I did several interviews about Manchester’s early football history a decade or so ago. Most of these seemed to revolve around the story of Hulme Athenaeum. This is one of those interviews which I hope subscribers will be interested in. Sadly, I cannot recognise which radio station I did this interview for, nor can I find the exact date I did it (I’m guessing it was about 2015).
I hope subscribers enjoy it. If you do I’ll post more like this over the coming months. I’ve lots of interviews (of me and by me interviewing fans, players, managers etc.) which I’d like subscribers to listen to – if they enjoy them of course!
Anyway, here goes…
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As promised yesterday, here for the next 24 hours (9 February 2026 noon to 10 February 2026 noon) is a video of my presentation on the origins of Manchester City FC, focusing on St Mark’s & the club’s development prior to its re-birth as Ardwick AFC for you to enjoy. It lasts about 1 hour and was recorded on 1 February 2023. There are lots of myths out there, but I focused on the facts and my latest research:
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Discover the role William Chew (that’s right William!) played in the birth of the club and the story of Belle Vue Rangers, an often overlooked part of Manchester City history.
The presentation was filmed on 1 February 2023 and is all about the origins prior to 1887. This talk is available for 24 hours and then will be available to subscribers (see below for details of how to subscribe).
If you enjoyed that then the next one in the series is available for subscribers here:
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It’s now almost 40 years since I first started detailed research into the history of Manchester City and its origins, and it’s an area that is still fascinating. I still keep being asked about the origins of Manchester City, particularly the period prior to 1894 and I love the fact so many are interested in the steps that led to the establishment of what has become a major, global footballing power. I’ve posted much about those early years on this site but I know it’s often in a scattered style making it difficult to find, so here for those interested, are links to past articles on key figures and moments in the St Mark’s, West Gorton, Gorton AFC, Ardwick & associated clubs’ history. Tomorrow from noon for 24 hours I’ll be giving free access to a video I did a while back on the origins (details of the video lower down this page).
Firstly, the earliest known game (note: not necessarily the first game!):
Walter Chew, a man occasionally described as ‘The Father of Manchester City’ (though he himself tells a different story and in a 1920s interview told his eye witness story of who the actual founder was):
A man every Blue should know about, Lawrence Furniss. A player with Gorton, Ardwick secretary-manager, MCFC director, chairman responsible for move to Maine Road, Life President when City won the title in 1937. He saw it all and was involved from the 1880s through to 1940s when he died:
The facts not the fiction…. There are so many myths, assumptions, exaggerations etc. doing the rounds so hopefully this piece I wrote a few years back helps to explain:
On 1 February 2023 I performed an online talk on the latest research into the origins of City, focusing on the period prior to 1887 when the club was based in the West Gorton and Gorton areas. Tomorrow from noon I’ll post this for all to see for free for 24 hours, but if you can’t wait or miss it then it is already available here for subscribers to the site:
There are still many gaps in our knowledge even though material has been rediscovered in recent years. There are some things we won’t know but over the coming weeks I’ll post more on the early years. Some will be available to all, some to subscribers but I’m sure there’ll be lots out there to enjoy.
In the meantime why not search the website or use the tags to see articles on the period prior to 1894. Every season of the 1890s for example has a detailed article written about it while individual games, players and related stories are also included within the thousands of posts on this site. Here’s a link to the 1890-91 season for example:
The origins of Manchester City, like many other clubs, have been misunderstood or incorrectly reported over the years and there are many areas of ongoing research that will fill the gaps over the coming years. It takes time and effort to research at the level needed. When I first started researching there were some stories that had been passed down for years that have since been challenged and corrected but there are many other areas to reflect on. There are, of course, many other areas where further research is still needed.
For years I’ve worked with a variety of people on the origins of City (one of the key elements of my PhD research was on the origins of men’s and women’s football in Manchester and my research into this continues). In the 2010s MCFC set up a research group called Project Blue which I willingly helped and explained the myths that exist and what we still don’t know. The following slide was part of a lengthy presentation I performed on 14 December 2011 on that where I explained how we got where we were at the time and those who had worked together on uncovering the club’s early history.
