The club was created as Pine Villa Football Club in 1895, but changed to the current name in 1899. Almost immediately, Oldham became a professional team before joining the Football League in 1907. After struggling between the First World War and the Second World War, they became more stable in 1969—when legendary manager Jimmy Frizzell took over. Under Frizzell, the club won 200 of their 544 competitive games and were promoted to higher levels twice.