History
Felixstowe & Walton United Football Club aka ‘The Seasiders’ were formed in 2000 from two football clubs who were independent in their own right although they had merged briefly just prior to the Second World War to be called Felixstowe United (not to be confused with the Felixstowe United who played in The Suffolk & Ipswich League) The joining lasted until 1952 when the clubs went their separate ways.
Formed in 1895, Walton United played at The Recreation ground in Recreation Lane, Walton while Felixstowe Town, formed five years earlier played at The Town Ground, Dellwood Avenue. The second amalgamation in 2000 looked a good marriage for the right reasons. Walton United had just won the Suffolk Senior Cup and were on the up but with nowhere to go as the Recreation ground at Walton could not accommodate Eastern Counties League standard facilities. Felixstowe Town had been renamed Felixstowe Port & Town due to their sponsorship by the Port, but when that was withdrawn in 1999/2000 it left the Town club struggling to recover and maintain Eastern Counties League football. It looked and proved to be a good decision by both clubs that they therefore merged with Dellwood Avenue becoming their home Venue.
It was a struggle in the early years after the merger with relegation coming in 2002, but it offered the chance for the club to regroup and focus on the future with a growing youth set up and getting the basics right off the pitch and the club regained Premier Division status in 2006 when they finished runners up in Division One.
Tied by what could be done at their present home the club always found it difficult to compete with the top sides in the Premier Division with what was the unique task of raising and lowering of the floodlights before and after games and the restrictions placed on the club by the local authorities.
The Seasiders remained positive throughout and now have the lights permanently erected during the football season which was the catalyst to develop the rest of the ground and have an excellent youth set up comprising over 20 boys & girls teams from Age 6 upwards.
In July 2017 a new pitchside clubhouse complex opened to replace the old one which has transformed the club and by the end of the 2017/18 season, the Seasiders gained promotion to the Isthmian North Division at Step 4 for the first time in the clubs history. The Reserves were also promoted to the Step 6 Thurlow Nunn First Division.
The clubs first season at Step 4 saw a mid-table finish achieved, with an average attendance of 400 the highest in the Isthmian North, and second highest in Suffolk behind Ipswich Town. A number of additional ground improvements were completed and the season ended with a trip to Portman Road in the Suffolk FA Premier Cup with over 1,000 Seasiders supporters seeing us finish runners up to Step 3 Leiston after a 3-2 defeat.
The 2019/20 season proved to be a difficult one on and off the pitch with the resultant decision to null & void the campaign due to Covid-19, whereas the Reserves took voluntary demotion to Step 7 and will compete in the Essex & Suffolk Border League.
2020/21 got off to a promising start in the league and a run to the 2nd Round proper of the FA Trophy before the campaign was again ended due to the pandemic.
Summer 2021 saw the Reserves re-branded as Under 23s, part of the clubs strategy to improve the development pathways within the club, alongside the Academy.
The Seasiders enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in their history in 2021/2022, again having a fantastic run in the FA Trophy that saw victories against higher league opposition before exiting in the 2nd round proper. In the Isthmian North league, an incredible run of form from the end of November onwards saw Felixstowe storm into the playoffs with a fifth place finish. Only a heartbreaking late defeat at Canvey Island denied a promotion playoff final appearance.
2022/2023 saw further improvements to the newly renamed AGL Arena, with two new stands opening, a new digital scoreboard and new fencing at each end. On the pitch, another exciting season developed as the Seasiders remained in the thick of the promotion race for the entire season, only missing out on another playoff place on the final day of the season.
2023/2024 The Seasiders narrowly missed out on promotion, losing in the playoff semifinal after a titanic season-long fight for the top spot with Lowestoft Town.
