Bootle FC

The original Bootle F.C. were formed in 1879 and played their first fixture in 1880 on Hawthorne Road, adjacent to Bootle Cricket Club. The club were Everton F.C.'s main rivals and competed with Everton for the prestigious place in the newly formed Football League. Because only one club per area were permitted to join, Bootle narrowly lost out, despite the fact that in the run up to the decision Everton were banned from the both the FA Cup and the Liverpool Senior Cup the previous year. However Bootle lost out and in 1889–90 Bootle became founder members of the Football Alliance, which became the newly formed Football League Second Division. That season was the most successful as the club finished league runners-up and reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, losing to Blackburn Rovers. When the Alliance merged with the Football League in 1892, Bootle became founder members of the new Second Division. However, despite finishing in a respectable 8th place, the club dropped out after one season due to ongoing financial problems. Ironically a new local club, Liverpool, took Bootle's place in the second division.

The possible resurrection of a Bootle team became a distinct probability in August 1947 when local councillors identified the popularity and talent on show in the ‘Bootle JOC’ league and knew the town was big enough to be put back on the football map with its own team again. For years it had been an exporter of its many players to other clubs, both professional and semi-professional. The promise of sponsorship money from local businesses brought great optimism and the issue of one shilling shares further boosted club finances. After local residents were assured that the ground at Bootle Stadium (Maguire Avenue) would not be used solely as a football ground, an