Chichester City Football Club, nicknamed “The Lilywhites,” is a non-league football club based in Chichester, West Sussex.
Established in 2000, they currently compete in the Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division, which is part of the seventh tier of English football. The team calls Oaklands Park their home ground.
Formed in the 19th century, the team helped create the Sussex County FA in 1882, joined the West Sussex League in 1896 and the Sussex County League in 1920. It secured the Sussex Senior Cup in 1926, back-to-back league titles in 1960 and 1961, shared the RUR Cup and faced Bristol City in the FA Cup first round that year, then added another league crown in 1968.
Chichester City won the league again in 1973, escaped relegation under Richie Reynolds to take the 1979-80 title, dropped in 1983, but returned with promotion and Division Two Cup victories in 1985 and 1988. Steve White’s 1990 promotion began a near-two-decade stay in the top flight. A 2000 merger with Portfield formed Chichester City United, which captured the 2004 title, consecutive Brighton Charity Cups, and the 2007 RUR Cup before reclaiming its old name in 2009.
Miles Rutherford’s staff oversaw third- and fifth-round FA Vase runs, the 2018 RUR Cup and the 2019 Southern Combination title that lifted City to Step 4. An FA Cup journey in 2019-20 reached the second round before defeat at Tranmere. After COVID-affected seasons, a 13-game unbeaten surge in 2024 clinched play-off promotion to the Isthmian Premier Division.
Chichester City & Portfield United Football Club Limited is a registered company in England and Wales under company number 04019731