FC HISTORYThe beautiful game. The whole story.
Menu
Big moments. Local heroes.

Manchester CityFootball Club

The highs. The heartbreak.
The people who made it.
This is their story.

Founded
1880
Known as
The Blues
Home turf
City of Manchester Stadium
From
Greater Manchester
The long read

More than a scoreline.

From local beginnings to the big occasions. This is Manchester City.

An introductory history of the men’s first team, from the club’s origins through 2023. Selected turning points and honours, rather than a complete season archive; later results are outside this edition.

Before the Manchester City name

City trace their roots to the St Mark’s team of 1880. The club became Ardwick before adopting the Manchester City name in 1894. These changes belong to the early history of a side that would spend decades moving between success and setbacks. Source →

A championship, then another era

The first league championship came in 1937. Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison later built another leading side, winning the league in 1968. An FA Cup followed in 1969, then the League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970. Source →

The long climb back

Relegation took City into the third tier in 1998. The next year’s play-off final against Gillingham ended in promotion after a late recovery and a shoot-out. It is a useful reminder of the distance between the club’s lowest league era and its later achievements. Source →

From Agüero to the Treble

Sergio Agüero’s stoppage-time goal against Queens Park Rangers delivered the 2012 championship. In 2023 City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. The European final was settled by a 1–0 win over Inter. Source →

The moments that mattered

Through the years.

  1. 1880

    St Mark’s

    The team that develops into City begins in West Gorton. [source]

  2. 1894

    The City name

    Ardwick become Manchester City. [source]

  3. 1936–37

    First league title

    City become champions of England. [source]

  4. 1969–70

    Two cups

    City win the League Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup. [source]

  5. 1999

    A Wembley recovery

    Promotion from the third tier comes through the play-offs. [source]

  6. 2023

    The Treble

    Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League victories. [source]

Home turf

More than a ground.

City of Manchester Stadium

City played at Hyde Road before moving to Maine Road in 1923. In 2003 they moved to the City of Manchester Stadium, also known as the Etihad Stadium.

Read the ground’s history ↗
Club characters

The people behind it.

A few figures from the milestones in this introduction.

The 1960s revival

Joe Mercer

With Malcolm Allison, led the return to championship success.

Read the source ↗
The final-day goal

Sergio Agüero

Scored the late winner that secured the 2012 league title.

Read the source ↗
In the trophy cabinet

Reasons to celebrate.

Selected senior honours and promotions. Competition records ↗

First Division / Premier League

Champions · selected seasons
1936–37, 1967–68, 2011–12, 2022–23

European Cup Winners’ Cup

Winners
1969–70

UEFA Champions League

Winners
2022–23
Behind the story

Good stories.
Proper sources.

Written in our own words, with links back to the records. Last reviewed .

  1. Manchester City FC

    Manchester City: history and origins ↗

    Background to the club, its identity and the people in this introduction.

  2. Football Club History Database · Richard Rundle

    Manchester City: competition record ↗

    Competition records; the honours below are a selection within this page’s stated period.

A growing record

Our first chapter is an introduction, not an exhaustive archive. We credit existing research and will expand the collection as more material is checked. Our editorial approach ↗

← Back to the club directoryBack to the top ↑