Introducing the new member clubs: Uppermill
Mon 6th July 2026 | Uppermill | By Jay Cooper
With the 2026/27 NWCFL campaign fast approaching, now is the perfect time to introduce the new member clubs to their respective divisions.
Or perhaps better – to let the new member clubs introduce themselves.
Earlier this week, I spoke to Steve Southern – CEO at Uppermill, who will take their place in the NWCFL First Division North this season following promotion from the Manchester League in 2025/26.
Despite having over a century of history to their name, this coming season will be Uppermill’s first in the English Football Pyramid. Established in 1923, Uppermill represent the community after which they are named. Based in Saddleworth, Oldham, right where Greater Manchester meets West Riding of Yorkshire, the club is affiliated with the West Riding County FA.
Their first major honour came in the 1951/52 campaign, when the club added the Ashton District League’s Birkby Cup trophy to their cabinet. They would spend the majority of the three decades following that famous win in the Huddersfield and District League, securing a handful of league titles up and down the pyramid throughout the 1960’s and 1980’s in particular.
A few of those successes from the ‘80’s were spearheaded by former Manchester United and England household name Jack Rowley, who played a part in the club’s management team during the 1981/82 season.
As Uppermill’s long stint in the Huddersfield and District League came to an end, the club readjusted its strategy and image somewhat. They expanded from a club that boasted a few senior sides to one that has over 25 teams to their name at all levels of the game and development system. Their youngest teams are the under-5’s, whilst their oldest are their veterans’ and walking football teams.
As far as their recent history is concerned, Uppermill moved to the Manchester League from the Huddersfield and District League before the beginning of the 2013/14 season. Just two seasons of Division One football were all it took for them to reach the Premier Division after finishing runners-up behind Old Altrinchamians in 2014/15.
Their first stint in the Prem would be short-lived, but they would return six years later, having finished third in the 2021/22 season. This endeavour into the Manchester League’s top table would be much more fruitful for Uppermill, as they came second in 2023, and won the league in 2024 despite a one-point deduction.
Ahead of the 2024/25 season, the club established a groundshare agreement with NPL Division One West side Mossley AFC, and it is one that they have maintained ever since, with their home matches still being contested at Seel Park. It would take until the 2025/26 campaign for their promotion application to be accepted after another second placed finish.
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Steve Southern
1. How would you describe Uppermill to someone who had never heard of the club?
a. Small and imperfectly formed! Geographically, Uppermill is part of Saddleworth, part of the borough of Oldham, and straddled between Greater Manchester and the West Riding of Yorkshire. We are blessed to be based in a beautiful countryside, and we are a club who recently celebrated our 100th birthday.
We have 35 teams in at Uppermill, and we are proud to have our Juniors and Seniors as part of one, single, consistent club. All of our teams, from our under-6’s to our senior first team, play in exactly the same home kit design - we are one club.
I would hope that people see us as a friendly, welcoming club where, regardless of ability, we will do all we can to provide organised football for anyone who wishes to play. At senior level, the club was historically a member of the Huddersfield and District League, before being elevated, about 15 years ago, into the Manchester Football League. The following 10 years were a cycle of ‘boom and bust’ (and more bust than boom) as the club tried to get accustomed to the demands of the Manchester League.
My early recollections of being personally involved with the club were that we struggled to attract enough ambitious, committed players to make a solid impression on the League; and in my darker moments in thought we should be called UpperNil, rather than Uppermill!
The last 5 years has seen the club steadily and consistently grow our footprint at senior level, not only with our first team’s successes, butalso with our Reserve and Development teams made up primarily of young, home-grown talent. I’d like to think that we’ve gone from being something of an also-ran in local senior football, to a leading light, respected by our neighbours and peers.
2. What does the club mean to the area and local community that you represent?
a. The football club is based in a multi-sport area. The Saddleworth area is arguably dominated by larger, more well-known cricket and rugby league clubs. For many years, Uppermill FC, and their footballing neighbours, were, in my view, less prominent than the cricket and rugby clubs in Saddleworth. I’d like to think that Uppermill FC has enhanced its local reputation in recent years, and the elevation to NWCFL is the next step in the club being more visible and even more well-regarded in the area.
With 35 teams, and around 400 players signed on to play for the club, we are a significant provider of organised football in our locality. I say it frequently that if Uppermill FC (and our footballing neighbours, and our cricket, rugby and netball neighbours) did not exist, there would be hundreds and hundreds of young people with little or nothing to do, and, as the phrase has it, ’the Devil will make work for idle hands’. Point being, clubs like ours - totally staffed by volunteers - provide an incredible social function, without which we could, if not would, see far more socially unacceptable behaviour in our area. I often think that clubs like Uppermill (and the thousands of clubs like us) do not get the support and recognition that we deserve, for the contribution we make to society in general.
