Chorley Football Club, nicknamed “The Magpies,” is a non-league football club based in Chorley, Lancashire.
Established in 1883, they currently compete in the Vanarama National League North, which is part of the sixth tier of English football. The team calls Victory Park their home ground.
Chorley FC, originally a rugby club, switched to association football in 1883 and has been known as The Magpies since the 1890s. Throughout its 135-year history, the club has played in six different leagues, beginning with friendly matches in the 1880s. Chorley joined the Lancashire Junior League in 1889, and after various league changes, became founding members of the Northern Premier League (NPL) in 1968. The club achieved its highest finish in the Football Conference in 1989 after winning the NPL but was relegated back to the NPL in 1990.
The club faced a period of decline, narrowly avoiding relegation to the North West Counties League, until a revival under manager Gary Flitcroft in 2010. This resurgence led to two promotions in four seasons, culminating in an NPL championship in 2014. Flitcroft’s tenure ended after a near return to the Football Conference, losing in the National League North (NLN) play-off final in 2015. Successive managers Matt Jansen and Jamie Vermiglio led the team to further play-off finals, with Vermiglio eventually guiding The Magpies back to the fifth tier of English football via a playoff victory over Spennymoor Town.