The first home friendly of the new campaign has been revealed, and it is a fascinating one. On Monday 17th July Penzance will be welcoming touring side Upton Park to Penlee Park (kick-off time to be advised).
Upton Park were formed to revive the legacy of two previous clubs of the same name that were operational over one hundred years ago. The original Upton Park staged the first ever FA Cup tie, losing 0-3 to Clapham Rovers at West Ham Park in 1866. The second represented Great Britain at the 1900 Paris Olympics!
The current incarnation has been making history of its own. They contested the last ever game staged at West Ham United’s old Boleyn Ground, a friendly against The Royal Engineers in May 2016 and, more recently, reached the final of the Generation Cup where they lost to Blackpool at St George’s Park.
“We are a representative team combining young talent from the East London area plus good local players,” explains club founder Jon Hunter. “In the 1890s, Upton Park toured the West Country and the Channel Islands, so we are retracing their steps. We have played Guernsey and Jersey, and last summer we toured Naples playing Serie D team Agropili and a rep team from Versuvius.”
Upton Park will enjoy a four day stay in West Cornwall during which they will also play a friendly against Mousehole. We look forward to entertaining them at Penlee Park.
Admission prices, if any, are yet to be set but all home friendlies will be included in our “Families for Free” Season Ticket so, if you have yet to order yours, please do so here: or get there early and buy on the night.