Big moments. Local heroes.

StevenageFootball Club

The highs. The heartbreak.
The people who made it.
This is their story.

Founded
1976
Known as
The Boro
Home turf
Broadhall Way
From
Hertfordshire
The long read

More than a scoreline.

From local beginnings to the big occasions. This is Stevenage.

An introduction covering the club’s formation through its 2023 promotion. This is a growing collection, rather than a complete season-by-season record.

A fresh start for the town

Stevenage’s modern club began in 1976 after Stevenage Athletic folded. Youth football and local playing fields came before senior league football. The early ground dispute made a permanent home part of the struggle, not a starting privilege. Early history →

Working up the divisions

Entry into the United Counties League in 1980 opened a new chapter. The first season brought a divisional title, and the early 1990s saw Paul Fairclough lead a rapid climb through the Isthmian divisions. By 1994, Boro had reached the Conference. The rise →

Winning wasn’t quite enough

The 1995–96 Conference championship should have been the next step. Instead, ground requirements blocked entry into the Football League. The title stayed in the record books; the promotion had to wait. Club history →

Wembley, twice

The 2007 FA Trophy final turned a two-goal deficit into a 3–2 victory over Kidderminster Harriers. Two years later, Stevenage returned to Wembley and beat York City 2–0 to lift the Trophy again. The finals →

A new name. A new level.

The 2009–10 Conference title finally brought Football League membership. Borough disappeared from the name, and a second promotion followed in 2011. There would be a return to League Two in 2014, before promotion back to League One in 2023. Football League years →

The moments that mattered

Through the years.

  1. 1976

    A new beginning

    A new club takes shape after the collapse of Stevenage Athletic. [source]

  2. 1980–81

    Off to a flying start

    The first senior league campaign brings the United Counties Division One title. [source]

  3. 1993–94

    Conference bound

    The Isthmian Premier title takes Boro to non-league’s top division. [source]

  4. 1995–96

    Champions, but no promotion

    Ground requirements prevent a Football League place despite winning the Conference. [source]

  5. 2007

    Wembley, what a comeback

    Two goals down to Kidderminster, Boro recover to win the FA Trophy 3–2. [source]

  6. 2009

    Back for another Trophy

    A 2–0 win over York City brings a second FA Trophy. [source]

  7. 2010

    Football League at last

    Conference champions again; the club drops Borough from its name. [source]

  8. 2011

    Straight up again

    John Mousinho scores at Old Trafford as Boro win promotion through the play-offs. [source]

  9. 2023

    Back to League One

    League Two runners-up under Steve Evans, in a year that also brings an FA Cup win at Aston Villa. [source]

Home turf

More than a ground.

Broadhall Way

Broadhall Way is central to the story, but the new club could not use it straight away. A dispute over the ground left the early team playing on local fields. The return to Broadhall Way accompanied entry into the United Counties League in 1980. This page uses the ground’s traditional name rather than a changing sponsorship title.

Read the ground’s early story ↗
Club characters

The people behind it.

A few figures from the milestones in this introduction.

The climb through non-league

Paul Fairclough

Led the early-1990s rise through the Isthmian divisions to the Conference.

Read the source ↗
Wembley and beyond

Graham Westley

Manager for the 2009 FA Trophy victory and the successive promotions of 2010 and 2011.

Read the source ↗
An Old Trafford moment

John Mousinho

His goal in the 2011 play-off final helped take Stevenage into League One.

Read the source ↗
The 2023 return

Steve Evans

Guided the club to second place in League Two and promotion in 2023.

Read the source ↗
In the trophy cabinet

Reasons to celebrate.

Selected senior honours and promotions. Full honours record ↗

Conference

Champions
1995–96, 2009–10

FA Trophy

Winners
2006–07, 2008–09

League Two

Play-off winners
2010–11

League Two

Runners-up · promoted
2022–23

Isthmian Premier Division

Champions
1993–94

Isthmian Division One

Champions
1991–92

Isthmian Division Two North

Champions
1985–86, 1990–91

United Counties Division One

Champions
1980–81
Behind the story

Good stories.
Proper sources.

Written in our own words, with links back to the records. Last reviewed .

  1. Stevenage FC

    History & Honours ↗

    Club-published summary of the major promotions and FA Trophy finals. PDF.

  2. Stevenage FC

    A Brief History — First Time Guide ↗

    Club account of its formation and Football League progress, including 2023. PDF.

  3. BoroGuide · Pete H

    A Brief History of Stevenage FC ↗

    Independent supporter history, published 29 August 2023. Early years, grounds and the rise through non-league.

  4. Stevenage Football Archive

    Honours ↗

    Detailed competition and season records. The selection here focuses on senior league achievements and the FA Trophy.

A growing record

Our first chapter is an introduction, not an exhaustive archive. We credit existing research and will expand the collection as more material is checked. Our editorial approach ↗