Cleator Moor Celtic F.C.

Cleator Moor Celtic Football Club is a football club based in Cleator Moor, Cumbria, England. The club are currently members of the West Lancashire League following relegation from the North West Counties Football League and play at McGrath Park, on Birks Road, Cleator Moor. History Association Football arrived late in the West Cumbrian town of Cleator Moor. The game was formed in 1863 when the Football Association laid out the first rules of the game. The Cumberland F.A. was formed in 1884 with its Senior County Cup first being played for in 1885/86. Cleator Moor United won the County Cup in 1903/04 with a team based at Bowthorn, made up with up to 10 players who had left Frizington White Star for monetary reasons. Football in nearby Frizington dates back to 1886 and teams certainly played football in the Keekle and Cleator areas prior to 1909. But all this was to change with the Formation, in the summer of 1909 of the Cleator Moor Celtic Club. The following article entitled "Football prospects at Cleator Moor" appeared in the Cumberland Paquet dated 2 September 1909. "Great interest seems to be centred this season in football on Cleator Moor. An Association club has been formed called the "Celts" and a field has been acquired near to Cleator Moor Railway Station. Practice has been in progress, and the executive have got together a promising lot of youngsters, and hope to be rewarded by the general patronage of the public. Wath Brow are again coming forward, and for the first time Association Football will be seen on the ground which for many years was the scene of many hard and severe struggles with the "Grasshoppers"(this could be referring to Northern Union). Both the Celts and the Wath Brow teams have entered into all the local contests available, and they look forward to giving a good account of themselves in the various competitions. The public have often grumbled at the want of pastime on Cleator Moor, and now that these two clubs have sprung into existence, we trust that they will be generously supported, and thus encouraged to go on and prosper."