On a more specific level, we operate Uppermill In The Community (UITC) - an idea shamelessly taken from Man City’s City In The Community. UITC exists to allow our club to put something back into our own local and wider community. It is a strong aspect of who we are as people and as a club. In recent years, we have raised thousands of pounds to buy school clothes; to buy Christmas presents; to provide football kits to local schools and to provide money or clothing to help local people.
Last season, we ‘donated’ a kit sponsorship to Our Community Wardrobe Oldham (OCWO), a local charity, and, free of charge, they were front-of-shirt ’sponsors’ for one of our junior teams.
This coming season, we have ‘donated’ a kit sponsorship to Maggie’s, the Oldham founded, but national, cancer charity. Our under-14’s will proudly have the Maggie’s logo on their shirts.
Without sounding too righteous, I’d like to think we are a good community of people striving to make a positive contribution - and we play a bit of football as well!
3. Tell me about the manager?
a. The first team manager… …well! Our ‘gaffer’ is Mark Howard, almost universally known as Tank! I’ve known Mark (Tank) for well over 30 years, and I’ve yet to meet anyone at any level who is as passionate about the game than he is. Mark has an excellent football management CV at local level, and we were very fortunate to take him on board only five years ago.
Mark joined us at a time when our senior section was in serious decline - looking like terminal decline at that point. In the short period before he joined us, we had rapidly gone from four senior teams to, what I would describe as, 1.5 teams. We were begging people to play in order to fulfil fixtures.
In the intervening years, Mark has created and, more importantly, sustained a very successful first team, taking us from the bottom of the Manchester League Division One into Premier Division champions just a couple of years ago, and runners-up last season.
Mark has made us competitive and respected. Like all good managers, he has created, refreshed and replaced the squad over the five years he has been in charge. Mark has created and grown his backroom team whom, by his own admission, he could not succeed without. We could not have anyone better to lead us into our first season in the NWCFL.
4. Tell me a bit about last season – your last one in the Manchester League? Was promotion a definite goal, or a happy accident?
a. Promotion was a definite goal and had been for the previous two years. Like all the clubs who have preceded us on this journey, we took a long and patient run up to seeking elevation into the NWCFL. I won’t bore you with the details of the planning, but it was painstaking and required a lot of thought.
On our journey, we sought the advice of many other clubs who had followed the same pathway. I have to say that the likes of Fulwood Amateurs, Euxton Villa, AFC Mossley (and others) were incredibly kind and generous with their time and guidance - indulging my stupid questions, mostly - as we tried to solve the riddle of how to make ourselves ready for the Counties.
Our ‘last’ season in the Manchester League was like all the others - competitive, hard work and a lot of fun. The MFL is an excellent league. I deliberately put the word ‘last’ in quotation marks, as we have two other teams who will proudly remain in the MFL for next season, and we are hopeful of another team, based on an average age of 17/18. So, it might have been the last season for our first team, but it is certainly not our final season in the MFL.
5. How well have you been getting along with your pre-season prep? New signings, friendlies, etc?
a. I’d say ‘very well’ (with all my fingers and toes tightly crossed!). Mark is part way through a very thoroughly prepared and planned pre-season, and he assures me that the players will be fit and ready when the season begins.
We have a full programme of pre-season games with the best opposition we have ever faced in any pre-season. We have listened closely to the guidance of other clubs about player retention and attraction, and I know that Mark is seeking to continue to develop our current playing squad whilst adding to it sensibly where he can with new talent.
We are ambitious, but not maverick, in our approach. Moving to the NWCFL is arguably the biggest milestone in the club’s history, and we take that responsibility seriously. We want our junior teams to see a pathway forward with us, and it is our duty to sustain ourselves in the Counties for the next generation of players to come.
6. What are your ambitions for the upcoming 2026/27 season in the NWCFL?
a. On the pitch, Mark will be seeking to have a squad that is competitive and can hold its own with our more established and illustrious opponents. He and I recognise we are on a big learning curve, so we take nothing for granted.
Off the pitch, we are aiming to be the proverbial ’sponge’ in learning as quickly as we can how best to run the club (not just the team) operationally and financially. We know we will make mistakes, but provided we don’t make the same mistake twice, we will be happy to learn and become a welcome and respected member of the NWCFL.
----------
We wish everyone at Uppermill all the best for the 2026/27 season!
