Club Information

The Club Today

Rochester United F.C. is an English football club located in Rochester, in Kent. We are members of the Southern Counties East League Division One and play at the Rochester United Sports Ground.

At the end of the 2023 season, it was decided by Chairman Matt Hume, his brother Lloyd and Life President Bernard Hurst that if the club was going to climb the pyramid of non-league football, changes needed to be made.

So, it was decided to ask Paul Bowden-Brown, a person with over 50 years' experience working in many roles from Owner to Chairman & Director of Football, if he would consider joining Matt, Lloyd and Bernard on the proposed journey. He agreed and joined the club as its Operations Director, with responsibilities for all Club operations off the pitch.

One of the first tasks for the new Operations Director was to change the membership club to a CIC. Once this was completed, a new board was appointed with Matt and Lloyd as Directors, Shareholders and Joint Chairman; with Bernard holding a role as Director and Life President and Paul Bowden-Brown taking up the job of Operations Director.

Once this was all agreed, discussions took place with the Club's grounds owner and the Church Commissioners to get the new Club's name assigned to the current lease – all ready for the Club's registration with their respective leagues.

This has now been completed and negotiations have begun to get the Club a satisfactory Security of Tenure so they can achieve their aims within the new 5-year plan for the Club and its ground.

It's proposed that the club in its new format will increase and support the current thriving Youth section, as well as supporting Ladies and Disability football and working within the local community.

The Club is going through an exciting and innovative time with high hopes for success and the 2023/2024 season will be a new beginning on and off the pitch. We do hope you'll join us in our journey and help to shape our future.

History of Our Club

Bly Spartans was formed in 1982 by the now President and Chairman Bernard Hurst and joined the Sunday Medway Football League. There we played for 15 years before being promoted to the Senior Division.

In 1992/3 and 1993/4 we played in the All England Sunday FA Cup reaching the last 32 on the first attempt.

In 1997, the club successfully applied to join the Rochester and District Football League Division One and the following season we won the title and were promoted to the Premier Division. We were accepted into the Kent County Football League in 2000, being placed into Division Three West. After two successive promotions as runners-up, the club was in Division One West by 2003.

In the 2006–07 season we finished runners-up to Orpington and the following season, after being transferred to Division One East, we won the title as well as two cup competitions including the ‘Bill Manklow’ Inter-Regional Challenge Cup beating Bearsted in the final 2-1, and were promoted to the Premier Division.

The club achieved Chartered Status in 2009 and installed eight floodlight columns in 2010, leading to our successful application to become founder members of the Kent Invicta League, at level 10 of the English football league system for the first time. Bly had a very good season winning the league and the challenge cup in its inaugural season.

Since being in the Kent County Football League, the club has also made improvements to the ground and changing facilities. The clubhouse has been altered and the changing rooms improved, as well as a 200 seater stand erected and concrete footpath laid down one side of the pitch.

In 2012, we became the inaugural champions of the Kent Invicta League and gained promotion to the Kent Hurlimann League. In May 2012, we announced that we’d sought permission to rename ourselves Rochester United from the start of the 2012–13 season.

Rochester United started its first season in the Kent League very well, being in the top half of the table up till Christmas 2012, after Christmas a bad run of lost games followed, we ended the season finishing fifth from bottom.

For the new 2013/14 season, the league changed its name to Southern Counties East Football League. During the closed season the club completed outstanding works and were given their ground grading so that in season 2014/2015 they were able to enter The FA Vase for the first time.

During the season commencing 2015/16, the club entered the FA Cup for the first time, going out of the competition against Herne Bay FC in the first qualifying round.

Unfortunately, on the pitch we finished 20th and last in the SCEFL Premier Division for season 2017-18 and were relegated to the First Division. Another disappointing campaign resulted in a 17th placed finish the year after, before a much improved performance in 2019/20 with us looking good for promotion the following season until the coronavirus pandemic caused an early end to the football season.