| Founded | 1964 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2009 |
| Ground | Green Lane |
| 2008–09 | Manchester Football League Division One, 4th |
Stand Athletic F.C. was a football club based in Whitefield, Greater Manchester, England.
The club was founded in 1964 [1] and played at Elms Park in Whitefield from 1969. The club was originally in the Bury Sunday School League. In 1970 they were accepted into the South East Lancashire League, where they became a very successful club.
The club ran two teams, was managed by Harry Molineux, with John Roebuck as Secretary, and assisted by Warren Derbyshire as coach until 1973. A regular player Tom Edwards then took over as Manager [2] In 1981 they joined the Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League and won Division Two in 1982–83. In 1993, they joined the Manchester League. [3]
In 2000, the club moved from Whitefield to the Ewood Bridge ground formerly used by Haslingden F.C. on a seven-year lease but financial difficulties meant that they returned to Whitefield after two years. The club secretary said that "We were successful on the pitch but not off it. It's a large site and it could be a great opportunity for someone". [1] They joined the North West Counties League in 2001. In their first season at the higher level, they won the Division Two title, but were not accepted for promotion to Division One due to issues with this new ground.
After 12 matches of the 2002–03 season, they resigned from the North West Counties League, and rejoined the Manchester League for 2003–04. They finished fourth in the Manchester League Division One in 2008–09 [4] and had also fielded a team in Division Three. [1] They were forced to leave the Elms Park site in the summer of 2008 when the local council closed the changing facilities, which were used by various local sports teams. [2]
The club played one season at Agecroft in Salford [5] and then, in the summer of 2009, merged with another local club, called Standians F.C., that was to be managed by former Bury F.C. striker Kevin Hulme. [5] The new arrangements were fractious, with on-field brawls in pre-season training, and the merged club resigned from the Manchester League. A team calling itself Standians F.C., comprising mostly players from the former club of that name, went on to play in the Lancashire and Cheshire League for the 2009–10 season, leading to accusations from the Athletic coach that his players had been "stabbed in the back", although he did acknowledge that there were disciplinary problems. [6]
The club's home kit was yellow and black stripes. [7]
The club's overgrown pitch and dilapidated home supporters' stand at Ewood Bridge can be seen from the East Lancashire Railway, close to the Irwell Vale railway station. The ground is located just off Blackburn Road (B6527) between the railway line and the River Irwell.
The ground included a match pitch, a synthetic training pitch, a two-story clubhouse with changing rooms, a function room and bar, and a stand. [1]
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern Shropshire, the far west of West Yorkshire, and the High Peak area of Derbyshire. In the past, the league has also hosted clubs from North Wales such as Caernarfon Town, Colwyn Bay, and Rhyl. From season 2018–19 the league increased to three divisions: the Premier Division, at level nine in the English football league system, and two geographically separate Division Ones, North and South, at level ten. The league is a member of the Joint Liaison Council which administers the Northern arm of the National Football System in England.
Whitefield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground above the Irwell Valley, along the south bank of the River Irwell, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Bury, and 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Manchester. Prestwich and the M60 motorway lie just to the south.
Ashton United Football Club is a football club in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently members of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football, and play at Hurst Cross.
Prestwich is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, three miles north of Manchester, three miles north of Salford and five miles south of Bury.
Lancaster City Football Club is an English semi-professional non-League football club based in the northern city of Lancaster, Lancashire. They currently compete in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football, and play at Giant Axe. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.
Ashton Town Football Club is a football club based in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester, England. The club are currently members of the North West Counties League Division One North and play at Edge Green Street.
Bacup Borough Football Club is a football club based in Bacup, Lancashire, England. The club are currently members of the North West Counties League Division One North and play at West View. They are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.
A.F.C. Blackpool is a football club based in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. The club currently play in the North West Counties League Division One North. Based at Jepson Way, they are nicknamed The Mechanics or The Mechs, and are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association.
Northern Nomads F.C. was an English football club primarily based in the Manchester and Liverpool areas. Established in 1902, they were known as the "Nomads" or "Roaming Brigade" as they never possessed a home ground.
Sedgley Park Rugby Union Football Club, the 1st XV team of which play under the name of Sedgley Tigers, is a rugby union club based in Whitefield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester. They play in the third tier of the English rugby union league hierarchy following their promotion to National League 1 from National League 2 North in 2022–23. The Tigers nickname is due to their striped kit.
South Liverpool Football Club is a football club based in Aigburth, Liverpool, England, founded as a phoenix club of a club of the same name. It is currently a member of the North West Counties League Premier Division; the team plays at Jericho Lane in the Otterspool area of Aigburth. The club's colours are white shirts, black shorts, and red socks.
Prestwich Heys A.F.C. is a semi-professional football club based in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Rossendale United Football Club was a semi-professional football club based in the village of Newchurch within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. The club was founded in 1898. Nicknamed the Stags, they had a long and eventful run which saw much success, but also long periods of hardship which often endangered the club's existence before they were finally expelled from the North West Counties League Premier Division on 18 June 2011, then forced to dissolve. A new club, Rossendale F.C., was to be formed by the supporters' trust for the 2012–13 season, but plans were abandoned after the main stand burned down in January 2012.
The Lancashire County Football Association, also known simply as the Lancashire FA, is the governing body of football within the historical county boundaries of Lancashire, England. They are responsible for the governance and development of football at all levels in the county.
The County Ground is a football stadium in Leyland, Lancashire, England, which is owned and operated by Lancashire County Football Association. It is the home ground of Burnley under-21s, Blackburn Rovers under-21s, Bolton Wanderers reserves and both the Lancashire FA representative team and the Lancashire FA youth team.
Haslingden F.C. was a football club based in Rossendale, Lancashire. In 1994, they won the North West Counties Football League Division Two. Haslingden played at Ewood Bridge, later used by Stand Athletic and were members of the North West Counties League between 1993 and 1998. Although Division Two Champions in their first season Haslingden were not promoted until finishing runners up in 1997. They completed just one season in the top flight, finishing 16/22 before financial difficulties signalled the end of the line for the club based adjacent to the East Lancashire Railway. The Ewood Bridge ground forlorn and overgrown is still extant today.
Broughton Park FC, is one of the oldest rugby union clubs in England and was established in 1882, just one year after the Lancashire County Rugby Football Union was founded and eleven years after the formation of the national Rugby Football Union. The first XV played in North 1 West, a sixth level league in the English league system following their promotion as champions of South Lancs/Cheshire 1 at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club, commonly known as PCTBC or Prestwich Cricket Club, is an English multi-sports club from the town of Prestwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, England.
The 2018–19 North West Counties Football League season was the 37th in the history of the North West Counties Football League, a football competition in England, and the first season following the split of the lower level into two geographically separated divisions. Teams were divided into three divisions: Premier Division, at Step 5, and Divisions One North and South, at Step 6.
The Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur Football League is an English association football league founded in 1909. As of the 2024/25 season, the league consists of six divisions – Premier, One, Two and Three, then A and B. Historically the divisions named A-D were for Reserve sides of teams in the top four divisions, but 1st teams can now play at the lower levels. In 2024/25, two divisions now have this style of name. The Premier Division is at level 14 in the English football league system, below the 3rd levels of the top county leagues in the area: Manchester League, Cheshire League and West Lancashire League.