Welcome to Through the Turnstile, the latest club to feature on the website is also the latest club to feature as a free matchday ticket in Edition 3 of Parks to Pitches Magazine! A historic club and one that is known around the globe and one I am really looking forward to covering!

Sit back, put your feet up as we delve into Corinthian Casuals a juggernaut of a club, lets do it!

A brief history of the club.

Corinthian Football Club was founded in London in September 1882 by N.L. “Pa” Jackson to assemble Britain’s finest amateurs and bolster England’s national team  . Renowned for sportsmanship, they notably refused to score or save penalties  . Corinthians supplied nine England players by 1886 and provided the whole XI in 1894–95  . Dominating friendlies, they thrashed Blackburn 8–1, beat Manchester United 11–3 in 1904, and won three Sheriff of London Shields  . From 1897, they toured globally, inspiring clubs like Real Madrid and Brazil’s Corinthians Paulista.

Whilst the Casuals Football Club was founded in 1883 with membership originally restricted to the Old Boys of three public schools, Eton, Charterhouse, and Westminster, although that was soon changed to include all ex-public school and university players. 

The famous chocolate and pink shirts were reputedly the racing colours of founder member Thomas William Blenkiron, an Old Carthusian and former Cambridge University football blue, however it is just as likely that they were based on the colours of Charterhouse and Westminster schools. Casuals were a strong force in the early amateur game;  runners up in the first FA Amateur Cup Final in 1894, founder members of the Isthmian League in 1905, the first holders of the A.F.A Senior Cup in 1907, and winners of the F.A. Amateur Cup in 1936. They were the chief supplier of players to Corinthian FC and many players were members of both clubs.

Casuals’  victory in the Amateur Cup Final came after beating Ilford 2-0 in a replay before a crowd of 28,000 at West Ham following a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.  It was crowned by a civic reception in Kingston, where Casuals played their home games from 1925 to 1939. W.H. “Tagge” Webster, one of the goal scorers,  later became President of Corinthian-Casuals.  Centre half Bernard Joy also played for Arsenal and later that season was chosen for England against Belgium, the last amateur footballer to gain a full England cap.

Although their Isthmian League commitments prevented them from touring as frequently as their illustrious counterparts Corinthians, The Casuals did make occasional forays into Europe, holding their own against the likes of Athletic Bilbao and Sporting Lisbon while notably defeating clubs such as Benfica, MTK Budapest, Slavia Prague and VfB Leipzig.

Beginning in 1937, The Casuals and Corinthian FC were run by a joint committee and toured together as ‘The Corinthians and Casuals’ that year.   Casuals’ final match before the eventual amalgamation with Corinthians was a 4-3 win over local rivals Wimbledon on May 6th 1939.   

(Source: https://www.corinthian-casuals.com/history-of-the-casuals.html)

Club legends (as told by Head of Media & Heritage Dominic Bliss)

It’s hard to look past Brian Phillips, who is our club custodian and has volunteered more-or-less all of his time to Corinthian-Casuals since we moved in to our ground in Tolworth in 1988. He and his brother, Roger, built the ground from offcuts of other football stadiums and, following Roger’s passing, Brian continues to do an incredible amount of work to keep the place looking the way it does. On matchdays, you will see him on the turnstiles as well. He is undoubtedly an unsung hero.

On the football side, the manager Mu Maan is the current legend. In his playing days, he was a midfield marvel in the side who rose to Step 3 of the non-league pyramid and stayed there. He scored some vital goals and was a hit with the fans, so his return as manager last summer had a big impact here, especially as he brought back several popular figures from his playing days here. His brother, Mo, is a goalkeeper and coach here too, which adds something at a club where many siblings have starred over the years, right up to the recent glory days when James Bracken was manager and Danny Bracken was goalkeeper and captain.

Kit

2024 /2025 Replica Kit – £40

https://casualsmegastore.co.uk/product/corinthian-casuals-home-kit-2024-25-adult-smlxl-xxl/

Stadium info

Armada Group Stadium (KT6 7NA)
Capacity – 2000 ( 250 💺)
Number of stands – 3
Grass Pitch

Entry Price

Matchday Tickets

Adults – £10
Concessions & Under 18’s – £6
Under 16’s – £3
Under-13’s – £1

Season tickets (24/25)

Adult – £150

(Season tickets entitle you to entry to all 19 Corinthian-Casuals Combined Counties Premier Division South home fixtures as well as the Premier Challenge Cup and County Cup matches.)

Matchday Programme
£2.50 Printed

Stadium Shop

Now I have found that Non-League football teams are nothing if not creative, this creativeness is often most seen when visiting a clubs shop. Corinthian Casuals have made the most of a garden shed and converted it into a fully functional store selling all of the branded merchandise you could ever hope for.

