Athersley Recreation F.C.
Athersley Recreation Football Club is a football club based in Athersley, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division and play at Sheerien Park.
History
The club was formed in 1979 as Athersley North Juniors. In 1983β84 they finished third in Division Two of the Barnsley Nelson League and were promoted to Division One. After finishing as runners-up in Division One the following season, they switched to Division Two of the Barnsley Junior League for the 1985β86 season. Their first season in the new division saw them finish third, earning promotion to Division One. They were renamed Athersley Recreation in the summer of 1986.After winning Division One in 1986β87, Athersley became members of Division One of the Barnsley Association League. They finished as runners-up in the following season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. The club went on to win back-to-back Premier Division titles in 1991β92 and 1992β93, and then three successive titles between 1995 and 1997. After their third title in 1996β97, the club moved up to Division Two of the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League in 1997. They won the division in their first season in the league, earning promotion to Division One. The following season saw them finish as runners-up in Division One, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division. They subsequently won the Premier Division at the first attempt.
Athersley won the Premier Division again in 2003β04, starting a period of success that saw them win the title four times in the next eight seasons, finishing as runners-up on the other four occasions. After winning their sixth Premier Division title in 2011β12, the club was promoted to Division One of the Northern Counties East League. Their first season in the new league saw them finish as runners-up, earning promotion to the Premier Division. In 2013β14 they entered the FA Vase for the first time, and a year later they made their FA Cup debut.
In May 2014 they won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup for the first time, beating Frickley Athletic in the final at Hillsborough. In 2021β22 they finished bottom of the Premier Division, resulting in relegation to Division One. They finished bottom of Division One the following season, but were not relegated.
Ground
The club plays at Sheerien Park on Ollerton Road in Athersley. It has a capacity of 2,000, of which 420 is covered and 150 seated.Honours
- Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League
- *Premier Division champions 1999β2000, 2003β04, 2004β05, 2006β07, 2008β09, 2011β12
- *Division Two champions 1997β98
- *League Cup winners 1997β98, 2005β06, 2008β09
- Barnsley Association League
- *Champions 1991β92, 1992β93, 1994β95, 1995β96, 1996β97
- Barnsley Junior League
- *Champions 1986β87
- Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup
- *Winners 2013β14
- Sheffield & Hallamshire Association Cup
- *Winners 2007β08
Records
- Best FA Cup performance: Preliminary round, 2014β15
- Best FA Vase performance: Second round, 2013β14