Leyton F.C. is an English association football club based in Leyton, east London. The first team to go by the name was founded in 1868, and the current club, which began playing in 1997, won a High Court action in 2002 in support of its claim to be a continuation of the original team, making it the oldest existing club in London. The club has disbanded twice in its history, and was called Matlock Swifts between 1889 and 1895, and Leyton Wingate from 1977 until 1992.

The team members play in white shirts with blue shorts and white socks, and the team is one of a number of teams nicknamed the Lilywhites; the reason for this is unknown, but may be related to "Lilywhites No 5", the first official ball of the Football Association.

Costas Sophocleous is both the club chairman and the manager of the first team. In the 2003/2004 season Leyton finished second in the Isthmian League Division One North, and were promoted to the Isthmian League Premier Division, their third promotion in three seasons.

Leyton F.C. play at the recently renamed Leyton Stadium (previously known as the Hare and Hounds, and before that as the Wingate Stadium). The club has ten youth teams, ranging in age from under nines to under eighteens, and runs a Football in the Community scheme for local schools.

External links

• Official site (http://www.leytonfc.co.uk/)
• Football Club History Database (http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/LEYTON.HTM)