Dartford Football Club was formed in 1888 by members of the Dartford Workingmens Club and,for the first few seasons,played only friendly fixtures.However a run to the final of the Kent Senior Cup in 1894 encouraged the club committee to enter Dartford as a founder member of the Kent League for the 1894/95 season:it was in October 1895 that Dartford first played in the F.A.Cup.

Two seasons later Dartford were admitted to the Southern League and won the Division 2 championship at the first attempt.Over the next few seasons Dartford fluctuated between the Southern and Kent Leagues,but a financial crisis in the early 1900's saw the club drift down to the West Kent League.At the same time Dartford,which had used around half a dozen pitches in the area,gained use of Summers Meadow in Lowfield Street on a long lease.

In 1908/09 Dartford won both the West Kent League Championship and cup,and the enthusiasm generated was such that the club re-joined the Kent League,retaining membership until the Great War brought all football to an end.

After the war Dartford F.C. was slow to get going again,as the Summers Meadow ground was,by then,no longer available.Local businessmen,appreciating the value of a good class football club bearing the towns name,completely restructured the club and ,from 1921 onwards DFC was run as a plc,unique in football until Spurs followed suit some fifty years later.A site was found in Watling Street,which was to remain the clubs home until a major financial crisis forced the sale of the ground in 1992.

Darts continued their association with the Kent League,winning the league cup in 1923/24,before switching to the Southern League in time for the 1926/27 season.At the start of the 1930's the board appointed Bill Collier as manager.The Scot had been successful with Kettering Town and the trend continued at Watling Street,with the club winning trophies by the shoal during the decade leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.Dartford won the Southern League(Eastern Section) title in 1930/31 and 1931/32(missing a hatrick by just one point the season after)and the overall Championship by beating Western Sextion winners Exeter City res 7-2 away and Yeovil 2-1 at home.In county football the club won the Kent Senior Cup four times in five seasons and the Kent Senior Shield three times.In addition Dartford gained a reputation nationally by becoming the first club outside the Football League to reach the third round of the FA cup in successive seasons.In 1935/36 Darts lost to a star-studded Derby County at the Baseball ground by 3-2 having at one time led 2-0.Leading player Fred Dell was transferred to West Ham Utd for a reported £2000 fee immediately after the game.The following season saw Darts lose 1-0 at home to Darlington at the same stage.Towards the end of the decade Mr.Collier,who had brought a distinctive Scottish flavour to the club,resigned to take over a business in Scotland and the period was seen out in a comparatively quiet vein.

For a decade and a half following the war Dartford had little to show for its efforts except a sparkling Kent Senior Cup win over Bromley in 1947.Bromley at the time,vied with Bishop Auckland as the premier amateur club in the land and the Lillywhites took a 2-0 lead before Darts hit back with three goals to life the trophy.In Dartfords line up that day was Ted Croker,later to become Secretary of the FA.

Dartfords first post war manager had been Warney Cresswell(ex Everton and England),but poor results led to him being rapidly replaced by Bill Moss who gradually put some stability in the clubs playing performances.In the late 1950's,the Southern League was totally re-organised and Dartford spent most of the ensuing twenty years in the Premier Division.The key managers of the era George Green,Alf Ackerman,and Ernie Morgan each brought extensive Football League experience to the club,resulting in a reasonable level of respectablity to the playing side of affairs.

In the early 1970's Darts appeared in four successive Kent Senior Cup finals,winning two.Around this time the club acquired the services of ex-Bolton and England winger Doug Holden,as manager who had laid the foundations of the side which won the 1973/74 Southern League Championship.Holden left before the start of that season and was replaced by Ernie Morgan who grafted additional quality players on to the Holden squad and steered the team to the league title and an appearance in the FA Trophy final at Wembley.

For the next few seasons Darts drifted along and missed out on becoming founder members of the Alliance Premier League(now the Conference).Even though the period was barren by previous standards the club did win the Southern league Cup in 1976/77,fittingly this first triumph in the competition coincided with fifty unbroken years in the Southern League.

Then came the 1980's,dominated by two contrasting managers - John Still and Peter Taylor.By winning the Southern Division of the Southern League in 1980/81 Dartford had gained a short lived place in the Alliance Premier.Relegated after just one season and having tasted life at the top of the semi-pro game,the club wanted more.John Still,who had led Leytonstone/Ilford to a clean sweep of trophies,was the man for the job and,in 1983/84,he steered Dartford to a fourth Southern League title and a resultant return to the Alliance(by now the Gola League).This time the Darts stayed two seasons - finishing third in 1984/85.Another of the periodic financial crisis was looming and with Still departing in February 1986,Dartford were relegated once again.

