Askam United - Duddon Park

Askam United FC

Duddon Park

Duddon Road

James Street

Askam in Furness

Cumbria

LA16 7AH

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1460

Saturday 23rd August 2025

Askam United 0-1 Crooklands Casuals
West Lancashire League Division 1

ASKAM UNITED - A BRIEF HISTORY

The precise formation date of the club is disputed, with the first football team in the village, Askam Villa, being established in 1904. Askam Meths’side played at a venue on Beach Street in the 1930s, whilst Askam Villa reformed in the 1960s and became the modern-day Askam United. After playing in local football competitions, such as the Furness Premier League, Askam joined the West Lancashire League in 1999. They would remain in Division 2 for 15 years before winning the title in 2014. They've been in Division 1 ever since. This sits at step 8 of the non-league pyramid or level 11 overall. Their best finish of 4th came in 2023.

Askam and Ireleth is a civil parish close to Barrow-in-Furness in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it originally consisted of two separate coastal villages with different origins and histories, which, in recent times, have merged to become one continuous settlement. The area has a population of around 1,500. Ireleth has its origins as a mediaeval farming village clustered on the hillside overlooking the flat sands of the Duddon Estuary. Askam was established following the discovery of large quantities of iron ore near the village in the middle of the 18th century. The nearby River Duddon estuary and surrounding countryside have made the area well known for its wildlife, while the villages' exposed position on the eastern bank facing the Irish Sea have encouraged the establishment of wind energy generation, amid local controversy. As well as football, rugby and cricket teams represent the village and there is also a golf course.

MY VISIT

From our game at Llandudno, it was around 25 minutes walk back to the room. I had one single nightcap, together with the load I had earlier, I was pretty well gone. I got my blog up before bed and had a solid 5.5-hour sleep, waking early at 5.30. With us set to leave at 7, we had plenty of time to kill. There was a spanner in the works when I found that the Wetherspoons we had planned for breakfast in Holywell had closed. An alternative was found in Newton Le Willows. This was excellent for a breakfast muffin and a Monster Ultra Strawberry Dreams energy drink. It was a lovely modern pub, a converted church. From there, we went to Tesco for some cash before heading to Barrow. It was a lovely drive into the lakes and we got there at 10.30. I purchased entry, as well as a West Lancs League badge and a book. It was a nice, scenic ground with the usual familiar faces.

 

Askam United were 11th in the table, having won one, drawn one and lost two. They'd had positive results in their last two, having drawn 3-3 with Slyne With Hest and beating Pause United 3-2. Crooklands Casuals were at the bottom, having lost all six of their games. In their last game, they lost 3-2 to Kendal County. Askam United were the better side early on, but it was Crooklands who took a surprise lead after 19 minutes, Luke Armstrong following up after a series of chances were saved. It was a quick half-time, and the game had started to even up by now. Crooklands defended well to preserve their lead, but Askam lacked a clinical edge.

 

THE GROUND

DUDDON ROAD is your standard decent step 7 and below setup. The pitch is fully railed and has hard standing in one corner. There's also a pair of small dugouts. A bar provides a basic range of drinks, including Inch's cider, and a BBQ had breakfast rolls. In addition, there was a merchandise table selling shirts, badges and programmes. Plentiful parking was provided in an adjacent field.