Kettering Town Football Club, nicknamed “The Poppies,” is a non-league football club based in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
Established in 1872, they currently compete in the Pitching In Southern Football League Premier Central, which is part of the seventh tier of English football. The team calls Latimer Park their home ground.
The club turned professional in 1891 and moved through twelve leagues before becoming a founding member of the Alliance Premier League in 1979. It won Midland Football League titles in 1896 and 1900, and Southern League championships in 1928, 1957 and 1973. In 1976 it became the first British club to display a sponsor’s name on its shirts.
It finished as Football Conference runner-up four times between 1981 and 1998 and reached the FA Trophy final in 1979 and 2000. Relegation in 2000–01 ended 30 seasons in non-league football’s top division, but the side returned by winning the Southern Football League in 2001–02. It won Conference North in 2007–08 and reached the FA Cup fourth round the following season.
A move to Nene Park in 2011 preceded financial problems, a company voluntary arrangement and relegation by two divisions. The club moved to Latimer Park in 2013, then won divisional titles in 2014–15 and 2018–19. After relegation in 2022–23, Ritchie Jeune sold the club to Nadim Akhtar in May 2024.