HISTORY

Cheadle Town began life in 1961 as Grasmere Rovers, competing in the Manchester & District Sunday Football League at Under-16 level. As the team progressed, they won the Under-21 Championship in 1968 and followed it with the Premier Division title two years later.

A major turning point came in 1972, when the club switched to Saturday football and joined the Manchester Football League. Success soon followed, particularly under the guidance of manager Albert Pike, who in his first full season (1978/79) led the team to a league and cup double: First Division Champions and Manchester Amateur Cup winners. More silverware came with victories in both the Manchester & Derbyshire FA Cups.

In 1982 the club moved into its new home at Park Road Stadium. A year later, they changed their name to Cheadle Town and joined the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL). Promotion to the First Division came in 1996, although relegation back to the second tier followed in 2001, where they would remain for over two decades.

Park Road itself has a storied history. Once owned by Cheadle Rovers and later used as a training base by Manchester City, it famously hosted Portugal and Eusébio during the 1966 World Cup. In 1993, Brazilian World Cup winner Jairzinho fronted a soccer school there.

Floodlights were installed in 1995, inaugurated by a memorable 3–2 win over Manchester United’s youngsters in front of nearly 2,000 fans.

Big crowds have long followed Town’s journey. Their record “home” attendance came in 2005, when a clash with FC United of Manchester was moved to Stockport County’s Edgeley Park, drawing 3,227 spectators to witness a thrilling 3–3 draw.

Away from the domestic scene, Cheadle Town gained worldwide recognition through their legendary overseas tours. Playing under the name Manchester AFC, they have contested 96 games in 30 different countries before more than 312,000 fans, covering over 210,000 miles. The team has faced seven national sides, played in Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium before 65,000 people, and crossed paths with figures as diverse as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Jairzinho, Ronnie Biggs, and Rajiv Gandhi.

The club celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011, marking the occasion by reverting their kit colours to green in honour of their roots as Grasmere Rovers.

Cheadle Town holds England Football Accredited status, reflecting their commitment to grassroots development. In 2018, a new chapter began as the club joined the Little Sports Group, led by former player Craig Brennan. That same year, a £50,000 improvement bursary from Buildbase helped fund ground and facility improvements.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought disruption, with the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons declared null and void. However, brighter times lay ahead. The appointment of Paul Marshall and Steve Yarwood in 2022 proved transformative. In the 2022/23 season, Town enjoyed their finest campaign in decades - winning three “Club of the Month” awards, breaking records for unbeaten runs, and ultimately securing promotion to the NWCFL Premier Division (Step 5) for the first time in over 20 years. Their playoff triumph included a 2–0 semi-final win over Stockport Town, followed by a 3-1 victory against Sandbach United in front of 1,375 fans, with Martin Pilkington sealing glory in stoppage time.

Today, Cheadle Town FC embarks on an exciting new era at Step 5 of the football pyramid - building on over 60 years of history, resilience, and community spirit.