Harworth Colliery F.C.

The football club of Harworth Colliery at Bircotes, Nottinghamshire, formed in 1931 as Harworth Colliery Athletic and long known as Harworth Colliery Institute. It won the Doncaster Senior League three seasons running from 1938-39 and plays on as Harworth Colliery in the Central Midlands Alliance.

The mining history in this record

Harworth Colliery reached the Barnsley seam in 1923, and a new mining settlement grew up at Bircotes. The football club was formed in 1931 as Harworth Colliery Athletic and played first in the Doncaster Red Triangle League; it won the Doncaster Senior League in 1938-39, 1939-40 and 1940-41. After the Second World War it joined the Yorkshire League as Harworth Colliery Institute, finishing fourth in 1947-48, before returning to the Doncaster and Sheffield leagues. It later joined the Northern Counties East League and in 1986 became a founder member of the Central Midlands League's Supreme Division, finishing runner-up in the first season and champion in the second. Its best FA Vase run reached the third round in 1979-80.

Legacy today

The club dropped 'Institute' from its name in 2013. It plays at the Recreation Ground, Bircotes, in the Central Midlands Alliance Premier Division North, and finished fifth in 2025-26. Harworth Colliery closed in 2006.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each tagged with how solidly it's grounded and attached to the source(s) that support it. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The club was formed in 1931 as Harworth Colliery Athletic. (documented fact) ¹
• After the Second World War the club played in the Yorkshire League as Harworth Colliery Institute, from 1946-47 until 1950. (documented fact) ^1,2
• Harworth won the Doncaster Senior League in 1938-39, 1939-40 and 1940-41. (documented fact) ¹
• Harworth Colliery Institute changed its name to Harworth Colliery in 2013. (documented fact) ²
• The club was a founder member of the Central Midlands League's Supreme Division, runner-up in its first season and champion the next. (documented fact) ¹

Mines

• Harworth Colliery — Nottinghamshire
  Formed in 1931 as Harworth Colliery Athletic and long named Harworth Colliery Institute after the pit and its institute; it plays on as Harworth Colliery (Wikipedia; Football Club History Database).

Sources

1. (secondary) Harworth Colliery F.C. — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Football Club History Database: Harworth Colliery — Football Club History Database

Record created: 19 September 2026 · Last researched: 3 October 2026