Accrington Stanley F.C.

Accrington Stanley Football Club entered the football league with the other top Northern non-league clubs in 1921. It was not the same club as Accrington F.C. which was a founder member of the football league. They were ejected from the League proper after a financial crisis at the end of the 1960/61 season. The club was reformed in 1968. They play at the Crown Ground in Accrington.

There are many theories relating to as to where the Stanley in the club's name originated. These centre around a merger with another side named Stanley Villa, a pub named the Stanley Arms in Accrington, and the family name of the Earl of Derby. In all probability the true answer will never be known.

Whatever the truth, they are a true part of the history of British football, especially that in Lancashire.