Port Vale F.C.

Nickname(s)
 Short name
 Founded
 Ground
 Chairman
 Manager
 Current League
 2014–15
 Website

**Port Vale Football Club** is an English football club that plays in Football League One, the third tier in the English football league system. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire, one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Port Vale is one of the few English league clubs not to be named after a distinct geographical location. The name Port Vale exists on maps pre-dating the formation of the club, which probably occurred in 1879, and is a reference to a valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal, associated with the city's pottery industry.

They have played more seasons in the second tier of English football (41) than any other club who have never reached the top tier. They were founder members of the original Second Division in 1892, and founder members of the Fourth Division in 1958. After playing at the Athletic Ground in Cobridge and The Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, the club returned to Burslem when Vale Park was opened in 1950. Outside the ground there is a statue to Roy Sproson, a man who played 842 competitive games for the club.

## Club colours

In 1921 the club adopted their familiar white and black strip after having experimented with numerous colours, including; plain red, gold and black stripes, claret and blue, and even during 1898–1902 playing in the red and white stripes now used by rivals Stoke City for over a century. However, the kit soon changed to plain red shirts with white shorts in 1923, a look which lasted until 1934, where the white shirt, black shorts and socks kit once again was adopted. Between 1958 and 1963 the club adopted various gold and black designs, before once again returning to the black and white theme.

The club crest first featured on the kit in 1956, which at the time was modelled on the coat of arms of the Borough of Burslem. It featured the scythe of the Tunstall arms, the fretted cross of Audley, and two Josiah Wedgwood pots. The crest was removed in 1964, and replaced by a 'P.V.F.C.' monogramme, which in turn was abandoned in 1981.

The eighth cumulative crest was introduced in 1983. The two symbols on the club's badge were a bottle oven and the Stafford knot, associated with the city of Stoke-on-Trent's pottery industry and the history of the local area.

The current crest was introduced towards the end of the 2012–13 season as part of initiatives by the new owners Paul Wildes and Norman Smurthwaite to launch a new era at the club. Fans were offered the chance to vote on a proposed new design, which was a modern rehash of the crest the club introduced in 1956; it included local historical references – the Portland Vases representing Josiah Wedgwood, the Scythe appearing verbatim from the house crest of the Sneyd family, and the silver cross appearing verbatim from the house crest of the Audley family. Fans voted in favour of the new crest and it was formally introduced, with a few minor changes (the addition of the Stafford knot above the crest) in February 2013.

## Rivals

The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as the "Potteries derby". However, the last derby match took place on 10 February 2002 and with Stoke City in the Premier League, rivalry has increased between Port Vale and other local clubs, namely Burton Albion, Macclesfield Town, Shrewsbury Town, Walsall, Wrexham, and in particular Crewe Alexandra. The rivalry with Crewe has been called by local journalists "the A500 Derby" or the "North Staffordshire/South Cheshire Derby".