This is the THIRD East Thames Athletic Football Club. Both there predecessors have competed at grass roots level and both have achieved honours over the years, however, the present model has yet to emulate there achievements.
The original Club was founded in 1993, it was formed from the disbanded youth team East Ham Royals and Nadet FC which were about to fold. It joined the Thameside Sunday Football League and played in Division 1 and ended runners up losing out to Lord Stanley and to the same team in the League Cup final.
The Club then moved on to the Camden Sunday Football League which offered more League fixtures and competition. There they stayed for a couple of Seasons but no sign of silverware came. The following Season the Club joined the Hackney and Leyton League but only stayed for a year as it was decided that the Club were never going to be held to ransom and pay more than they should due to the Leagues fines and financial criteria.
In 1998 the Club joined The East London Sunday Football League and after a sit down meeting with Club Officials and players a major reshuffle of how the Club was running saw a major change in its fortunes and a roll of honours that were to come. They were crowned Division 2 Winners and Cup winners and runners up in the Jubilee Cup and had an open topped double decker bus take them to there sponsors The Pickle House venue. The Club also splashed the cash and bought the transfer of Davey Armstrong for a Club record of £ 7!! The money was justified with Armstrong hitting the back of the net 17 times even though he joined mid way through the Season. Club founder and then Manager Tony Blackwell stepped down to further his football career and player Scott Ashton became East Thames new manager. The following Season they were Division 1 and Jubilee Cup runners up but were crowned winners of the Hospice Cup. The 2000-2001 Season they became runners up in the Senior Cup.
The 2001-2002 Season the Club moved to the South Essex Sunday League starting in Division 3 with Ashton stepping down to concentrate just as a player and Gary Thompson became East Thames new manager. They ended as runners up, the following Season they became runners up of Division 2 and the Tyrell Trophy. They were winners of the League Cup and Kevin Stock was awarded Player of the Season truely the greatest award given to a East Thames player who had started off as a youth player with East Ham Royals before the days of the Clubs inception.
2004, the Club joined the Essex Sunday Football Combination starting in Division 1, Gary Thompson was sacked the Season before and East Thames welcomed back Tony Blackwell. League success was a mixture of wins and losses but they were crowned winners of the Division 1 Morfey Cup and the following Season they won the same Cup again in 2005-2006 as well as the Leagues Premier Cup and ran out semi finalists in the London Junior Cup missing out on penaltys. The 2006-2007 Season they finished runners up and promoted to the Premier Division but the players had a vote of no confidence in the League due to the inability and mix up of fixtures/dates and the Club left to join the Ford Sunday Football League starting in Division 2.
The 2007-2008 Season they were runners up in the Division 2 Cup but only managed third in the league after losing out to Tigers FC. The following Season they were winners in the Division 2 Cup and runners up in the Knockout Cup.
The Club left the League 2008-2009 after a dispute with the committee and rejoined the Essex Sunday Football Combination League but due to the London FA imposing a sine die on East Thames, the Club folded although the current crop of players at the time renamed themselves Forest Hawks, a name that was familier, harking back to the East Ham Royal days.
After a 5 year absence East Thames rose again like a phoenix from the ashes and currently play in Division 3 of the Essex Sunday Football Combination League and once again Tony Blackwell remains there manager. Currently its work in progress as the newly formed Club find its feet and currently sit bottom of the League and Division.