ANOTHER YEAR TO WAIT FOR OUR CENTENNIAL

By Deal Town

Deal Town’s official club history will have to be amended thanks to the research work of Eric Diver, one of the Hoops’ staunchest supporters.

Eric, who first started coming along to matches at the Charles Ground in 1963, has spent many happy hours at Deal Library in recent months looking back over old copies of the “East Kent Mercury” and he has discovered that “Deal Town FC” officially came into existence in 1921 – and not in 1920 as had previously been thought.

The town’s original football club, established in 1908, were called “Deal Cinque Ports FC” and played at various times in the Thanet League, East Kent League and Kent League before being formally dissolved in August 1920. But in the following 1920-21 season the club’s ground, which was then in Charles Road, and equipment were utilised by “Deal and District Discharged Soldiers and Sailors FC”, a club made up of demobbed servicemen following the ending of the First World War two years earlier.

Deal and District Discharged Soldiers and Sailors were playing in the old Dover & District Junior League at the time and it was at the club’s AGM on May 18th, 1921 that it was decided to change their name to “Deal Town FC”.

This discovery means of course that the Hoops are now going to have to wait one year longer before being able to celebrate the club’s centenary in May 2021, but chairman Dave Chmura has already promised to ensure that such a special landmark will be celebrated in a fitting fashion. 

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