Padiham Football Club
It might be hard to imagine today but in the immediate years following the establishment of Padiham Football Club in November 1878 the "Caldersiders" as they were then known were considered one of Lancashire's soccer pioneers and one of the better Club sides in England.
The Padiham Football Club were in at the birth of the Lancashire Football Associations Senior Cup competition in 1879 , reached the third round proper of the F.A. Cup in season 1883 - 84 and beat Burnley F.C. 6-0, 7-0, 9-1 and 4-2 in their first four encounters .
Gates of over 2,000 were not uncommon for the visits of teams like Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, Burnley and other local rivals to Padiham F.C.'s ground which was originally situated on the banks of the River Calder at the end of Wyre Street in Padiham and initally leased from the Shuttleworth family of Gawthorpe Hall.
At present the site is occupied by the Potterton Myson Limited Main Gas factory and nothing remains of the Clubs original ground which witnessed many encounters with Clubs that later achieved Football League status. In fact it was the setting up of the Football League and the ensuing loss of fixtures with the leading Clubs, as well as the legalisation of professionalism within football that ended Padiham's initial decade of success.
Being an ardent stalwart of the fight waged from Lancashire for the legalisation of professionalism in football, Padiham's progressive outlook at the time ironically helped fashion the stranglehold football finance came to have on small town Clubs, in hindsight it condemmed Padiham to an ongoing fight for survival.
Unable to secure the services of players able to compete with the bigger surrounding towns and cities, gates dropped and as a result reduced income meant Padiham had to restrict its activities to playing in the Lancashire Combination Football League and at times the local minor leagues.
The outbreak of World War One curtailed Padiham Football Club's involvement in active football altogether at the end of the 1915- 1916 season, and the loss of their ground during the War meant that Padiham Football Club lay dormant until after the end of World War Two when they were reformed.
The rebirth of Padiham Football Club came about in 1949 with the opening of the "Arbories " Memorial Sports Ground in Padiham on August 20th 1949 when 1777 spectators turned up to see the Club's opening Lancashire Combination fixture of the 1949- 50 football season.
In 1982 , Padiham Football Club became founder members of the North West Counties Football League , however in 1990 they left the league and joined the West Lancashire Football League where they played their football for ten seasons. Padiham Football Club returned to the North West Counties Football League for the 2000- 2001 season and to date have spent over £400,000 on upgrading their "Arbories" Memorial Football Ground.
Facts supplied by Alan Smith , Padiham Football Club Trustee