| Overview of the history of Leamington Football Club |
| Leamington's footballing history is known to date back as far as
1891. |
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| Early days |
War years |
Lockheed Borg & Beck |
| 1891-1937 |
1937-1944 |
1944-1965 |
| Playing as
Leamington Town between 1892 and 1937, the club regularly won various
local cups and in 1925-26 were champions of the Birmingham Combination. |
In 1937 Leamington
Town sold its Windmill Ground to Coventry City. Coventry used
the ground as the home for their "A" team,
who took Leamington Town's place in the Birmingham Combination at the
start of the 1937-38 season. Birmingham City FC played five "home"
games at the Windmill in 1939-40. The exiled Czech army, based in Leamington
during the war, played two international matches - against Belgium
and Norway - at our ground in 1941. |
Reforming in 1944 under the names of the two manufacturing giants
just across the Tachbrook Road from the ground, the club became Lockheed Leamington
in 1946. The nickname "the Brakes" comes from this relationship, Lockheed being
a major employer in the town and manufacturer of braking systems.
1961 saw the beginning of a successful era, with the club winning the
championship of the Birmingham & District (1962), West Midlands
Regional League (1963) and Midland Counties League (1965). |
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The 1949-50 Lockheed Leamington team |
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| Footballing zenith |
Decline and fall |
Renaissance |
| 70s and 80s |
80s and 90s |
2000 onward |
| Renamed AP Leamington (AP standing for Automotive Products, into which Lockheed
and Borg & Beck had been merged), the club enjoyed its most
successful run between 1973 and 1984. Perhaps the best achievement
was winning the Southern League Premier Division title in 1983.
Promotion was denied as the Windmill Ground was deemed not to be
up to Alliance Premier League Standard.
Kidderminster Harriers were promoted in Leamington's place and
of course have hardly looked back since.
The Brakes also reached the FA Cup Second Round proper twice during
this period. |
With
the AP company in decline, the club became just Leamington FC in 1985.
Relegation from the Southern League Midland Division came in 1987 as
things went badly awry. Leamington resigned from the Midland Combination
at the end of the 1987-88 season, having lost the Windmill Ground to
the developers. The old stadium is now a housing estate and AP is less
than a shadow of its former self. Twelve years of non-footballing exile followed. But the club was not yet dead. |
Held
together by a group of committed individuals, the club acquired the
land that is now the New Windmill Ground and began work to become
re-established as a football club. Leamington FC finally returned to action
in season 2000-01 in the Midland Combination Second Division and
has since enjoyed an unbroken run of success and growth. Long may
it continue. |
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The Brakes are back in business: 2000-1 saw Leamington playing football again |
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| Articles on Brakes history |
For articles on the club,
players, supporters and events of years gone by, click on Articles.
Can you help? We would like to build up this section of the site. If
you have any stories, photographs, press clippings, programmes or other
knowledge of our past, please email
the webmaster. |
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