ABOUT US
LARKFIELD & NEW HYTHE FOOTBALL CLUB
Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club was formed in 1961 and established for over 60 years.
Larkfield & New Hythe Football Club were formed in 1961 and purchased its current ground in 1967. Originally the club had men's teams playing in the Maidstone and District Saturday and Sunday leagues.
In 2012 John Michel the Chairman of Larkfield & New Hythe FC and Adam Handy the Chairman of Larkfield FC were instrumental in merging the two clubs for the mutual benefit of all the teams and the community. Larkfield FC who were established in 1976 have over 30 teams consisting of youth teams of both boys and girls between the age of 5 and 18, and also a Ladies team. This merger created a pathway for the youth players to play adult football and allowed the clubhouse facilities to be used by all.
The club was awarded the FA Charter Community standard status in 2015 and has an ethos to grow and support the club in the local Community whilst promoting the success of all the teams.
The men’s team were accepted into the Kent County League in 1996 and remained in Division 2 East for many seasons. A very strong team in 2016 just missed out on promotion but was successful in winning their first silverware in the Les Leckie Cup beating Rolvenden FC 3-2.
In 2020 the club was promoted to Division 1 of the Kent County League, and a new Sponsor, Committee and management team was put in place to push the Club for further promotion and ultimately into SCEFL. The plan was going very well with the team 7 points clear at the top of the league when Covid19 brought the season to an end. However, the club was undeterred and continued to upgrade the stadium to the level required for SCEFL Division 1 with new Floodlights, seated and covered standing.
Season 2021/22 and the club’s hard work paid off as we were accepted into the Southern Counties East Football League Division 1 at Step 6 of the non-league pyramid. In the first season the club had a tremendous effort finishing third in the league and reaching the playoff final, after beating Snodland in the first play-off game 1-0 in front of a then record crowd of 501. Unfortunately, the final was lost 2-1 aet to Sutton Athletic.
Season 2022/23 started well and for much of the time the ‘Larks’ were head to head with Snodland, but unfortunately, the form dipped towards the end of the season and ended up finishing 5th and losing out again in the playoffs. The club also had its best season ever in the FA Vase reaching the third round proper.
Off the pitch improvements continued with a £100k clubhouse extension which was officially opened by MP Tracey Crouch in Feb 2023. Significant partner funding by the Football Stadia funds, KCC and Kent FA made this possible.
Season 2023/24, and the management team of Danny Lye and Michael Philips built a new squad, which finally got us promotion at the third attempt. Our highest finish ever coming second and once again into the playoffs. An epic semi-final win 13-12 on penalties against Lewisham saw us play at home to Staplehurst in the final. A narrow 1-0 win in front of a record crowd of 835 got us promoted and into the Premier division for the very first time.
At the end of 2023, the club has signed a deal for a new stadium with 3G playing and training pitches, a new clubhouse and a 250 seater stand, all of which should be ready within 2 years.
Up the Larks!
History
1961 – Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers formed and play in the Maidstone and District Saturday league.
1967 - Purchased land in Larkfield, remains current stadium location
1976 – Larkfield FC Youth formed
1996 - Clubhouse extended and first floodlights installed
1996 – Joined Kent County League
2004 – Awarded Charter Standard
2012 – Larkfield & New Hythe FC and Larkfield FC Youth are merged
2014 - Ladies section formed
2015 – Winners of Maidstone District Cup
2015 – Awarded Charter Community Standard
2016 – Winners of Les Leckie Cup
2020 – Promoted to Kent County League Division 1
2021 – New Floodlights and stands installed
2021 – Promoted to SCEFL Division 1
2022 – Finished Third in SCEFL Division 1
2023 – Finished 5th in SCEFL Division 1, reached round 3 of FA Vase
2024 – Finished 2nd in SCEFL Division 1 and promoted via playoffs. Reached final of Div 1 Cup