Introducing the new member clubs: Uppermill
Mon 6th July 2026 | Uppermill
By Jay Cooper
With the 2026/27 NWCFL campaign fast approaching, now is the perfect time to introduce the new member clubs to their respective divisions.
Or perhaps better – to let the new member clubs introduce themselves.
Earlier this week, I spoke to Steve Southern – CEO at Uppermill, who will take their place in the NWCFL First Division North this season following promotion from the Manchester League in 2025/26.
Despite having over a century of history to their name, this coming season will be Uppermill’s first in the English Football Pyramid. Established in 1923, Uppermill represent the community after which they are named. Based in Saddleworth, Oldham, right where Greater Manchester meets West Riding of Yorkshire, the club is affiliated with the West Riding County FA.
Their first major honour came in the 1951/52 campaign, when the club added the Ashton District League’s Birkby Cup trophy to their cabinet. They would spend the majority of the three decades following that famous win in the Huddersfield and District League, securing a handful of league titles up and down the pyramid throughout the 1960’s and 1980’s in particular.
A few of those successes from the ‘80’s were spearheaded by former Manchester United and England household name Jack Rowley, who played a part in the club’s management team during the 1981/82 season.
As Uppermill’s long stint in the Huddersfield and District League came to an end, the club readjusted its strategy and image somewhat. They expanded from a club that boasted a few senior sides to one that has over 25 teams to their name at all levels of the game and development system. Their youngest teams are the under-5’s, whilst their oldest are their veterans’ and walking football teams.
As far as their recent history is concerned, Uppermill moved to the Manchester League from the Huddersfield and District League before the beginning of the 2013/14 season. Just two seasons of Division One football were all it took for them to reach the Premier Division after finishing runners-up behind Old Altrinchamians in 2014/15.
Their first stint in the Prem would be short-lived, but they would return six years later, having finished third in the 2021/22 season. This endeavour into the Manchester League’s top table would be much more fruitful for Uppermill, as they came second in 2023, and won the league in 2024 despite a one-point deduction.
Ahead of the 2024/25 season, the club established a groundshare agreement with NPL Division One West side Mossley AFC, and it is one that they have maintained ever since, with their home matches still being contested at Seel Park. It would take until the 2025/26 campaign for their promotion application to be accepted after another second placed finish.
----------
Steve Southern
1. How would you describe Uppermill to someone who had never heard of the club?
a. Small and imperfectly formed! Geographically, Uppermill is part of Saddleworth, part of the borough of Oldham, and straddled between Greater Manchester and the West Riding of Yorkshire. We are blessed to be based in a beautiful countryside, and we are a club who recently celebrated our 100th birthday.
We have 35 teams in at Uppermill, and we are proud to have our Juniors and Seniors as part of one, single, consistent club. All of our teams, from our under-6’s to our senior first team, play in exactly the same home kit design - we are one club.
I would hope that people see us as a friendly, welcoming club where, regardless of ability, we will do all we can to provide organised football for anyone who wishes to play. At senior level, the club was historically a member of the Huddersfield and District League, before being elevated, about 15 years ago, into the Manchester Football League. The following 10 years were a cycle of ‘boom and bust’ (and more bust than boom) as the club tried to get accustomed to the demands of the Manchester League.
My early recollections of being personally involved with the club were that we struggled to attract enough ambitious, committed players to make a solid impression on the League; and in my darker moments in thought we should be called UpperNil, rather than Uppermill!
The last 5 years has seen the club steadily and consistently grow our footprint at senior level, not only with our first team’s successes, butalso with our Reserve and Development teams made up primarily of young, home-grown talent. I’d like to think that we’ve gone from being something of an also-ran in local senior football, to a leading light, respected by our neighbours and peers.
2. What does the club mean to the area and local community that you represent?
a. The football club is based in a multi-sport area. The Saddleworth area is arguably dominated by larger, more well-known cricket and rugby league clubs. For many years, Uppermill FC, and their footballing neighbours, were, in my view, less prominent than the cricket and rugby clubs in Saddleworth. I’d like to think that Uppermill FC has enhanced its local reputation in recent years, and the elevation to NWCFL is the next step in the club being more visible and even more well-regarded in the area.
With 35 teams, and around 400 players signed on to play for the club, we are a significant provider of organised football in our locality. I say it frequently that if Uppermill FC (and our footballing neighbours, and our cricket, rugby and netball neighbours) did not exist, there would be hundreds and hundreds of young people with little or nothing to do, and, as the phrase has it, ’the Devil will make work for idle hands’. Point being, clubs like ours - totally staffed by volunteers - provide an incredible social function, without which we could, if not would, see far more socially unacceptable behaviour in our area. I often think that clubs like Uppermill (and the thousands of clubs like us) do not get the support and recognition that we deserve, for the contribution we make to society in general.
