WHAT better way for a football club to celebrate its centenary than winning the league? That is what Uppermill FC is aiming for.
But eyes are already being cast towards the future after a relatively recent rethink sparked a revival.
And the eventual aim – although describing plans as in the early stages would be humping the gun – is to take a place in the non-league pyramid.
Before all that, though, there is the past and present to take care of. The present in making sure of the Manchester League Premier Division title in a table that is so packed, it makes the Premier League look a bit drab.
Then there is the past in making sure 100 years in existence is properly marked with a completely sold-out dinner, which will see almost 250 people pack into The White Hart in Lydgate on Saturday, April 27.
But the path to how Uppermill FC is thriving with 25 teams, from under-fives to under-16s and three senior sides in various divisions of the Manchester Football League can be traced back easily.
“We’ve made huge progression,” said chairman Steve Southern.
“No disrespect but 15 years ago it was a pub team with only senior sides. My predecessors said we needed to expand and we’ve gone from four to 25 or more in all age ranges.
“To have three straight seasons – one promotion and two at the top of the Premier Division – is uncharted territory.
“We took a long, hard look at ourselves and said, ‘We need to change the way we went about our business, on and off the field.’
“We totally restructured the committee and the way we go about running the senior teams, the last piece of the jigsaw is putting a huge effort into properly engaging with our juniors.
“Go back two or three years, our retention rate at 16 could be as low as nil. For the last two years, it’s been between 80 and 100 per cent.
“We’ve been acting as a club. Two or three years ago, people would’ve said we’re a collection of 25 different teams.
“Now we’re doing a lot more as a club and thinking ahead as a club. The aspiration is to have our own ground and be capable of making the North West Counties League.
“The challenge is to turn that from a dream into a plan. It’s very embryonic at this stage.”
Should Uppermill FC eventually look to move up, Steve insists it would have to be as a community venture, so everyone feels it is the right thing to do.
For the time being, though, marking the huge occasion of turning 100 occupies many thoughts.
The club has its own unique centenary football kit and it is hoped that when the weather turns better, Saddleworth will see more than 100 replica shirts on its streets – the village’s Waggon Inn appears to be the only business surviving from the original sponsors from the poster produced in 1924.
And the names of more than 100 players and supporters have been inserted into them as a permanent sign of their devotion.
It has not always been plain sailing, however, as Steve recalled: “Go back three or four years, it was touch and go whether we’d still have a senior section.
“We got ourselves in a bit of a mess and it was shrinking rather than growing. It’s a very fine line between being successful and collapsing in a heap.
“We’ve put a huge amount of effort into the dinner – we’ve been planning it for eight months.
“And we’ve tried to make sure it’s for everyone, not just the current people.
“We’ve made a huge effort to make contact with former players and officials to make sure they’re part of the celebrations.”
As the club prepares to mark its centenary, the side made up of predominantly local players is pushing to bring glory to Churchill Playing Fields.
Uppermill FC’s fortunes are certainly attracting attention with several famous faces, including Arsene Wenger, Kevin Sinfield, Ricky Hatton and locally based Barrow AFC manager Pete Wild wishing them good luck.
For Steve, though, seeing the club on a firmer footing is what delights him.
He told Saddleworth Independent: “It’s pretty exciting. We’ve got a bit of a nosebleed up there!
“It’s a really competitive division and in many ways, we’re punching above our weight but this is the second season on the bounce we’ve been up there.
“Winning the league would be fantastic but we’re doing well across the club, which is my driver.
“On any given matchday, we’ll have at least seven players that have been homegrown and with the club since they were kids, which Is tremendous.
“We want to cultivate our own kids as good people, as well as being good footballers
“The catalyst was 15 years ago when the then committee had a really good vision for the club. The credit for the ambition goes to them for expanding it from where it had been for the previous 80 years.”
Congratulations to Uppermill F C. Around 1958/60 Mossley Amsteurs members of the the Manchester Amateur League whose home ground was Egmont Playing Field ( excellent playing surface, even today) agreed to share Seel Park with Mossley F C. It was great to play at Seel Park but it came with extra pressure because each opponent seemed to raise their game ( this was their Wembley!)
For many years Mossley Amateurs was the premier team in what is now known asTameside.
RIP ex-players, coaches and supporters.