Full name | Old Castle Swifts Football Club | |
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Nickname(s) | The Swifts[1] | |
Founded | 1892 as Castle Swifts F.C. | |
Dissolved | 1895 | |
Ground | Dunottar Park 1892 Temple Meadows 1892–1894 Hermit Road 1894–1895 | |
Capacity | 1,000 | |
Chairman | Donald Currie | |
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Old Castle Swifts Football Club, the first professional football club in Essex,[2] was formed by Scottish shipowner Donald Currie in September 1892 as Castle Swifts Football Club. The club's first home ground, located in West Ham, was named Dunottar Park, after the Castle Line company's ship Dunottar Castle. In 1894, Old Castle Swifts merged with Old St Luke's and was renamed. The club was wound up the following season. Its demise saw several players join the newly founded Thames Ironworks, the club that was later reformed as West Ham United.