It has a continuous and proud history going back before its own formal constitution in 1876 and the founding of The Football Association in 1863.

[1] The Old Foresters Football Club's main on-field achievements are reaching the quarter-final of the F.A.

players have played for England while at the club: Percy Fairclough and Fred Pelly.

[1] Old Forester Robin Trimby played for England Amateur Team in the late 1950s and co-wrote several books on football skills including one co-written with Jimmy Hill.

Old Forester Quinton Fortune appeared in the first Boodle & Dunthorne ISFA Cup Final in 1993, whilst a schoolboy player with Tottenham.

Quinton later went on to play for Real Mallorca, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers, as well as for South Africa, for whom he appeared in both the 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals.

In John Gildersleeve's reign as headmaster (1848–1857) the school participated in cricket and hockey but there was no football at this time.

It was on the appointment of Frederick Barlow Guy as headmaster in 1857, that football became quickly established and joined cricket as the dominant sport at the school.

Tradition records some great battles between Charles W. Alcock and F.J. Poole, in which the object was to barge the other player over the iron railings!

[1] The first recorded annual fixture between the Old Foresters and the school was in the 1864–65 season,[9] although it is likely to have been played for several years before.

Cup, losing 0–1 to Great Marlow at Slough in a replay after a 0–0 draw in the first meeting at The Oval.

[12] Preston North End won the first ever Football League championship two years later.

[1] The Essex Senior Cup was won in 1885, 1886, and 1887, after which the Old Foresters withdrew from the competition "to give somebody else a chance".

During this era, two Old Foresters players were selected to represent England — Percy Fairclough in 1878 and Fred Pelly, three times in 1893 and 1894.

The first half of the twentieth century was barren for Old Foresters football, and they reached the semi-final of the cup only once in 1908.

After the Second World War, the school grew in numbers, and this meant there was a greater pool of talent for the Old Foresters to choose from.

[1] However, with the school's expansion there was no longer the capacity for the Old Foresters to continue playing at The Park and the first alternative ground was found at Edmonton in 1930.

The full list of previous home grounds is as follows:[1] The club's original colours were dark blue,[13] with a crest added in 1877.