One of my slides presented to the history research group Project Blue on research into Manchester City’s origins on 14 December 2011
I was always grateful to Dennis Chapman, John Maddocks and Ray Goble who welcomed me into their ‘club’ of research and others, such as Dave Masey who, like me, was a member of the Association of Football Statisticians. Dave continues to help my research. Thanks to these guys and others when I was starting out I have tried to ensure I help and support others researching. The more we research and share, the greater our collective knowledge.
There is still much to be done and sadly lots we will never know.
Whatever research is uncovered over the coming years one thing is clear and that is the history and origins of Manchester City are wrapped up in community initiatives and a desire by some to use football as a positive, community building enterprise. People like William Sumner, Walter & William Chew, Lawrence Furniss and Joshua Parlby should always be remembered for their part in the formative years of football in our city.
There is much research still to be done. If you’d like to support this research then please subscribe to the site and you’ll have access to hundreds of articles, interviews, talks etc. You could join for a month and see what you think.
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Four years ago yesterday this website was launched and since then over 2,300 articles/features/posts have been made. I hope they’ve been of interest. I’d particularly like to say ‘Thanks’ to all those people who have subscribed or donated to keep the site operational. It really is appreciated. It seems like an appropriate time to talk about why I created the site and what it offers.
First – why? For several years people kept asking me when I’d be doing my own blog and over the years I’ve always been pleased with the responses to my guest appearances on podcasts, vlogs and blogs. The feedback has been excellent but I’ve always had so much more to say. I care passionately about ensuring football’s history is properly researched & recorded and feel there’s always a place for detailed, quality research.
The idea of creating this site came because I wanted to create new content, based on the research I’ve performed over the decades, while also setting up an archive of my past work. Much of my writing is now out of print and it matters enormously to me that books like my first one, From Maine Men to Banana Citizens, and my detailed Manchester A Football History should be available (annual subscribers can access both these out of print books). Other out of print material has followed as well. In addition, exclusive audio interviews with John Bond, Malcolm Allison, George Graham and others are also stored here for subscribers to listen to.
I am a self employed historian and spend all my working week writing, researching and publishing my work. I am not an employee of any organisation (I know some think I’m employed by a football club but I’m not an employee nor am I an official club historian of any club). I have worked with (and continue to when asked) both Manchester City and United, Liverpool, Leicester and others.
I am independent of any organisation and care passionately about the quality and accuracy of my work. As so much of my writing is out of print I am keen to continue to develop this archive for my work and add to it as time goes by. I’ve been running it for four years now and 1000s of articles have now been posted. In fact I’ve been trying to post at least 1 a day now for over a year.
Next – So what is my football archive? It is a place where I write new stuff and post some of my earlier works. You can use the search and category functions to see what’s been posted over these last few years, but the site includes material, interviews, profiles, past articles, book sections, written and audio interviews and more. Some of this material was written some time ago or is based on interviews performed many years ago (including interviews with players who have since died). Most of the material posted so far is connected with Manchester City’s men’s team and the Manchester Corinthians’ women’s team but there are articles of interest to Manchester United; followers of women’s football and other teams, including England. Further articles on all Manchester’s clubs will feature over time.
Some articles are free to download but much material is available to subscribers only. As mentioned earlier, my research and writing is something I strive hard to ensure is of quality. No one employs me to research but my commitment to those who read my work is that I will always seek to maintain the highest standards. I am eternally grateful to those who purchase my books or subscribe to my work.
To see what articles have already been published go to the search page (using the links under the banner at the top of this page) and either search on a key word or have a look at the categories listed there.
Next – when? There are already over 2,300 posts/articles live and this will continue to increase. Over time I hope to have several books (as well as those already posted) available in this archive. I’m keen to hear from subscribers which books, articles, interviews they’d like access to here. I want this to develop into a community of readers whose views absolutely matter.