On a more specific level, we operate Uppermill In The Community (UITC) - an idea shamelessly taken from Man City’s City In The Community. UITC exists to allow our club to put something back into our own local and wider community. It is a strong aspect of who we are as people and as a club. In recent years, we have raised thousands of pounds to buy school clothes; to buy Christmas presents; to provide football kits to local schools and to provide money or clothing to help local people.
Last season, we ‘donated’ a kit sponsorship to Our Community Wardrobe Oldham (OCWO), a local charity, and, free of charge, they were front-of-shirt ’sponsors’ for one of our junior teams.
This coming season, we have ‘donated’ a kit sponsorship to Maggie’s, the Oldham founded, but national, cancer charity. Our under-14’s will proudly have the Maggie’s logo on their shirts.
Without sounding too righteous, I’d like to think we are a good community of people striving to make a positive contribution - and we play a bit of football as well!
3. Tell me about the manager?
a. The first team manager… …well! Our ‘gaffer’ is Mark Howard, almost universally known as Tank! I’ve known Mark (Tank) for well over 30 years, and I’ve yet to meet anyone at any level who is as passionate about the game than he is. Mark has an excellent football management CV at local level, and we were very fortunate to take him on board only five years ago.
Mark joined us at a time when our senior section was in serious decline - looking like terminal decline at that point. In the short period before he joined us, we had rapidly gone from four senior teams to, what I would describe as, 1.5 teams. We were begging people to play in order to fulfil fixtures.
In the intervening years, Mark has created and, more importantly, sustained a very successful first team, taking us from the bottom of the Manchester League Division One into Premier Division champions just a couple of years ago, and runners-up last season.
Mark has made us competitive and respected. Like all good managers, he has created, refreshed and replaced the squad over the five years he has been in charge. Mark has created and grown his backroom team whom, by his own admission, he could not succeed without. We could not have anyone better to lead us into our first season in the NWCFL.
4. Tell me a bit about last season – your last one in the Manchester League? Was promotion a definite goal, or a happy accident?
a. Promotion was a definite goal and had been for the previous two years. Like all the clubs who have preceded us on this journey, we took a long and patient run up to seeking elevation into the NWCFL. I won’t bore you with the details of the planning, but it was painstaking and required a lot of thought.
On our journey, we sought the advice of many other clubs who had followed the same pathway. I have to say that the likes of Fulwood Amateurs, Euxton Villa, AFC Mossley (and others) were incredibly kind and generous with their time and guidance - indulging my stupid questions, mostly - as we tried to solve the riddle of how to make ourselves ready for the Counties.
Our ‘last’ season in the Manchester League was like all the others - competitive, hard work and a lot of fun. The MFL is an excellent league. I deliberately put the word ‘last’ in quotation marks, as we have two other teams who will proudly remain in the MFL for next season, and we are hopeful of another team, based on an average age of 17/18. So, it might have been the last season for our first team, but it is certainly not our final season in the MFL.
5. How well have you been getting along with your pre-season prep? New signings, friendlies, etc?
a. I’d say ‘very well’ (with all my fingers and toes tightly crossed!). Mark is part way through a very thoroughly prepared and planned pre-season, and he assures me that the players will be fit and ready when the season begins.
We have a full programme of pre-season games with the best opposition we have ever faced in any pre-season. We have listened closely to the guidance of other clubs about player retention and attraction, and I know that Mark is seeking to continue to develop our current playing squad whilst adding to it sensibly where he can with new talent.
We are ambitious, but not maverick, in our approach. Moving to the NWCFL is arguably the biggest milestone in the club’s history, and we take that responsibility seriously. We want our junior teams to see a pathway forward with us, and it is our duty to sustain ourselves in the Counties for the next generation of players to come.
6. What are your ambitions for the upcoming 2026/27 season in the NWCFL?
a. On the pitch, Mark will be seeking to have a squad that is competitive and can hold its own with our more established and illustrious opponents. He and I recognise we are on a big learning curve, so we take nothing for granted.
Off the pitch, we are aiming to be the proverbial ’sponge’ in learning as quickly as we can how best to run the club (not just the team) operationally and financially. We know we will make mistakes, but provided we don’t make the same mistake twice, we will be happy to learn and become a welcome and respected member of the NWCFL.
----------
We wish everyone at Uppermill all the best for the 2026/27 season!