If you are visiting this is the place you are likely to want to head before leaving, making sure you take a little bit of the clubs history with you to mark the trip. One of everything for me please!

However if you are instead looking to buy some goods from afar, you need have any fear as the club have got you covered, all of their items, including their kits are available to purchase online.

Pin badge corner – one of the best places to be….so I have been told!

Now for such an iconic club the pin badge manages to deliver an performance to match, a lovely badge and the perfect addition for any collection – including mine!

Price – £3.50

Special Mention – The Clubs History

Now I could not do this justice myself so instead of trying and failing to highlight just how important a club Corinthians have been and continue to be for the English game, take a few minutes out to watch this video which tells you everything you need to know about the rich history the club holds!

So many cool facts in one short video, but above all else the fact the club really are global and that is really special. Anyone who pulls on the kit should know they are becoming part of a historic club and contributing to something truly special.

Drinks

Who’s getting the round in…!

Now quite simply – I am a fan of this lovely bar space.

An incredible choice of drinks on offer and even wine aplenty for those amongst us that like a glass. It is a decent size and is modern in its look and appeal. Proudly showing off a large TV inside with numerous tables on offer, it also offers quick and easy access back to the outside patio and pitch, which means you can nip in grab a pint and be back pitch side in a matter of moments.

It is also available to hire for any parties or functions you wish to hold – catering for up to 100 people, it could well be the perfect venue just for you.

Get in touch with the club here to find out availability and costs – corinthiancasualsbookings@outlook.com

Food

YES!

Now there is ALOT to be said about the traditional burger hut/van and this is ticking every box i can think of. It is the sort of setup where I know now if you look at the photo below and close your eyes you can smell the matchday food, it is synonymous with football, at least in my opinion.

The sauces on a pop-up table to the side is also a traditional approach that I love and is again in my humble opinion, the correct way to lay out your condiments!

Anyway i digress – the food on offer is what you would look and hope to see, not only that but the prices are cracking, which means that you can go grab yourself another beer at the bar at half-time!

Now this is something that you don’t see this at every club, the photo below shows Brian Adamson, the Chairman of Corinthian Casuals, behind the grill of his very own burger van on a matchday, serving the fans and making sure nobody goes hungry, incredible scenes and something which I love!

Now you wouldn’t see Daniel Levy serving up food at a game would you, nor would you probably want to either to be fair!

Just to highlight the work ethic of Brian, alongside this role (and his role as Chairman) he also used to be the Manager and Groundman! Thankfully he has now passed those roles on, but how about that as a real testament to the spirit of Non-League football – what an absolute legend!!!!!

We are back at the Fab 4, the tables which highlight the prices of some of the essentials for anyone attending a non-league game: A Cider, A Beer, A Cup of tea and the famous…Burger and Chips! Let us see how this historic club perform with their food and drink prices – lets have a look then shall we!

Entering the tables in 3 out of the 4, Corinthian Casuals make a very strong performance in as you know, the only league table that matters!

Missing out on the clean sweep due to their Burger & Chips combo being priced at £7.50, it does however make up for it, in my eyes at least with a £4 pint of Beer. A price which takes the club joint 5th, alongside that the £4.20 cider price also offers incredible value for money and helps them sit joint 9th on the table.

£10 to get in , £2.50 for a programme and £4 for a pint – you can enjoy the game knowing you still have change from a £20 note….who doesn’t love Non-League Football !!!

Top 3 favourite players from 24/25 season (as told by Fan Philip Todd)

Shea Cascoe-Rogers, Marcos Dos Santos and Diogo Da Silva

We’ve had a good settled squad this season , which feels like a luxury after last season’s 99 players .

One player we kept is our tricksy winger Shea Cascoe-Rogers – think Jack Grealish. He always gets the crowd going – as does his Dad on the sidelines ( and ex Casuals’ player himself). His late winner against Abbey Rangers in October was a high point.

Two of our new Brazilian contingent of players are Marcos Dos Santos and Diogo Da Silva. Marcos was voted Fans’ Player of the Year as a great centre half who brings calm amongst the chaos , and Diogo has been a prolific striker for us this season ,including a memorable first half hatrick against Horley Town. We don’t talk about the second half..

Press Play!

The club have an active YouTube channel which includes 2024/2205 matchday highlights alongside commentary!

With the club having such a wide-spread fanbase I had assumed this would be the case and I was not disappointed. Video content like this allows the fanbase to still feel connected to the club and a part of what goes on week in, week out. I have said it many times now but I am a HUGE fan of matchday highlights.

