The Reds – Where Steel Workers Built a Football Club and Legends Were Forged
If you’re looking for a football club that embodies the very essence of small-town determination, industrial heritage, and the unlikely connections that make football beautiful, Workington AFC is your team. Tucked away in the remote corner of Cumbria, this little club has somehow managed to punch above its weight throughout its existence, hosting Manchester United legends, nurturing future Liverpool greats, and proving that geography is no barrier to greatness.
Currently competing in the Northern Premier League Premier Division at Borough Park, Workington AFC represents everything that’s authentic about non-league football. They’re the club that gave Bill Shankly his first taste of management, survived on the edge of existence more times than anyone cares to count, and somehow always find a way to keep going. This being Workington, they’ve done it all with a smile, a prayer, and the kind of community spirit that makes you remember why football actually matters.
Formation and Early History: The Dronnies and the Birth of Football
The story of Workington AFC begins not with local lads kicking a ball around, but with industrial migration and the transformative power of steel. Football in Workington has an incredibly long history – close by and adjacent to the home of Workington AFC, the folk game of “Uppies and Downies” is still an annual event. There are records about the game from 20 April 1775 in the Cumbrian Pacquet which is one of the earliest written reports of a match anywhere in the world.
But modern association football came to Workington in the 1860s and was further popularised when a group of steel workers migrated to the town from Dronfield, Derbyshire. They were workers of the Charles Cammel and Co steel works that arrived in the town in 1884. It is estimated that 1,500 townspeople moved to Workington. ‘Dronnies’, as the people of Workington called the newcomers, joined the 1883-founded Workington in 1888 to form Workington AFC.
This industrial heritage shaped everything about the club. The choice of red as their home color was inspired by the presence of the steelworks company from Sheffield, and the club’s identity was forged in the furnaces of heavy industry. From day one, this was a working-class club for working-class people, and that ethos has never left them.
The early years were spent in local leagues, with the original Workington AFC being one of the founder members of the Cumberland Association League in 1888. They moved around various grounds before settling at Lonsdale Park, where they would achieve their greatest early success and suffer their most bizarre moment – but more on that later.
The Bill Shankly Connection: From Workington to Liverpool Legend
No discussion of Workington AFC can avoid the elephant in the room – or rather, the Scottish legend who would become the greatest manager in Liverpool’s history. From 6 January 1954 to 15 November 1955, the club was managed by Bill Shankly, who would later go on to achieve great fame through his success as manager of Liverpool.
When Shankly arrived at Borough Park in January 1954, he found a club in disarray. The pitch was a rutted quagmire, the stadium didn’t have electricity, the team was in trouble after a wretched start to the campaign, and there were scarcely any funds available to remedy the situation. But he believed he could make a difference.
Shankly’s duties at Workington went far beyond what any modern manager would recognize. He distributed players’ wages, answered the phone, judged beauty contests, attended fundraising dances, did all his own scouting, and even placed an advert in the paper inviting local youngsters to come in for a trial. It was a lot of work for not a lot of reward, but it was here that Shankly learned the grassroots connection between club and community that would define his later success.
The impact was immediate and dramatic. Although the Workington team was close to the bottom of the Third Division North when Shankly arrived, he saw it as a challenge and attacked the job with all of his usual enthusiasm. He masterminded a miraculous escape from ‘re-election’ after taking over midway through the 1953-54 season, then pushed AFC up to the inconceivably cosy heights of eighth place the following term.
Crowds at Borough Park rose from 6,000 to 9,000 under Shankly’s management, and the transformation was complete. When he left for Huddersfield Town in November 1955, Shankly had proven that his methods worked – even in the most challenging circumstances. The foundations of what would become “The Shankly Way” were laid in the remote outposts of Cumbria.
The Football League Years: Glory, Struggle, and the Busby Babes
In 1951, Workington AFC was voted into the Third Division North of the Football League, replacing New Brighton. This was the culmination of decades of local football, and suddenly the little club from Cumbria was mixing with the big boys of English football.
The early Football League years of Workington Reds are chronicled in a series of books entitled “So Sad So Very Sad – The League History of Workington AFC,” and the title gives you a pretty good idea of how things went. Their first season in the League was a sign of things to come: the club finished rock bottom, and only improved by one place the following season.
But there were moments of genuine glory amid the struggle. During the 1957-58 season, Workington played host to the great Manchester United team known as the Busby Babes in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, attracting a record crowd of 21,000 to Borough Park. This was just a month before eight of the United players lost their lives in the Munich air disaster – a poignant reminder of football’s fragility.
