Sherborne Town Football Club are a football club based in the town of

Sherborne Sherborne is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo (South Somerset), River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The parish include ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England. They are currently members of the and play at Raleigh Grove. The club is affiliated to the

Dorset County Football Association The Dorset County Football Association is the County Football Association for Dorset. The Dorset County FA traces its root back to the South Hants and Dorset Football Association which was founded in 1884. Three years later in 1887, due to the g ...

and is an FA chartered Standard club.

History

The club was founded in 1894 and played their matches at Marston Road.Sherborne Town Football Club
Western Football League Just before the Second World War the club moved to the Terrace playing fields. The club then moved grounds again in 1985 to their present home of Raleigh Grove, referencing Sir

Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebell ...

's historical connection with the town. In 1962, they joined the Dorset Combination. In the 1986–87 season the club entered the

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 ...

for the first time and stayed in the competition until the end of the 1996–97 season, when their ground was deemed not fit for the competition as it had no floodlights. In the season 2003-4 the club had improved its facilities off the pitch, with floodlights and a 150-seater stand being installed. They also finished fourth in the league that season and won the Dorset Senior County Cup. An application was made to join the Western League but the Dorset Premier League refused to grant consent. The 2005–06 campaign saw the club able to re-enter the

again. At the end of the season they finished second in the

Dorset Premier Football League The Dorset Premier Football League is a football league based in Dorset, England, which sits at Step 7 of the National League System, or level 11 of the overall English football league system. History The league was formed in 1957 under the na ...

and this time gained promotion to the Western League Division One. After finishing 4th in 2006–07, they finished runners-up in 2007–08 – gaining promotion to the Western League Premier Division. That season also saw the club make its debut in 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 ...

, however it was very short-lived after a 4–1 loss away to Liskeard Athletic in the Extra Preliminary round. The club remained in the Premier Division until the end of the 2011–12 season, when they finished second from bottom, forcing them to be relegated back to Western League Division One. The club bounced back up to the Premier Division at the first attempt in 2012-13 when they finished as Champions of Western League Division One.

Ground

Sherborne Town play their home games at Raleigh Grove, Terrace Playing Fields, Sherborne, DT9 5NS. The Raleigh Grove site was built on a grazing field with a pond in the far right corner of the ground. When the ground was built the club made sure it followed the regulations laid down for promotion from the

Dorset Premier League The Dorset Premier Football League is a football league based in Dorset, England, which sits at Step 7 of the National League System, or level 11 of the overall English football league system. History The league was formed in 1957 under the na ...

at the time, meaning a covered section on the south west side of the ground was erected for supporters. The pitch also had four drains laid to aid the playing surface. Planning permission was granted in 2003 for further work to be done to the ground and in 2004 hard standing, a grandstand, new dugouts and floodlights were all erected and working in just three months. The record attendance at the ground is 1,000 versus

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011 census. The town ...

(featuring ex-Southampton and England international

Matthew Le Tissier Matthew Paul Le Tissier (; born 14 October 1968) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Le Tissier spent his entire professional club career with Southampton, before turning to non-League football in 2002; his loyalty gar ...

), in the Andy Shephard Memorial match on 27 July 2003. Four Football League clubs have played at Raleigh Grove:

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

and

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 ...

Current squad

Honours

League honours

* Western League Division One: **Champions (2): 2012–13, 2021–22 **Runners-up (1): 2007–08 * Dorset Combination/Premier: **Champions (1): 1981–82 **Runners-up (3): 1992–93, 2001–02, 2005–06

Cup honours

*Dorset Senior Cup: **Winners (2): 2003–04, 2007–08 **Runners-up (1): 2006–07

Club records

*Highest League Position: 9th in Western League Premier Division 2013–14, 9th in Wessex League Premier Division 2023-24 *

best performance: Second qualifying round 2010–11 *

best performance: Fourth round 2006–07 *Highest Attendance:History
Sherborne Town F.C. 1,000 vs

27 July 2003

Former players

1. Players that have played/managed in the football league or any foreign equivalent to this level (i.e. fully professional league).
2. Players with full international caps. * Chris Giles

References

External links

Official Website
* {{coord, 50, 56, 25, N, 2, 30, 36, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Western Football League Football clubs in Dorset 1894 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 1894 Sherborne Football clubs in England Wessex Football League Dorset Premier Football League