Home > Leeds United F.C.
Leeds United F.C. is the only professional association football club in Leeds. The club was established in 1919, following the demise of Leeds City F.C.. They currently play in the Football League Championship and play their home games at the Elland Road stadium.
1 History
1.1 Leeds City
Leeds United's predecessor club, Leeds City FC, was formed in 1904 by the committee and supporters of an even earlier club, Hunslet FC. The 1904-05 season saw them playing within the West Yorkshire League. In October 1904, Leeds City began playing at Elland Road football ground, formerly the home of a rugby league team, Holbeck RFC, which had disbanded after failing to win promotion that year.
In April 1905, the club was floated as a limited company, and on 5 June, the club was officially formed as a limited liability company. Gilbert Gillies , previously manager of Chesterfield , was appointed manager. When the Football League extended its second division to 20 clubs, Leeds (at this point the largest city in England without a football league club) were elected as one of the new members, alongside Chelsea, Clapton Orient , Hull City and Stockport County.
Despite modest success in the second division, between 1910 and 1912 increasing financial pressures led to the company being handed over to a receiver in April 1912. A new manager, Herbert ChapmanHerbert Chapman ( January 1, 1878 January 6, 1934) was an English association football player and manager, born in Sheffield. After a non-league footballing career, he turned professional in 1901 with Northampton Town F. playing for a series of clubs in a, was appointed (to replace Frank Scott-Walford , who had in turn taken over from Gillies, but who had quit for reasons of ill-health).
Chapman continued as Leeds manager till 1919 (although during the First World War he took a break to work in a munitions factory). However, in that year, a disgruntled former player, Charlie Copeland carried out a threat to inform the Football League of irregularities over excess payments made to Leeds players during the war. In fact no evidence was ever offered of such activities; however the Football League so concerned that its pay cap might have been broken that the unfortunate club was expelled and disbanded, and replaced in the league by Port Vale. Leeds City as a company was wound up, and all assets (including the players) were sold at auction. The star player, Billy McCleod was sold to Notts County for Ł1,250. Herbert Chapman went on to become a managerial legend at Arsenal.
