Padiham

Padiham FC is a non-league club who were formed in 1878 and are based in the small town about three miles west of Burnley, which was once a player in the industrial revolution but is now a conservation area.

The club were popular when formed, once attracting a crowd of 9,000 for a fixture against Burnley in 1884 to their ground by the banks of the river Calder. It is because of the grounds' location that the club are nicknamed the ‘Caldersiders' as well as the ‘Storks'. 

The club folded in 1916 after several spells playing in and leaving the Lancashire Combination, as Padiham struggled to compete with professional clubs from larger nearby towns. During this time, the club lost their ground.

Padiham reformed after the end of World War Two, moving into the Arbories Memorial Sports Ground with a gate of 1,777 turning up to see their first league match back in the Lancashire Combination at the start of the 1949-50 season.

 

The 1960-61 campaign saw the side promoted to Division One of the competition, before being relegated back down a level twelve months later. A decision was made to leave the Lancashire Combination at the conclusion of the 1967-68 campaign and play in local football.

The club rejoined in 1977-78, remaining there until becoming founder members of the North West Counties League, where the Storks were placed in Division Two, prior to being relegated in their debut season. 

Promotion from Division Three was achieved at the first time of asking, but once again were relegated the following season. The division was absorbed into Division Two in 1987-88 as several clubs left to join the expanded Northern Premier League.

In 1990 Padiham joined the West Lancashire League as a Division Two side, from where they won promotion in 1996-97 to what would become the Premier Division, from which the team was relegated in 1998-99. 

Padiham returned to their previous status in the NWCFL in 2000 and gradually improved before winning promotion to the top tier in 2007-08. Steve Wilkes outfit were crowned champions of the NWCL in 2012-13 and were promoted to the Northern Premier League for the first time as members of Division One North.

A bottom placed finish in 2015-16 saw the club return to the NWCFL, prior to Wilkes resigning in August 2017. He was succeeded by Liam Smith, prior to the appointment of Adam Morning in December 2018. 

He was joined by Michael Morrison who took sole charge from December 2019 as the club battled through the frustrating couple of seasons lost to Covid-19, which were backed up by two midtable finishes. Padiham ended 2023-24 in fifth spot.

Padiham FC will play in the North West Counties League Premier Division in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Wednesday 14th September 2011

I was in East Lancashire for the day before heading to Manchester for the evening. I had visited Accrington Stanley the previous night for their game with Rotherham United and had spent the morning in the undulating landscape visiting Nelson and Colne and their football grounds. 

I had just left Burnley, having been given a look around Turf Moor and then caught a bus for the short journey to the picturesque town of Padiham. I was a few minutes ahead of schedule and wondered whether to rush and catch an earlier bus or relax and maybe even have a quick half before continuing to Blackburn. 

I walked though the hilly town, climbing all the time until I reached the signs for the football and cricket clubs, which I knew were located next to each other. I wandered past the tempting Hare and Hounds pub, up a small lane to the ground. Straight ahead up a few steps was the cricket club and to the right the football ground. Thankfully the gate was open.

A couple of gents were coming off the pitch, one of whom was club secretary Alan Smith. I asked for permission to take some photos and I explained to the older of the two what I was up to. The Arbories Memorial Ground really was a neat and looked after venue. The club rooms and changing rooms were along the near side. A seated stand straddled the half way line with a cover for standing spectators towards the far end. 

Behind that goal was just a narrow piece of flat open hard standing. The far touchline was dominated by a grass bank with narrow hard standing at the front. The end bordering the cricket ground had a cover towards the far side and a few steps of terrace, which ran the full goal line.

Alan kindly brought me out a match programme to take with me and had a very interesting chat about Padiham and non league football in general. I was amazed to hear that Padiham FC were the only club in the town to field senior football sides on a Saturday. Some of Alan's stories about the hard work going into running a club at this level was familiar to tales I hear around the circuit. 

It was really nice to hear that Padiham were very much a community club who endeavoured to help others wherever possible. I went on my way and within minutes a bus arrived to take me onto my next venue, Ewood Park. Different facilities and crowd figures maybe, but all part of the same wonderful game. If only all the larger clubs could remember that at times!