Leeds City
Formed 1904
Elected to Division Two 1905. Expelled 1919.
Kit History
1905-1908 a d
1908-1909 a
1909-1910 a d
1910-1911 d
1913-1914 c
1914-1915 b
Background
The rapid rise and fall of
Leeds City is as dramatic as any in the game. Formed by a group of local
notables at a meeting in the Griffin Hotel, the idea was to bring professional
football to one of the rugby strongholds of South Yorkshire. During their inaugural
season, the club frequently fielded their reserves in the West Yorkshire
League while the first team turned out against League opposition in friendly
matches. After cultivating the top clubs in this way, City were rewarded
with election to an expanded Division Two the following season.
Wearing dark blue with old gold trim, City had an undistinguished career in the Second Division. In 1912, Herbert Chapman was appointed manager. Had the First World War not interrupted proceedings, who knows what the great man would have achieved at City?
In the season immediately after the Great War, Chapman was rebuilding his side when the FA investigated the club following allegations by a disgruntled former player that guest players had been paid during during wartime competition. The practice was widespread but a serious breach of FA rules. A joint FA and Football League commission was set up to investigate the allegations and demanded that City open their accounts. When the club refused the commission ordered that Leeds City be expelled from the League and disbanded to set an example.
With eight games of the new season already played, Burslem Port Vale (who had narrowly missed out on election to the League the previous close-season) were invited to take over Leeds' fixtures. Five officials, including Chapman, were banned from involvement in football for life. Chapman's punishment was overturned on appeal and he went on to immortal achievements with Huddersfield and Arsenal.
On 17 October 1919 the club's assets were sold off and that same afternoon a group of "untainted" officials formed a new club, Leeds United. United took over Leeds City reserves' fixtures in the Midland League and moved into the now vacant Elland Road. The following season the brand new club was elected to the Football League.
Sources
- (a) The Mighty Mighty Whites An excellent site with a detailed history of both City and United compiled by Dave Tomlinson
- (b) "Of Fossils & Foxes: The Official History of Leicester City FC" 2001
- (c) "Rejected FC" (Dave Twydell 1989) - information provided by Ralph Pomeroy.
- (d) Association of Football Statisticians - provided by Pete Wyatt