Our town, our team – why our history matters to us and the part you played
We believe that Stockport County is a special football club. For nearly 140 years we have represented our town and our community. We are a club with great pride and we want everyone to understand the story of our club, where we have come from and the history that our players created when they pulled on our colours. We are a club that celebrates its history, we embrace our heritage and we want others to see and hear the names of those who have helped build our club in the past.
We hope by understanding this, you will be able to reflect on playing for County with even more pride. You will know that your endeavors will not be forgotten and that the history you created, will last forever.
Our amazing story
Stockport County Football Club was formed in 1883 and you’ll see this date proudly displayed on our club badge.
We were formed by a group of teenage boys who had met at the Sunday school of Wycliffe Congregational Chapel, which is situated on the A6 just as you drive north out of Stockport town centre. Proud of their association with our club, there is a blue plaque on the exterior celebrating this fact.
The club were called Heaton Norris Rovers and for the first 7 years we played friendly fixtures against local teams, building up a reputation as the senior football club in the town. During this time we played both Newton Heath (who became Manchester United), Gorton and Ardwick (who were both the precursors to Manchester City).
In 1889 the town of Stockport became a County Borough and the club seized the opportunity to take the town name, changed our name to Stockport County Football Club in 1890.
In this season we joined our first organised league called The Combination, playing teams such as Everton Reserves, Macclesfield, Wrexham, Chester and Northwich Victoria.
In 1892 County entered the FA Cup for the first time. We made our debut alongside Coventry City, Newcastle United and Liverpool, and have entered the FA Cup every season since.
Further success was achieved when County won the prestigious Manchester Senior Cup in both 1898 (beating Manchester City) and 1899 (beating First Division Bury).
This success spurred County to win their first league championship (Lancashire League) and on May 21st 1900, at the Football League annual meeting, County were voted into the Football League. During a three year period County played teams such as Woolwich Arsenal, Leicester Fosse, Small Heath (Birmingham City), Manchester United, Manchester City, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion, Preston North End and Bolton Wanderers.
In 1904 County were voted out of the Football League, only to win the Lancashire Combination and were to regain their coveted status in 1905. County would remain as proud members of the Football League for another 106 years.
Since that time County have created a number of significant records and notable events:
Our League championships
In Stockport County’s near 140 history we have only won 7 championships
- 1899/00 Lancashire League – leading to our entry into the Football League
- 1904/05 Lancashire Combination – helping our entry back into the Football League
- 1921/22 First winners of the Football League 3rd Division (North)
- 1936/37 Football League 3rd Division (North)
- 1966/67 Football League 4th Division
- 2018/19 National League North
- 2021/22 National League – taking County back to the Football League
Joe Foster, Tom “Beaut” Hall and Billy Parker (1900 and 1905)
Ben Hinchliffe, Sam Minihan, Ash Palmer and Jordan Keane (2019 and 2022)
are the only players in County history to win two league championship medals.
