A local football club is set to move grounds. 

 As of the end of this football season, Kingstonian Football Club (FC) will no longer be ground-sharing at Grand Drive, the home of Raynes Park Vale FC.

As the club's two year agreement as tenants at Grand Drive draws to a conclusion, the Kingstonian Board of Directors have announced that, subject to the normal Isthmian League approval, they have signed a two season ground share deal with an option of a third season to play its football on the "fantastic" 3G pitch at the Robert Parker Stadium, home of our friends Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC.

Speaking about the move, Kingstonian FC's Chairman, George, said:"Firstly, I'd like to thank John Scales, Bob Finch, Bill Pollard, Marc Skinner, Danny Hamer and all the staff and match day volunteers at Raynes Park Vale FC immensely for hosting us over these last two seasons. 

"I'll always appreciate them giving us a home, and I would like to wish all at RPV all the best for the future.

"We are very much looking forward to calling the "RPS" our home and playing our football on the fantastic recently installed EG pitch, it's been an absolute pleasure to deal with Nick Bailey, Dave Sampson and Liam Balmer at Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC, who have all been so helpful and welcoming during the four games we've had to play at the RPS this season.

"Finally, whilst I appreciate the distance for some of our supporters is not ideal, the club will be making arrangements to assist and help to get as many supporters as possible to the RPS, details will be announced in the off-season.

"In the meantime, I would like to urge all our supporters to get behind Scott, Tom and the team for the remainder of the current season. COYK's."

advertisement

Kingstonian FC previously played at Kingsmeadow in Kingston before it was sold to Chelsea Women's in 2015.

Chelsea Women's now trains at Kingsmeadow (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), former Kingston councillor and owner of Banquet Records, Jon Tolley, said that he "won't ever understand why the club [Kingstonian FC] Didn't ever seriously consider the athletics stadium in which there is already a football pitch [but we are where are, Kingstonian decided to move out of Kingston". 

He continued: "The problems with Kingstonian FC have been existential now for over a decade, but I think with the recent announcement of a move to Ashford, the problem is now terminal.

"I always said that if Kingstonian gave up its biggest asset, which is to be Kingston Town's football club, then something else would fill the space, something else would fill the vacuum. 

"Well, that vacuum is being filled, and it's not far from here, Richmond Road, which is the spiritual home of Kingstonian, where they played right through the 1900s to 1980s."

However, Tolley added, "I remain a fan of Kingstonian but think the move to Ashford is terminal for the club. Meanwhile a new Kingston based football club has been formed."

Kingstonian FC history

The early precursors to Kingstonian FC played home matches at various locations around the town including Oil Mill Lane (now Villiers Road) and Fairfield Recreation Ground, near Kingston town centre. 

In 1891, the club participated in a tournament at the rugby club ground in Richmond Road, later to become its home.

In 1898, Kingstonian FC moved to its first private enclosed ground at Dinton Road, next to Kingston Barracks, before moving again at the turn of the century to Lower Marsh Lane in 1902, specifically to part of the rugby ground in Richmond Road. 

The split in 1908–09 between Kingston upon Thames AFC and Old Kingstonians led to the breakaway group Old Kingstonians playing at Norbiton Sports Ground with Kingston upon Thames AFC remaining at Richmond Road. 

Reunited after World War I, the club continued to play at Richmond Road but, in 1920, the site's owners, the Dysarts, leased the site to Leyland Motors, then establishing a factory base at nearby Ham. 

The club managed to negotiate a ground-sharing arrangement and was eventually able to buy the land, but the issue impacted its performance.

Kingstonian FC remained at Richmond Road for most of the 20th century, it thus being referred to as the club's 'traditional home'. 

The club's record home attendance of 8,960 was attained there in 1955 in a match against Bishop Auckland. 

The maintenance of the site increasingly became more than the club's income could support and parts of the site were sold off for redevelopment; the 'Kingstonian petrol station' occupying much of the Richmond Road frontage since 1956, and the former running track and reserve pitch redeveloped for housing in the 1970s. 

The club eventually sold the site and moved out of Richmond Road in 1988. The stadium was demolished after 1989 and the remainder of the site redeveloped for housing.

After a season and a half ground-sharing at Hampton F's Beveree ground, Kingstonian FC opened its new Kingsmeadow Stadium (on the site of the old Norbiton Sports Ground owned by Kingston Council) in August 1989. 

The club then entered administration to avoid bankruptcy and lost the Kingsmeadow lease in October 2001. 

It was assigned in April 2002 by the administrators to a property developer, Rajesh Khosla, who was also by then owner of the club. 

The fans of AFC Wimbledon, who at that point were already sub-tenants at Kingsmeadow, raised £2.4 million to enable the club to buy the lease from Khosla in June 2003, with a view to making Kingsmeadow its home in the short term until its intended move to a site in Wimbledon became more feasible for it. 

Thus, Kingstonian FC secured a financially favourable 25-year sub-tenancy agreement with AFC Wimbledon, with customary break clauses. 

The clubs operated a ground-sharing arrangement, with Kingstonian FC receiving preferentially cheap rental terms.

In 2015, AFC Wimbledon sold Kingsmeadow to Chelsea to help finance its plans to move back to a new stadium in Wimbledon. 

Chelsea's intention was to use Kingsmeadow as a base for its own youth and women's teams, and was unwilling to accommodate Kingstonian FC. 

The sale proved detrimental to Kingstonian FC as it was unable to play in a ground where the new owners did not want it, and so the club was forced to relocate as a result, starting a groundshare with Leatherhead F.C. at its ground at Fetcham Grove for the 2017–18 season.

The following season, Kingstonian FC moved again to King George's Field in Tolworth, sharing with Corinthian-Casuals.

The club then reached agreement with Tooting & Mitcham United to play at its Imperial Fields stadium for the 2022–23 season.

However, in February 2024 it was announced that, starting with the 2024/25 season, Kingstonian FC would be groundsharing with Raynes Park Vale at Prince George's Playing Fields, Grand Drive for at least two seasons.