In the 1919-1920 season, Harold Wood was affiliated to Essex County FA, Secretary T.T. Putman of Church Road.
In the 1919/1920 and 1920/21 seasons they were members of the Ilford and District League.

Online, The British Newspaper Archive has an early reference to Harold Wood Football in county newspapers in an August 1923 report of members of Harold Wood team taking part in a “1-mile relay race” at a sports meeting organised by the Great Eastern Amateur Athletic Association in Romford. The relay team consisted of T T Putnam, W.W. Green, A. Smith, J. Rae and J.C Matthews.
Harold Wood Athletic joined the Romford and District League from 1922/23 to 1925/26. The club withdrew during the 1926/27 season and their record was expunged.

In 1928 Harold Wood Athletic re-joined the Romford and District League.
A report of the Hornchurch Urban District Council meeting of September 15th 1930 mentioned that the football club expressed their unhappiness with the pitch fees of 10 guineas (£10:50) per season. The War Memorial Institute and the rate payers also objected to the exorbitant fees. A certain Carlisle Football Club were willing to pay, so Redden Court Ground was allocated to them on Harold Wood being unwilling to accept the fees.

In 1932 Harold Wood Athletic Football club had an annual dinner at The Plough, G H Matthews presiding, possibly the Seed Merchant at the Mill by the train station, a mention was made of their successful season finishing 4th with a record of – Pl 20 W 12 D 4 L4 GF 76 GA 44 and the introduction of a 3rd team made up of local school boys in the hope it might be a source of future senior players.
The Club remained in that league until 1939/1940 inclusive when the league closed for the duration of the Second World War. In 1946/47 they re-joined the Romford and District League.

In 1950/51 the club joined the Southern Essex Combination. The FA had a rule limiting leagues to 44 clubs, so Romford and District League formed the Southern Essex Combination for their top clubs.
They continued in the Southern Essex Combination until the 1976/77 season.

In 1977/78 Harold Wood Athletic joined the Essex Olympian League where they have remained since. Between 1984 and 2005 the Essex Olympian League was known as the Essex Intermediate League but it was just a simple name change and still the same league.

In the 2010/11 season Wood added an Over 35 Veterans team to the Club who entered The Greene King Essex Vets League Division 3(West).

With the interest created by the original Vets team,the Vets Reserve side evolved and started league life in 2012/13 in Division 4 (West)
Greene King Essex Veterans League.

The 2018/19 season saw the club run 7 sides with the addition of an U21's side who stepped up from partner club Harold Wood Cougars U17/18 teams to play in the Claret & Blue & joined the 1st and Reserve side’s plying their trade in the Essex Olympian League while the ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams play in The Mid Essex Football League and the club is still fielding a 1st and Reserve Veteran teams that play in the Essex Veterans League.
Unfortunately after just one season the U21's team fold with the majority of the players stepping up to play for our other teams.

In 2021/22 we added an over 45s Veterans teams along with a Sunday morning for the first time in many a year.
The following 2022/23 we unfortunately lost our 'B' team but a Sunday Reserve side was added thus keeping the number of 8 teams representing the Wood.

For the 2023/24 season we were able to reinstate our 'B' team in the form of an U 17 side stepping up to play Mens football for the first time,with them competing in The Mid Essex League- Division 4.

The early history details have kindly been compiled by Dennis Goodwin and Fred Hawthorn.