Raynes Park Vale F.C.
Raynes Park Vale Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Raynes Park in the London Borough of Merton, England. The club is affiliated to the Surrey County Football Association and is a FA Charter Standard Club. They play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South and play their home games at Prince George’s Playing Fields, Grand Drive.
Southern Railway Football Section (1925-1963)
The first notable prominence of the football club in the Raynes Park community was as early as 1925 when Southern Railways Football Section was formed. The club was originally based at Raynes Park Sports Ground, Taunton Avenue, which is less than a mile away from the current club’s home. The club played in the Surrey Senior League and were a part of a notable tour to Belgium to play fixtures against Ostend V.G. Club & Bruge FC in 1925. Sadly little is known about these sides other than Railway had success in the 1932/33 Middlesex League and were also double winners in 1936, taking home both the Railway Athletic Association Cup and the Southern Railway Orphanage Cup. The Southern Railway Team unfortunately fell victim to the notorious 1963 Beeching spending cuts, a national review into modernising the UK’s railways. Southern Railways 1950’s home kit was Gold and Green quarters, the company colours.
Raynes Park Football Club (1964-1995)
Southern Railway Football Section eventually reformed a year following Southern Railway’s deformation in 1964 as Raynes Park Football Club, also based at Taunton Avenue, SW20. Raynes Park FC home shirt colours were Red and Black stripes (similar to AC Milan) and specific testament to this was made by the newly formed Raynes Park Vale in the 20/21 season where they played their home games in Red & Black Stripes for the first time since their formation in 1995 . Raynes Park FC’s alternative kit at the time was light blue shirts and white shorts. Raynes Park FC ran five senior teams on Saturday’s, of which, the 1st and 2nd XI’s played in the Surrey Premier League whilst the 3rd team played in the Surrey South Eastern Combination while the 4ths and 5ths played in the Kingston & District League. They also ran an over 35’s team and youth teams aged 14 to 18.
Source: Former RPV FC President, Robert Hallett Senior, who was instrumental in the formation of both the Raynes Park and Raynes Park Vale football clubs.
Malden Vale (1967-1995)
Malden Vale FC was founded in 1967 by the then Chairman Stephen Pearce. They spent their first decade of existence playing in the North Surrey Youth League, the Sunday Sportsman League, South Thameside League & the Surrey Combination League. Malden Vale won a total of 37 honours at junior & intermediate level. Malden Vale gained senior status in the 1977-78 season and was duly elected to the Surrey Senior League. Malden Vale have the honour of being the last ever winners of the Surrey Senior League in 1978 before the league vanished in a reorganisation and emerged as the London Spartan League. The following season the league changed its name to the Home Counties League. After one season in the newly named league, Malden Vale applied to join the London Spartan League a league in which they finished 4th twice and 2nd twice, most disappointingly in 1984, when they lost out on the title to Hanwell Town on goal difference. Vale then left for the Combined Counties first incarnation and at the first attempt, won the title. The only league title on either side’s resume. Ten seasons later in the 1988-89 season Malden Vale finished runners-up to BAE Weybridge in the Dan Air League and was promoted to the Diadora League Division 2 South. All of the club’s members worked extremely hard to gain C Grade status for entry into the league. The club survived for 5 seasons in the Diadora Isthmian League. At the end of the successful 1993-94 season, managers Mick Brown & Ged Murphy left the club to join Hendon. Unfortunately many of the players followed them and Malden Vale finished bottom of the table the following season.
