Stowmarket Town Football Club is a football club based in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Greens Meadow.
The club was founded as Stowmarket Association F.C. in 1883 by a merger of Stowmarket St Peter and Stowmarket Ironworks. Originally playing at the Cricket Meadow, their first match was against Needham Market School. The club were founder members of the Suffolk County Football Association in 1885. By the late 1800s the club had dropped the word "Association" from its name, which had originally been used to distinguish it from the local rugby club.
They joined the newly formed Ipswich & District League in 1896, and won the title in its first two seasons and again in 1899âÂÂ1900. In 1907 they won the Suffolk Junior Cup, beating Westbourne Mills 5âÂÂ1, and in 1909âÂÂ10 the club won the league again, with the reserve team winning the second division. They won the title again in 1921âÂÂ22, before transferring to the Essex & Suffolk Border League in 1925. In 1931 the club won the Suffolk Senior Cup for the first time, beating Sudbury Town 3âÂÂ1. They won it for a second time in 1933, beating Kirkley 5âÂÂ2, and again the following season, with a 3âÂÂ0 win over Bury Town.
At the end of the 1936âÂÂ37 season the club disbanded due financial difficulties. After World War II local club Stowupland Corinthians began playing at the Cricket Meadows, and joined the Border League in 1946. In the summer of 1947 the club's name was changed to Stowmarket Corinthians, and in August it was changed again to Stowmarket Town. After legal advice, it was changed for a third time, to Stowmarket F.C. Under the management of player-coach Jackie Little, The club won the Border League, the League Cup and the Suffolk Senior Cup in 1950âÂÂ51, beating Sudbury Town 2âÂÂ0 in front of 10,867 supporters in the final of the latter. The League Cup and the Senior Cup were won again in 1951âÂÂ52, and at the end of the season the club joined the Eastern Counties League.
In 1957âÂÂ58 they won the Senior Cup again, beating Newmarket Town 2âÂÂ0. They won the trophy for a sixth time in 1961âÂÂ62, beating Brantham Athletic 2âÂÂ0. The following year they entered the Suffolk Premier Cup and won it, beating Lowestoft Town 3âÂÂ0. A seventh success in the Senior Cup was achieved in 1965 with a 4âÂÂ0 win over Orwell Works, and the Premier Cup was won again in 1977 with a 2âÂÂ1 win over Sudbury Town after the original two-legged tie had ended level.
In 1983 they were renamed Stowmarket Town, and a year later moved to Greens Meadow. The club won the Premier Cup again in 1986, beating Lowestoft 1âÂÂ0, and in 1991, when Haverhill Rovers were beaten 3âÂÂ2 after extra time. At the end of the 2004âÂÂ05 season the club were relegated for the first time in their history, dropping into Division One, where they have remained since. After a hiatus of over forty years, the club won the Senior Cup again in 2006âÂÂ07, beating Grundisburgh 2âÂÂ1. In 2016âÂÂ17 season they were Division One champions and were promoted back to the Premier Division. In 2019âÂÂ20 the club were unbeaten 28 games into the league season, but the league was abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the end of the 2020âÂÂ21 season, which was also curtailed due to the pandemic, they were promoted to the North Division of the Isthmian League.
In 2023âÂÂ24 Stowmarket finished botton of the North Division and were relegated back to the Premier Division of the Eastern Counties League.