125 years

pride in battle said:
Does anyone know where Ardwick pitch was in relation to now?
Click to expand...

I have a gut feeling it was, er, Ardwick!

Anyway, Happy Birthday to City. Have Sky and/or BT delivered a cake to the West Stand Main Entrance and a slice for each FOC in CBL3 tomorrow?

My birthday tomorrow. Last time it was my birthday on matchday the Ginger Pig did us in the 99th minute - just putting it out there!!
 
Gary James said:
Actually, City never actually wore a centenary kit in 1993-94 - wikipedia and other sources claim they did but they didn't. Eddie Phillips brought out a centenary badge and souvenirs for the 1994-95 season and City celebrated the centenary in other ways during 1994-95 (including a booklet). The club was formed in April 1894 - at the end of the football season and wasn't active properly until the 1894-95 season so that's what became the first season (and the 125 will surely then be 2019-20 season as it matches with all previous celebrations).

1894, as you say, is accurate because 1880 wasn't MCFC. Nor was 1880 definitely the year the club first played. They may have played in 1879. As people often compare MCFC and MUFC the key things to know are:

1860s - St Mark's established a cricket club and occasional other sporting activity.
1878 - Newton Heath established a sports committee at the railway works which organised athletic tournaments and other sports.
1880 - The earliest known match report for St Mark's football team exists but this may not necessarily be their first game (lots of reasons which I explained in ) One week after the earliest reported St Mark's game Newton Heath's earliest reported game appears. Therefore - like for like St Mark's played before NH BUT if NH did play games earlier than Nov 1880 then the same logic must be followed for St Mark's - so, 1880 is merely the first we know of a game, not the formation of a club.
1880s - various name changes and rebirths for the St Mark's team meaning that there are several dates when we know for certain a club was established which could have as equal significance as 1880 or even stronger.
1887 - Ardwick established as a limited company and the first steps towards the club we know today.
1894 - Ardwick collapses but only after some supporters of the club establish a new club called Manchester City FC. Ardwick played AFTER MCFC was formed and the directors, management and so on claimed MCFC to be a completely new club. Therefore 1894 IS the anniversary of MCFC, not 1887, 1880 or 1865 etc. Ardwick closes down and eventually most - but not all - fans, staff and committeemen join the new MCFC. Ardwick had finished in the re-election zone and Josh Parlby, City's new manager, stressed this was not Ardwick in disguise this was a new club at the election meeting (Ardwick would probably have been booted out of the League). His plan worked and the new club was accepted.
1902 - Newton Heath is bankrupt. A new club is established called Manchester United and, as with City, this was a new legal entity. However, as NH hadn't finished in the re-election zone the new directors (different to NH's) did not have to apply for election to the League and so they claimed this was a name change to the League at the time, meaning automatic inclusion in the 1902-03 season.

I hope this helps. City are right to celebrate the 125th anniversary of MCFC in 2019-20. Whether Utd are right to include 1878 is another matter!
Click to expand...


Love this.

Question - what do we know about the kit that city played in for that first season in 1894? Was it sky blue? And what about Ardwick, what colour was the kit.
 
Ardwick-badge.jpg
 
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