Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
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| Full name | Kidderminster Harriers Football Club |
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| Nickname(s) | Kiddy, Harriers, Carpetmen, The Reds |
| Founded | 1886 |
| Ground | Aggborough |
| Capacity | 6,444 (3,175 seated) |
| Chairman | Colin Gordon |
| Manager | John Eustace |
| League | National League North |
| 2015–16 | National League, 23rd (relegated) |
| Website | www |
Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The club participates in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football.
Formed in 1886, Kidderminster have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed. They are the only club from Worcestershire ever to have played in the Football League, competing from 2000 to 2005.
Kidderminster Harriers were formed in 1886 from a highly successful athletics and rugby union club that had existed since 1877. In July 1880 the Athletics club amalgamated with the local Clarence rugby club to become 'Kidderminster Harriers and Football Club'. Matches were played at White Wickets on the Franche Road in Kidderminster. 1885-6 was the last season played as a rugby club and the Harriers switched to Association rules for the next season.
Playing games at Chester Road (the current cricket ground) Harriers' first game was 18 September 1886, away to Wilden, winning 2–1. The town saw a rival team start up as Kidderminster Olympic in 1887, rapidly becoming one of the best sides in the area. In 1887–88 the club started playing its matches at Aggborough.
Both Olympic and Harriers were founder members of the Birmingham and District League in 1889, Olympic won the league in 1890, with Harriers runners-up. Both sides regularly attracted crowds of 2–4,000, with the local derbies seeing over 7,000 attending. Owing to their success soon after both Olympic and Harriers were subject to allegations of 'professionalism' and illegal payments to players, although the League Committee let off both clubs with a warning about future conduct.
In 1890 the two clubs amalgamated as Kidderminster FC on a full professional basis, the new club being admitted to the Midland League which had been formed in 1889. The club became the first from the town to enter the FA Cup and after winning 4 qualifying round games, reached the First Round Proper (last 32). They lost 3–1 away to Darwen but protested the result because of the poor state of the pitch. Their protest was upheld and the tie was replayed a week later, again at Darwen, where Darwen won 13–0. However the club found things difficult financially as a fully professional club, resigned from the league and were wound up in March 1891.
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