History of Port Vale F.C.

The history of Port Vale F.C., an English association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, began with the formation of the club, which was probably in 1879. In 1884, the club moved to the town of Burslem, changing their name to Burslem Port Vale in the process. The club joined the Football League Second Division upon its formation in 1892. In 1907, the club's name was reverted to Port Vale Football Club when the club moved to The Old Recreation Ground in Hanley. The club then moved in 1950 to Vale Park, an all-seater stadium located in Burslem with a capacity of over 20,000; the old stadium was demolished later that year.

Probably the club's greatest achievement, other than surviving over 130 years, including times of great financial hardship and expulsion from the league, is the FA Cup run of 1953–54 where they reached the semi-finals. The club have twice come close to the highest tier of English football; in 1930–31 they finished fifth and in 1996–97 they came eighth.

The precise details of the club's founding are not known. A Port Vale cricket club were in existence in 1874, which may or may not have had any relation to the football club. The most-widely accepted story is that Port Vale were formed during an 1876 meeting at Port Vale House, from where the club was supposed to have taken its name.

However, comprehensive research by historian Jeff Kent indicated that the club was probably formed in 1879 as an offshoot of Porthill Victoria football club and took its name from its location, in the valley of canal ports. Evidence in support of this came from Vale chairman Robert Audley writing that the club was "an organisation of twenty-eight years standing" in 1907. Also John Hood and an 'E.Hood' were recorded as having scored goals for Porthill Victoria on 4 January 1879, which seems to have disbanded at the end of that season. The 1879 theory suggests that Porthill Victoria players broke away to found Port Vale in 1879, having tired of travelling up the hill to Wolstanton from their work places to play their football. Before 1926, the occasional mentions in print of the club's founding had given the year of formation as 1879, and most of the original founders would not have reached adulthood by 1876. However the January 1926, 50-year jubilee celebrations saw the 1876 date apparently firmly established as the year of the club's founding; it is not known what convinced the organizers at the time that the date was correct. To add to the confusion, local newspaper The Sentinel also printed 1879 as the club's founding date on 10 March 1928 and 24 August 1931, despite reporting on the jubilee celebrations in January 1926.

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