Early days
1891-1937
Playing as Leamington Town between 1892 and 1937, the club regularly won various local cups and in 1925-26 were champions of the Birmingham Combination.
War years
1937-1944
In 1937 Leamington Town sold its Windmill Ground to Coventry City. Coventry used the ground as the home for their "A" team, who took Leamington Town's place in the Birmingham Combination at the start of the 1937-38 season. Birmingham City FC played five "home" games at the Windmill in 1939-40. The exiled Czech army, based in Leamington during the war, played two international matches - against Belgium and Norway - at our ground in 1941.
Lockheed Borg & Beck
1944-1965
Reforming in 1944 under the names of the two manufacturing giants just across the Tachbrook Road from the ground, the club became Lockheed Leamington in 1946. The nickname "the Brakes" comes from this relationship, Lockheed being a major employer in the town and manufacturer of braking systems. 1961 saw the beginning of a successful era, with the club winning the championship of the Birmingham & District (1962), West Midlands Regional League (1963) and Midland Counties League (1965).
The 1949-50 Lockheed Leamington team
Footballing zenith
70s and 80s
Renamed AP Leamington (AP standing for Automotive Products, into which Lockheed and Borg & Beck had been merged), the club enjoyed its most successful run between 1973 and 1984. Perhaps the best achievement was winning the Southern League Premier Division title in 1983. Promotion was denied as the Windmill Ground was deemed not to be up to Alliance Premier League Standard. Kidderminster Harriers were promoted in Leamington's place and of course have hardly looked back since. The Brakes also reached the FA Cup Second Round proper twice during this period.
Decline and fall
80s and 90s
With the AP company in decline, the club became just Leamington FC in 1985. Relegation from the Southern League Midland Division came in 1987 as things went badly awry. Leamington resigned from the Midland Combination at the end of the 1987-88 season, having lost the Windmill Ground to the developers. The old stadium is now a housing estate and AP is less than a shadow of its former self. Twelve years of non-footballing exile followed. But the club was not yet dead.
Renaissance
2000 onward
Held together by a group of committed individuals, the club acquired the land that is now the New Windmill Ground and began work to become re-established as a football club. Leamington FC finally returned to action in season 2000-01 in the Midland Combination Second Division and has since enjoyed an unbroken run of success and growth. Long may it continue.
The Brakes are back in business: 2000-1 saw Leamington playing football again
Articles on Brakes history
For articles on the club, players, supporters and events of years gone by, click on Articles.
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See all the details of our history, season by season, at Pride in our past
Hotshots: Leamington's top scorers
