Established 1985

Peter and Christine Toolin formed the club under the name of Stalybridge Strikers. Shortly after, the club attached itself to Accrington Stanley F.C. and changed its name to Accrington Stanley Juniors. Links with Accrington Stanley Football Club were broken when it was sold in the early-nineties. The 'orphaned' junior club continued to operate under the name of AFC Stanley. The Soccer School was introduced in 1991 to attract players from as young as five years of age. Today, the club has teams in every age group from under-seven to under-sixteen.

In 2002, the club achieved FA Charter Standard status (only the second club in the whole of Tameside to gain the award). Our goal now is to achieve FA Development Club status. Primarily, we aim to introduce all-girl teams to the club in response to the rapidly increasing popularity of women's football.