History

The History of Chadderton Park

 Juniors Football Club.

 CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES FROM PAST TEAMS OVER THE YEARS 

Chadderton Park F.C. has not always been the efficient, well run Club that you see today. In fact, the Club’s development from its humble origins is quite an incredible story.

Early in summer 1977 Jack Halliwell of Ferney Field Road Chadderton, a renowned football coach and referee, met some lads playing football in the local streets. He offered to coach the lads in the basic skills of football and the coaching sessions soon became a regular event.

By July 1977 Jack realised he had enough lads training with him to form a football team. They were: Billy Clynes; Philip Wakeman; David O’Neill; David McCann; Darren Sutcliffe; Ross Wild; Stuart Wolfenden; Ian Dickinson; Carl Greaves; Andy Weaver; Michael Walton; and Jason Bowes.

Jack then enlisted the help of another local football stalwart, Roy Kelly of Taunton Road Chadderton to manage the team. The lads were entered into The Manchester Youth League. They played their home games on The Haggate at Royton and Chadderton Park Football Club was born.

As funds were relatively non existent, they wore green shirts and black shorts. Jack’s reason for this was that as no other team wore these colours they would not have to buy an away kit! The club’s colours have changed little over the years as today’s teams still wear yellow and green shirts with black shorts.

1984

“Let’s wear green, then we don’t need an away kit”

Needless to say the first season can only be described as “less than successful” on the pitch and most of the other established teams saw the opportunity to improve their goal difference against the “new boys”. However, the dedication of the Managers and the team saw a complete transformation in the second season. As well as finishing in a respectable position in the League table, they made it to the Cup Final where they were desperately unlucky to lose to a single goal in the dying minutes of the match against a team that had run up double figures against them in their first season in the League.

The Club then went from strength to strength and at one point had eight teams playing in the Youth League. By the late 1980s Jack Halliwell decided to stand down from the club and concentrate on his successful coaching classes at Grange School. The Club appeared to have hooked Roy though. He stayed on in one capacity or another for the best part of 25 years!

Some early success. Look what can be achieved

when players and coaches work together.

In 2001 the F.A. launched its Charter Standard Scheme which was aimed at raising the standard of coaching in junior football. Chadderton Park F.C., under the guidance of Chairman John Lundy, was amongst the first clubs to enrol in the scheme and by the following year was granted “Charter Standard” status by the F.A., one of the first in Chadderton and the borough of Oldham to achieve this distinction.                                                                     

 In more recent years the Club has developed its Mini Soccer teams and now runs at least two teams in each mini soccer age group which now rivals the number of teams and players in the older youth leagues.

Steve Lynch

Secretary

Chadderton Park F.C.