"It's great to be home in Teddington."

It's been a long time coming for Weirside Rangers but last year they made their way back to their spiritual home of Broom Road right here in Teddington.

The amateur football club has a 100 year history and I spoke to chairman Les Temple about the story so far and what's next for the club.

The History

Weirside Rangers started back in 1919 as Lensbury FC - the sports club of the oil company Shell and remained within The Lensbury until 1999.

At that time Shell decided it did not have any interest in field sports anymore and so the club went independent and Weirside Rangers was born.

Fast Forward to 2008 and the club moved to Imber Court in East Molesey - but the aim was always to get back to Teddington Les told me.

He said: "We were always looking to get back to Teddington.

"The club culture is built from the social element and with your pick of pubs to go to after the game Teddington was a great place for us."

Luckily in 2019 the club returned to its original home in Teddington still playing in the Southern Amateur League every Saturday.

The Present

Current Chairman Les has been with the club in some form for 25 years - although that is nowhere near as long as some other members.

He told me about the atmosphere around the club:

"The atmosphere around the club is great and it is an honour to be the chairman.

"We've toured Europe since the 1970s and been in the Southern Amateur League for 100 years so we are proud of our rich history.

"There's a real mix of young and old at the club and we always provide hospitality for the referee and the opposition after the game."

The deal to come back to Broom Road was not an easy one but with the help of Richmond Runfest race director, Tom Bedford, the club are back at their home.

The Future

Obviously there is no indication yet of when the season will restart for amateur players but the club are keen to recruit.

"We play a good standard and have quite a young first team," Les told me.

He added: "Our first team average age is around late 20s and we're looking to lower it.

"But we still have the veterans team for our older players."

The team has been bolstered recently by players from St Mary's University joining the club.

The first team plays to a good amateur standard but those of all abilities are welcome to join the club - with pre-season training hopefully starting in the next couple of months.

You can find out more about the club HERE