Clapham Rovers
| Full name | Clapham Rovers Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rovers |
| Founded | 10 August 1869 |
| Dissolved | c. 1911 |
| Ground |
Clapham Common, Tooting Bec Common, Wandsworth Common |
Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club played variously on Clapham Common, Tooting Bec Common and Wandsworth Common and wore a cerise and French-grey kit.
The club was formed on 10 August 1869 by a meeting arranged by W. E. Rawlinson, who, on the formation of the club, was elected honorary secretary. At this very first meeting it was agreed to play under both codes, with Association rules to be played one week, and Rugby the other. This peculiar feature in the constitution of the club obtained for the club the sobriquet of the "Hybrid Club". The first match was played on 25 September 1869, against the Wanderers, at that time arguably the strongest Association club. Despite the prowess of their opponents The Rovers won by one goal to nil. The Rovers were equally successful under Rugby rules, and such was their gathering reputation by January 1870, they had sufficient membership to enable the club to play two matches every Saturday, one under each code. At the close of the 1870 season only two matches had been lost, one under each rules, and in both instances the return match was won, (under Rugby rules, with the Marlborough Nomads; under Association, with Charterhouse School).
Clapham Rovers were one of the fifteen teams to play in the very first edition of the FA Cup, in 1871–72. The first ever FA Cup goal was scored by Clapham Rovers' Jarvis Kenrick, in a 3–0 victory over Upton Park on 11 November 1871.
Rovers greatest achievement was winning the FA Cup in 1879–80 with a 1–0 win over Oxford University at The Kennington Oval. Their 1880 FA Cup winning team was as follows:
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