Founded in 1939 as Eastern Union, the club changed its name to Gisborne City after winning the Central Districts League at the first attempt in 1967.

[1] As Eastern Union, the club had competed in the Chatham Cup since the early 1950s, and reached the semi-final (and North Island Final) in 1957, losing to eventual champions Seatoun 3–1.

Five players were selected to participate in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.

In 1984, Gisborne became the first team from outside New Zealand's three biggest cities Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch to win the national championship.

The Chelsea song "Blue is the Colour" was adopted as the clubs anthem.