Workington Association Football Club, nicknamed “The Reds,” is a non-league football club based in Workington, Cumbria.
Established in 1970, they currently compete in the Pitching In Northern Premier League Premier Division, which is part of the seventh tier of English football. The team calls Borough Park their home ground.
History
Workington A.F.C., established in 1888, was one of the Cumberland Association League’s founding members. They played at Lonsdale Park until 1894, then shifted leagues several times before ultimately folding in 1910. Reborn in 1921, the club joined the North Eastern League and reached the FA Cup 4th round in the 1933/34 season. Workington moved to Borough Park in the late decade and gained entry to the Football League in 1951, replacing New Brighton. Their initial years in the league were challenging, finishing last and then only slightly improving in the subsequent year.
The period between 1954 and 1955 saw the club managed by Bill Shankly, who later achieved fame with Liverpool. In 1957/58, Workington faced the renowned Manchester United “Busby Babes” in the FA Cup, attracting a record crowd, shortly before the tragic Munich air disaster. The club’s fortunes fluctuated over the years, with a notable drop to the Fourth Division after the 1966/67 season and a series of bottom finishes leading to their expulsion from the league in 1977. They then competed in the Northern Premier League, with mixed success, and made a remarkable comeback by winning the league in 1999 under manager Peter Hampton, setting them on a path back to the NPL First Division.
The early 2000s marked a resurgence for Workington, as they ascended to the NPL’s Premier Division and earned their first NPL promotion play-offs victory, leading to a rise to the Conference North. Their performance remained competitive, with near misses in the promotion play-offs in subsequent seasons. However, in the 2009/10 season, they faced a significant setback, losing in the play-off semi-finals with a heavy aggregate defeat to Alfreton Town.