Bridport Football Club was formed on October 7th 1885 by a group of members of the town’s Cricket & lawn tennis Club. The club played just two matches during its first season, with their maiden game being at Dorchester on February 4th 1886, losing 5-1. The second was at home to Evershot, which Bridport won 3-1
The first ten years were taken up playing friendly matches throughout Dorset. Then in 1896 the club joined the newly formed Dorset League, where they stayed or just two seasons. During the following 20 years the club entered the South Dorset League and then the West Dorset League, where they won the championship in the 1907/08 season, losing only one of their 14 matches & scoring 62 goals with only 6 against. They again won the title the following season, by five points from local rivals Beaminster. After these successes it was decided to rejoin the South Dorset League where they came joint top in their first season but losing the championship decider against Somerset Light Infantry 3-1. The club gained revenge the following year when they won the championship outright.
In 1912 they joined the Perry Street League and won the championship in the first season. After the First World War a reserve side was formed to continue playing in the Perry Street League, While the firsts re-entered the South Dorset League. Since that time both teams have progressed through The County League & into leagues where they now play. After playing at the towns Cricket Ground for almost 40 years, the move to the Crown Ground was made in 1931. While there, the Dorset Senior League title was won (1950) as well as the Dorset Amateur Cup the previous year. A record crowd of 3,000 saw First Division Chelsea win a friendly Match in May 1950 by 4 goals to 1, with Cooke of Bridport scoring the goal of the game.
The move to their present home came in 1953. Since that time the team have won the Dorset Senior Amateur Cup a further four times, the Dorset Combination League three times and the Combination League Cup twice. Entry to the western league was gained in 1961where they stayed until the end of the1982/83 season. During which time they won the Challenge Cup (now known as the Les Philips Cup) on three occasions - 1970/71, 1972/73 and 1977/78. A feat equaled by Tiverton Town in later years. In 1983 they resigned from the Western league after having just played six league games and one league Cup match of the 1983/84 season. They failed to fulfill their seventh league fixture at Weston Super Mare. Unfortunately for Bridport, they were heavily in debt and their cause was not helped when they were fined £500 for withdrawal. In addition they were also ordered to pay £100 for not fulfilling the last league fixture, plus costs, which amounted to £128 to the clubs they had played. In the event, this task was impossible and it was accepted that an initial payment of £128 be made to the clubs involved with the outstanding balance paid to the league in monthly payments of £100.
Bridport entered the Dorset Combination League during the next four seasons, winning the title three times. They were then accepted back into the Western League in time for the start of the 1988/89 season and battled their way through to the semi-finals of the newly named Les Phillips Challenge Cup by beating Mangotsfield, Calne and Swanage but they bowed out to eventual winners Exmouth Town .
Under the leadership of ex-player Geoff Joy the club were promoted to the Premier Division in 1994 as runners-up in Division One. Their stay in the top flight lasted for ten seasons, untill they sufferd relegation back to the First Division, the club gained some reward for their efforts by claiming the Dorset Senior Cup for the ninth time by beating Wessex League side Hamworthy United 1-0.
