FC Elmstead is a Football Club based in London, specifically located at the Lower Road Ground in Hextable, Kent. The club was founded in 1958 under the name Elmstead Rovers before changing to FC Elmstead in 1964. It started with just one adult team, but quickly grew to include reserve teams and a junior section.
Throughout its history, FC Elmstead has seen success and expansion. In the 1970s, the adult section of the club had expanded to eight teams, playing under various names such as Elmstead Rovers, Strollers, or FC Elmstead. The junior section, known as Elmstead Colts, also expanded to field 12 teams in the Mercury Junior Football Leagues.
In the 2014/2015 season, FC Elmstead was the runners-up in the Kent County League (West) Division 2, earning promotion to the Kent Invicta League for the following season. This marked their entry into senior football. They secured 50 points from 38 games and finished 11th in a 20-team league.
The following season, the Kent Invicta League merged with the Southern Counties East Football League (SCEFL). FC Elmstead was placed in the First Division, with a top Division above it. Despite being a newly promoted team, they once again finished 11th in the league and achieved success in the FA Vase and London Senior Trophy competitions.
Although the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons were unfortunately left unfinished due to the Covid pandemic, FC Elmstead managed to win the London Senior Trophy at the end of the 2020/21 season, defeating Forest Hill Park 2-1 in the final.
In the 2021/22 season, FC Elmstead finished in 11th place again, but showed improvement by securing 7th place in the following season, 2022/23, under the leadership of Manager Peter Nolan.
In addition to the first team, FC Elmstead runs three other adult teams in the Kent County and Metropolitan Sunday leagues. The club also boasts youth teams at various age groups, participating in the Selkent or Tandridge junior leagues. Each week, around 60 adults and 150 young footballers from the local community actively engage in these football activities.
To meet league regulations, FC Elmstead's first team currently plays at FC Sutton Athletic's ground, which has floodlights. However, their main ground is Walden Recreation Ground in Chislehurst. The club's colours have evolved over time, with scarlet and sky blue being the current colours, while the original colours were claret and sky blue.