CLUB HISTORY

Our club was initially established in 1985 by a group of local parents when one team was formed at the under-12 age group level.

The club was then called the BR Foxes FC (BR standing for Brooklands Residents - a suburb of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire).

The original blue and white colours and the inclusion of "Foxes' in the club resulted from the founders having a relationship with Leicester City Football Club and a desire to model the club on the friendly, family atmosphere experienced at Leicester grounds during match days.

In those early days, a day trip to watch Leicester City FC was a regular season feature for Foxes players, and early kits were donations of actual Leicester City kits from previous seasons.
 

Click to view a photo of the original LUFC team.

In 1989, the club changed its name to become Leighton Foxes FC.

By then, the club had expanded from one to six youth teams, had set up a junior section offering coaching to players under nine years old, appointed a club head coach, and even had a senior men's team and a youth netball section.

A year later, in 1990, the club purchased three hectares of farmland near the village of Tilsworth (approximately 4.5 kilometres from Leighton Buzzard) and established four football pitches.

The primary sources of finance were a bank mortgage (for which some of the founders were personally liable), personal loans from three trustees and extensive fundraising activities.

In subsequent years, an un-metalled roadway, car park and temporary buildings were installed. The final payment on the money borrowed was made in 1995. All this was achieved by volunteers without any form of outside financial assistance.

In the mid-1990s, the club changed its name again to Leighton United FC and formally adopted a policy of "Investing in Youth" to promote new standards for youth coaching created by the FA for Grassroots Football and the establishment of more formal structures for managing youth football activities.

LUFC has had a long tradition of providing football opportunities for girls. This was provided initially as members of mixed teams, but then in 2001, we were among the first youth clubs in this region to establish a dedicated girls' team section with the first all-girls team formed for that season. LUFC later went on to work with other regional teams and Bedfordshire FA to establish a dedicated league for girls' football. The modern version of which is now Bedfordshire FA Girls Football League.

Click here to learn about our girls' football history.

Football Association Charter Standard Community status was initially awarded in 2002 and renewed for a further three years in November 2005.

LUFC has been a prominent participant in and consistent promoter of improving structures and professionalism in grassroots football throughout the central Bedfordshire region and nationally.

In 2006, the club was awarded the Charter Standard Community Club of the Year accolade by the Bedfordshire Football Association.

The club's playing colours changed to Royal Blue and Golden Yellow to reflect the new ambitions of the club and the desire to distinguish itself from a number of other local clubs who played in blue and white.

A significant landmark in the club's history was the construction and opening of a dedicated clubhouse building in October 2007, for which substantial funding was received from the Football Foundation.

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Our new clubhouse was officially opened by Sir Geoff Hurst MBE - one of the legends from and best known for his hat trick of goals against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Finals.

Click here to read about Sir Geoff Hurst's visit to LUFC.

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Investment in pitch improvement work was also made (again with generous financial assistance from the Football Foundation) to provide playing surfaces that are now amongst the best in the area.

Also in 2007, LUFC hosted the Ex-Arsenal vs. Celebrity XI Charity Football Event, which continued our long association with MacDonalds and work with charitable non-profit organisations. 

Click here to read about the Ex-Arsenal Charity Match.

Starting in 2021, The FA began a ground-up review of grassroots football seeking to improve standards and provide participants with a new set of definitions for clubs, standards and capabilities.

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LUFC has achieved a 2-star accreditation under this new FA club categorisation initiative. The highest possible accreditation is 3 stars, and we are working to achieve this coveted status.

Leighton United FC is now a totally self-funding voluntary organisation. Club property is vested in custodians, and the club is managed by a Management Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting. An open membership policy is implemented to encourage participation.

The club typically provides opportunities for over 400+ youngsters annually - both boys and girls - between the ages of 6 and 18 to enjoy playing football in a safe environment and on good-quality pitch surfaces. All coaches are at least qualified to FA Level 1 (some to Levels 2 and 3).

Many of our coaches also work with various professional league teams, such as Luton Town FC, MK Dons, Oxford United, Aylesbury United, Stevenage Town, Dunstable Town FC, Leighton Town FC, and Northampton Town FC.

These investments have been reflected in notable successes both on and off the pitch and a growing reputation in the region for community activities and youth football development.

Our grounds have hosted teams and events from Arsenal Veterans, Luton Town men's and women's teams, MacDonald's Football, Leighton Linslade Sports, numerous local schools, and various charity events.

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Click here to view a montage of photos taken from various events hosted by LUFC.