The club currently only have 288 subscribers but definitely deserve more due to the content they provide – so click the image below and drop a subscription on the channel!

Views from the Staff

Q) What does Corinthian-Casuals mean to you?

Corinthian-Casuals is entirely different to any other football club, due to its unique history. The Corinthians were once the best team in the world, providing entire England XIs on two occasions and helping to grow the game across the globe with their tours to distant lands, not least Brazil where Corinthians were inspired by our visit in 1910. So even before I attended a game I knew the heritage, but once I experienced the matchdays at King George’s Field, I also realised that the club has something special going on now, with a great local fanbase who support the team home and away and create a big atmosphere. Those two elements combined made me fall in love with the club from the start and now I’m a committee member as well as a fan, I feel a sense of responsibility to make sure our identity remains strong no matter what.

Q) How did you come to carry out the role you do today for the club?

My role is to head up the club’s media team and maintain the heritage of the club, which is an honour, but I never intended to take all this on! It happened by accident as I work in sports media by day, and when the previous – legendary – head of media and marketing, Stuart Tree, stepped down, all eyes settled on muggins here! But I enjoy the role immensely for the main part.

Q) What does your day look like on a matchday?

I tend to arrive an hour and a half before kick-off with my wife, Kelly, who is also a fan and committee member. We bring the programmes down to the ground to make sure they’re there once the gates open, and then typically there will be one or two other media volunteers there, so between us we will get some social media content out there, make sure the teams are entered into Football Web Pages and keep the match centre updated on there throughout the action. Then you look to get some video of the fans or anything going on at the ground that day, or a post-match interview with a player to keep the media content strong. I’ll also look to sneak a beer or two in there and have a chat with my mates, because that’s why I love non-league and I think it’s important not to lose sight of that just because I have a role at the club as well.

Q) What has been the most memorable moment from your time at the club to date so far?

An honorary mention goes to our FA Cup qualifying run in 2021/22, when we came within a whisker of reaching the first round proper, with Kelly’s tinfoil cup as our good-luck charm. But, without a doubt, my personal highlight would be travelling to Budapest for the Egri Erbstein Tournament in the summer of 2019, and seeing us win the trophy under James Bracken. The Corinthians visited Hungary in 1904 and the Casuals did the same a year later, which led to the nation’s first cup competition being called the Corinthian Cup. It was an honour to help organise our return 115 years later to play against our brothers over there, BAK, and write a new chapter in our touring history. As the author of Egri Erbstein’s biography and an ambassador for BAK as well, I had a special emotional connection to the whole event, and I had a tear in my eye when the team walked up to claim the Corinthian Cup in front of an enormous number of travelling Casuals fans, who got to see their club win European silverware.

Q) What are your hopes for the club next season?

Last season was about stabilising after two relegations on the trot, and we did that with a mid-table finish in Mu Maan’s first season as manager. Mu was a popular and talented player here in the 2010s and helped to bring back the soul of this club, so next season we hope to see progress again and the continuation of the spirit that makes us such a unique and joyful club to support.

Q) Why should someone come and give the Casuals a go?

The atmosphere here is unique. On top of our incredible local support, who travel in numbers away as well, we also have a Brazilian supporters’ group – Fiel Londres – who are London-based fans of the Sao Paulo-based Corinthians. They attend several games a season and add another layer to the atmosphere. We also have a handful of Brazilian players who bring something different on the pitch, so it’s well worth coming down to experience all of that. Then, once you get hooked, the endless history means you never stop learning more about Corinthian-Casuals to deepen your fascination with the club.

View from the fans

Q) What does your journey look like becoming a fan of Corinthian Casuals today?

I had been aware of Corinthian-Casuals for some time as my local non league team but was only vaguely aware of their history. As an exiled Scunthonian ( now non-league themselves) now living in Surbiton, I wanted a football fix . Once I started attending I realised how fortunate I was to have such a famous team playing down the road in Tolworth. Very quickly I was hooked -and am happily passionate about the Casuals.

Q) What has been your favourite memory since following the team?

I really enjoyed the 2022 pre-season Egri Erbstein Tournament when we welcomed Budapesti Atlétikai Klub ,Hilltop FC and Sheffield FC. It’s always good to celebrate our international links and play other famous amateur and semi professional teams. Although our injury time winner away to Guildford this season was pretty good too!

Q) The club is known worldwide, how crazy is that as a fan to know that your team although not in the Premier league commands the reputation of one?

It’s a bit surreal to support a team (Corinthian FC) that twice provided the entire England Team and inflicted Manchester Utd’s heaviest ever defeat 11 (eleven) -3. As well as inspiring the foundation of SC Corinthians Paulista, amongst many other notable achievements. My dentist still refuses to believe that last one. Perhaps I should bring him to a game when our Brazilian supporters Fiel Londres are out in force !

