The village's original football club, Emley F.C., made national headlines in the 1997–98 season when they progressed to the third round of the FA Cup, beating Morecambe and Lincoln City in the first and second rounds, before losing 2–1 at West Ham United in the third round.
The club moved to Wakefield in 2000, where they were renamed Wakefield & Emley and later simply Wakefield.
In 2005 the club split and A.F.C. Emley were formed to bring football back to the village's Welfare Ground.

The original Emley club folded in 2014 leaving A.F.C Emley as the sole club
In March 2019, the club restored the original name of Emley A.F.C. and in the summer of that year, they were informed that the club was being transferred to the North West Counties League Division 1 North.

They are members of the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA.
In July 2020, it was announced that Emley would return to the Northern Counties East League where they had spent 14 years before a lateral move to the North West Counties Football League in the 2019-20 season.

Emley is home to Emley Clarence Cricket Club, nicknamed The Clarence, who play in the Drakes Huddersfield League.

Both clubs share the Welfare Ground in the centre of the village
The village's original football club, Emley F.C., made national headlines in the 1997–98 season when they progressed to the third round of the FA Cup, beating Morecambe and Lincoln City in the first and second rounds, before losing 2–1 at West Ham United in the third round. The club moved to Wakefield in 2000, where they were renamed Wakefield & Emley and later simply Wakefield. In 2005 the club split and A.F.C. Emley were formed to bring football back to the village's Welfare Ground. 
The original Emley club folded in 2014 leaving A.F.C Emley as the sole club
In March 2019, the club restored the original name of Emley A.F.C. and in the summer of that year, they were informed that the club was being transferred to the North West Counties League Division 1 North.
They are members of the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA. In July 2020, it was announced that Emley would return to the Northern Counties East League where they had spent 14 years before a lateral move to the North West Counties Football League in the 2019-20 season.
Emley is home to Emley Clarence Cricket Club, nicknamed The Clarence, who play in the Drakes Huddersfield League.
Both clubs share the Welfare Ground in the centre of the village
Emley, West Yorkshire