The club was founded in 1930 as “Old Farnworthians” AFC as an offshoot of the Old Farnworthians Association, the ex-pupils organisation of Farnworth Grammar School.

The Lancashire Amateur League were at the time attempting to form a new Northern Section and recruited a number of teams from old boys’ associations in the Bolton area.  The club soon found success and won the championship of the newly formed Norther Section in season 1933-34.

For the first 24 years of its existence Old Farnworthians’ AFC was a “closed” club, membership was only available to ex-pupils of Farnworth Grammar School.  It is not clear whether the club was having difficulty in attracting enough players or whether it was a signal of increasing ambition, but the club opened its doors to all players in 1954.

The 1933-34 triumph apart, success continued to elude the club in those early years.  Equally elusive was a regular home.  Records show that the club played at many grounds including Peel Park, Little Hulton, Harper Green and Doe Hey.

In the late 1960’s however, the club opened up negotiations with Little Lever Urban District Council for the lease of the King George V Playing Fields at Mytham Road.  The fields were in poor condition and in need of much attention.

The club moved onto the site at the beginning of 1967-68 season.  The lease (signed on March 1968) gave the club exclusive use of the pitches and pavilion for a period of 50 years from the 1^st September 1967.  This period is made up of a 28 year lease (expiring in 1995) but a 22 year option exercisable by the club.

A considerable amount of work needed to be done to get the fields in a playing condition.  The including regarding the land, laying new drains, topsoiling, seeding and fencing.  Initially the club paid £42 per year to little Lever Council, made up of £5 rent and £37 to offset the costs of certain improvements carried out by the Council.  The club also obtained a significant loan and grant of £6,470 from the National Playing Fields Association.  This included £4,750 spent on grading, draining and sowing the pitches; £970 on fencing and £790 on maintenance equipment.

In the early years at Mytham Road the club laid out only one pitch, the 3^rd teams having to play elsewhere usually at either Doe Hey or Brook Street, Farnworth.  Around 1976 however, the club had become so popular that it needed to start a 4^th team in order to meet the demand for football and it became necessary to lay a second pitch at Mytham Road.

Club colours have been as varied as the grounds on which it has played.  It is easy to think the existing all red strip has been a permanent feature that is not the case.  In the mid 1960’s the colours were red and white stripes and throughout most of the 1970’s the club colours were all blue.  Previously the club played in school colours of green or green and black.  Indeed minutes of the meeting show that certain members were delegated to approach the large schoolboys to see if the club could have their shirts when they left school.  Another interesting note from the minute books occurred just after the war, when club colours were registered as Khaki and players turned out in their former army shirts!

Throughout the 1970’s the club enjoyed its most successful period with its 2^nd and 3^rd teams in particular winning a variety of championship honours.  By this time too the club had settled in its Little Lever home.  It came as no surprise when, at the end of the 1970’s with the imminent closure of Farnworth Grammar School, that the club began to consider a change of name which would reflect its changed circumstances.  As an Extraordinary General Meeting held on 6^th February 1982 at the Lord Raglan Hotel, Radcliffe, the club members decided to change the name of the club with effect from 1^st June 1982.

The selection of the name “Sports Club” was indicative of the broadening base of the organisation.  Over the years the football side has expanded significantly to provide for Sunday Football, Junior Football and Veterans Team.  More significantly however the club has always been prepared to embrace new sports and to increase the opportunities to participate in sport particularly for women and young children.  In term of outlook the club is preparing to face the new century and now needs the facilities to meet its aspirations.

Ladies Rounders was introduced at the Club in 1984.

Since those early days at Mytham Road it was obvious that the old timber pavilion would soon be inadequate to meet the needs and aspirations of the members.  Several attempts were made to develop new facilities including new changing rooms and a clubhouse.  On each occasion the attempt floundered, but as the club was then approaching pensionable age, perhaps the time is right.

In 2021 we completed the upgrade of our Clubhouse and after many, many years of hard work and dedication by our committee, members, sponsorship etc, we now have state of the art facilities which stand us in good stead for the future.  We now employ a ground maintenance contractor to ensure our pitches are the best they can be.

Thanks to the continued sponsorship of the Garl Foundation we are now in the process of completing a 3G facility.