Glossop North End A.F.C.

Did You Know?

• Glossop North End AFC Juniors was established in 1989 and was awarded Derbyshire FA Charter Standard Community club of the year in 2015.
• The club's youth section has teams for boys from age 6 to Under-21 and girls from Under-9 to Under-16.

History

Glossop North End were founded in 1886, initially playing friendly amateur matches. They used several grounds in the town before settling at North Road in 1898. The club joined the North Cheshire League in 1890 and were champions in 1893–94. In 1894 they switched to the Combination and turned professional, finishing runners-up in their first season and third the next.

After two seasons in the Combination they moved to the Midland League, where they were runners-up to Doncaster Rovers in 1896–97 and then ninth the following season. In the 1896–97 FA Cup they reached the first round proper, losing 5–2 to Stoke. They finished runners-up to Manchester City in 1898–99 and won promotion to the First Division. The club changed its name to Glossop and spent its only top-flight season in 1899–1900, finishing last with four wins, all at home, against Aston Villa, Blackburn, Burnley and Nottingham Forest.

Relegated back to the Second Division, the club finished bottom in 1914–15 and was not re-elected. After World War I, Glossop played in various non-League competitions, including the Lancashire Combination, the Manchester League (champions in 1927–28), the Cheshire County League, and the North West Counties League (champions in 2014–15). They moved to the Northern Premier League in 2015 but were relegated back to the North West Counties League in 2023.

Home Grounds

Glossop North End used several grounds including Cemetery Road, Pyegrove, Hall Street, Silk Street and Water Lane before settling at North Road in 1898. North Road was a cricket ground, with the football pitch in the south-east corner; a seated stand was on the northern side and a raised earth embankment on the south-east and eastern sides. A temporary wooden seated stand behind the western goal was removed for cricket season but was overturned and damaged in a hurricane in November 1899.

The first match at North Road was on 3 September 1898, a 4–1 win over Blackburn Rovers before 4,000 spectators. The last Football League match there was on 17 April 1915, a 1–1 draw with Stockport County watched by 500. The club continued at North Road until the 1950s. In August 1951, after failing to agree rental terms with Glossop Cricket Club, the club withdrew from the Manchester League for one season, returning in 1952 playing at the Vol Crepe sports ground.

In 1955 the club moved to Surrey Street, with the first game on 17 September 1955 against Radcliffe Borough. Improvements during the 1980–81 season included a new clubhouse, toilet block, improved stand and enlarged pitch; the club purchased the ground from the local council for £5,000. In December 1990 the ground was sold back to the council for £75,000. Floodlights, donated by an anonymous supporter, were installed in 1992.

Ladies' team

Glossop North End Ladies were founded in 1998. They made the Derbyshire Girls & Ladies League Challenge Cup final in 2014–15, falling 2–1 to Mackworth St Francis. The next season, they beat Castle Donington Ladies 4–1 to win that cup and also claimed the Division One league title. They held onto the league crown the following year, then moved to Division One of the Cheshire WFL.