page_title: Wanderers F.C.
section_title: Grounds
hierarchical_section_title: Wanderers F.C. / Grounds
caption_attribution_description: English: The Kennington Oval; scanned image from "Cricket", by WG Grace, 1891.
context_page_description: Wanderers Football Club is an English football club based in Upper Norwood, London. The original club was an amateur one founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers". Comprising mainly former pupils of the leading English public schools, Wanderers was among the dominant teams of the early years of organised football and won the Football Association Challenge Cup on five occasions, including defeating Royal Engineers in the first FA Cup final in 1872.
  The club played only friendly matches until the advent of the FA Cup in 1871, with the rules often differing from match to match as various sets of rules were in use at the time. Even after the formation of The Football Association in 1863, of which the club was among the founder members, Wanderers continued to play matches under other rules, but became one of the strongest teams playing by FA rules. They won the FA Cup three times in succession during the late 1870s, a feat which has only been repeated once. Among the players who represented the club were C. W. Alcock, the so-called "father of modern sport", and Arthur Kinnaird, regarded as the greatest player of his day.
context_section_description: Wanderers played firstly at Snaresbrook near Epping Forest, reputedly close to one of two orphanages in the area; the Infant Orphan Asylum in Snaresbrook or the Merchant Seaman's Orphan Asylum in nearby Wanstead. When the Forest club briefly reformed in 1868, it was reported that they played on the old ground in front of Forest Place.  Therefore it is probable that their ground was located at Leyton Flats in Epping Forest, between The Infant Orphan Asylum (now Snaresbrook Crown Court) and Forest Place (now Whipps Cross Road). Wanderers played at several locations between 1859 and 1887 throughout London, but predominantly at Kennington Oval (151 games), Vincent Square (31), Harrow (23), Harrow School (15) and Clapham Common (12). Battersea Park has been erroneously attributed as Wanderers home ground, however Wanderers played just 10 games there between 1864 and 1867.
caption: Wanderers played 151 games at the Kennington Oval (1891 image)
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