The club’s proudest night came at Blackburn Rovers on 22 October 1964 in a Football League Cup 3rd round replay. A Workington team of seasoned professionals, such as Keith Burkinshaw, Dave Carr, Ken Furphy and Kit Napier, along with young upstarts like John Ogilvie, beat the Blackburn team 5-1 at Ewood Park. The Blackburn team that night sported England internationals, such as Ronnie Clayton and Mike England. This was reported in one newspaper as “Incredible Fantastic Workington rubbed Rovers’ elegant noses in the mud of Ewood Park to produce the finest result in their 80-year history.”
Fun Facts About Workington AFC
Every football club has its quirks, and Workington AFC has accumulated more than most during their remarkable history:
The Bizarre Abandoned Match: In 1929 at Lonsdale Park, Workington were playing Whitehaven Athletic and took a commanding 10-0 lead. Then the weather turned apocalyptic. Atrocious conditions decimated the visiting team as players progressively left the field suffering from the freezing weather. With just one Whitehaven player left after 70 minutes, the referee had no choice but to abandon the match. Fittingly for a club from a steel town, none of the Workington players had succumbed to the conditions.
The Youngest Footballer: On 3 April 1965, Workington gave a debut to Tony Geidmintis, who was only 15 years 247 days old – one of the youngest players ever to play in the Football League. He went on to play 328 games for Workington, proving that early promise wasn’t wasted.
The George Best Connection: During the 1985-86 season, when the club was in poor financial straits with debts of £300,000, George Best played for the “Reds” in a fund-raising friendly match against a Lancashire Football League XI. A few weeks before Best’s fortieth birthday, he captained the Workington team in what must have been one of the most surreal matches ever played at Borough Park.
The Uppies and Downies: The ancient folk game of “Uppies and Downies” is still played annually near Borough Park, with records dating back to 1775 – making it one of the earliest documented football matches anywhere in the world.
The Cumberland Cup Kings: Workington have won the Cumberland Cup an incredible 28 times, more than any other club. When you’re struggling in the leagues, at least you can dominate locally.
The Incredible Comeback: After being relegated to the North West Counties League in 1998, the club managed to win their last 14 games to clinch the title and earn promotion back to the Northern Premier League – their first championship in 114 years.
The Financial Struggles: Survival Against All Odds
The story of Workington AFC is largely one of financial struggle and community resilience. The club disbanded in 1911 and went into voluntary liquidation, only to be reformed in 1921. This pattern of crisis and renewal has repeated itself throughout their history, with the club always somehow finding a way to survive when extinction seemed inevitable.
The 1980s were particularly brutal. By 1986, life had become such a struggle that the club recorded only 11 wins over two seasons. The George Best fundraising match wasn’t just a publicity stunt – it was a desperate attempt to keep the club alive. The club was relegated to the newly formed first division, then suffered another relegation in 1998 to the North West Counties League.
Yet somehow, Workington always bounced back. The 1998-99 season saw them win their first championship in over a century, achieving promotion back to the Northern Premier League. It was a reminder that in non-league football, hope springs eternal and community spirit can overcome almost any obstacle.
The Modern Era: Non-League and Proud
After losing their Football League status in 1977, Workington AFC entered what many would call their natural habitat – non-league football. Far from being a step down, this has allowed the club to rediscover its community roots and build a more sustainable future.
The club currently competes in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. Borough Park, with its capacity of 3,101, provides an intimate setting where every fan matters and every match feels like a local derby. The club is often referred to as Workington Reds to distinguish them from the rugby league club Workington Town, though both teams share the same community spirit.
Recent years have seen the club stabilize and begin to build for the future. The 2019-20 season saw them sitting 10 points clear at the top of the league with 31 games completed, only for the season to be halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reds fans will forever feel they were “robbed” of their second championship title, but such is the nature of supporting a club like Workington – hope and heartbreak in equal measure.
What Makes Workington AFC Special
In an era of corporate football and manufactured experiences, Workington AFC represents something increasingly rare – genuine community football. They’re the club where the manager doubles as the ticket office, where local businesses keep the lights on, and where three generations of the same family might sit together on the terraces.
The club’s location in the remote corner of Cumbria has always been both a blessing and a curse. It means long journeys for away fans and limited commercial opportunities, but it also means a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone. When you’re the only professional football club for miles around, you become more than just a team – you become a focal point for local identity and pride.
Traditional rivals include Carlisle United and Barrow, fellow Cumbrian clubs who understand the unique challenges of football in the far north. But really, Workington’s biggest rival has always been geography and economics. The fact that they’re still here, still playing, still competing, is a victory in itself.
Notable Connections and Cultural Impact
Beyond Bill Shankly, Workington AFC has been connected to some remarkable figures in football history. The club’s appearance record holder is Bobby Brown, who made 469 league and cup appearances between 1956 and 1967. Five Workington players – Bobby Brown, Malcolm Newlands, Jimmy Fleming, Dennis Stokoe, and Jack Bertolini – were all recognized by the Football League and played in the Third Division North vs. South Representative Games during the 1950s.
