page_title: Stockport County F.C.
section_title: Supporters and rivalries
hierarchical_section_title: Stockport County F.C. / Supporters and rivalries
context_page_description: Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, that competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, it was renamed Stockport County in 1890 after the County Borough of Stockport. The team have played in blue and white kits since 1914; their original colours were red and white. The club is nicknamed "The Hatters" after the town's former hat-making industry. Stockport have played at Edgeley Park since 1902.
  Stockport first joined the Football League in 1900 but had to seek re-election in 1904. The club was not re-elected and spent one season outside the competition before it returned for the 1905–06 season. County then played in the Football League continuously for 106 years until 2011, mostly in the lower divisions. The team won their first league championship in 1922, the newly created Third Division North. Two league championships followed in 1937 and 1967. The 1990s was the team's most successful period, when Stockport competed in the First Division for five seasons and reached the League Cup semi-finals in 1996–97.
context_section_description: With both Manchester United and Manchester City located around 7 miles (11 km) from Edgeley Park, Stockport County has always struggled for local support. During the mid-1960s, the Football League introduced a minimum admission price for all clubs in the four professional tiers, attempting to boost revenue for smaller clubs. It had the opposite effect in places like Stockport, where many other league clubs were in relatively close proximity. As a result, County moved all their home games to Friday evening, which generated larger crowds and extra business in surrounding pubs and restaurants. 
  In 2004, the club attracted a crowd of more than 20,000 for one of its tour matches in China. Stockport were watched by 22,000 in Yingkou against their then sister side Stockport Tiger Star. It is possible this attendance was a result of County's association with their affiliate team, and Tiger Stars' name change to include 'Stockport' two years before.
  The 2006–07 season saw the club average the fourth highest average attendance in League Two. There was a further increase the following season with Stockport's away support outnumbering home supporters on a number of occasions. Stockport County had an average away attendance of over 900, the highest in the division. The club set a National League North record attendance, when 4,797 people attended a home fixture with F.C. United in December 2015. This attendance was broken again three times in the following three seasons.
  The support from County fans has often been cited by managers and players, with the fans influence likened to having a twelfth player on the field. Between the 2006–07 and 2009–10 seasons, the squad number 12 was allocated to the 'Blue & White Army', in reference to the fans being the team's 12th man. However, for the 2010–11 season, the number reverted to one of the players. It was given back to the fans upon the club's return to the National League in 2019.
  Some famous Stockport County fans have included darts player Tony O'Shea and singer-songwriter Daz Sampson. O'Shea have written articles in the club's matchday programme and have also worn County's colours in all of his televised darts matches. Sampson became a lifelong member of the Stockport County Supporters' Trust after he released "The County Song", which paid tribute to the team's Football League record of nine consecutive wins without conceding a goal.
caption: Stockport County supporters in the Cheadle End.
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