The club was established in 1945 under the name Lower Gornal Athletic.[1] They joined the Worcestershire Combination. They finished bottom of the league in 1954–55.[2] In 1963 the club transferred to the West Midlands (Regional) League, although their reserve team remained in Division Two of the Worcestershire Combination. When the West Midlands (Regional) League gained a second division in 1965, the club became members of the Premier Division.[3]
In 1972 the club were renamed Gornal Athletic.[4] Although they finished bottom of the Premier Division in 1978–79, they avoided being relegated. However, the 1979–80 season saw them finish second-from-bottom of the division, resulting in relegation to Division One.[4] The club were Division One runners-up in 1983–84, and after finishing as runners-up again in 1993–94, they were promoted back to the Premier Division.[4]
Gornal Athletic finished bottom of the Premier Division in 2002–03 and were relegated to Division One South. However, they won the division at the first attempt, earning an immediate promotion back to the Premier Division.[4] They went on to finish second in the Premier Division in 2005–06.[4] The club were Premier Division champions in 2011–12 and were promoted to the Midland Alliance. However, they were relegated back to the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division at the end of the 2013–14 season.[4] In 2016–17 they finished bottom of the Premier Division and were relegated to Division One.