The club’s cultural impact extends beyond football. They’re proof that professional football can exist in the most unlikely places, that community spirit can overcome financial hardship, and that sometimes the most important victories happen off the pitch. The fact that Bill Shankly learned his trade here, developing the community-focused philosophy that would transform Liverpool, shows how influence can flow from the smallest streams.
Modern Day Reality
Today’s Workington AFC is a club that has learned to embrace its limitations and celebrate its strengths. They know they’ll never compete with the big boys financially, but they also know they offer something those bigger clubs have lost – authenticity, community, and the genuine love of the game.
The club continues to play at Borough Park, where attendances might be measured in hundreds rather than thousands, but the passion is undimmed. Recent seasons have seen them compete respectably in the Northern Premier League, occasionally threatening promotion and always providing entertainment for their loyal supporters.
The ongoing challenge is financial sustainability in an era where even non-league football is becoming increasingly expensive. But if there’s one thing Workington AFC has proven over their 136-year history, it’s that they know how to survive. They’ve done it through world wars, economic depressions, relegations, and pandemics. They’ll keep doing it because the alternative – a Workington without its football club – is simply unthinkable.
The Enduring Legacy
Workington AFC’s story is ultimately about the power of community and the importance of local football. They’ve shown that you don’t need massive stadiums or global superstars to create something meaningful. Sometimes all you need is a group of steel workers with a dream, a manager who believes in hard work and human dignity, and a community that refuses to let its football club die.
The club’s greatest achievement might not be their cup runs or their league positions, but the simple fact that they’re still here. In a world where football clubs are increasingly treated as businesses rather than community assets, Workington AFC reminds us that the beautiful game’s roots run deep in the soil of ordinary places filled with extraordinary people.
Their influence on Liverpool through Bill Shankly is just one example of how the smallest clubs can have the biggest impact. Ideas, philosophies, and methods developed at Borough Park helped transform one of the world’s biggest football clubs. If that’s not proof that every club matters, what is?
By the Numbers: The Workington AFC Story in Statistics
Stadium and Attendance Records
- Current Ground: Borough Park (since 1937), capacity 3,101
- Record attendance: 21,000 vs Manchester United, FA Cup 3rd round, 1958
- Football League years: 1951-1977 (26 seasons)
Competition Records
- Best FA Cup performance: 4th round (1933-34, lost to Preston North End)
- Most famous result: 5-1 vs Blackburn Rovers (League Cup, 1964)
- Cumberland Cup wins: 28 (more than any other club)
Notable Players and Managers
- Most appearances: Kyle May (544 appearances, 2005-2018)
- Football League era record: Bobby Brown (469 appearances, 1956-1967)
- Most famous manager: Bill Shankly (1954-1955)
- Youngest debutant: Tony Geidmintis (15 years 247 days, 1965)
League Positions
- Football League best: 8th in Third Division North (1954-55 under Shankly)
- Current league: Northern Premier League Premier Division (7th tier)
- First championship: North West Counties League (1998-99)
Financial Milestones
- Disbanded and reformed: 1911 (reformed 1921)
- Biggest financial crisis: £300,000 debt (1985-86)
- George Best fundraising match: 1986
Historical Firsts
- Founded: 1888 (by steel workers from Dronfield)
- Football League election: 1951
- Lost Football League status: 1977
- First championship: 1998-99 (after 114 years)
These numbers tell the story of a club that has experienced every possible emotion football can offer. From the heights of competing against Manchester United to the depths of financial crisis, from Bill Shankly’s transformation to modern non-league survival, Workington AFC’s statistics reflect a journey that’s been anything but ordinary.
The fact that they’re still here, still playing, still competing after 136 years is perhaps the most important statistic of all. In a game increasingly dominated by money and marketing, Workington AFC proves that passion, community, and sheer bloody-mindedness can overcome almost any obstacle.
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If you enjoyed learning about the remarkable story of Workington AFC, you might enjoy our guides to other towns and football clubs. We have plenty more tales of triumph, disaster, and everything in between here at Five Minutes Spare. Follow us on Facebook for more stories that prove football is indeed much more serious than life and death.
Because whether you’re a Red from Borough Park or just someone who believes in the power of community football, Workington AFC’s story reminds us that the beautiful game’s greatest victories aren’t always measured in trophies or league positions. Sometimes they’re measured in simple survival, in community spirit, and in the knowledge that somewhere in the remote corners of Cumbria, a group of steel workers’ descendants are still keeping the flame alive. Pack your thermals if you’re heading to Borough Park – it gets cold up there, but the welcome is always warm.
