Tony Glennon, Sunday Pink, August 2000
A fascinating history of the Lancashire Amateur League....essential reading for followers of the amateur game.
Book Description
The Lancashire Amateur Football League is one of the oldest organised football leagues in the world. Founded in 1899, no fewer than 157 clubs have been members since the League's inception.
This Centenary history traces the League's rise from its roots, mainly in Merseyside, during the early years of the 20th Century, through its spread in the pre-First World War era to the Lancashire hinterland and the Manchester area, and its gradual growth to its highlight years in the 1960's and 70's when more than 50 clubs took part in its various competitions.
The story is told not only through a short history of the League itself, but also through excellent vignettes from the clubs themselves, which are full of humour and give glimpses of the social change and the rise of football in Lancashire throughout the 20th Century.
There is also a chapter on what is generally regarded as the oldest continually used football ground in the world at Turton in Bolton, now the home of Old Boltonians, with a revealing insight into the origins of Bolton Wanderers F.C.
