Olympic F.C. was an English

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club, originally from

Blackheath Blackheath may refer to: Places England *Blackheath, London, England ** Blackheath railway station **Hundred of Blackheath, Kent, an ancient hundred in the north west of the county of Kent, England *Blackheath, Surrey, England ** Hundred of Blackh ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

History

The club was founded in 1870 as the works side of Hitchcock, Williams & Co, textile manufacturers near

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

. The earliest record of any match played by the club is in October 1873. Although the club played a large number of matches throughout the late 1870s (for instance in 1877-78 the club had a record of 10 wins, 3 draws, and 5 defeats), the club did not enter the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

until 1881-82, losing to the

Old Harrovians The following is a list of some notable Old Harrovians, former pupils of Harrow School in the United Kingdom. Politicians, civil servants, and royalty Civil servants, intelligence officers, and police *Sir Alex Allan (born 1951), Chairman of ...

in the first round. Despite the lack of interest in the national competition, the club was a founder member of the

London Football Association The London Football Association (LFA) is the regional Football Association for inner areas of London. The London FA was established in 1882 and is affiliated to The Football Association. The London FA administers all levels of men's, women's and ...

in 1882. The club's only other entry to the Cup was the following year, when it lost to the United Hospitals club in the first round. Even when qualifying rounds were introduced in 1888-89 the club did not put in an entry. As the Olympic remained a works side, it could not compete at the top level of the game in the professional era, and it is unclear when the club disbanded. The club is listed as a London Football Association founder member in 1892 and played in the

London Senior Cup The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of Ar ...

until 1905–06. The club's biggest honour was winning the City of London Shield in 1898.

Grounds

The club originally played in Blackheath, using the Hare & Billett for its facilities. By 1881 it had moved its facilities to the Freemasons' Tavern in Romford Road,

Forest Gate Forest Gate is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross. The area's name relates to its position adjacent to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest. The town ...

, suggesting its regular pitch was in West Ham Park.

Colours

References

{{Reflist Defunct football clubs in England Defunct football clubs in London Association football clubs established in 1870