Q) Do you find teams up their game against you because of that?

I think every game is very competitive regardless of the opposition, but I might adopt that as a handy excuse for future use.

Q) What does a matchday look like for you?

It’s a short hop on the bus to meet up with my friends Nobby, Steve and Phil at the ground. If Brentford (who?) are away my wife Sarah joins us. Then it’s down to the serious business of discussing all things Combined Counties Premier League South ! I usually pop into the club shop then we take our usual place next to the dugouts. At the end of every game, win lose or draw, the players and management come around to thank the fans ,so we stick around for that before the post-mortem.

Q) Why should someone come down and take a game in next season?

They’re assured of a warm welcome like all our visitors . There are lots of reminders about our history in the Fans’ Zone and the clubhouse has a lot of memorabilia and interesting artefacts from around the world. There is a comfortable covered stand with seating, on one side of the ground , or you can seek us out by the away dugout. Next season also sees the opening of our new outside bar. There is always a great atmosphere, including the fans singing famous Casuals’ song every time a train goes past on the railway embankment above the ground.

Q) How did you initially become a fan of Corinthian casuals?

A good friend of mine Rog took me down for 1st game, I wasn’t even a football fan at the time of 1st visit but it hooked me straight away.

Q) You then later became a board member at the club, firstly why? And secondly how do you find it?

I was asked to join the board as a representative of the fans. It’s not always easy but enjoy being able to get the fans point across on various issues. I enjoy my new role at the club, really makes me feel part of it.

Q) What does a matchday look like and feel like for you?

Match day, I rarely miss a game either home or away.

Q) Do you feel extra pressure now you are a board member or do the wins feel just as good and the losses hurt just as much as before?

I’m only there to support and sing my heart out. Fan only on match days. Id say everything has stayed the same after becoming a member. It’s really nice to have a voice from our fans through me. No pressure or no more than before.

Q) Who is the best player you have seen in a Corinthian shirt?

Best player I have seen is the legend Jamie Byatt. But our keeper for many years Danny Bracken come a very close 2nd.

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Future plans as told by Chairman, Brian Adamson.

Q) What does the 5 year plan for the club look like?

Our vision over the next five years is to build a sustainable, competitive club both on and off the pitch. We want to establish ourselves within non-league football, pushing for promotion while maintaining financial stability. The key to this is strengthening our squad, enhancing our facilities, and growing our presence in the local community.

Beyond results on the pitch, we aim to improve our infrastructure, expand our youth pathway, and increase engagement with supporters and local businesses. Football is at the heart of our club, but we see ourselves as more than just a team – we’re a hub for the community, and we want to make a lasting impact.

Q) What are the future plans for:

⁃ Stadium – We are committed to improving our stadium to enhance both the matchday experience for fans and the facilities for players and staff. In the short term, this means upgrading our training pitch to 3G, a new club shop and fan amenities.

⁃ Academy – Longer term, we have ambitions to bring back an academy, but we have a thriving youth section and developing young talent is a priority. Our aim is to create a clear pathway from the youth setup to the first team, ensuring we nurture local players and give them opportunities to progress.

⁃ Recruitment – Our recruitment strategy is focused on finding the right players – those who fit our playing style and club ethos. We are building a network. We believe in a mix of experience and youth to create a balanced, competitive squad.

⁃ Community projects – The club plays a vital role in the local community and we are committed to expanding our outreach. Whether it’s football coaching for young players or partnerships with local schools and businesses, we want to use football as a vehicle for positive change. We’re also looking at expanding our women’s team and walking football programmes to ensure we’re an inclusive club for all.

In addition to the above – the club recently released this amazing update from Brian:

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Now what a club!

It was quite a daunting task to take on this one due to the history which the club is steeped in. However, I hope I have done the club justice and also shed some light to those of you reading this who were unaware about both the clubs history/present day operations.

The clubs kit is iconic and I am a huge fan of the clarity in which Brian (chairman) is communicating with the fanbase and updating everyone on what is happening behind the scenes. The club just feels warm, friendly and that they appreciate everyone who comes through their turnstile to watch a game week in, week out.

I would highly recommend you fancy a trip next season to do it, an iconic team that simply needs to be seen play live in person. I wish the team and everyone at the club well for next season – “E Duobus Unum”

Until next time guys!
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Edition 3 of the dedicated Non-League Football magazine, Parks to Pitches has just been released & you can grab your very own copy right here and now!!

https://tttonlf.square.site/product/parks-to-pitches-3rd-edition/16?cs=true&cst=custom