10 Things You Didn't Know About Man City

By John Bills /

9. They Were Originally Called Ardwick A.F.C.

Members of the St Mark€™s Church formed the club that would come to be known as Manchester City in 1880, with their first match being a losing effort against a side from Macclesfield. After being kicked out of their home, the club relocated to Ardwick in 1887 and became known as Ardwick Association Football Club. This also coincided with the club€™s transition from amateur to professional club, albeit with only one player getting paid (and just five shillings at that). After gaining accepted into the Football Alliance in 1891/92 (which would then become the Football League), Ardwick encountered financial difficulties and would soon make another name change, becoming known as Manchester City in 1894. A year later the club were attracting crowds of over 20,000, which isn€™t bad for a former church group formed less than 20 years earlier. This also shows the rate at which football€™s popularity was expanding at the end of the 19th century.