West Didsbury & Chorlton Association Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, a suburb of Manchester, England. They are currently members of the North West Counties League Premier Division, the ninth tier of English football, and play at The Recreation Ground, currently known as The Step Places Stadium for sponsorship reasons,[4] but mostly referred to as Brookburn Road. Nicknamed "West", the club was founded as Christ Church in 1908. In 1920, the club changed its name to West Didsbury, and after moving to their current stadium, Brookburn Road, in Chorlton in 1997 they changed their name to West Didsbury & Chorlton to reflect this.
History
The club was formed in West Didsbury as Christ 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.[5] For the 1920–21 season, the club changed its name to West 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 the Manchester League Division One, won two Murray Shields in three seasons, and were crowned champions in 2010–11, gaining promotion to the Premier Division.[5] In the 2011–12 season, the club played in the FA Vase for the first time, and were knocked out in the Second Qualifying Round by Ashville F.C.[6] For the 2012–13 season the club had its application to enter the North West Counties Football League Division One accepted.[7] This was the first time the club has played at level 10 of the English 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 winner Formby, 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 the 2018–19 season, but won promotion back to the Premier Division in 2021–22, securing their finish as champions on 23 March 2022 in their penultimate game of the season with a 2–1 win over Barnton.
From 1908 until 1914, the club play at Shorts Farm on Wilmslow Road in what is now Rusholme, 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 of Chorlton for the 1997–98 season.[5] 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. 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.
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, but remains officially unnamed. There are an additional 50 seats in front of the clubhouse, which adjoins the Turley stand.
Since 2022, the club has added further facilities in order to deal with larger crowds, 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 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.[5]
Colours
West's home colours are white and black shirts, with black shorts and socks,[10] featuring a sash design from the 2023/24 season onwards.[11]
The club have no set away colours, and has previously been blue,[12] maroon,[13] yellow,[14] and red[15] at different times. In 2021, a fan vote for a new away kit resulted in a pink and navy design[16] featuring the names of supporters who donated to the club as part of the design as part of a campaign titled 'Fabric of West'.[17] This beat variations including 'blue steel', 'purple rain',[18] and orange,[19] 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.[20]
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[22] to 723 across the 2023-24 season[23] in league games.
West fans have been noted for their creative & humorous chants, often singing songs about humous, quinoa, vegetarianism, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, and their love of Krombacher.[24][25] In a similar fashion to fans of fellow non-league clubs such as Clapton CFC and Dulwich Hamlet,[26] West fans are known for their left-wing political stance. Antifascist,[27] pro-refugee,[28] & LGBT+[29][30] flags are often flown at games. 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.[31]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Players in this list have either played professionally, internationally or are otherwise of note before, during or after their time at West Didsbury & Chorlton.