The return of Kenilworth Sporting for the 2020/21 season has started a revival of non-league football in the town. The hiatus of action at Gypsy Lane however, is the latest in a stop-start history for the club, a history which we have looked back over.

The first club which we would now recognise as 'non-league' in Kenilworth was founded in 1936 as Kenilworth Town FC, with a home pitch on the St John's playing fields. They entered the then Coventry and District League.

Momentum for the club was hard to come by, as the first decade of their history was dominated by the fact that they had no permanent residence.

Despite this, the club was able to continue after the Second World War, and between 1946 and 1962 Kenilworth Town FC moved home five times.

This included stints at The Oval, St John's Junior School, Scott Road, and Thickthorn Manor.

During this period the club also changed its name, becoming Kenilworth Rangers.

A stable residence was finally found in 1962 when they moved to Gypsy Lane. They initially leased the land before purchasing the freehold in the early 1990's.

Non-league football in Kenilworth has been played at the venue since then.

Upon moving ground, the club also had a second, albeit slight, change of name, now being officially known as Kenilworth Rangers FC,

Ending the century strong

With their own ground officially purchased, the club was renamed once again in 1992, reverting back to Kenilworth Town, and the last decade of the century saw great success for the side, as stability was finally maintained.

Silverware was brought back to Gypsy Lane in the form of the Birmingham County FA Challenge Vase in 1992-3 and then again in 1995-6.

In the 1995-6 season the side were also the runners up in the Midland Combination Division One (on goal difference), this prompted their promotion to the Premiership.

The Midlands Premier, in the ninth tier of professional football in England, is the highest level a Kenilworth side has played at - based on the current football league pyramid.

Kenilworth Town remained in the division until their relegation at the end of the 1999-2000 season. They won just three of their 38 games, and conceded 139 goals in the process.

The side continued to struggle, and should have been relegated from Midlands Division One after finishing bottom of the table once again in 2002.

The club was saved from this only because there wasn't a division two at the time for them to be relegated into.

The turn of the 21st Century did see some off the field success, however. Floodlights were installed as well as two new stands (one seated and one standing).

The new stands were opened with Nigel Clough bringing his Burton Albion side to play a friendly against the Kenilworth first team.

The wheels begin to come off

In 2005 the name of the club was once again changed, with 'K H' added to make them Kenilworth Town K H FC.

Some rearrangements of the divisions saw Kenilworth Town K H start the 2006 - 2007 season with a first team side in the Midland Football Combination Division One.

A new management committee at Gypsy Lane was formed, and they then added a reserve side in the Midland Football Combination Division Three.

However, the first team was ultimately withdrawn from the league, and the reserves became the senior side.

By the 2008-9 season a reserve team had been added once again. The senior squad played in Division Three of the Midlands Football Combination and the reserves in the Stratford-Upon-Avon Football Alliance.

The new first team managed to secure promotion to Division Two at the end of that season. They backed this up the season after by securing another promotion to Division One. However, yet again, a Kenilworth team would fall victim to success and they folded in 2011.

A three year hiatus of football then followed.

Now called Kenilworth Town once again, a team reformed for the 2013–14 season in the Midland Combination Division Two. The club won the league that season by one point from Coventry United.

The restructuring of the leagues at the end of that season saw them enter the new Midlands League Division Two, which they finished second bottom of, winning just five of their 30 matches.

The relegation not only saw them drop out of the league, but the team once again folded and there was no football at Gypsy Lane.

A sleeping giant awakens

The Gypsy Lane ground was purchased in 2018 by Coventry Plumbing, with a view to bringing non-league football back to the heart of the community. A side played under the name Coventry Plumbing FC as work continued at the ground.

The team played in the Midlands Division Three, finishing fourth in their first season and then sixth in their next.

This season the club has once again rebranded, and is now known as Kenilworth Sporting, with newly-appointed manager Martin Ascroft now at the helm.

Extensive work has been done on what was an ageing facility. A new clubhouse was built, and proper drainage installed under the pitch. The clubhouse now offers cooked meals, as well as a social space after matches.

Kenilworth Sporting FC have started the 2020/21 season strongly, winning all but one of their opening games, meaning that this time it looks as if football is here to stay.

As non-league football returns to Kenilworth, you can keep up to date with all the latest results and news from Gypsy Lane in our dedicated sports section.