First Tower United F.C. is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based on the

Channel Island The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

of Jersey. They are affiliated to the

Jersey Football Association The Jersey Football Association (JFA) is the body which co-ordinates football in Jersey. The Jersey FA acts as a County football association of The Football Association, although in 2015 it applied to join UEFA as a full member. The Jersey Foot ...

and play in the

Jersey Football Combination The Jersey Football Combination is the senior football league on the island of Jersey and is run by the Jersey Football Association. Although the league is affiliated with the English FA, it does not form a part of the English football leagu ...

Premiership. The club plays in white and blue. They were the second most successful club in the island after Jersey Wanderers, having won the Jersey League 19 times.

History

The club was founded in 1920 and won their first championship in 1927. This entitled them to take on the winners of the

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

Priaulx League The Priaulx League is the senior football league on the island of Guernsey, and is run by the Guernsey Football League Management LBG, (prior to 2016 the Guernsey Football Association). Although the league is affiliated with the English FA, ...

, Northerners A.C. in the

Upton Park Trophy The Upton Park Trophy is awarded to the winners of an annual association football match in the Channel Islands between the champions of Guernsey's Priaulx League and Jersey's Football Combination. The venue alternates each year between Guernsey ...

, though they lost 1–0. They won the championship again in 1929 and this time followed it up by winning the

, beating Northerners 2–1 after extra time. The club won back-to-back championships in 1937 and 1938, and won the trophy again in 1938. Another double was completed in 1959, and another championship, but no trophy, in 1966. The 1968–69 season marked the start of a golden age for the club. The championship was won again in 1969 (though the trophy final ended in defeat), with the same result in the 1969–70 season. Following a year without a trophy, the club won seven consecutive championships from 1972 until 1978, doing the double on five occasions. This period of success coincided with steel magnate, and later owner of Blackburn Rovers, Jack Walker becoming a patron of the club in 1975, following a conversation with his postman.JACK WALKER: Jersey League side made a Tower of strength
Lancashire Telegraph, 18 August 2000 Financial input from Walker meant the club were consistently the best in Jersey, but did not have their own ground. Seven years after becoming involved with the club, Walker bought La Hague Manor for £1.2 million, leasing it back to St George's Preparatory School on the condition that part of the site was developed into a new stadium for the club. Walker was later made an Honorary Life Vice President of the club. The club won back-to-back championships in 1983 and 1984 and again in 1994 and 1995, also winning the trophy on each occasion. However, the 1995 trophy win has been their last honour to date. Between 1978 and 1998 the club also played in the

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...

, a competition for

Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

clubs in England, though they never made it past the third round. The club suffered a first top flight relegation in its history, with mathematical relegation confirmed with a 4–0 defeat at the hands of Jersey Scottish on Tuesday 26 February 2008.BBC SPORT , Football , Relegation for First Tower United
/ref> That was the club's twelfth defeat in twelve league games, and meant that La Hague Manor hosted Division Two football for the first time in the 2008–09 season. After one season in Division 1, First Tower Utd FC was promoted to Jersey's Premier League in 2009.

Current teams

First Tower United has one 1st men's team

Stadium

The club's home is in the grounds of La Hague Manor, which is also the site of St George's Preparatory School, in the parish of

St Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

. The pitch is lined on one side by a stand that can accommodate just under 80 people. On the opposite side of the pitch stand the two team dugouts, with a training and

warm-up 'Warming up' is a part of stretching and preparation for physical exertion or a performance by exercising or practicing gently beforehand, usually undertaken before a performance or practice. Athletes, singers, actors and others warm up before s ...

area located behind this with

floodlight A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...

s. Towards the corner of the complex are the changing rooms, club house and car park. The achievements and glories of the club's past adorn the walls of the clubhouse reflecting the club's rich history.

Players and coaching staff

Honours

*Jersey Football Combination **Champions 1926–27, 1928–29, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1958–59, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1993–94, 1994–95 *Upton Park Trophy **Winners 1929, 1938, 1959, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1994, 1995 **Runners-up 1927, 1937, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 49.216346, N, 2.177542, W, display=title Football clubs in Jersey Association football clubs established in 1920 1920 establishments in Jersey