Sutton United Football Club was founded in 1947 by three young men recently demobbed from the RAF. Frank White, Ken Smith and Bill Walker. After returning home at the end of the conflict of World War II they asked Squadron 495 to form an amateur football club, this wasa greed and Sutton United was born – using a small monetary gift from the ATC- with Frank as Chairman, Ken as Treasurer and Bill as Secretary.The team started out playing in a field on Cows Lane, Wylde Green, using the trees to change under and a nearby stream to wash in. Green shirts became the team’s colours after they were donated by the ATC along with a blue goalkeepers jersey. After a couple of years, with the help of cash from subscriptions and popular social events, the club purchased a wooden shed to use as a changing room.The only kit supplied was the shirt that players kept and washed themselves. This resulted in teams having players in various shades of green depending on how long they had been with the club. Socks and shorts had to be purchased by the individual player and teams invariably sported a mixture of styles of green and white.
Eventually a pitch was found on land belonging to James Booth in Penns Lane which had changing rooms in an old railway truck, but still no running water. This was used for 2-3 years until Sutton Town Council provided the club with a pitch at Rectory Park. By this time Frank White was the only one of the original three founders left – but Sutton United now had two teams and was growing stronger.Initially games at Rectory Park involved changing in a scout hut in nearby Broomie Close, but then the Council built a very small and basic changing room block for the four pitches in the park; but still without showers or washing facilities – just one metal sink to be shared by everyone with only cold water.Sutton United A team was in Division 2, the B team in combined Division 3 and the C team,formed in 1964, played at Walmley. In 1964 the Annual Membership was 5 shillings (25p) and match subs 2 shillings (10p). There was a steep rise in 1966 when Annual Membership actually doubled.
During the late 1960’s club members installed a single electric shower in the dressing rooms. This was part of an effort to secure promotion to Division 1. Perhaps one of the abiding memories of this period is the socialising after the game on Saturday. This often involved players catching a bus home (often unwashed and mud covered). Meeting their girlfriends or wives and rushing to the cinema to try and get in before it closed.The 1970’s was a decade of change for Sutton United. The teams had been strengthened by excellent players joining from rivals Sutton British Legion FC. But it was not until 1974 that the club finally achieved promotion to the Premier Division – having missed out previously because of inadequate facilities in Rectory Park.The first major success came with the Senior Cup in 1974/75 when Sutton beat the mighty Old Wulfs 4-3 after extra time. The second team were promoted to Division 2 in 1976/77 after winning Division 3 (scoring 105 goals in 24 games). In 1976 a fourth team was found to play in Division 6 and the first Veterans team was formed to play friendly games.Due to inadequate facilities in Rectory Park, a determined effort was made to find new grounds.
Sutton Rugby Club were looking to improve their facilities and moved to Walmley Road, an agreement was reached in 1977 to sell United Hollyfield Rd for £5000. Quick renovations to make it habitable resulted in a comfortable clubhouse and bar. The majority of this work was carried out by members and friends.The start of the 1980’s saw all of the good work of the club come to fruition as Sutton United landed its first Premier League title in the 1982/83 season. Two more Premier League titles were to follow along with four more league championships and fourteen cup wins establishing Sutton United as the club to beat.At one memorable AFA dinner in the 1980’s, a total of 63 club members attended and carried off almost half the trophies on offer. In 1989 Frank White stepped down as chairman after 42 years of sterling service and Rob Mansell took the reins.
The nineties were a quiet decade with regard to the championships although the first team finished runners up on seven separate occasions – but it was a great cup-winning period. The trophy cabinet was kept busy as the club landed two Senior Cups, the Junior Cup, two Minor Cups,five Holder Cups, the Youth Cup and a Veterans Cup. Sutton United were also the first AFA team to reach the finals of the Birmingham County Junior Cup – but unfortunately lost 3-1 to Triumph Athletic in the final. Another momentous development for the club occurred in the mid 90’s when Sutton United Juniors were founded. In the five years to the end of the decade rapid growth saw the Juniors fielding ten teams. Off the field, money was raised to build changing room extensions, a garage and new showers. The club also managed to buy a 125 year lease for the Paddock.
In 1997 Rob Mansell stepped down as Chairman and Steve Hughes became the third individual to take the demanding role. The new century saw progress continue apace. The clubhouse benefited from a substantial renovation programme thanks to massive fundraising effort while the pitches saw improved drainage and surfaces. The car park was resurfaced and a new patio built. The club also introduced a new policy for all teams to wear the same kit design – so that everyone from the Under 6’s to the First Team played in the same strip.Following successful club tours in the 1990’s to Dusseldorf the new century saw trips to Holland and Germany where new friends were made. The First Team won the Premier League title in 2006/07 after a gap of 23 years and also landed the HS shield. The Second Team enjoyed a successful period winning four cups including the Bill Hill Cup three years in a row. The Third Team won the Minor Cup three times while the Fourth and Fifth teams won the Holder Cup four times in six years. The youth team won the AFA Youth Cup twice. The club’s Junior Teams also covered themselves in glory winning multiple league titles and cups.In 2007 Sutton United and Sutton United Juniors became one, while Steve Hughes retired as Chairman and Mike Long became the fourth man to hold the role. Sutton United sadly lost their founder and Life President Frank White in 2008.
John Potter, a long established and respected member, was given the honor of becoming our new Life President,as well as being bestowed the honor of becoming a Life Member. Another much respected and established club member Brian Dunn became a Life Member, having joined Sutton United in 1952. In 2009 Sutton Girls Football club, founded in 2002, merged with Sutton United. The four teams in the Central Warwickshire League boosted the club’s total number of sides to 24 as membership pushed past 350. In 2009 more than £120,000 was raised to finance the development of the clubhouse and changing rooms. The work was undertaken during the summer of 2010 with everything completed before the start of the season and the new clubhouse was named in memory of Frank White. Having been crowned Premier League champions for three consecutive years United decided to enter their First team into the Midland Football league in 2013. After five top 10 finishes, the end of seasons 2016/2017 saw a loss of several key players and the club took the decision to begin our rebuild back in the Birmingham AFA which had been re-named the Birmingham Football league. Mike Long stood down in 2017 and our current Chairman Pete Lugg became Sutton United’s fifth person to run which is now a very big ship.
We are currently a Charter standard club consisting of 35 teams, our home is still here at Rectory road and we have a second site at the bottom of Coleshill road. The history of Sutton United is a story of commitment, endeavour, enterprise and above all hard work. New chapters will be written but these traditional values remain at the heart of a thriving club where members old and new continue to make vital contribution to its future.
In 2016, Sutton United acquired a playing facility at Coleshill rd. Less than half a mile from the original Hollyfield Rd facility. Having used it for 4 years, the plans for the 3G playing facility with stands & floodlights were submitted. In 2020, the council gave SUFC the green light. Current club chairman, Pete Lugg invested circa £1.1 million pounds into the club to fund the development. This looked to be completed at the end of 2022. The future of the club, with this new facility is certainly bright, with the possibilities being endless