HISTORY OF SOUTHPORT FOOTBALL CLUB
Updated July 2025 with thanks to Dan Hayes for the update
(condensed version)
Southport Football Club was founded in 1888 by a group of influential local figures and the captains of several existing sides, who came together to form a new professional club capable of representing the town. The first meeting to discuss the new club took place on 2 June 1888, and the team was officially named Southport Central Association Football Club. With interest in the professional game growing nationally, and the Football League launching that same year, the timing was deliberate and ambitious.
The club’s first ever match was played on 1 September 1888 facing a Liverpool side called Stanley. Their first competitive fixture followed a month later on 6 October, an FA Cup tie against Irwell Springs, which Central won 5-4. The club joined the Lancashire League in 1889 and played their first league game on 14 September, beating Rossendale 3-1.
Central initially played at the Sports Ground on Sussex Road, before moving a year later to a new ground on Scarisbrick New Road, which had previously been used by Southport Olympic Rugby Club. They remained there until 1905, when they moved to their present home on Haig Avenue, then known as Ash Lane.
The club’s formation was traditionally dated to 1881, based on a short-lived amateur side that switched from rugby to association football that year. In the early 1880s, many other amateur teams sprang up locally, including Southport Wanderers. When the original club disbanded in 1886, Wanderers took on its name, along with many of its players and supporters. Both the original team and Wanderers referred to themselves as Southport Football Club, which likely contributed to the long-held assumption that the current club is a continuation. However, later research has clarified that Southport Central, formed in 1888, was not connected to these earlier efforts but was a completely new organisation.
For one season in 1918-19, the club played under the name Southport Vulcan after being taken over by the Vulcan Motor Company. This is widely recognised as the first instance of an English club playing under a sponsor’s name. While not a sponsorship in the modern commercial sense, the name change reflected the club’s ownership and financial backing by Vulcan. In 1919, following their withdrawal, the club adopted the name Southport Football Club, which it has retained ever since.
Southport held membership of The Football League from 1921 to 1978, never progressing higher than the third tier (League One) in the football pyramid.
The biggest achievement was winning the fourth division (L2 nowadays) in 1972-73, under Jimmy Meadows having previously been promoted from the same division in 1966-67 under the management of Billy Bingham.
After a number of years in the lower reaches of the fourth division sadly Southport became the last ever club to fail to be re-elected to the Football League in 1978 with Wigan Athletic taking over their Football League place.
Southport’s best performance in the FA Cup as a Football League side came in the 1930–31 tournament when after reaching the quarter-finals (last eight) lost 9–1 to Everton at Goodison Park. The record home attendance of 20,010 came the following season in the same competition when hosting Newcastle United at Haig Avenue.
Other good FA Cup runs include reaching the fifth round (last sixteen) in 1965–66 before going down 2–0 to Hull City.
Southport took part in the Football League Cup from 1960 to 1978 but never progressed beyond the first two rounds.
Upon leaving the Football League Southport joined the Northern Premier League, then considered the fifth tier. After turning down the opportunity to join the new Alliance league (later to be renamed the Football Conference and now known as the National League) upon its formation due to travelling costs and in doing so alienating hundreds of Southport fans. effectively suffered relegation to a sixth tier and remained in the Northern Premier League until 1993. Promoted to the Football Conference in 1993 and if play offs had been in place back then could well have found a route back to the Football League having finished in 4th 3rd and 6th position they remained at the fifth tier until 2003 before suffering relegation back to the Northern Premier League Premier Division (2003–04). Southport were then transferred to the new Football Conference North (now National League North) in 2004 and became the first side to win National North in 2004-05 under Liam Watson who in three spells with the club had a total of 660 games as manager.
On a never to be forgotten day in May 1998, the team reached the final of the FA Trophy under the guidance of Paul Futcher and played at the old Wembley Stadium and whilst they lost 1-0 to Cheltenham Town it was a day many supporters never thought they would see having had some difficult times since leaving the Football League.
Southport have reached the third round of the FA Cup twice as a NL side losing 2-0 at home to Leyton Orient in 1998-99 and 1-0 at Derby County in 2014-15 when a penalty 30 seconds from time ended the dream of a replay. The goalkeeper that day was David Raya on loan from Blackburn who hasn’t done too badly for himself since.
The 2025-26 season will see the club playing its 48th season in Non League Football and the previous 47 seasons have seen 34 permanent managers in the Southport hot seat.