AFC Fylde

The club was formed by the amalgamation of Kirkham Town and Wesham in 1988, adopting the name of a previous club that had played in the West Lancashire League in the years immediately before World War I. The new club assumed Kirkham Town's place in Division One of the West Lancashire League. In 1989–90 they finished bottom of the division and were relegated to Division Two. After three seasons in Division Two they were promoted in the 1992–93 season after finishing third, only to be relegated again in 1994–95. The following season they finished as runners-up in Division Two, losing only two league games all season, and were promoted back to Division One.

The West Lancashire League was restructured in 1998 with Division One renamed the Premier Division. After finishing fourth in successive seasons in 1997–98 and 1998–99, the club then dominated the Premier Division for a number of years, finishing as champions in seven out of the eight seasons between 1999 and 2000 and 2006–07, the only blip being 2002–03 when they were runners-up. In the 21 months between January 2003 and October 2004, the club did not lose a match in any competition. The run finally ended when they lost a league match, 1–0 to Dalton United. In April 2006 the club completed a hat-trick of consecutive victories in the Lancashire Amateur Shield cup final when they beat fellow West Lancashire League side Charnock Richard 2–0 at the County Ground in Leyland, the club's fourth Shield victory in six years. As the nominated representatives of the Lancashire FA, the club also won the Northern Counties Cup in 2004–05, 2005–06, and 2006–07.

North West Counties League

Following their West Lancashire League championship success in 2006–07, the club were accepted into Division Two of the North West Counties League for the 2007–08 season. At the club's annual general meeting (AGM) in July 2007, a 15-year plan was put forward with the stated aim of reaching the Conference National by 2017, and the Football League by 2022. The club's first match in the North West Counties League was a home game on 11 August 2007, against Darwen in front of 101 fans, which they won 5–0. The following Tuesday they played their first ever home match under floodlights, winning 2–0 at home to Holker Old Boys On 8 September the club played their first ever match in the FA Vase, beating Northern Counties East League Division One club Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 3–0. The club had also arranged for the FA Vase trophy to be on display before the game.

On 26 January 2008 the club reached the last sixteen of the FA Vase when they beat Studley 3–0. On 9 February they reached the quarter-final after they beat Sussex County League leaders, Crowborough Athletic 2–0 in front of a record crowd of 772 at Crowborough's Alderbrook Recreation Ground. They subsequently defeated Midland Football Alliance club Coventry Sphinx 1–0 in a replay after a 3–3 draw. In the two-legged semi-final against Eastern Counties League Premier Division club, Needham Market, Kirkham & Wesham won 4–2 on aggregate. On 11 May 2008, Kirkham & Wesham won the FA Vase in their first season in the competition, beating Lowestoft Town 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 19,537. A goal down for most of the game, Kirkham & Wesham scored twice in the last six minutes, both goals coming from seventeen-year-old substitute Matt Walwyn, son of former Blackpool player Keith Walwyn, who only played the last 11 minutes of the game. Kirkham & Wesham secured prize money of £20,000 for their win, although the total amount the club earned was expected to be around £75,000. The season also saw the club win the Division Two knockout trophy with a 1–0 win over Bootle, as well as securing promotion to the Premier Division when they beat Castleton Gabriels 3–1 on 26 April.

For the start of the 2008–09 season, the club changed their name to AFC Fylde. They won the Premier Division at the first attempt, finishing above New Mills on goal difference and earning promotion to Division One North of the Northern Premier League.

Northern Premier League

Long-serving manager Mick Fuller was moved upstairs in September 2010 and Kelham O'Hanlon was brought in as first team coach. The club finished in mid-table with a high turnover of playing staff. The following season the club finished fifth, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Skelmersdale United 1–0 in the semi-final, they lost 2–1 to Chorley in the final.

In the 2011–12 season they were installed as early promotion favourites, but O'Hanlon was replaced as manager in November 2011 after a poor run of results and was quickly replaced by a new management team of Dave Challinor and Colin Woodthorpe. Challinor left Conference North side Colwyn Bay to drop two divisions to join the Coasters, pointing to the club's ambition and plans for the future as the factor that made them move to the Fylde Coast. The club were 16 points off the top of the table when the new management duo arrived at the club but claimed the title with a 1–0 win over Salford City, earning promotion to the Premier Division.

In 2012–13 the club finished fifth, qualifying for the play-offs. However, following a 3–3 draw, they lost out 3–1 on penalties to Hednesford Town in the semi-final. The 2013–14 season saw the club win the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy (beating Chorley 4–1 at the Reebok Stadium), the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup (with a 1–0 win against Skelmersdale United at Edgeley Park) and gain promotion to the Conference North via the play-offs. After beating Worksop Town 3–1 at home in the play-off semi-final, they defeated Ashton United 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.