Falmouth Town Association Football Club is a football club based in Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom. They are currently members of the and play at Bickland Park. The club were the first Cornish team to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup, which they have done on three occasions; 1962âÂÂ63, 1967âÂÂ68 and 1969âÂÂ70.
The club was established in 1949 and joined the Cornwall Senior League for the 1950âÂÂ51 season. In 1951 they were founder members of the South Western League. They finished bottom of the league in 1952âÂÂ53 and again in 1954âÂÂ55, but won their first trophy in 1957âÂÂ58, beating Newquay 1âÂÂ0 in the League Cup final. They were league runners-up the following season, also retaining the League Cup with a 6âÂÂ3 win over Truro City in the final. In 1961âÂÂ62 they won the league for the first time, also winning the League Cup and the Cornwall Senior Cup, thrashing St Blazey 7âÂÂ1 in the Senior Cup final. The following season saw them become the first club from Cornwall to reach the first round of the FA Cup, winning through four qualifying rounds before eventually losing 2âÂÂ1 at home to Fourth Division Oxford United in front of a record crowd of 8,000. In 1964âÂÂ65 the club missed out on a second league title by one point after being deducted two points. However, they won the league the following season.
In 1967âÂÂ68 Falmouth reached the first round of the FA Cup for a second time, this time losing 5âÂÂ2 at Third Division Peterborough United. The season also saw them win the South Western League title for a third time. Another appearance in the first round in 1969âÂÂ70 resulted in another defeat to Peterborough, this time losing 4âÂÂ1 at home. The club went on to win the four consecutive South Western League titles between 1970âÂÂ71 and 1973âÂÂ74, also winning the League Cup and Cornwall Senior Cup in 1970âÂÂ71, a season in which they remained unbeaten in all three competitions; over the next three seasons they only lost five league matches. Their dominance in local football led the club to move up to the Western League in 1974. The club's first season in the league saw them win the league and League Cup double without losing a game. They then won the league for the next three seasons, marking eight consecutive league titles. This included a 58-match unbeaten stretch in the league that saw them go unbeaten in the Western League until January 1976.
In 1978âÂÂ79 Falmouth finished eighth in the Western League and the following season saw them finish in the bottom half. In 1983 the club withdrew from the league due to increased travelling costs. However, an application to rejoin the South Western League was rejected and they dropped into the Cornwall Combination. After winning the Combination at the first attempt, they were allowed to rejoin the South Western League. The club went on to win back-to-back league titles in 1985âÂÂ86 and 1986âÂÂ87 and again in 1988âÂÂ89 and 1989âÂÂ90. Further league titles followed in 1991âÂÂ92, 1996âÂÂ97 and 1999âÂÂ2000. When the South Western League merged with the Devon County League to form the South West Peninsula League in 2007, the club were placed in the Premier Division of the new league. In 2017âÂÂ18 they won the League Cup, beating Tavistock 4âÂÂ2 after extra time in the final. At the start of the following season the club won the league's Charity Bowl with a 2âÂÂ1 win over Plymouth Parkway.
Following league reorganisation at the end of the 2018âÂÂ19 season, Falmouth were placed in the Premier Division West. In 2021âÂÂ22 they won the Cornwall Senior Cup and were Premier Division West champions. This earned promotion to the Premier Division of the Western League after a forty-year absence. In 2023âÂÂ24 they won the Cornwall Senior Cup again, and were Premier Division runners-up to Helston Athletic, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Barnstaple Town 3âÂÂ1 in the semi-finals, Falmouth defeated Clevedon Town 2âÂÂ0 in the final to secure promotion to Division One South of the Southern League for the first time in their history.
The club initially played at the Recreation Ground, before moving to Union Corner when they joined the South Western League. Over 1,200 spectators attended the club's first South Western League match on 18 August 1951, the game ending in a 3âÂÂ3 draw. The ground was a farmer's field with players initially having to change in a nearby YMCA and then travel to the ground by bus. Shortly afterwards the club bought two fields at Ashfield, where a new ground was built. However, this was soon sold to Shell-Mex & BP for ã20,000, with the club moving back to Union Corner for a season in 1956. The money allowed them to build a new ground at Bickland Park, which opened in August 1957 with Newquay the first visitors. In the early 1960s the club played a home game at Falmouth Docks' Mongleath/Boslowick as Bickland Park was being used for a Cornwall FA match.
Bickland Park has covered stands on all four sides of the ground, with the main stand on one side of the pitch set into banking. The other three sides of the ground have covered standing areas. Floodlights were installed in 1973, although their first use was on 10 April 1974 for a match against Porthleven.