ФК Рошдейл, Клубная История

FC Rochdale, Club History

Rochdale Association Football Club was founded in 1907 following a meeting at the Central Council Office in Fleece Street. The club was accepted to the Manchester League a fortnight after its formation and joined the Lancashire Combination a year later. Two previous attempts had been made to launch an Association Football Club in the town, but Rochdale AFC as we know it was officially launched in 1907.

After gaining admittance into the Lancashire Combination the club won the competition in 1911. This led to an application being lodged with The Football League. Herbert Hopkinson probably indignant that Dale received the support of just one club, called for the powers-that-be to expand their numbers and create a Third Division. His proposal was considered but scuppered by countless objections. The failure to gain League Status led the club to apply for a place in the Central League. The request was granted but reversed by the FA due to objections from the Lancashire Combination who claimed Dale's attempt to progress up the ladder should have been made earlier. The fact that most of their members had successfully applied for membership of other divisions may well have been a truer reflection of their protests.

The club's next application to join the game's elite came in March 1919. The League had decided to expand following World War One. Six places were available and while Rochdale gathered more votes than they had attracted on their previous effort - for the record seven clubs were in favour - they were still some way behind the chosen. There was some controversy regarding the decision as admittance did not seem to have been based on performance. All the clubs selected had poorer League records than Rochdale. This latest rebuff led some to call for the winding up of the club. The deflection of large number of players only served to heighten this argument but nevertheless the motion was rejected.

Nine years after Herbert Hopkinson's brainchild of a Third Division, it was finally adopted in 1920. Unfortunately Southern League clubs pushed it through and as a consequence took all the places made available. The notion of allowing Northern and Midlands clubs to form an equivalent division was set to take place a year later. Dale were one of 14 clubs recommended by the Football League Management Committee for acceptance without a vote. Thankfully the proposal was rubber stamped. The first ever Football League opposition came in the shape of Accrington Stanley. That game took place on 27th August 1921 with the game finishing 6-3 in favour of Rochdale. It took a little longer to obtain our first away win. Almost six months to be precise but it came at Lincoln City courtesy of an own goal.