Founded in 1896, Crawley helped to found the West Sussex League later that year before transferring to the Mid-Sussex League. The club disbanded in 1935, but were re-established in the Brighton, Hove & District League three years later. The club switched to the Sussex County League in 1951 and then moved on to the Metropolitan League five years later. The club moved from amateur to semi-professional status in 1962 and were accepted into the Southern League the following year. They secured promotion out of Division One in 1968–69, only to suffer relegation the next season.