Manchester City F.C.

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**Manchester City Football Club** is an English professional association football club based in the Beswick area of the city of Manchester. They currently compete in the Premier League and play their home games at the 55,017-capacity City of Manchester Stadium. They are currently one of the biggest and most valuable clubs in world football.

The club was originally founded in 1880 as *St. Mark's (West Gorton)* but was renamed to *Ardwick Association Football Club* in 1887. They were elected into the Football League in 1892 and two years later in 1894 the club was renamed once again, this time to it's current name of *Manchester City*. The club's first silverware came in 1899 when they won the Second Division. Their first major honour came five years later in 1904 when they defeated Bolton Wanderers to win the 1903–04 FA Cup.

In the 1930s, they reached two consecutive FA Cup finals, losing to Everton in 1933, before claiming the Cup by beating Portsmouth in 1934. During the latter cup run, they broke the record for the highest home attendance of any club in English football history, as 84,569 fans packed into Maine Road for a sixth-round tie against Stoke City. The 1960s and 1970s were successful decades for *City*, but a long period of decline followed as the club suffered relegations and began yo-yoing between divisions.

City were founder members of the Premier League in 1992 and finished 9th in the inaugural season. In 1996, they were relegated to Division One and were relegated again in 1998 to Division Two, the third tier. Back-to-back promotions got them back up to the top tier. In 2008, the club was purchased by Emirati group the Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited in a deal worth around £200 million. After the takeover, City gradually became a powerhouse of English and European football. Since the takeover, they have won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and three FA Community Shields, making them one of England's most successful clubs.

## Rivalries

*Main article: Manchester derby.*

City's fiercest rival is Manchester-rivals Manchester United, against whom they contest the Manchester derby. The reason behind the rivalry is simply that of location as they are the city's only two football clubs. After the 2008 takeover of City and their subsequent rise to being one of the biggest clubs in the world, the rivalry is currently more competitive than ever.

More recently, a rivalry has developed with Liverpool. The rivalry stems from the fact the two sides have been competing in the top two of the Premier League on many occasions in the last few seasons, as well as the competition of the two cities in the 19th century Industrial Revolution, a factor that is said to be the main reason for the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United.

Historically, City have also maintained rivalries with Bolton Wanderers, Stockport County and Oldham Athletic simply due to location. However, these clubs are no longer considered rivals by City fans.

Other rivals to a lesser extent include Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

## Honours

### Domestic

#### Leagues

* **First Division / Premier League** (Level 1)
	+ **Winners (6):** 1936–37, 1967–68, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19
* **Second Division / First Division / Championship** (Level 2)
	+ **Winners (7):** 1898–99, 1902–03, 1909–10, 1927–28, 1946–47, 1965–66, 2001–02
* **Third Division / Second Division / League One** (Level 3)
	+ **Play-off winners (1):** 1998–99

#### Cups

* **FA Cup**
	+ **Winners (6):** 1903–04, 1933–34, 1955–56, 1968–69, 2010–11, 2018–19
* **Football League Cup / EFL Cup**
	+ **Winners (7):** 1969–70, 1975–76, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
* **FA Charity Shield / FA Community Shield**
	+ **Winners (6):** 1937, 1968, 1972, 2012, 2018, 2019