Shenfield AFC was founded in 1985 by a group of school leavers from Shenfield Secondary School. They had been playing school football together for five years but did not know of a suitable senior club to join so formed their own. The club began playing in the Mid-Essex Football League, and its players were drawn mainly from ex pupils of the school.

Shenfield’s first success was promotion from Division Two in 1989. A reserve team was established for the 1993/94 season and the club immediately reaped the benefit with promotion by the First team to the Premier Division that same year.

It was not until the 1997/98 season that the club won its first trophies. That year the First team was crowned Mid-Essex Football League Premier Division Champions as well sweeping the honours in the cup competitions, the prestigious Dave Strachan Knockout cup and the Premier Division Cup. It was only the second time in the league’s 100-year history that one club had held all three trophies at the same time. The Reserves kept pace by winning the Area Final of the Essex Junior Trophy.

The Club followed that season by retaining the Premier Division Cup, and  with the Reserves winning the First Division Cup. Steady progress on and off the pitch was marked by the club achieving intermediate status in 1999, and entry into the Essex Intermediate League Division 3 for the season 1999/00.

After a couple of seasons of consolidation, both teams won successive promotions in seasons 2001/02 & 2002/03, and are both now in the top divisions of the Essex Intermediate League.

1999/00 also saw the introduction of a Third team, who played in the  Mid-Essex Football League, maintaining our 17-year link with this competition. The Third team won promotion from Division 5 in the same season, and were Division 4 Champions in 2000/01.

A fourth team was formed for the 2002/03 season, who also played in the Mid -Essex League.

In 2004/05, the First team won the Southend Charity Cup, and the Essex Intermediate League Senior Division Cup.

The Fourth team was disbanded for the 2006/07 season in favour of a Vets team, who will be play in the Essex Veterans League. In the Vet’s first season they were runners up in the league, and also got through to the semi-finals of the Essex FA Veterans Cup.

For the 2007/08 season a Vets Reserve side were formed, and the Essex Olympian Reserve side were disbanded. During the same season the Reserve team playing in the Mid-Essex were disbanded, leaving one team in the Essex Olympian and two in the Essex Vets League.

The Olympian Reserve team were re-formed for 2008/09 season, meaning the club were back to running four teams.

In season 2008/09 the Vets Firsts won promotion to Division 1 by finishing runners-up in Division 2 West and the Vets Reserves won the Division 3 League and Cup double.

Following relegation in 2009/10 season the Vets First won Division 2 West in the 2010/11 season, and promotion back to Division 1.