Atherton Collieries were founded in 1916 by workers of the six local coal-mining pits, in order to help raise funds towards the war efforts, initially playing under the banner of Atherton Collieries Joint Association.

The club enjoyed steady success at a local level for the first few years of their existence, lifting ten Bolton Combination titles and a record six Lancashire Junior Shields in-between 1916 and 1965, alongside spending brief stints in the Lancashire Combination and Cheshire County Leagues.

In 1982, the Collieries were founding members of the North West Counties Football League, enjoying a stable existence for the next few decades, including lifting the Third Division title in 1987 and the Bolton Goldline Trophy in 2002. In 2006, the club made headlines through the discovery of young future international footballer Anthony Pilkington, who earned a move to Stockport County in the Football League following a historic hat-trick at FC United of Manchester.

After relegation into the North West Counties Division One in 2009, the club sought to renew their ambitions under the management of Ste Pilling and then Michael Clegg. Under the stewardship of Clegg, the Black & Whites won promotions in 2015, 2017 and 2019 to climb from the North West Counties bottom tier into the top division of the Northern Premier League, alongside a historic FA Vase run in 2017, and further successes in the 2015 Bolton Hospital Cup, 2016 NWCFL League Cup and 2018 NPL League Cup.

Now under the management of club icon Bradley Cooke, the club are settling to life at the highest level of football in the history of both the club and the town of Atherton. Following two pandemic disrupted seasons, the Collieries comfortably secured their status in their first full season in non-league's third tier, with a remarkable defensive record ranking fifth in the division, and never conceding more than two goals in a single game throughout the season.

The Black & Whites remain ambitious to further cement their place within the Northern Premier League hierarchy, with a nucleus of exciting, young and high-potential footballers in the first team squad, and tireless efforts away from the pitch to continually improve the Skuna Stadium facilities, powered by a strong community spirit within their ever-growing fanbase.

The coal miners who founded this club 106 years ago would be proud of how much the Colls have achieved in recent times. Who knows how further Collieries can go with the support of the local community?