Rayleigh Town can trace its history back to 1897 with a team called Rayleigh Star and after several changes the current name of Rayleigh Town was adopted in 1946

The Club’s home ground throughout the 50s and 60s was at King Georges public park off Rayleigh high street

The Club leased an 11-acre site from the Council in 1970 and developed its own pitches and clubhouse over a two-year period – without any external funding, at that time the Club had three teams in the now defunct Southend & District League

The First and Reserve teams joined the Essex Olympian League in 1976 and have been reasonably successful in the intervening years
The First Team winning the Premier Div six times, the Senior Cup on three occasions, and the prestigious Essex Premier Cup on four occasions

In 2024 this ambitious club broke a 23-year barren spell without silverware when they won the BBC Essex Saturday Premier cup and were crowned champions of the Essex Olympian League for a seventh time and with it promotion into the Thurlow Nunn first division south, Step 6 of the national non-league pyramid enabled by the club’s agreement to play its home games at Concord Rangers Thames Road home

Rayleigh’s first season as a step 6 club was a huge success they finished 4th in the Thurlow Nunn first division south, thus making the playoffs eventually losing 2-0 in the final, made the 2nd round proper of the FA Vase, the 4th round of the Essex senior cup, and the 3rd round of the league cup

Rayleigh’s second season at step 6 was another successful season although they exited the FA Vase at the first time of asking, they had good runs in the Essex senior cup and the Thurlow Nunn league cup and again finished 4th in Thurlow Nunn first division south making the play offs for a second consecutive season this time losing 4-2 after extra time away at Clapton in the play off final

This season will see the club playing their home games at the Len Salmon Stadium home to Bowers & Pitsea F.C. as the next chapter begins…

Records: -
FA Vase 2nd round season 2024/25
Essex Senior cup 4th round season 2024/25
Eastern Counties League Cup 4th round season 2025/26
Highest League position 4th Eastern Counties League first division south 2024/25 & 2025/26
Record attendance 226 v AS London 06/05/2025

Rayleigh Town Fc