Rutherford AFC was founded in 1878 in Newcastle upon Tyne as Science and Art F.C. involving masters and pupils of the school, which was later to change it's name to Rutherford after it's founder Dr John Hunter Rutherford.

The club became a founder member of the Northumberland Football Association in 1883. In 2005 the club moved affiliation from the Northumberland FA to the Durham Football Association.

The senior men's 1st team now competes in the Northern Football Alliance Premier Division and the club boasts the proud fact of having teams ranging from under 7s right up to senior mens and senior womens teams.

In 2002 the club was proud to gain a status of Charter Standard Community Club by the English Football Association, one of only 80 in the country of 36,000 teams.