In the summer of 1986,former Spurs and England winger Peter Taylor,took charge of the club.In four seasons of his reign Dartford were never out of the top four of the Southern League,won the League Cup twice(and were denied a hatrick by VS Rugby in the 1989/90 Final) the Southern Championship trophy twice,the Kent Senior Cup twice,and reached the FA Trophy semi-finals twice.In each of Taylors four seasons Dartford scored 100 goals - unmatched before or since.

In the wake of the Hillsborough disaster,Dartford needed either to relocate or upgrade Watling St,and went for the former option.Large sums of money were spent on planning and design fees,which burdened a manageable financial defecit,made worse by a crippling interest charge.At the same time Maidstone Utd. who had sold their own ground,needed a suitable home to launch their ill-fated foray into the Football League and the Dartford Board agreed to let Maidstone ground share at Watling St,the rental income providing a welcome boost to finances.

Within a few years Maidstone had gone into liquidation,their cash being used up to gain the eagerly-sought Football League place.Ground improovements,paid for by Maidstone were somehow sold to Dartford at cost price,which pushed Darts debts beyond managable proportions.Watling St was sold to pay off the creditors and Dartford withdrew frome the Southern League four games into the 1992/93 season.Then the clubs Supporters Association,around 400 strong,came to the rescue.A private Limited company was incorporated to manage affairs which meant,primarily,keeping the Youth team operating,an action which was rewarded when they won the John Ullman Cup by beating Maidtone Invicta 2-1 at Gravesend before a crowd of 562.The continuing existance of the youth team enabled the club to maintain both its senior status and full membership of the FA

In February 1993 former player ,Tony Burman,was appointed manager and,with the club being offered a ground-share arrangement by Cray Wanderers,Dartford were able to make a successful application for membership of the Kent League.Spurred on by an average home attendance of over 300,Dartford finished that first season in sixth position.

A ground-share deal was struck with Erith & Belvedere in time for the 1994/95 season and Darts second Kent League campaign started with gates averaging just over 400.Early promise faded somewhat and the club finished mid-table,but they did reach the Division One Cup Final.

The 1995/96 season saw the Darts involved in a long battle with Furness for the Division One title,with the destination of the championship decided in the gloom at Furness in the last fixture of the season,when the home side clung on for a 1-1 draw,to deny Dartford on goal-difference.The season was remarkable in that Darts lost only one league fixture ,and their only away defeat in all competitions,came at Conference club Farnborough Town in the FA Cup,the games only goal coming from the penalty spot.There were triumphs though,as Darts swept to a 3-0 victory in the Kent Senior Cup Final over Chatham Town at Welling,whilst the reserves - in their first season,completed a South London Federation League and Cup Double.To top all that,the youth team finished third in the Kent Youth League,despite a change of manager in mid - season.In May came the welcome news that the club had gained promotion to the Dr.Martens sponsored Southern League,by a quirk of fate exactly 100 years after the club first entered the competition.

After an initial bright start which saw Darts reach third spot in the Southern Division things settled down and the side,based entirely on the previous seasons Kent League squad(with two exceptions) ended the season in 14th spot.The ever popular Tony Burman had to relinquish his managerial responsibilities through work commitments,and Reserve Team manager Gary Julians took over.Meanwhile the Reserves had an excellent season in the Kent League Division Two,finishing runners-up to Tonbridge after an exciting chase all season

In September 1997 a disastrous fire at Erith & Belvedere, put the clubs future in serious doubt, as it became doubtful whether or not the ground would be able to host Southern League football the following season.

With this doubt in mind a new ground sharing arrangement was sought and an agreement was made for the club to share the excellent but Essex based facilities of Purfleet F.C. From an administration point of view matters could not be much more complicated, as the three teams now played on three different grounds-Purfleet, Cray Wanderers and Phoenix Sports.

Despite all this the emphasis on youth paid off with a highly successful season for the Youth team, winning the Kent Youth League (North) with appearances in both the League and County Cup finals

With the establishment of the Reserves,Dartford have all the elements in place to enable any player to join the club from school,and progress through to Southern League football.

In October 1998 came the news that Dartford supporters had been waiting for.The Borough council at last came good on their promises to find the club a piece of land within the Borough,for which to build a new home of their own.The land is the old Stone Lodge rifle range,situated just off the M25 at Junction 1a.The club is presently meeting with various developers and financiers to discuss what options are available to develop the site.As the club has shown in the past,everything can be achieved,given time and dedication.The opening date of the as yet unnamed new ground is conservatively estimated to be the start of the 2001/2002 season.