'Manchester United are today celebrating 100 years of the most famous club name in world football.
The name of Manchester United was first published on Saturday 26 April 1902 in the Manchester Evening News.
This public renaming of Newton Heath Football Club followed a period of reorganisation in which the club was effectively saved from extinction.
Only three months previously (on 9 January 1902) an application had been made at Ashton-under-Lyne County Court for the compulsory winding-up of the Newton Heath Football Club Company Limited. (According to Back Page United by Stephen F Kelly, the club owed more than £2,600).
The situation was so grave that Newton Heath’s ground at Bank Street in Clayton was closed in early 1902, whilst in the hands of the official receiver.
Salvation arrived in the form of five wealthy men including John Henry Davies, the managing director of the Manchester Brewery Company. He and his four cohorts invested in the ailing football club, and Davies later became the club's President and main benefactor.
Legend has it that Davies first heard of the club’s plight when he found the St. Bernard dog (Major) belonging to Newton Heath captain Harry Stafford. The dog, complete with a collecting tin attached to its collar, had apparently escaped from a fund-raising bazaar at St James Hall in Manchester.
While Davies is often regarded as the saviour of Newton Heath, Louis Rocca - who later became the club's chief scout - claimed he suggested the name Manchester United at a meeting in April 1902. Those present at the meeting preferred the name to alternative suggestions Manchester Celtic and Manchester Central – the latter was considered to be too much like the name of a railway station.
On Saturday 26 April 1902, the Manchester Evening News reported:
“The proposal to change the name of the Newton Heath club to Manchester United will not be received with favour in certain quarters, but there is no doubt it is a step in the right direction. Visiting teams and their supporters have many times been led astray by the name of the club, and have journeyed either by car or train to Newton Heath only to find that they were miles away from the home of the club… We should imagine that the League clubs generally will support the change.”
(MEN, 26.04.1902)
Ironically, the name Manchester United had been rejected at another meeting only one month previously. The Manchester Evening News had then reported, on 19 March 1902:
“Before the meeting broke up, one old supporter suggested that the name of the club should be changed to “Manchester United” but this did not meet with much favour.”
(MEN, 19.03.1902)
Fortunately, the name change eventually met with favour on 26 April 1902. The Lancashire FA officially approved it on 28 May 1902, and the rest, as they say, is history.'
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" /> <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" /> <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
The name of Manchester United was first published on Saturday 26 April 1902 in the Manchester Evening News.
This public renaming of Newton Heath Football Club followed a period of reorganisation in which the club was effectively saved from extinction.
Only three months previously (on 9 January 1902) an application had been made at Ashton-under-Lyne County Court for the compulsory winding-up of the Newton Heath Football Club Company Limited. (According to Back Page United by Stephen F Kelly, the club owed more than £2,600).
The situation was so grave that Newton Heath’s ground at Bank Street in Clayton was closed in early 1902, whilst in the hands of the official receiver.
Salvation arrived in the form of five wealthy men including John Henry Davies, the managing director of the Manchester Brewery Company. He and his four cohorts invested in the ailing football club, and Davies later became the club's President and main benefactor.
Legend has it that Davies first heard of the club’s plight when he found the St. Bernard dog (Major) belonging to Newton Heath captain Harry Stafford. The dog, complete with a collecting tin attached to its collar, had apparently escaped from a fund-raising bazaar at St James Hall in Manchester.
While Davies is often regarded as the saviour of Newton Heath, Louis Rocca - who later became the club's chief scout - claimed he suggested the name Manchester United at a meeting in April 1902. Those present at the meeting preferred the name to alternative suggestions Manchester Celtic and Manchester Central – the latter was considered to be too much like the name of a railway station.
On Saturday 26 April 1902, the Manchester Evening News reported:
“The proposal to change the name of the Newton Heath club to Manchester United will not be received with favour in certain quarters, but there is no doubt it is a step in the right direction. Visiting teams and their supporters have many times been led astray by the name of the club, and have journeyed either by car or train to Newton Heath only to find that they were miles away from the home of the club… We should imagine that the League clubs generally will support the change.”
(MEN, 26.04.1902)
Ironically, the name Manchester United had been rejected at another meeting only one month previously. The Manchester Evening News had then reported, on 19 March 1902:
“Before the meeting broke up, one old supporter suggested that the name of the club should be changed to “Manchester United” but this did not meet with much favour.”
(MEN, 19.03.1902)
Fortunately, the name change eventually met with favour on 26 April 1902. The Lancashire FA officially approved it on 28 May 1902, and the rest, as they say, is history.'
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" /> <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" /> <img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
