Instrumental in Association Football's split from Rugby Football in 1863 and officially founded in 1871, the OEAFC quickly grew to become a dominant force in the early days of modern football.

Reaching 6 FA Cup Finals in the years between 1875 and 1883 the club went on to lift the trophy twice with wins over Clapham Rovers in 1879 and Blackburn Rovers in 1882.

FA Cup glory may have been resigned to the history books but the season of 2004/2005 will go down as the most successful of the modern era with the 1st XI winning the Premier League, Arthur Dunn Cup double and the 2nd & 3rd XIs lifting their cup and league competitions respectively.

The OEAFC has three teams competing in the prestigious Arthurian League and over 1,000 registered members worldwide providing as many as 5 teams each year for the annual St Andrews fixture against the school.