Our friends from the Norwood Society have prepared this article on the formation of West Norwood FC (The Bantams).

Prior to World War One the Norwood area had two strong football clubs. Crystal Palace FC (CPFC), founded in 1905, played in Crystal Palace Park.

They were formed as a limited company. In this respect they followed in the footsteps of West Norwood FC (WNFC) who had incorporated in 1895. This coincided with WNFC taking out a six year lease at their new High View Park ground, which was located at the junction of York Road, Lansdown Hill and Canterbury Grove (so near the present day Royal Circus). The average crowd in the first half of the 1895/96 season was around 500 spectators. WNFC moved on to play at the Herne Hill cycle stadium in 1902. CPFC took over the use of this ground in 1915, with WNFC moving to Clapham Common and then Mitcham.

WNFC had been founded in 1887 under the name of Stanley FC. The club’s move to High View Park was another stage in their ascendancy of football’s hierarchy and their eventual admission to the Isthmian League in 1907.

One notable feature of the club in this period was their tours including ventures into Europe against clubs that are now famous names, and we will cover this period in the history of The Bantams in our next newsletter.

WNFC were dissolved in 1937, but today a new West Norwood FC  bears the same name. An FA Charter Standard Accredited Club, the Black and Blue Army now plays in the Championship of the Southern Sunday Football League - see our news item here.

Tom Fitchie (1881-1947) - West Norwood FC's Scottish international
Read more about Tom here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Fitchie