name was changed to Croydon Athletic FC. Norwood FC had in the past played at
Herne Hill Velodrome
The Herne Hill Velodrome is an outdoor velodrome in Herne Hill, in south London. It is one of the oldest cycling tracks in the world, having been built in 1891. It hosted the track cycling events in the 1948 Summer Olympics and was briefly the h ...
, with an annual friendly hosted against Dutch giants
Ajax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or commonly Ajax, is a Dutch professional Association football, football Football team, club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. ...
. Wandsworth FC was an old club which had spent most of its long history playing on
Wandsworth Common
Wandsworth Common is a public common in Wandsworth, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London. It is and is maintained and regulated by Wandsworth Council. It is also a Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth. The population of the ward ...
.
The merged club initially played in the
London Spartan League
The Spartan League was a Association football, 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 Football League, Spartan So ...
, where they were promoted to the Premier Division in 1986–87. In 1988–89 they missed out on the Premier Division title on goal difference. In 1993–94 they finished as runners-up again and applied to join 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 ...
but were rejected due to the state of their ground. The following year they finally won the league title but again were refused promotion. In 1996–97 they finished in third place and after extensive ground redevelopment were finally able to join the Isthmian League.
In 2001–02 the team won the championship of the
Isthmian League Division Three, scoring 138 goals in 42 games. Due to league reorganisation, this saw them placed in the new
Division One South, where they remained until they won the title in 2009–10.

The club was bought in 2008 by
Mazhar Majeed
Mazhar Majeed (born 1975) is a British sporting agent and runs a Talent Management Agency, Star People which is in the business of managing brands, film and TV personalities and sporting athletes. In 2022, Mazhar Majeed became the manager for two ...
, a UK-based property developer and agent for members of the Pakistan national cricket team. In 2010, following allegations that Majeed was involved in
spot-fixing during the Pakistan cricket tour of England, Croydon Athletic were investigated by HM Revenues and Customs due to allegations that Majeed had been using the club for money-laundering purposes, after Majeed was recorded by an undercover journalist stating that that was the only reason he had bought the club. This led to the manager and his assistant leaving the club after a match on 4 September 2010. The following day the club announced on its website that upcoming league and cup games were being postponed, resulting in the team forfeiting an FA Cup match. Following these events squad members began to transfer to other teams, with the club's official website referring to an "exodus from the KT Stadium". On 2 October 2010 the club chairman, David Le Cluse, was found dead, with a bullet wound, having committed
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.
Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
in a garage in
Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location
* S ...
.
The club received a £7,500 fine and a ten-point deduction after a case of financial irregularities was proven on 8 December 2011. The club had been charged with twenty-four breaches of FA Rule E1(b) in relation to the 2009/10 season. On 10 December the club was unable to fulfil a fixture away to
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town and civil parish in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in eastern Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2021 it had a population of 42,027. Ramsgate' ...
and stated that it would be unable to fulfil the following weekend's fixture either. This was owing to the Keith Tuckey stadium being locked up, the management team resigning, and most players having found clubs elsewhere. On 16 December the ''
Croydon Advertiser'' stated that the club was effectively no more
Fans of the club formed
AFC Croydon Athletic
Association Football Club Croydon Athletic is a football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England. Founded by supporters of Croydon Athletic after it folded, the club are currently members of the and play at the ...
, which was accepted into the
Combined Counties Football League
The Combined Counties Football League is a regional men's Association football, football league in south-eastern England with members in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and the wester ...
Division One (Level 10, Step 6) for the
2012–13 season
Stadium
Croydon Athletic played at the Keith Tuckey Stadium in
Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon. It is around north of the town of Croydon, and south of Charing Cross. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Thornton Heath was in the Coun ...
. It is named after the chairman of the club from its foundation in 1986 until his death in March 2006.
Club records
*Best league performance: 1st in
Isthmian League Division One South
The Isthmian League () is a regional football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 88 teams in fo ...
, 2009–10
*Best
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 ...
performance: 3rd qualifying round, 2003–04
*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: 3rd qualifying round, 2005–06
*Best
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...
performance: 4th round, 2000–01 and 2001–02
References
;General
*
*
;Specific
External links
Official website(archived 17 September 2011)
Squad(archived 13 October 2016)
Istmian Div. 1 South League tableIsthmian League website
{{Football in London
Isthmian League clubs
Sport in the London Borough of Croydon
Association football clubs established in 1986
Association football clubs disestablished in 2011
Defunct football clubs in London
Defunct football clubs in England
1986 establishments in England
2011 disestablishments in England
Spartan League