Celebrating 120 years of the Grecians – The St Sidwell’s United Story

3. Football arrives at St James Park

 After two previous attempts to set up an Exeter association football team had petered out, in 1889 and 1891, another effort was made in 1893. This time with more success.

On 17 August a founding meeting of Exeter AFC was held at the Arcade Assembly Room followed by a general meeting in the Guildhall. The Mayor was invited to be President. The founders, committed  football people like Reg Davey, were in serious mood.

The club benefited from players based with the Devonshire Regiment at Higher Barracks. Sergeant Denning was appointed secretary. As with local schools, St Luke’s College and the St Matthew’s church team, army teams were part of the emerging association game in Exeter and well placed to support its development.

The new ‘City Club’ played its opening fixture at the Horse Show Field at Mount Pleasant drawing 3-3 with Plymouth United. By the end of the 1893/4 season, 23 games had been played, with 9 wins, 3 draws and 11 defeats.

Remarkably an original photo of this team has recently come into the Exeter City FC Museum’s possession.

Previously only a more cropped newspaper reproduction had been known to historians. It just shows what is still out there. Please check your cupboards and lofts!

It was in the following season that Exeter AFC switched grounds to St James Park. There was no great fanfare; newspaper reports just acknowledge the fact. The honour of the first-ever known association football match at St James Park goes to Exeter AFC v Minehead on Saturday 6 October 1894.

The Exeter based media were minimalist in their reports but confirmed that the home team won ‘by three goals to nothing’. The Minehead newspapers were more detailed with the West Somerset Free Press saying: ‘owing to the state of the ground, the Minehead forwards were unable to shoot - the grass in some parts of the field being knee-deep.’

The 125th anniversary of this historic fixture was celebrated in 2019 with a Minehead AFC official as guest of honour at a Grecians home game.

While ‘few spectators’ were reported at the Minehead game, the Exeter AFC games were soon attracting good crowds at St James Park. On 24 November ‘a large attendance’ was there for the game v Home Park.

Exeter AFC only managed one further season, 1895/6, but then ran into difficulties. In August 1896 it was announced that the new St James rugby team would be playing at St James Park. Without a ground and in debt, Exeter AFC held a crisis meeting at Exeter Guildhall on 8 September 1896. After a discussion, a vote was held, and the majority decided to form a new club – Exeter United AFC. So, a short life for Exeter AFC, but an association football marker had been put down at St James Park.


For more on the first association football game at St James Park see this exhibit: