Staple Hill F.C. was an English football club based in Staple Hill,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

History

The earliest reference to the side is from the 1889–90 season and it joined the Bristol & District League in 1893–94, that league's second season, before it was renamed the Western League in 1895. Joint runners-up in Division One in 1895–96, Staple Hill were placed in Division Two of the league after a new professional section was formed in 1897. They won this division twice, in 1898–99 and

1906–07 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, and were runners-up on two other occasions, but were never promoted.Robinson, Michael (ed.), Non-League Football Tables 1889–2006, Soccer Books, 2006 They were regular entrants in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...

, and reached the first round proper in

1905–06 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

when they travelled to

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

's Bank Street ground, where they lost 7–2 in front of 7,560 spectators. After finishing as champions the previous season, Staple Hill finished bottom of the Western League Division Two in 1907–08. On 29 June 1909, with Welsh clubs being admitted to the League, and the consequent increase in expenses overwhelming the already parlous club finances, the directors resolved to wind the club up. One cause was that the club was semi-professional, paying some players up to 15 shillings per match, which amateur players - despite their amateur status - also demanded, such payments being kept off the books to avoid scrutiny from the

Gloucestershire Football Association The Gloucestershire County Football Association, also simply known as the ''Gloucestershire FA'' or ''GFA'', is the governing body of football in the county of Gloucestershire. It was formed in 1886. History The Gloucestershire County Foot ...

. The name was revived by a club in the 1950s which competed in local football until it was disbanded in 2004. A more recent club, Staple Hill Orient, competed in the

Bristol and District Football League The Bristol and District Football League is a football competition based in Bristol, England. The top division in this league, which is the Senior Division, sits at level 14 of the English football league system and is a feeder to the Bristol P ...

until 2016.

League history

Staple Hill's 16 seasons of Western League football are listed below.

Reserves

For three seasons, Staple Hill entered a reserve team in Division Two of the Western League:

Colours

The club earliest record of the club's colours are "maroon, striped with a trio of white stripes", adopted in before the 1894–95 season. By 1905 the club was wearing yellow and black striped shirts, white shorts, and yellow and black stockings.

Ground

The club played at the Staple Hill Cricket Ground.

References

{{reflist Defunct football clubs in England Association football clubs disestablished in 1909 Western Football League Defunct football clubs in Bristol 1909 disestablishments in England Association football clubs established in the 19th century Association football clubs established in 1889