The Merseyside club that could have been bigger than Liverpool & Everton
At the turn of the 20th century, New Brighton was the place to be. It was Merseyside's answer to Dubai.
The New Brighton development included Britain's tallest building, a majestic ballroom that swept locals and tourists off their feet, as well as a 100,000-capacity stadium which hosted the home games of the newly-established New Brighton Tower FC.
The club's owners boasted the ambition of contemporary football tycoons, and their bid to build a competitive football club was briefly successful. However, it wouldn't take long before their project came crashing down.
Here's the story of the short-lived New Brighton Tower FC.
When were New Brighton Tower FC established?
The aforementioned owners of the New Brighton Tower, a seaside attraction located in Wallasey, Cheshire that was eventually built to rival the Blackpool Tower, decided to build a stadium adjacent to the tower.
They believed there was a need to provide winter entertainment and thus, New Brighton Tower FC was born in 1896 - four years before the tower opened.
Local authorities in the area were keen to make New Brighton a similar all-year tourist destination to other places like Blackpool and developing a winter team to attract crowds during the winter was seen as an important.
Where did New Brighton Tower FC play?
In 1896 New Brighton Tower fc were formed with a stadium which could hold 80,000. The theory was that this would raise income for the town outside of the holiday season. Attendances averaged around 1,000 and the team folded in 1901 and were replaced in the league by Doncaster https://t.co/dHhneCk7Tz pic.twitter.com/ajf0RasgxO
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The Tower Athletic Ground was constructed as part of the project and opened in 1896.
The stadium could reportedly hold up to 100,000 people, but attendances for New Brighton Tower FC's games were often small - no more than 2,000. The venue and its nearby Tower Ballroom would subsequently host gigs by The Beatles and other acts until its use was discontinued due to damage caused by fire in 1969.
Did New Brighton Tower FC win any trophies?
There was clear ambition to establish New Brighton Tower FC as a First Division club. Following their 1896 inception, the newly-formed outfit joined the Lancashire League in 1897 and lifted the title in their first season.
The Towerites were blessed with the sort of finances that their competition could only dream of, and they were able to purchase international-level players as a result. England's Alf Milward joined the club from Everton amid their quick rise.
After winning the Lancashire League, New Brighton Tower FC applied to join Football League and were eventually placed in the Second Division. Following a promising fifth-place finish in their first season, dwindling attendances and struggles on the pitch threatened to compromise the club's existence.
When did New Brighton Tower FC fold?
Given the money that was being pumped into the club, New Brighton Tower FC desperately needed to earn promotion to the First Division.
They bounced back in 1900/01, but could only muster a fourth-place finish which meant they remained in the second tier. Attendances were still small and the owners began to question the viability of the project.
Alas, on 4 September 1901 the Football League accepted New Brighton Tower FC's resignation. The dream was over and they were replaced in the Second Division by Doncaster Rovers.