Penrith Association Football Club are a football club based in Penrith, Cumbria, England.
They play in the and their home games take place at the Frenchfield Park Stadium.
The club moto is RES-NON-VERBA which is the Latin phrase that translated means "actions speak louder than words" or "deeds not words" and features on the club crest.
The team are also known as "The Bonny Blues" as the home strip features a blue shirt with blue shorts and blue socks; the away colours are a yellow shirt with yellow shorts and socks.
History
Founded in 1894. They originally joined the North Eastern League in 1907–08 and are currently members of the Northern Football League Division One.
The club joined the Northern Football League in 1947 and were runners up to Stanley United in the 1961-62 season.
Penrith have had many managers over the years with Alan Ashman being the most famous, Ashman left the club in February 1963 to join Carlisle United followed by West Bromwich Albion, where he won the FA Cup in 1968 beating Everton FC in the Final played at Wembley Stadium.
The team spent 35 years in the Northern Football League until moving to the North West Counties Football League for the 1982-83 season.
A five-season spell in the North West Counties Football League (including finishing as league runners-up to Stalybridge Celtic in the 1983-84 season) saw them in a position to join the Northern Premier League when they expanded to form a Second Division in 1987.
The move to the Northern Premier League did not prove successful, and by 1990 they were relegated back to the North West Counties League, where they stayed for seven seasons before returning once more to the Northern Football League, fifteen years after originally leaving that league.
In 1981–82, they had their best FA Cup run, reaching the Second Round, beating Football League club Chester City FC 1-0 at their Southend Road ground in the First Round before losing 3-0 at Belle Vue against Doncaster Rovers who at the time were managed by former Leeds United and Scotland captain Billy Bremner.
The club have reached the FA Cup First Round twice since beating Chester City, only to lose 2-0 against Hull City in 1983 and 9-0 to Burnley FC in 1984, both ties being played at Southend Road.
The 2002-03 season saw the club winning the Northern Football League Division Two Championship, finishing three points ahead of nearest rivals Horden Colliery Welfare.
In 2007, they changed their name to Penrith Town, but a merger a year later with Northern Football Alliance club Penrith United saw the old name resurrected for the merged club, since then the club have continued to play in The Northern Football League.
In 2008 the club saw its ground at Southend Road earmarked for development with a new stadium built at Frenchfield Park, the first home game at the club's new home being played on 4 August 2009.
Penrith’s most recent success being in the 2009-10 season when beating Carlisle based team Gillford Park FC 6-0 in the Cumberland Senior Cup Final.
The club have reached the Third Round of the FA Vase on five occasions the most recent being in 2016-17 when losing 3-0 to Atherton Collieries at the Frenchfield Park Stadium.
In October 2021 the club announced the appointment of former Jamaica international Chris Humphrey as manager at Frenchfield Park, Humphrey had a successful playing career at Hibernian FC and Motherwell FC in Scotland as well as Shrewsbury Town and Preston North End in England.
In May 2022 the club appointed former Carlisle United player Darren Edmondson as manager, Edmondson had a distinguished Football League career making 214 appearances and scoring 8 goals for the Cumbrian club.
Following Edmondson's departure in May 2025 to join Workington AFC, Penrith announced the re-appointment of Jim Nichols for a second spell as first team manager, eight years after leaving the club at the end of the 2016-17 season.
Since moving to the Frenchfield Park Stadium the club has carried out significant improvements to the facilities and in June 2023 work began to create a new 3G artificial pitch making it a very modern and picturesque stadium.
The current capacity of Frenchfield Park Stadium is around 1,500 and has room for future expansion should the club ever require it.
Senior Coaching Staff
Position NameFirst Team Manager Jim NicholsAssistant First Team Manager Alan InglisFirst Team Goalkeeper Coach Jordan CarriganPhysiotherapist Natalie BroadReserve Team Manager Mark BellAcademy Manager Wayne RebanksLadies Team Manager Jamie Fitzwilliam Ladies Development Manager Simon Savage
Current Squad
Season-by-Season SeasonLeague DivisionPosPlayedWonDrewLostGFGAGDPointsFA CupFA Vase2014/15Northern Football LeagueDivision One14th421511166874-656Extra Preliminary Round, losing to Newcastle BenfieldFirst Qualifying Round, losing to Colne2015/16Northern Football LeagueDivision One14th421410186775-852Extra Preliminary Round, losing to Jarrow Roofing BoldonFirst Qualifying Round, losing to Bridlington Town2016/17Northern Football LeagueDivision One12th42176196789-2257Preliminary Round, losing to Dunston UTSThird Round, losing to Atherton Collieries2017/18Northern Football LeagueDivision One17th42153247185-1448Preliminary Round, losing to Whitley BaySecond Qualifying Round, losing to Tow Law Town2018/19Northern Football LeagueDivision One18th34572239100-6122Extra Preliminary Round, losing to Albion SportsSecond Qualifying Round, losing to Charnock Richard2019/20Northern Football LeagueDivision One†2955193269-3720Extra Preliminary Round, losing to Seaham Red StarFirst Qualifying Round, losing to Guisborough Town2020/21Northern Football LeagueDivision One†113081534-199Preliminary Round, losing to West Allotment CelticFirst Round, losing to Sunderland Ryhope Colliery Welfare2021/22Northern Football LeagueDivision One19th38105234789-4235Extra Preliminary Round, losing to Guisborough TownFirst Round, losing to Prestwich Heys2022/23Northern Football LeagueDivision One14th38118194564-1941Extra Preliminary Round, losing to West Allotment CelticFirst Qualifying Round, losing to Horden Community Welfare2023/24Northern Football LeagueDivision One15th38132238289-741Preliminary Round, losing to ConsettSecond Qualifying Round, losing to Ryton & Crawcrook Albion2024/25Northern Football LeagueDivision One17th42153245776-1948Preliminary Round, losing to Crook TownSecond Qualifying Round, losing to Padiham2025/26Northern Football LeagueDivision One12th36119166967+242Extra Preliminary Round, losing to Pickering TownFirst Qualifying Round, losing to Campion
† Season curtailed due to coronavirus pandemic.
Recent Previous Managers
2002-2008 David Heslop2008-2012 Richard Prokas & James Tose2012-2012 Brian Williams2012-2016 Matthew Henney2016-2017 Jim Nichols2017-2018 Kyle May2018-2019 Andrew Coyles2019-2021 David Hewson2021-2022 Chris Humphrey2022-2025 Darren Edmondson2025-Present Jim Nichols
Honours +Penrith's honoursCompetitionPositionSeasonNorthern LeagueDivision OneRunners-up1961–62Division TwoChampions2002–03North West Counties LeaguePremier DivisionRunners-up1983–84Cumberland Senior CupChampions2000–01, 2005–06, 2009–10Runners-up1991–92, 1994–95, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23
Records
FA Cup Second Round 1981–82 FA Trophy First Round 1980–81, 1982–83 FA Vase Third Round 1991–92, 1993–94, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2016–17
References