Bearsted F.C.
Association football club in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bearsted Football Club is a football club located in Bearsted, near Maidstone, in Kent, England. The club are currently members of the Southern Counties East League Premier Division and play at Honey Lane in Otham.
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| Full name | Bearsted Football Club | ||
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| Nickname | The Bears | ||
| Founded | 1895 | ||
| Ground | Honey Lane, Otham | ||
| Chairman | Jamie Houston | ||
| Manager | Kevin Stevens | ||
| League | Southern Counties East League Premier Division | ||
| 2025–26 | Southern Counties East League Premier Division, 6th of 19 | ||
| Website | https://www.bearstedfc.co.uk | ||
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History
Bearsted Football Club was formed in 1895, and later became members of the Maidstone & District League.[1] They won Division Six in 1961–62, before starting a successful spell in the mid-1970s that saw them win Division Three in 1973–74, Division Two the following season and Division One in 1977–78, before claiming consecutive Premier Division titles in 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1980–82.[1]
After their third title, Bearsted moved up to the Kent County League, entering Division Two of the Western Section.[2] They won the division at the first attempt, earning promotion to Division One, which they also won in their first season in the division.[2] The next two seasons saw them finish as runners-up, before they won the Premier Division in 1986–87, earning promotion to the Senior Division.[3] Their first season in the Senior Division saw them become league champions.[3]
Following league restructuring in 1992, Bearsted were placed in Division One (West).[4] After finishing as runners-up in 1995–96, they won the division in 1996–97, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[4] They finished as runners-up in 1999–2000, before winning back-to-back league titles in 2000–01 and 2001–02.[5] After finishing eighth in 2010–11, the club became founder members of the Kent Invicta League in 2011.[6] The 2014–15 season saw them finish as runners-up, and they went on to win the league title and the Challenge Shield in 2015–16,[6] earning promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern Counties East League, which the Kent Invicta League had merged into.
Ground
Honours
- Kent Invicta League
- Champions 2015–16
- Challenge Shield winners 2015–16
- Kent County League
- Premier Division champions 2000–01, 2001–02
- Division One (West) champions 1996–97
- Division One (West) Challenge Cup winners 1992–93
- West Section Senior Division champions 1987–88
- West Section Premier Division champions 1986–87
- West Section Division One champions 1983–84
- West Section Division Two champions 1982–83
- West Section Senior Division Challenge Cup winners 1987–88
- Maidstone & District League
- Premier Division champions 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82
- Division One champions 1977–78
- Division Two champions 1974–75
- Division Three champions 1973–74
- Division Six champions 1961–62
- Inter Regional Challenge Cup
- Winners 1990–91, 1993–94, 1996–97