Marlow Football Club is a football club based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Alfred Davis Memorial Ground. Marlow are the only football club in England to have applied for entry into the FA Cup every season since its inception in 1871.
The club was formed at a meeting at the Compleat Angler Hotel on 22 November 1870. In 1871âÂÂ72 they competed in the first edition of the FA Cup, losing 2âÂÂ0 to Maidenhead in the first round; one of their players was Cuthbert Ottoway, who went on to captain England in their match against Scotland the following year, the first-ever recognised football international. Another early player, and club captain in the 1870s, Sydney Wright, refereed the 1877 FA Cup final. In 1881âÂÂ82 the club reached the FA Cup semi-finals, losing 5âÂÂ0 to Old Etonians. During the 1890s the club was also known as Great Marlow. They joined the Western Section of the Spartan League in 1908. However, the club resigned midway through the 1910âÂÂ11 season.
Marlow joined the Great Western Suburban League for the 1911âÂÂ12 season. They finished bottom of the league in 1912âÂÂ13 following a points deduction, and again in 1922âÂÂ23. In 1924 they left the league, dropping into the Reading & District League. After moving to the Alfred Davis Memorial Ground in 1928, the club joined Division Two West of the Spartan League. They won the division in 1929âÂÂ30, earning promotion to Division One. In 1937âÂÂ38 the club were Division One champions and were promoted to the Premier Division. During World War II the club played in the Great Western Combination. After the war they were placed in the Western Division of the Spartan League for the 1945âÂÂ46 season, but did not finish high enough to earn a place in the Premier Division the following season.
In 1951 Marlow returned to the Spartan League's Premier Division, where they remained until joining Division Two of the Athenian League in 1965. The club were promoted to Division One after finishing third in the division in 1970âÂÂ71. When the Athenian League was disbanded in 1984, they joined Division Two North of the Isthmian League. The club were transferred to Division Two South the following season, and in 1986âÂÂ87 they finished second and were promoted to Division One. The following season saw them win the Division One title, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 1991âÂÂ92 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1892, but lost 6âÂÂ0 to West Bromwich Albion.
The following season saw Marlow reach the third round of the FA Cup after beating Salisbury and VS Rugby in the first two rounds. They were drawn at home to Tottenham, but the match was switched to White Hart Lane, where they lost 5âÂÂ1. Two seasons later they reached the third round again, defeating Oxford United in the first round, before losing 2âÂÂ0 at Swindon Town in the third. The club remained in the Isthmian League's Premier Division until being relegated at the end of the 1994âÂÂ95 season. Two seasons later they were relegated again. In 2004 they were transferred to Division One West of the Southern League, and were later transferred to Division One Central. In 2011âÂÂ12 the club finished bottom of Division One Central of the Southern League and were relegated to the Premier Division of the Hellenic League.
Marlow won the Hellenic League Premier Division at the first attempt, earning promotion back to Division One Central of the Southern League. They were subsequently transferred to Division One South & West for the 2015âÂÂ16 season, before returning to Division One Central the following year. In 2016âÂÂ17 the club finished fourth in Division One Central, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, going on to lose 2âÂÂ0 to Barton Rovers in the semi-finals. At the end of the 2017âÂÂ18 season the club were transferred to the South Central Division of the Isthmian League. In 2023âÂÂ24 they were runners-up in the South Central Division, before beating Westfield 3âÂÂ2 the play-off semi-finals and then winning the final against Leatherhead 3âÂÂ1 to earn promotion to the Premier Division South of the Southern League.
In 2024âÂÂ25 Marlow finished bottom of the Premier Division South and were relegated to Division One Central.
The club played at Aldermeadow until 1898, when they moved to Crown Meadow, now known as the Riley Recreational Ground. They were forced to relocate to Star Meadow in 1919; the ground was unenclosed and the club had to eventually drop into the Reading & District League. In 1928 they moved to the Alfred Davis Memorial Ground, named after their long-serving secretary who had died in 1924. A wooden grandstand was built on one side of the pitch in 1930, with a covered area erected on the Green Verges side in 1950. The Green Verges stand was replaced during the 1990s. Terracing was installed on all four sides in 1985, and another covered stand was built at the Trinity End in 1991.