1945–1963 Discussions of the amalgamation of local rivals
Walton FC and
Hersham FC took place as early as 1912, but the idea was rejected by membership vote. A second vote took place 11 years later, but with a tied decision the club remained separate, and the idea was once again rejected in 1933. However, when Hersham FC no longer had a home ground in 1945, the two clubs met again and came to an agreement to join the newly founded
Corinthian League as one club. Despite a poor first season, Walton & Hersham won the league three consecutive times from 1946 to 1949. They also won the
Surrey Senior Cup for the first time during the 1947–48 season with a 2–1 win against
Kingstonian at
Crystal Palace. In 1950, the club were elected to the
Athenian League and finished runners up in their debut season while also winning their second Surrey Senior Cup. Walton & Hersham reached the
FA Amateur Cup semi-finals in both the 1951–52 and 1952–53 seasons, and during this period gained a substantial following. The club reached the
FA Cup First Round for the first time in 1957–58, losing 6–1 to
Southampton in front of 6,000 people. They won the Surrey Senior Cup for a third time in 1960–61, and retained the trophy the following year.
1963–1994 The Athenian League expanded in 1963 and Walton & Hersham were placed in the Premier Division. A period of mid-table football followed, until the 1967 appointment of
Allen Batsford as manager heralded a new era of success. In 1968–69, he won the Athenian League, followed by two successive visits to the FA Cup first round in 1969–70 and 1970–71. The Surrey Senior Cup was won again in 1970–71. Walton & Hersham were elected to the
Isthmian League in 1971, and the
1972–73 season proved statistically their greatest ever. They won the Surrey Senior Cup, finished as runners-up in the league, reached the FA Cup second round for the first time and, most prestigiously, won the FA Amateur Cup, defeating
Slough Town at
Wembley Stadium. They set a unique record by winning the competition without conceding a goal. Players including
Dave Bassett, Willie Smith and Roger Connell became regulars in the
England amateur international team. As FA Amateur Cup Winners they were invited to compete in the 1973 Final of The Coppa Ottorino Barassi (The Barassi Cup). They played Jesolo the Italian Amamtuer Cup Winners. The Swans won both legs 4–0 at home and 2-0 Away to lift the trophy. In 1973–74, the club reached the FA Cup second round again, having beaten
Brian Clough's
Brighton & Hove Albion at
Goldstone Ground 4–0. Following the defeat, Clough almost got into a fight with comedian
Eric Sykes, who was associated with Walton & Hersham at the time and was laughing about the result to a friend during a phone call. In 1974, Batsford left to manage
Wimbledon and took several players with him. Walton & Hersham were relegated in 1975 and, although they reached the FA Cup first round again in the 1975–76 season, they went close to extinction in the late 1970s. They inspired the name of
punk band
Sham 69 (who formed in 1976), as they derived it from a piece of graffiti which read 'Walton & Hersham 69'. Despite briefly having
Sir Stanley Matthews as president, the club endured a lean period throughout the 1980s.
1994–2018 Walton & Hersham were promoted to the Isthmian top flight in 1994, and reached the FA Cup first round again that season, although relegation followed in 1996. They were promoted the following year, but relegation followed again in 2000. After a spell in the
Isthmian League First Division, they appointed long-serving player
Alan Dowson as manager and he led them to a successful 2004–05 season, with promotion secured as runners-up. After the resignation of
Alan Dowson in October 2006, former
Gillingham first-team coach Bobby Paterson took over after a long search for a new manager. Walton & Hersham were relegated that season and Paterson's contract was terminated. The assistant manager Les Cleevely - the former
Carshalton Athletic player/assistant manager for whom he made over 500 appearances - took over. Former
Millwall chairman
Theo Paphitis became a member of Walton & Hersham's board of directors, and after a mid-table finish to the 2007–08 season, Les Cleevely became the academy coach while Jimmy Bolton took over as manager. In March 2009, Jimmy Bolton was replaced for the rest of the season by Matt Elverson as caretaker manager. During the 2009 off-season,
John Crumplin was appointed manager, although his reign only lasted until September 2010. Chuck Martini was appointed soon after. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Walton & Hersham were relegated to the
Combined Counties Football League Premier Division. The club appointed Simon Haughney as first team manager on 22 June 2016, with former Guyana international
Howard Newton as assistant manager.
2019–2024 In June 2019 - after a season ending in relegation to the Combined Counties League One - the club was taken over by a consortium of seven young people; Thomas Bradbury, Reme Edetanlen, Jack Newton, Sartej Tucker, Ben Madelin, Calogero Scannella and Stephan Karidis. They got off to a winning start in the league with a 3–0 victory over Eversley & California FC. Media coverage has been a prominent strategy for the new ownership, with national & international coverage documenting the club's direction as the unverified "youngest owners in world football". The new directors also featured in a
90min documentary that recorded their experiences, filmed during their first season in charge. On 14 April 2020, Manager George Busumbru stepped down, citing 'personal reasons'. Scott Harris, former player & former assistant coach at Walton Casuals, replaced George. In 2021, the club were promoted to the Premier Division South based on their results in the abandoned
2019–20 and
2020–21 seasons. After six years away from the Isthmian League, a 1–0 victory over
Raynes Park Vale on 9 April 2022 secured at least a second placed spot and back-to-back promotions. The club returned to Step 4 for the first time since relegation in 15/16. In 2023, after finishing 2nd in the Isthmian South Central Division, the club secured a third successive promotion following a 3–1 win in the division play-off finals against Hanworth Villa, which returns the club to Step 3, a key goal for the owners. The season saw other records with striker Eddie Simon scoring an English record of four hat-tricks in successive games. In April 2024, following three promotions in three seasons, Harris was sacked with the club sitting five points off of the play-offs with three matches remaining, with a number of key players also departing the club in support of Harris.
2025- present Harris was replaced as manager by his former assistant Billy Rowley, who led the Swans to a third place league finish and their first Surrey Senior Cup title in 52 years. A penalty shootout defeat to
Gloucester City in the play-off semi-final denied them a chance at promotion to the
National League South. In November 2025, Rowley and assistant manager Darren Simpson departed the club for
Yeovil Town. Coaching assistant Jakub Pietrzak took charge on an interim basis and was appointed as permanent manager after overseeing three wins and one draw. Pietrzak led the club to the fifth round of the FA Trophy, its best ever performance and on 6 April 2026, the Swans were crowned champions of the Southern League Premier South to earn promotion to the National League South for the first time in its history. ==Stadium==