The club was formed in 1979 as
Athersley North Juniors. In 1983–84 they finished third in Division Two of the Barnsley Nelson League and were promoted to Division One. After finishing as runners-up in Division One the following season, they switched to Division Two of the Barnsley Junior League for the 1985–86 season. Their first season in the new division saw them finish third, earning promotion to Division One. They were renamed
Athersley Recreation in the summer of 1986. After winning Division One in 1986–87, Athersley became members of Division One of the
Barnsley Association League. They finished as runners-up in the following season, earning promotion to the Premier Division. The club went on to win back-to-back Premier Division titles in 1991–92 and 1992–93, and then three successive titles between 1995 and 1997. After their third title in 1996–97, the club moved up to Division Two of the
Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League in 1997. The following season saw them finish as runners-up in Division One, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division. They subsequently won the Premier Division at the first attempt. In
2021–22 they finished bottom of the Premier Division, resulting in relegation to Division One. They finished bottom of Division One the
following season, but were not relegated.
Season-by-season record ==Ground==