Hillingdon Football Club, based in Hillingdon is looking forward to the new season with great anticipation.

The club was founded in 1989 as Hillingdon Irish Saints FC by amongst others John Speed and played from the Irish club in Royal Lane, Hillingdon. After a few years the decision was taken to drop the word 'Irish' from the club's name as it gave the perception that you had to be Irish to play for the club.

Hillingdon Saints FC built a reputation as a friendly youth football club gradually growing from four to five teams to 12 teams. The club became aware that the players needed an option to continue playing football for the club beyond 16 years of age and Hillingdon Saints FC fielded a senior side for the first time during the 2006/7 season.

The team played its first season in the London Commercial League but elected to apply for entry to the Middlesex 'Cherry Reds' County Football League as this put them on the bottom tier of the official FA football pyramid and at the same time asked the FA to be allowed to make one final change to the club's name to Hillingdon FC.

The FA accepted that the club had grown to such a size that it now drew players from all over the borough and therefore warranted the name change. Another successful season followed and Hillingdon FC finished runners up in their division and have gained promotion to the first Division of the Middlesex County League.

As the senior team was rapidly establishing a reputation as a progressive side the club saw the need for a stepping stone between Sunday Youth Football and the rigours of a first team debut so the club applied for entry to, and were accepted into the Southern Counties Floodlit Youth League at U18s initially playing football at the old Vikings ground in Greenford under floodlights on a Wednesday evening.

For the 2008/9 season the team relocating to Uxbridge to play at the newly built Hillingdon Stadium in Gatting Way Uxbridge.

One final addition to the club structure has seen them add a reserve team playing in the Middlesex County Reserve Football League.

The club now has its own pitches, clubhouse and changing rooms and the facility to take a young player from the first time he laces up his boots until the day he decides to hang them up for good

For more information on the club see www.hillingdonfc.com