The club was formed on the 24th May 1949 at the Owd Tower Inn in Radcliffe by Jack Pickford and a committee of seventeen and became a member of the South East Lancashire Football League. In 1974 it was accepted into the Cheshire League, which subsequently became the North West Counties League.

The first season in the North West Counties brought success when Radcliffe secured the Second Division championship in front of a record Stainton Park crowd of 1,468. After one season in the First Division, Radcliffe lifted the First Division championship in 1985 and made the step up into the newly formed Northern Premier League First Division in 1987. After many years in the division, the 90s saw an upturn in fortunes on the pitch.

In 1996 the club reached the last 16 of the FA Trophy and in 1997 won the league. The stay lasted for one season as having to invest in the stadium to be allowed to compete at that level meant that matters on the pitch suffered and so the club was relegated back to the NPL First Division.

Radcliffe reached the First round of the FA Cup in 2000 losing 4-1 at home to Division Three side York City at Gigg Lane, Bury in front of 2,495 supporters.

The club was promoted again in 2002/03 via the Play-offs, beating Chorley 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Stainton Park. Jody Banim scored 46 goals in a fantastic season for him.

Radcliffe was back in the NPL Premier Division again and a place in the newly formed Conference North was up for grabs. Sitting in 6th position in the league by November the club was looking good to play at its highest ever level. Jody Banim set the English record for scoring in consecutive games and received national recognition and bigger clubs came calling. He was sold to Shrewsbury Town in December for £20,000. On the field the club suffered and slid to 19th in the table and into the Play-offs, subsequently losing to Burscough in the Semi-Finals.

The club continued to be near the Play-offs and solid mid table finishes followed but after four seasons were relegated back to the First Division in 2006/07, where the club remained until recent years. Mid-table finishes and the occasional battle against relegation was the order of that period after a decade of success and a few cup runs.

In 2016 management changed, a new chairman and manager took the reins. Off the field investment was given to the stadium, much needed after many years, a new stand at the Pilkington Road end of the stadium, a new press area and director's area after being destroyed by fire. And a new covered turnstile block, a TV Gantry, Boardroom, club shop, Sponsors Lounge and Social Club. Giving the stadium a fresh new look. The club changed name, dropping the borough officially in 2018. Reaching the Lancashire Cup Final in 2017 nearly brought silverware to the new era. League finishes for the first two seasons were roughly the same as before but with a new manager in charge, Jon Macken with Frank Sinclair as his assistant brought some positive results towards the end of 2017–18 from when he took the reins

in October 2017. The future looked bright and the hard work and investment on and off the pitch paid off as the club was promoted via the play-offs back to the Northern Premier League in 2019.

In 2020, Lee Fowler was appointed as the new first team manager. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the following season did not go ahead as planned but in 2021, football was back and Radcliffe were ready to compete in the Northern Premier League again. After a seventh league defeat to Morpeth Town, Radcliffe mutually parted ways with Fowler and club skipper Bobby Grant stepped in as player-manager.

Performances were on the up again and Grant stayed in his position after a successful run. Signings such as former Bolton Wanderers player Luca Navarro gave the club a well-needed boost and increased goal count. Consistent appearances from existing squad members like Matthew Crothers and Olly Thornley meant that Radcliffe finished 16th in the league on a respectable 51 points.

In march 2022, the Radcliffe Football Foundation was established and since then, the club has been building to make sure the 2022-23 season is as successful as it can be. Not only have the club secured new deals off the pitch with new kit suppliers and sports technology but also on the pitch with the signing of Nicky Adams.

PLAYERS

Over the years many former League players have appeared for the Boro – players such as Frank Worthington, Alan Kennedy, Peter Barnes, Ian Bishop, Craig Dawson and many more, each of them enhancing the Club’s reputation.

FOOTBALL IN THE COMMUNITY

In 2003 the Club started its own Football in the Community scheme. The initial three year scheme was in conjunction with Bury Council as partners. After this partnership ended the Club funded the scheme in-house and as a result of this funding the scheme has been an enormous success under the guidance of Community Officer Peter Lofthouse.

The scheme involves activities such as In school coaching, after school coaching, soccer schools, birthday parties, school day match visits, Saturday morning clubs, mini-tots coaching, junior tournaments and many more one off initiatives.

GROUND DEVELOPMENT

Off the field investment was given to the stadium, much needed after many years, a new stand at the Pilkington Road end of the stadium, a new press area and director’s area after being

destroyed by fire. And a new covered turnstile block, a TV Gantry, Boardroom, club shop, Sponsors Lounge and a brand new Social Club. Giving the stadium a fresh new modern look.

Radcliffe FC

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