The club are currently members of the Northern Premier League Division One West and play at Alder House.

The club was established in 1916 by miners from the six pits in Atherton Urban District with the aim of raising money for locals involved in the war effort.

The season also saw them win the Lancashire FA Amateur Shield, beating Dumers Lane 3–2 after extra time.

The club later returned to the Bolton Combination, winning the league in 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39 and 1940–41, followed by another Lancashire FA Amateur Shield in 1942 after Royal Engineers were beaten 3–2.

[4] Their first season in the new league saw them finish third and win the Shield for a fourth time with a 3–2 win over Moss Rovers in 1948 the club joined the West Lancashire League,[5] in which they spent two seasons before joining Division Two of the Lancashire Combination in 1950.

[8] The 2018–19 season saw Atherton placed in Division One West as the Northern Premier League's second tier was reorganised on an east–west basis.

[10] The club have played at Alder House since their establishment, and it is currently known as 'The Skuna Stadium' for sponsorship purposes.