Some content will always be free for anyone to read but those subscribing will have access to everything on this site for as long as they subscribe. I try to post a new article/feature every day, alongside adding material from my archives each month (it’s often more in practice). To subscribe costs £3 a month or £20 a year (the 2010 edition of Manchester A Football History which is posted for subscribers as PDF chapters cost £24.95 when published and is now out of print, so £20 is value for money). Those subscribing at £3 per month get access to everything posted since 1 October 2022 and can cancel anytime (so why not give it a trial?). Thos subscribing at £20 per year get access to everything posted since December 2020 when I was setting it all up.
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To all my family, friends and everyone who reads my work have a good New Year. I hope 2026 brings you everything you want from life. Best wishes to all.
A year ago today (2 December 2024) we had a wonderful celebration for the Manchester Corinthians – the incredible women’s team that toured the globe promoting football, Manchester and female endeavour. There were players there from every era of the Club’s existence with many in their 80s and 90s. It was a great celebration. Here are a few video clips and photos of what was a truly special day.
We’ll start with my welcome speech, which I hope explains the significance of the Corinthians to those who don’t know much about their story. I also welcomed a room of around 90 people…
Next two Corinthians who have been consistent promoters and advocates for the club over the years (decades, actually!): Margaret Shepherd and Anne Grimes. Margaret starts with thanks for the efforts to promote their story and then Anne reads her poem about legendary Manager Percy Ashley. Well worth listening to:
And now a special video. It starts with 90 year old Mary Bee speaking after receiving her copy of the Armstrong Projects North West Football Awards 2024 Special Recognition Award and ends with the Corinthians singing their anthem. An absolute must see!
A few key points from the reunion:
Players from Manchester Corinthian Ladies Football Club held a reunion on Monday 2 December to mark over 75 years since their club was established
Players from every era of the club attended, many in their 80s and 90s!
The reunion was held at Manchester City’s Stadium, where around 90 people gathered, with the majority being former players
Many players had not met since their playing days, in some cases for over sixty years
There were also video calls to founding players (1948-49) in North Devon and the Unites States
The reunion allowed former players to celebrate success at the Armstrong Projects Northwest Football Awards 2024 where they were presented with the Special Recognition Award for Services to Women’s Football. A similar award has since been made at the Manchester Sports Awards 2025.
A month after the reunion the club’s Authorised History was published, telling the incredible stories of these remarkable women. Copies available via Amazon and other bookshops, plus copies can be ordered direct from me on this website.
This was the media release for the event:
Women from the pioneering women’s football team Manchester Corinthians held a reunion at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium on Monday (2 December 2024). In attendance were over 80 people, including over forty women who played for the club between 1948-49 and its final days over forty years later.
Several players in attendance were in their 80s and 90s, playing for the club in its formative years. This included women who participated in trophy winning tours across Europe and South America during the fifties, sixties and seventies.
North West Football Awards 2024 ball signed by Manchester Corinthians at the reunion
The Corinthians raised significant amounts of money for charity during their existence, while also promoting football and female endeavour at a time when participation in the sport was often frowned upon.
During the 1950s, playing as an unofficial England side, the Corinthians won a major European tournament in Germany and were supported on their travels by legendary Manchester City men’s goalkeeper Bert Trautmann.
In 1960 they found success in an unofficial ‘World Cup’ (officially the first ‘Torneo Internacional De Futbol Femenino’) in Venezuela as part of a significant tour of the West Indies and South America. Former player (outside right) Margaret Whitworth, who was present at the reunion, remembers: ‘We were treated like film stars. There were crowds everywhere we went. Playing in front of 56,000 was thrilling and the way women’s football was treated was so different to how it was back in England at the time. Here we had to play on park pitches or at other sports grounds, but there we played in major football stadiums.’
