 | |||
| Full name | West Didsbury & Chorlton Association Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | West | ||
| Founded | 1908, as Christ Church A.F.C. | ||
| Ground | The Recreation Ground, Brookburn Road,Chorlton-cum-Hardy,Manchester | ||
| Capacity | 1,320[1] | ||
| Chairman | Steve Eckersley[2] | ||
| Manager | Paul Marshall[3] | ||
| League | North West Counties League Premier Division | ||
| 2024–25 | North West Counties League Premier Division, 5th of 24 | ||
| Website | wdcfc | ||
West Didsbury & Chorlton Association Football Club is a semi-professionalfootball club based inChorlton-cum-Hardy, a suburb ofManchester, England. They are currently members of theNorth West Counties League Premier Division, the ninth tier of English football, and play at The Recreation Ground, known as The Step Places Stadium for sponsorship reasons,[4] but mostly referred to as Brookburn Road.[5][6][7]
The club was formed inWest Didsbury asChrist Church A.F.C. in 1908 by a local Sunday School Superintendent. Christ Church joined the Manchester Alliance League, in which they played until 1914.[8] For the 1920–21 season, the club changed its name toWest Didsbury A.F.C. and joined the Lancashire and Cheshire League.
In 2003, the club changed its name to West Didsbury & Chorlton, to reflect its new location after an earlier ground move. In 2006, they entered theManchester League Division One, won two Murray Shields in three seasons, and were crowned champions in 2010–11, gaining promotion to the Premier Division.[8] In the 2011–12 season, the club played in theFA Vase for the first time, and were knocked out in the Second Qualifying Round byAshville F.C.[9] For the 2012–13 season the club had its application to enter theNorth West Counties Football League Division One accepted.[10] This was the first time the club has played at level 10 of theEnglish football league system. The club finished 3rd in their first season at level 10, and due to the failure to meet ground criteria of title winnerFormby, West were promoted to level 9 for the 2013–14 season for the first time. They also won the NWCFL Division One Cup competition defeating Abbey Hey 1–0 in the final. They were relegated to Division One South in the2018–19 season, but won promotion back to the Premier Division in2021–22, securing their finish as champions on 23 March 2022 in their penultimate game of the season with a 2–1 win overBarnton.
Since 2017/18[11] the club have operated a women's team, after Chorltonians Ladies became part of the club. They currently play inNorth West Women's Regional Football League Premier Division, having won the NWWRL Division One South title in 2017/18.[12] There is also a women's reserve side who currently play in theGreater Manchester Women's Football League.
From 1908 until 1914, the club play at Shorts Farm on Wilmslow Road in what is nowRusholme, before moving to Christie Playing Fields. The club were evicted when this ground was sold for development in the late 1980s, with no fixed home until they moved to the then disused Recreation Ground on Brookburn Road in the Chorltonville area ofChorlton for the 1997–98 season.[8] Since 2019, the ground has been officially known as The Step Places Stadium for sponsorship reasons.
There are two entrances to the Recreation Ground: a main turnstile through which the majority of supporters enter off Brookburn Road, and an additional shed from the public footpath by Hardy Farm, sometimes used as an away supporter entrance. Though crowds are typically unsegregated, in the event of any there being an allocated away section of the ground, it is the latter entrance that is used by travelling support.[13]
The ground's capacity comprises mainly uncovered standing across both sides of pitch, with some viewing available from an embankment behind the dugouts. There are 2 separate stands at either end of the pitch: a 100 capacity covered seating area named the Rob Turley Stand in honour of the club's former player and longstanding chair, and a covered standing area at the opposite side that is known as the Shed End,[14] but remains officially unnamed. There are an additional 50 seats in front of the clubhouse, which adjoins the Turley stand, and uncovered standing around the rest of the ground.
Since 2022, the club has added further facilities in order to deal with larger crowds,[15] with the purpose built Tea Hut serving food and drink at the clubhouse end of the ground, and a drinks bar at the shed end. There is also a merchandise shed[16] and food van which are both open on men's matchdays, as well as portable toilets by the main entrance to the ground.
The club also has access to the adjoining Hardy Farm pitches, which are used for matches by youth teams, reserves, and for first team training.[8]
The club's home colours are white and black, though in no consistent design. As of the 2025-26 season the club's home kits feature a patterned shirt based loosely on imagery from the West badge, black shorts, and black socks, which are manufactured byO'Neills[17].
The club have no set away colours, and their change kit has previously been blue,[18] maroon,[19] yellow,[20] and red[21] at different times. In 2021, a fan vote for a new away kit resulted in a pink and navy design[22] featuring the names of supporters who donated to the club as part of the design as part of a campaign titled 'Fabric of West'.[23] This beat variations including 'blue steel', 'purple rain',[24] and orange,[25] all of which would've been new away colours for the club.
Following another vote in 2024, the club continued with a similar colour scheme, salmon and light blue, in a patterned motif[26], produced by SK Kits[27], with the design remaining for 2025-26 despite the change in home shirt manufacturer.
They have also used their away kit to promote charitable causes for one-off games around Christmas, includingShelter in 2022,[28] and an Acid FC designed shirt forThe Christie in 2024.[29]
The men's team crowds have rapidly increased since joining the NWCFL, growing from an average of 54 in their debut season of 2012–13[30] to 877 across the 2024–25 season[31] in league games.
West fans have been noted for their creative & humorous chants, with songs about humous, quinoa, vegetarianism,[32]Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, and their love ofKrombacher.[33][34] In a similar fashion to fans of fellow non-league clubs such asClapton CFC andDulwich Hamlet,[35] West fans are known for theirleft-wing political stance. LGBT+ flags,[36] and pro-refugee flags are flown at games.[citation needed] Union 1908, an independent supporters club, was formed in 2020 with the aim of expanding the clubs fanbase, along with supporting local causes in the South Manchester area.[37]
Indie pop bandDutch Uncles are fans of the club and have launched their albumsO Shudder[38] and True Entertainment at men's fixtures as well as sponsoring a women's team kit,[39] with members ofAirship also attending games.England international playerMarcus Rashford has also been seen[when?] at Brookburn Road for matches.[citation needed]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
West Didsbury & Chorlton has won five league championships and six cup competitions in its history.[8]
Players in this list have either played professionally, internationally or are otherwise of note before, during or after their time at West Didsbury & Chorlton.
Jeff Tate
Jamie Coombes
Carlos Mendes GomesPaul Heaton[citation needed]James HooperRemy LongdonJohn PritchardJack Sergeant
{{Cite Instagram}}: Missing or empty|user= (help);{{Cite Instagram}}: Missing or empty|postid= (help);{{Cite Instagram}}: Missing or empty|date= (help){{Cite Instagram}}: Missing or empty|user= (help);{{Cite Instagram}}: Missing or empty|postid= (help);{{Cite Instagram}}: Missing or empty|date= (help)53°26′00″N2°16′57″W / 53.433469°N 2.282594°W /53.433469; -2.282594