Maccabi London Lions Football Club is a football club based in Barnet, London, England. The Saturday team of the Maccabi London Lions football club are currently members of the and play at Rowley Lane in Arkley.
The club was established as MALEX in 1995 by Maccabi Association London who were seeking a new challenge beyond Sunday league football. The new club joined Division One of the Hertfordshire Senior County League. In 1999 they were renamed London Lions, but remained an all-Jewish club. Their first season under the new name saw them win the Division One title, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 2006âÂÂ07 the club won the Herts Senior Centenary Trophy, beating Metropolitan Police in the final.
Maccabi London Lions were Premier Division runners-up in 2008âÂÂ09 and went on to win the league in 2009âÂÂ10, resulting in promotion to Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League. They won the Herts Senior Centenary Trophy for a second time the following season with a 3âÂÂ2 win over Letchworth Garden City Eagles in the final. In 2012âÂÂ13 the club won the Division One title, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division. However, they finished bottom of the Premier Division the following season and were relegated back to Division One.
After finishing seventeenth in Division One in 2014âÂÂ15, Maccabi London Lions dropped back into the Premier Division of the Hertfordshire Senior County League. Renamed Maccabi London Lions, they won the Anagram Records Trophy in 2015âÂÂ16. The following season saw the club win the Herts Senior Centenary Trophy, the league's Aubrey Cup and the Premier Division title, resulting in promotion back to Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League. In 2017âÂÂ18 the club won the Division One Cup with a 3âÂÂ1 win over Southall in the final. The following season saw them win the Herts Senior Centenary Trophy, defeating Belstone 5âÂÂ1 in the final. Following the curtailment of the 2020âÂÂ21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club won the Spring Cup, an emergency competition organised by the league.
At the end of the 2020âÂÂ21 season Maccabi London Lions were transferred to Division One of the Combined Counties League, which the club won at the first attempt to earn promotion to the Premier North Division; later completing a double by winning the Division One Challenge Cup. They were transferred back to the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League for the 2023âÂÂ24 season. In 2024âÂÂ25 the club finished fourth in the Premier Division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Cockfosters on penalties in the semi-finals, they defeated Wormley Rovers on penalties in the final to secure promotion to Division One Central of the Southern League.
The club were initially based at the International University in Bushey before moving several times and playing at grounds including the Copthall Stadium in Hendon and the Gosling Stadium. In 2002 they relocated to Rowley Lane in Arkley. However, when the club were promoted to the Spartan South Midlands League in 2010, they were required to groundshare at St Albans City, Broxbourne Borough and Hemel Hempstead Town as Rowley Lane did not have floodlights or a stand. In 2015 the club returned to Rowley Lane after floodlights were installed and the Alan Mattey Stand erected, named after a former player who died in 2006.