Padiham F.C.

Padiham Football Club are an English football team based in Padiham, Lancashire. As of 2019–20, they play in the . History When the club was formed in 1878 it was among the first football clubs in Lancashire and was well supported, attracting an attendance of 9,000 for a match against neighbours Burnley in 1884. At this time Padiham's ground was on the banks of the River Calder, hence the nickname, The Caldersiders. Padiham was one of the first clubs to support the legalisation of professional football. However, this backfired as they were unable to compete with clubs in larger towns such as Burnley, and the club folded in 1916. The club lost their ground during World War I and lay dormant until after the end of the Second World War. Then in 1949 the club was resurrected with the opening of the Arbories Memorial Sports Ground. A crowd of 1,777 turned up to see their opening fixture of the season in the Lancashire Combination Football League.