The reunion was organised by Dr Gary James who has been researching and promoting the Corinthians’ story for a decade. In recent years he led the project to erect a blue plaque to the team and later this month his book on the club, Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History, will be published. For the first time it tells the story of the club from formation through to its final game. Many of the Corinthians present at the reunion have been interviewed for the book, which is destined to become the definitive story of the club. Their achievements deserve this recognition. More on the book here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/order-manchester-corinthians-book/
Organiser Gary James, a Research Professor at New York University, commented: ‘This remarkable football club gave opportunities for women to play at a time when women’s football was banned by the FA. They toured the world but, more importantly, they played a part in developing women’s football for over forty years. Their players and officials created competition and helped to change the way women’s football was governed. Some of their players are still coaching and developing teams today. For several years I’ve wanted to help them gain recognition, not simply for one high profile moment, but for over seventy years of activity. The reunion was my thank you to all of them for what they achieved for football and Manchester.’
During the late 1960s the club’s management played a leading role in the creation of the Women’s Football Association. Both the Corinthians and their sister club the Nomads were founder members, and their manager Gladys Aikin became a member of the governing body’s committee. In fact, Gladys oversaw the Women’s FA international committee which instigated the first official England international team in 1972. Corinthian Jean Wilson played in the historic first official international and she was present on Monday too. Gladys’s daughter Carol, a former goalkeeper with the Corinthians and a Women’s FA Cup winner with Fodens, was present at the reunion as memories of Gladys’s time were discussed.
Those attending the reunion talked fondly of the club’s original manager Percy Ashley, who was the driving force when the Corinthians toured the globe, winning tournaments and raising significant amounts for charity. After his death in 1967, the Corinthians continued to play and former players present on Monday remembered how, in the 1970s, they were frequently coached by the Manchester City 1956 FA Cup winner Dave Ewing at City’s Platt Lane training complex.
Many of the Corinthians present went on to become players with Manchester City’s women’s team during its inaugural season of 1988-89. This includes Lesley Wright who continues to find success as the England Over 60s walking football captain. She also coaches women’s football at Stockport County, continuing the Corinthian influence through to the modern day development of the sport.
About Manchester Corinthian Ladies Football Club
Manchester Corinthian Ladies FC was an English football club founded during 1948-49. Its driving force was manager Percy Ashley. At this time the FA ban on women’s football using FA affiliated grounds was in place (from 1921; lifted in 1970). During the inaugural seasons the Corinthians played friendlies and in small scale competitions in the UK, but during the mid to late 1950s they embarked on a series of European tours.
Their fame grew and they received invites to play across Europe, in Africa and in South America. Occasionally playing as an unofficial England side in tournaments (these were the days before there was an official England team), they found success often, becoming the most successful women’s team by some distance.
Under the management of Percy Ashley, followed by Gladys Aikin and then George Aikin, the Corinthians were important representatives of women’s football, both internationally and domestically, always contributing to the game’s growth and development.
The club spawned sister clubs, including Dynamo Ladies and the Nomads, who were also successful and often accompanied the Corinthians on tour and in competition. Both the Corinthians and Nomads became founder members of the Women’s Football Association.
Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History
This book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and consists of over 350 pages. It is illustrated throughout and you can order it now for £25 (including UK postage and packaging).
If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.
You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.
UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History
The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.
As part of my tidy-up of my collection I have a copy of The Pride of Manchester signed by Malcolm Allison available if anyone wants to buy it. I’m open to offers and will accept the best offer received by Sunday 30 November. The book was published in 1991 and originally retailed at £21.95. It was, at the time, the full history of the men’s Manchester Derby.
The dedication by Big Mal is ‘To Gary’, so if you’ve got a Gary in your family maybe it would be worth buying it for them. I’ll also be happy to write a personal dedication for the buyer.
Malcolm signed this copy when I interviewed him at his home in Yarm about Joe Mercer in 1992-93. The dustjacket is damaged a little with wear and tear at top and bottom. The book is over 30 years old so inevitably will show some wear and tear, but is in a good condition overall.
