Manchester City Football ClubThe origin of Manchester City Football Club is the cricket team formed in 1879 by Reverend Arthur Connell in the parish of St. Marks, located on Clowes Street in the District of Gorton in Manchester. Connell, with the help of his daughter Anna managed to create a club for his parishioners so they can have fun and learn after working at the factory.
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A cricket club becomes football club The club was managed by two parishioners: Beastow and Goodbehre. Beastow, who had suggested to form a cricket team to the Reverend, decided to create a football club so that parishioners remain occupied during winter. In 1880, St Mark's (West Gorton) was born. This type of creation is very typical in the industrial era in Britain, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Everton, Fulham, Queen's Park in Scotland are examples of the link between a Parish cricket team and football. William Beastow, was the captain of this football team and was working as secretary at the steel plant near St Mark's. He could play with his team on the factory’s property, which allowed parishioners not to travel to play, and not to pay rent to the owner of the land. The first game played by St Mark's was held on 13 November 1880, when the team from the Baptist Church Macclesfield came to Gorton to play an match which saw St Mark's losing 2 goals to 1. |
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Each teams had its own rules An interesting fact is that both teams have played 12 players. Even with the creation of the FA in 1863, some football teams of the north of England were still playing with their own rules. First win Six other games were played this season and during the match against Stalybridge Clarence in March 19 1881, St Mark's recorded its first victory (3-1). The significance of the results is irrelevant, the fact remains that this season is the first in the history of Manchester City FC as a society. Because the history of Manchester City should be read in conjunction with the evolution of a population of a city which is described by Elizabeth Gaskell in Mary Barton. The club wanted to develop seriously so he decided to play on the cricket’s field Kirkmanshulme next to the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens which are a popular institution in Manchester. With the change of pitch, the club attracted more players and fans from outside the original parish. It could therefore not represent a parish in a district but the district itself and the name became West Gorton (St Mark's). First derby The first derby was held on 12 November 1881 against a team of railway workers called Newton Heath , which will become Manchester United in 1902. The first confrontation ended with a defeat of West Gorton. After various events, the club moved to Hyde Road, a stadium near St Mark's Church and had the distinction of being landlocked between one of the main roads of Manchester (Hyde Road), a thoroughfare rail and a factory. The facilities were so rudimentary that the players changed in a pub near the stadium, the Hyde Road Hotel. This place is famous in the club’s history, as many meetings were held and because of Lawrence Furniss, Gorton became Ardwick AFC on 23 August 1887. Manchester City takes off In 1891, and after two consecutive successes in the Cup of Manchester, Ardwick joined the Football Alliance (which became the Second Division). Ardwick was transformed into Manchester City FC on 16 April 1894 when the club was facing financial difficulties. Joshua Parlby, the club secretary had the aim of forming a club of Manchester. " It was a club that has the ambition of the city, "the workshop of the world”, the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, witnessed the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal by Queen Victoria on 1st January of that year. Colors The Blue of City has its origins in Freemasonry: the color adopted is the Cambridge blue (the color of the university). But none of the founders attended Cambridge University and had no connection with it. However, the first officials were members of Freemasonry and had decided that this color will be it. City was the only club to wear these colors. Coventry then took the same colors, but City were the pioneers. Arrival in Premier League It took five years for City to win the Second Division and to be promoted to First. The best scorer was Billy Meredith, the first true star of football, with 29 goals as a winger! Victory in Cup! Ten years after its official launch, City won the FA Cup in 1904, which was a first for a club of Manchester. Because of the pride placed in the City of Manchester, close to the population suffering from industrialization and the first club in town to meet with a national success, Manchester City is seen as the beginning of the extension of faith in this city thriving on the pitch. |
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