Halesowen Town Football Club is a football club based in Halesowen, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Grove Recreation Ground.

History

The club was believed to have been established around 1873, but recent research has suggested it was probably formed in 1877 under the name Halesowen Football Club. They played on three different pitches before moving to their present home, the Grove, ca. 1881. The team joined the Birmingham & District League in 1892, finishing bottom in their first season. They finished bottom of the league again in 1904–05 and were relegated to the Walsall & District League. After only one season, they returned to the Birmingham & District League in 1906. They finished bottom of the new league for the next two seasons and left after finishing second-from-bottom in 1913–14. The team then moved into the Birmingham Youth & Old Boys Football Association Suburban League Division One, an amateur league where youth football continued through the war.

Halesowen rejoined the Birmingham Combination in 1919 and were incorporated under the name Halesowen Town around 1926. They finished bottom of the league in 1926–27 but remained members of the competition until 1939. In 1946 they rejoined the Birmingham & District League and won their first-ever league title in 1946–47. In 1954 the league split into Northern and Southern divisions, with Halesowen placed in the Southern section. Further league reorganisation saw them become members of Division One the following season. In 1955–56 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 4–2 at home to Hendon in front of a record crowd of 5,000. In 1982–83 they were Premier Division champions, also reaching the FA Vase final, losing 1–0 to VS Rugby at Wembley. They went on to retain the title for the next three seasons, In 2024–25 the club finished fourth in the Premier Division Central, before losing 3–2 to AFC Telford United in the play-off semi-finals.

Ground

thumb|right|250px|The Grove

Halesowen played on at least three different grounds in the late 1870s before moving to the Stourbridge Road Ground, now known as the Grove, around 1881. The ground was used for cricket and was three-sided for many years. A small stand behind the top goals and a cricket pavilion were built in the 1920s. Before this, the players would change in the Waggon & Horses pub on Stourbridge Road. In 1934 another small wooden stand was constructed along the perimeter of the James Grove Button Factory. During the 1950s, the Shed end was constructed along with changing rooms, built on the site of the old cricket pavilion.

In the 1980s the three-sided ground was converted to four with the addition of uncovered terracing along the Recreation Park side. In 1987, the 420-seat Harry Rudge Stand was completed on the site of the 1930s wooden stand; it was extended in 1998 and again in 2000. The floodlights which the club won in 1983 lasted until 2001, when a new set were installed and officially inaugurated at a friendly match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Honours

  • Southern League
  • Midland Division champions 1989–90
  • Western Division champions 2001–02
  • Northern Premier League
  • Division One South champions 2013–14
  • West Midlands (Regional) League
  • Champions 1946–47, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86
  • FA Vase
  • Winners 1984–85, 1985–86
  • Birmingham Senior Cup
  • Winners 1983–84, 1997–98
  • Staffordshire Senior Cup
  • Winners 1988–89
  • Worcestershire Senior Cup
  • Winners 1951–52, 1961–62, 2001–02, 2004–05
  • Kidderminster & District Football Association Cup
  • Winners 1885–86, 1886–87
  • Dudley Guest Cup
  • Joint winners 1892–93

Records

  • Best FA Cup performance: First round, 1955–56, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 2004–05
  • Most appearances: Paul Joinson, 658
  • Most goals: Paul Joinson, 368