Gitanos F.C

Gitanos FC comprised of alumni from Eton College and Charterhouse School.

Gitanos Football Club was an English association football club established as a "select club" in 1864, primarily comprising of alumni from Eton College and Charterhouse School—known as Old Etonians and Old Carthusians, respectively. The club's name, "Gitanos," is Spanish for "Gypsies," reflecting perhaps a nomadic spirit, as the team often travelled to play away matches and initially lacked a dedicated home ground.

In its early years, Gitanos mainly played internal fixtures with teams being selected from its members. The earliest known match against external opposition was on Friday 13th December 1867, at Blackheath, London, where they played Yverdon House. Gitanos won 2-0.

The club was known for fielding prominent players of the era, including  Arthur Kinnaird, Edgar Lubbock and Albert Thompson from Wanderers, George Holden from Clapham Rovers, and J.H. Giffard from the Civil Service. It was common for players such as these to play for multiple teams due to the amateur nature of football at the time. This overlap was particularly notable with Wanderers FC, a leading club of the period.

Gitanos participated in the FA Cup during the 1873–74 season.

Gitanos participated in the FA Cup during the 1873–74 season but struggled to assemble a full squad for their first-round match against Uxbridge, with only eight players turning up. This numerical disadvantage contributed to a 3–0 defeat. The club’s difficulties in fielding a team were largely due to overlapping membership with the more successful Wanderers. With the Wanderers enjoying greater success in cup competitions, many players chose to align themselves with the stronger side, leaving Gitanos undermanned. Those who did take the field against Uxbridge were not the club’s first-choice selections. Of the squad that had previously faced the Royal Engineers that season, only four players participated in the FA Cup fixture, while two others opted to play for the Wanderers in the same tournament. The lack of available players ultimately hindered Gitanos' competitiveness, and the club never entered the FA Cup again.

This difficulty in player commitment was common, as many players were affiliated with multiple clubs. Despite such setbacks, the club occasionally achieved significant victories. The principal triumph, a crushing 7–1 win over the Old Etonians, who were the FA Cup holders at the time, in the 1879–80 season.

Gitanos wore scarlet, violet, and white broad hoops.

Initially, Gitanos did not have a fixed home ground, instead playing their matches at their opponents' venues. This nomadic approach inspired the club’s name, "Gitanos," which translates to "Gypsies" in Spanish. Despite their lack of a permanent home, they did host two matches in 1873 at Lillie Bridge Sports Grounds in Fulham, London. However, by 1874, the club finally secured a more stable base, obtaining a tenancy at the Prince's Cricket Ground in Chelsea, London. This provided a dedicated venue for their fixtures, offering greater consistency and organisational structure.

The club's prominence waned towards the late 1870s, influenced by the rise of Old Etonians and Old Carthusians clubs, which drew players away from Gitanos. The last recorded match involving Gitanos was against Westminster School in January 1881. By 1882, while still listed as a member of the Football Association, the club had ceased regular activities, marking the end of its contributions to early English football.

Gitanos Football Club's history reflects the formative years of association football in Victorian England, characterised by amateurism, overlapping club memberships, and the evolution of organised competitions.

Finally, for the football strip enthusiast, Gitanos wore scarlet, violet and white broad hoops. A combination that is unlikely to be seen again.

A report from Bell’s Life in London Sporting Chronicle Saturday 21st December 1867 Page 9

GITANOS 2 (A.Thornton, H.Stephens) -  YVERDON HOUSE 0

”This match was played on Friday week at Blackheath. For the first three‐quarters’ of an hour the match was extremely well contested by both sides, till a well‐effected run down of A.Thornton placed a goal to the credit of the Gitanos. Soon after a second goal was got by Stephens, who had before made two tries, and at the close of the match the Gitanos won by two goals to nothing.”