Newquay Football Club, nicknamed “The Peppermints,” is a non-league football club based in Newquay, Cornwall.
Established in 1890, they currently compete in the Jewson Western League Premier Division, which is part of the ninth tier of English football. The team calls Mount Wise their home ground.
Association football was first introduced to the town in 1890 when a match was staged at Newquay Grammar School under Association Rules, generating enough enthusiasm to form a club soon afterwards. Competitive football began in the late 1890s with entry into the Cornwall County Cup, and in 1907 the team secured its first silverware by winning the Cornwall Charity Shield. Around the same time, the nickname “The Peppermints” came into use, inspired by the players’ red and white shirts.
A significant step came in the 1920s when the club joined the Plymouth and District League and secured Mount Wise as its permanent home ground through the support of the local council. Financial difficulties with travel led to a withdrawal from that competition, but by the 1930s Newquay were active in the Cornwall Senior League, achieving a league and cup double in 1935. After the Second World War the club was re-established, becoming a founder member of both the Cornwall Combination League and the South Western League in the early 1950s. Success followed in the latter, with the club lifting the league title on several occasions.
The 1980s brought major improvements to facilities, with a new clubhouse, changing rooms, and floodlights added at Mount Wise. High-profile friendlies attracted large crowds, most notably a record attendance of 3,500 for a match against Manchester City in 1998. Further development came in 2007 when the club entered the South West Peninsula League following the merger of the South Western and Devon leagues. Promotion to Step Six of the National League System was achieved in 2012 after winning the West Division title, marking the highest level of competition in the club’s history.