Minimum offer is £26 to cover UK postage and book original value.
To make your offer email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com with your bid (including UK postage; I won’t be blue to post this outside the UK unfortunately). I’ll review all offers on 30 November and will let everybody know as soon as I can after that.
I’ve rediscovered 1 copy of Farewell To Maine Road and a few Manchester The City Years in my writing area that I can part with. To be fair to everyone who has previously purchased my books these are available for their original cover price plus postage (UK only). If you’d like to buy one please email me and I’ll sell them on a first come first served basis. The costs are:
Farewell To Maine Road £25 plus £3.99 (2nd class/standard parcel) = £28.99
Manchester The City Years £25 plus £3.99 (2nd class/standard parcel) = £28.99. New copies but there may be some slight damage to dustjacket.
I’ll be happy to write a personal dedication in each book too.
I’ll sell these on a first come first served basis so if you’d like to buy one then email me at Gary@GJFootballArchive.com and I’ll respond as soon as I can to say whether you’ve been successful. I’ll email details of how to pay and will get them posted as soon as I can after payment is made.
Manchester The City Years is the full history of Manchester City, published in 2012 (it’s an updated/redesigned version of Manchester The Greatest City). I will have some copies of Manchester The Greatest City available soon, once I’ve checked them out. It has been out of print since 2013.
Farewell To Maine Road is the official history of City’s old ground, published in 2003. It has been out of print since 2004.
I’m doing some clearing out of my collection and keep rediscovering some random Manchester football memorabilia. I’ll post some images of them on here from time to time. Today here’s an image of my medal, number and related material from the first City 10K run. It took place on 29 April 1984 (the next one was to be staged on 7 October 1984) and I decided to take part. I won’t tell everybody my time though!
Watch out for more odd items from my collection over the coming weeks.
This map shows the Maine Road area, where Manchester City’s former ground was, before any of the terraced housing was built. The dark blue shape I’ve placed on the map is approximately where the stadium was built. Maine Road was initially known as Dog Kennel Lane and was renamed in stages as terraced housing was built on it. The lane originally had a bend where the current Maine Road ends and the old lane veered off towards modern day Princess Parkway.
I explain a lot more about this in Farewell To Maine Road and in the Big Book of City. In the MCFC match programme a few years back I explained:
Maine Road itself was a relatively insignificant street in 1923, but in the previous century the road had the name ‘Dog Kennel Lane’ and it had for many decades been a fairly significant but meandering route south of the city. The street was renamed in stages when the area was developed during the late 1800s. For years the reason Maine Road was picked was not clear, but in 2009 I discovered the truth.
The Maine Road name came indirectly from the US State of Maine but this was a compromise. The following newspaper article explains: ‘Dog Kennel Lane took its name from the kennel where hounds were kept. It stood on the right-hand side at the bend about a thousand yards from Moss Lane, opposite to the road which tracked off to the left and led to Demesne Farm. The common name of this lane is so common and unattractive that when the Temperance Company bought the Trafford land they asked the local board to change the name to Demesne Road, and the subject was compromised by calling it Maine Road out of compliment to the Temperance principles of the petitioners.’
The idea of the Temperance movement was to discourage people from drinking alcohol. On 2 June 1851 the State of Maine passed the first recognised prohibition law, and two years later the United Kingdom Alliance was founded in Manchester, pledging to badger Parliament to outlaw liquor in England.
The ‘Temperance Company’ mentioned in the article was actually part of the movement and had bought some land at the top of Dog Kennel Lane – this area is close to the junction with Moss Lane East. They wanted to create a better standard of living and within that area they erected buildings in keeping with their approach to life, such as the Temperance Billiard Hall. However, the ‘Dog Kennel Lane’ name was clearly an issue and so the selection of the name ‘Maine Road’ was made. So the name Maine Road refers to the US State and the part that Maine played in the Temperance movement.
An early 20th century interpretation of an older map, showing modern streets (dotted) with the original roads.
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Gary James' Football Archive 