Another North West Semi Professional Football club who no longer exist are Horwich RMI. A club that I’m sure many older Bamber Bridge supporters will have memories of visiting. A club that in relatively recent memory re-located and re-invented themselves twice. Firstly, as Leigh RMI and latterly as Leigh Genesis, and playing at no less than 4 Football grounds along that journey to oblivion.

Founded in 1896, Horwich RMI (Railway Mechanics Institute), The club were one of two Football clubs founded at the Locomotion Building works of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, The other club being at The Newton Heath works, a club that later became somewhat more successful…. Manchester United !


Horwich RMI played at the Grundy Hill Ground which had a Capacity of 5,000, with 500 seats and over the years the stadium improved with cover from the elements on three sides of the ground. The Playing surface was also renound for its very noticeable slope of 5 meters diagonally across the pitch.

For almost 90 years the club played in various non professional conference Leagues, but mainly in the Lancashire Combination. In 1982 things moved up a notch or two when the club won a place in the newly created North West Counties League. Which they won at the first attempt and with it, promotion to the Northern Premier League.


In 1988, Horwich Won the Prestigious Non League Trophy, The GMAC Cup, A Nationwide Semi Pro competition that was also known as The Premier Inter Non League Cup. The club beat Weymouth 2-1 in the Final that was played at Grundy Hill in front of what was regarded as a poor attendance of 1,149.


The club had ambitions to progress beyond the Northern Premier League but realised their Grundy Hill Ground was inadequate and with attendances not matching the clubs ambitions, the decision was made to relocate seven miles South to Leigh, and the 10,000 Capacity Hilton Park Stadium, were they entered into a Ground sharing partnership with the financially struggling Leigh RLFC. The newly formed Grundy Hill Estates Company took ownership of the Ground. With this new Partnership in place, The Football Club were renamed Leigh RMI and The Rugby League Club became, Leigh Centurions


The move didn’t initially prove successful as Leigh RMI were relegated from The Northern Premier League in their first season at their new home. They quickly bounced back however, promoted as runners up in the NPL first Division in 1997. The following season saw The club reach the First Round of The FA Cup and a tie at Craven Cottage against Fulham. Following a superb 1-1 draw, the replay at Hilton Park drew a club record crowd of 7,125, the game was also covered live by the “New Satellite TV channel, Sky Sports”. Fulham won the replay 2-0.


The club continued to progress, and in the year 2000, Leigh RMI won the NPL Championship and were promoted to The Nationwide Conference, the highest “Non League” level in English Football. The club competed well at this level for several seasons, but from 2005 things started to go downhill when they were Relegated to the Conference League North, just one season later, they finished 2^nd bottom of that Division and faced relegation back to the NPL, only to get a last minute reprieve as Canvey Island FC resigned from the Conference League forcing a restructure. Their good fortune didn’t last however as in 2007 they finished bottom and were this time relegated back to the NPL.


In 2008 for their first season back in The Northern Premier, it was all change again, as the club re-invented itself for a second time, becoming Leigh Genesis to signify a “New Beginning”, ahead of a proposed move to the brand new 14,000 all seater Leigh Sports Village Stadium. However, delays in completing the new Stadium along with “unrealistic” pricing demands meant the club continuing to play at Hilton Park and led to The Chairman announcing his departure from the club, and with it, his financial backing.


The club soldiered on in the Unibond Northern Premier League. In 2009 Ex Manchester City player Gary Flitcroft took over as Manager and the Club announced it was moving in to the New Stadium with immediate effect. That season saw Genesis finish in 6^th place in the NPL Division One North, just missing out on the Play offs. But ongoing disagreements with their tenancy at the Leigh Sports Stadium led to Flitcroft and several players leaving to join local rivals Chorley FC.


The “New Beginning” was turning in to a disaster and in 2010 after failing to reach agreement with the Stadium owners, the club were on the move again. This time to Crilly Park, home of Atherton Laburnum Rovers. The move finally saw the end of the Football Club as a Semi Professional outfit, as in their first season at Crilly Park Genesis were relegated and the club Chairman at the time announced that they would not be taking a position in the North West Counties League, and as such were leaving the English Non League Pyramid.


The club still exists today but solely as an amateur club playing in Local Leagues.


By Alan Bateson

Many thanks to https://www.leighgenesis.co.uk/a/history-9364.html?page=1 for much of the information in compiling this article