Manchester 1840-1919 (Part Six)

Every Monday I’m posting a section from my book ‘The Emergence of Footballing Cultures: Manchester 1840-1919’. It tells the story of the origins of men’s football in Manchester and discusses the birth of both City and United plus the clubs that predated them such as Hulme Athenaeum, Manchester AFC, Birch etc. Today’s section is the fifth chapter of the book (a 8,200 word section). This focuses on the establishment of clubs in the 1870s and 1880s, including City and United’s predecessors.

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Manchester 1840-1919 (Part Five)

Every Monday I’m posting a section from my book ‘The Emergence of Footballing Cultures: Manchester 1840-1919’. It tells the story of the origins of men’s football in Manchester and discusses the birth of both City and United plus the clubs that predated them such as Hulme Athenaeum, Manchester AFC, Birch etc. Today’s section is the fourth chapter of the book (a 11,000 word section). This focuses on the footballing communities that developed during the mid to late 1800s.

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Read more of this content when you subscribe today.

Bert Whalley Blue Plaque

One of the unsung heroes of Manchester football, Bert Whalley, is to be honoured with a plaque in Stalybridge.

My grandad, a United fan, knew Bert and obviously Bert’s death at Munich affected him and all Mancunians significantly. Great to see Bert is being honoured. You can read more on Bert’s life and career here: