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Cardiff City F.C.

Cardiff City Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as Riverside A.F.C., the club changed its name to Cardiff City in 1908 and entered the Southern Football League in 1910 before joining the English Football League in 1920. The team has spent 17 seasons in the top tier of English football, the longest period being between 1921 and 1929. Their most recent season in the top flight was the 2018–19 Premier League season.

Cardiff City
Full nameCardiff City Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bluebirds
Short nameCAR, CCFC, City
Founded1899; 124 years ago (1899) (as Riverside A.F.C.)
GroundCardiff City Stadium
Capacity33,316[1]
OwnerVincent Tan
ChairmanMehmet Dalman
ManagerSabri Lamouchi
LeagueEFL Championship
2021–22EFL Championship, 18th of 24
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Cardiff is the only team from outside England to have won the FA Cup, doing so in 1927. They have also reached three other cup finals in English competitions, the 1925 FA Cup Final against Sheffield United, the 2008 FA Cup Final against Portsmouth and the 2012 Football League Cup Final against Liverpool, suffering defeat on each occasion. They have won the Welsh Cup on 22 occasions, making them the second-most successful team in the competition's history behind Wrexham.

With the exception of a short period this century, the team has played in home colours of blue and white since 1908, from which their nickname "The Bluebirds" derives. Cardiff's first permanent ground was Ninian Park, which opened in 1910; it remained in use for 99 years until the club moved into the Cardiff City Stadium in 2009. Cardiff has long-standing rivalries with nearby clubs Swansea City, with whom they contest the South Wales derby, and Bristol City, with whom they contest the Severnside derby. The club's record appearance holder is Billy Hardy, who made 590 appearances in a 20-year playing spell with Cardiff, and their record goalscorer is Len Davies with 179 goals.

History

Early years (1899–1920)

Following a meeting at the home of lithographic artist Bartley Wilson in Cardiff,[2] the club was founded in 1899 as Riverside A.F.C. as a way of keeping players from the Riverside Cricket Club together and in shape during the winter months.[3][4] In their first season, they played friendlies against local sides at their Sophia Gardens ground. In 1900 they joined the Cardiff & District League for their first competitive season.[5] When King Edward VII granted Cardiff city status in 1905, the club put in a request to the South Wales and Monmouthshire Football Association to change their name to Cardiff City.[3] The request was turned down as they were deemed not to be playing at a high enough level. To enhance their standing, the team arranged to join the South Wales League in 1907. The following year they were granted permission to change the name of the club to Cardiff City.[6][7]

Although growing in stature, the club was forced to turn down the opportunity to join the newly formed Second Division of the Southern Football League due to a lack of facilities at their Sophia Gardens ground. Over the next two years, Cardiff played friendlies against some of Britain's top professional sides, including Middlesbrough, Bristol City, and Crystal Palace. The matches were played at grounds in Cardiff and nearby towns so as to gauge the level of public interest in the team.[8] The club eventually secured land to build their own stadium, Ninian Park, which was completed in 1910. The club turned professional the same year. They made their first signing the following year with the acquisition of Jack Evans from fellow Welsh side Cwmparc.[7]

With the new ground in place, Cardiff joined the Southern Football League Second Division[9] and appointed their first manager, Davy McDougall, who became player-manager.[10] They went on to finish in fourth place in their first year in the league. The board decided to replace McDougall with Fred Stewart, who had previous managerial experience with Stockport County.[2] He set about adopting a more professional approach, signing several players with Football League experience, including brothers John and George Burton and Billy Hardy. Stewart led the team to promotion in his second season by winning the Second Division title. They remained in the First Division for the next decade, and finished in the top four on two occasions.[7][11]

1920s success and later decline (1920–1945)

In 1920, the club submitted a successful application to join the Football League and were placed into the Second Division for the 1920–21 season.[7] Stewart brought in several players with Football League experience, breaking the club's transfer record on two occasions to sign Jimmy Gill and later Jimmy Blair from The Wednesday. They played their first match in the Football League on 28 August 1920, defeating Stockport County 5–2.[12] The side finished the season in second place to win promotion to the First Division.[9] They finished behind Birmingham City on goal average, and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup.[13] In their third season in the top-tier, the team finished runners-up to Huddersfield Town because of a goal average difference of 0.024.[9][13][14] Cardiff drew their final match 0–0 as club record goalscorer Len Davies missed a penalty.[13]

 
Yearly table position since Cardiff City joined the Football League[9]

The following season was the first time Cardiff appeared at Wembley Stadium, having reached their first FA Cup final.[9] The team lost 1–0 to Sheffield United following a goal from England international Fred Tunstall.[13] The 1926–27 season, when they finished in 14th position, was Cardiff's worst performance in the top tier of English Football since winning promotion six seasons before. However, they reached their second FA Cup final in the space of two years.[13] On St George's Day, 23 April 1927, at Wembley Stadium in London, Cardiff became the only non-English side to win the FA Cup by defeating Arsenal 1–0 in the final;[15] Hughie Ferguson scored the only goal of the game in the 74th minute. He received the ball from Ernie Curtis and hurried a tame shot toward the goal;[16] Dan Lewis, the Arsenal goalkeeper, allowed the shot to slip through his grasp and knocked the ball into the net with his elbow.[17] Captain Fred Keenor received the FA Cup trophy at the end of the match from King George V only seven years after Cardiff City had entered the Football League.[13] When the team returned to Cardiff the next day, a crowd of around 150,000 people lined the streets to welcome them.[18]

The side also won the Welsh Cup in 1927, defeating Rhyl 2–0. They went on to win the FA Charity Shield after beating amateur side the Corinthians 2–1 at Stamford Bridge.[19][13][20] The club entered a period of decline after their cup success. They were relegated from the First Division in the 1928–29 season, despite conceding fewer goals than any other side in the division.[21] They suffered a second relegation two years later, dropping into the Third Division South for the first time since they joined the Football League.[9] During their first season in the division, Cardiff recorded their biggest-ever win when they beat Thames by a scoreline of 9–2.[22] They finished the 1932–33 season in 19th place, resulting in manager Fred Stewart tendering his resignation from his post after 22 years in charge.[13] Club founder Bartley Wilson stepped in to replace Stewart. Results continued to be disappointing, and in March 1934, Ben Watts-Jones was given the opportunity to manage the club he had supported as a youngster. He was unable to turn the team's fortunes around; they finished the season at the bottom of the table, and had to apply for re-election to the league.[2] Watts-Jones remained in charge for another three years until Bill Jennings replaced him. Cardiff remained in the Third Division South until the Football League was suspended following the outbreak of World War II.[9][13]

Post war and European competition (1945–2000)

In their first season since the resumption of the Football League, under new manager Billy McCandless, Cardiff finished the 1946–47 season as champions of the Third Division South and returned to the Second Division.[23] McCandless left the club soon after and was replaced by Cyril Spiers who led the side to promotion in the 1951–52 season.[9][24] Cardiff returned to the top tier of English football for the first time in 23 years and stayed there for five seasons.[13] They were relegated after in 1957, after struggling in the bottom half of the table for three seasons.[24] They returned to the First Division for two seasons between 1960 and 1962 before they were again relegated.[9]

 
Cardiff City playing Oxford United at Ninian Park in 1983

During the 1960s, Cardiff participated in European competition for the first time as a result of winning the Welsh Cup, which granted qualification to the newly created European Cup Winners Cup.[25] Their first ever match in European competition was in the tournament during the 1964–65 season against Danish side Esbjerg fB. The team won 1–0 on aggregate over two legs, the only goal being scored by Peter King.[26] They went on to reach the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Real Zaragoza.[9] Despite their exploits in Europe, the team were still struggling in league competition under the stewardship of Jimmy Scoular, finishing in 20th position in the Second Division.[27] Two years later the team reached the semi-final of the Cup Winners Cup after victories over Shamrock Rovers, NAC Breda, and Torpedo Moscow set up a tie with German side Hamburg,[9] whose squad contained several German internationals. This remains the furthest any Welsh side has advanced in European competition.[28] After a 1–1 draw in the first leg, over 43,000 fans turned out at Ninian Park to watch Hamburg win 3–2.[27][29] During the 1970–71 season, Cardiff reached the quarter-finals of the Cup Winners Cup where they faced Spanish side Real Madrid. The first leg of the tie was held at Ninian Park where 47,000 fans watched one of the most significant victories in Cardiff's history when Brian Clark headed in to give Cardiff a 1–0 win.[6][30] They were later eliminated after losing the second leg 2–0.[27] The team remained in the Second Division for 19 of the 20 seasons between 1962 and 1982, having been relegated to the Third Division for the 1975–76 season.[9][31]

Cardiff were continuously in the lower two divisions of the Football League between 1985 and 1993. The club appointed several managers in attempts to turn the team's performances around with limited success.[31] They were relegated to the Fourth Division once in the 1985–86 season and, despite returning to the Third Division on two occasions, they finished in their lowest-ever league position in 1996—22nd of 24 in Division Three.[32] In 1995, Cardiff and other Welsh clubs competing in English leagues were banned from entering the Welsh Cup by the Football Association of Wales after pressure from UEFA,[33] who did not want teams playing in two national cup competitions.[34] Their final match in the competition was a 2–1 defeat to Wrexham in the 1995 final.[9]

Foreign investment (2000–present)

In August 2000, Lebanese businessman Sam Hammam purchased control of the club and replaced Steve Borley as chairman.[35][36] Shortly after taking over, he controversially pledged to get the entire Welsh nation to support Cardiff by renaming the club "The Cardiff Celts" and changing the club colours to green, red and white.[37] After lengthy talks with senior players and fans, he decided the best policy was not to change the name of the club. The club crest was redesigned; the new design incorporated the Cardiff City bluebird in front of the Flag of Saint David and featured the club's nickname superimposed at the top of the crest.[38] Hammam funded the transfers of several new players to the club, and new manager Lennie Lawrence guided Cardiff to promotion when they won the Second Division play-off in 2003 against Queens Park Rangers.[39] Substitute Andy Campbell came off the bench to score the only goal in extra time and ensure Cardiff's return to Division One after an 18-year absence.[35]

The club experienced increasing financial difficulties over the next few years and plans for a new stadium failed to gain approval from Cardiff Council because of concerns over financial security in 2006.[35] Hammam then agreed to a takeover by a consortium led by new chairman Peter Ridsdale and the lead developer of the new stadium, Paul Guy.[40] During the 2007–08 season, Cardiff reached the semi-final of the FA Cup for the first time in 81 years after beating Middlesbrough 2–0 on 9 March 2008.[35] After coming through their semi-final against Barnsley with a 1–0 win at Wembley Stadium on 6 April with a goal from Joe Ledley,[41] they eventually lost 1–0 to Portsmouth in the final.[35]

 
Manager Neil Warnock and players lift the 2017–18 EFL Championship runner-up trophy

In May 2010, Datuk Chan Tien Ghee took over as club chairman following a takeover bid by a Malaysian consortium; Vincent Tan also invested and joined the board.[42][43] Tan later became the Cardiff's majority shareholder after buying out several other directors and acquired around 82% of the club's shares.[44] In 2011, the club appointed Malky Mackay as manager.[45] He took the side to the League Cup final for the first time in the club's history during his first season.[9] The following season, Cardiff won the 2012–13 Championship title and with it gained promotion to the top tier of English football for the first time after 52 years.[46][47] On 18 August 2013, Cardiff played their first ever away Premier League match against West Ham United, losing 2–0.[48] Cardiff won only three games in the first half of the season and, on 27 December 2013, Mackay was sacked by Vincent Tan and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjær.[49][50] Despite the change in management, Cardiff were relegated to the Championship after a single season following a 3–0 away defeat to Newcastle United.[51] Solskjær himself was sacked on 18 September 2014 after a disappointing start to the following Championship season, and replaced by Leyton Orient manager Russell Slade.[52]

In October 2016, Neil Warnock was appointed first team manager of Cardiff.[53] Warnock took over the team with Cardiff second from the bottom of the table after two wins from eleven games, and guided the side to a 12th-placed finish after a good run of form.[54] The start of the 2017–18 season saw Cardiff break a club record by winning their opening three league games of a season, the first time in the club's 107-year professional history.[55] They proceeded to clinch promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the table.[56] However, they were relegated back to the Championship after a single season.[57]

Warnock resigned as manager in November 2019 following a poor start to the season and was replaced by Neil Harris.[58][59] Harris guided Cardiff to a 5th-placed finish before suffering defeat in the Championship playoff semi-final.[60] After a run of six straight defeats, Harris was sacked on 21 January 2021,[61] beginning a chain of short-term hirings. His replacement, Mick McCarthy, was appointed the following day,[62] but was relieved of his duties less than a year later with the side 2 points above relegation.[63] The club's under–23 manager Steve Morison was appointed as caretaker manager before signing an 18 month contract after guiding the Bluebirds to safety.[64] Morrison was sacked in September 2022 and replaced by Mark Hudson, who lasted only 4 months in the role before he too was dismissed in January 2023.[65]

In December 2022, Cardiff City were issued a transfer embargo by Fifa, which was lifted in January 2023.[66][67] The club are also appealing against an embargo from the English Football League which prevents them paying fees for players until May 2024.[67]

In March 2023, Cardiff City reported an operating loss of £29 million for the 2021-22 season.[68]

Support

Cardiff has a large catchment area from which to draw its supporter base. With only two professional teams (Swansea City and Newport County) sharing the South Wales region, the club enjoys considerable support from both the city of Cardiff and the surrounding South Wales Valleys.[69] As a Welsh club playing in the English football league system, national identity is believed to be a major factor in fan support, and some of the club's matches are considered to be Welsh cross-border rivalries with England.[69][70] During the 1980s, as the club struggled in the lower divisions of English football, crowds dropped to an average of 3,000 per match. An increase in the club's fortunes saw a steady improvement in crowd numbers. The average attendance at home matches rose from 3,594 to 12,522 between 1997 and 2002.[71] Promotion to the second tier in 2003 brought further increases in numbers. The opening of the Cardiff City Stadium led to average attendances reaching 20,000 fans, culminating with highs of between 28,000 and 31,000 during two seasons in the Premier League.[72][73] Despite this increase, the club has often been regarded as attracting fewer spectators than similarly placed teams. This has been attributed to several factors such as the club's controversial change to red shirts between 2012 and 2015—some supporters being perceived as fairweather fans, and a lack of atmosphere.[72][74]

 
Cardiff City fans performing "the Ayatollah" in 2011

Welsh national identity also contributes to the supporter culture of the club. "Men of Harlech", a song largely made famous by the 1964 film Zulu, which depicted a battle involving a Welsh regiment,[75] and "I'll Be There", a take on a miner's song that was popular during the 1926 United Kingdom general strike, are both frequently sung before and during matches.[76] The Ayatollah, an act involving raising both arms up and down above the head in a patting motion, has become synonymous with the club and its supporters as a celebratory gesture since its adoption in the early 1990s.[77][78] The action has become popular with Cardiff fans outside football to show support for the club with boxer Nathan Cleverly,[79] Olympic swimmer David Davies and rugby player Gareth Thomas all having performed the action at some points of their careers.[77][80]

Rivalry

 
Referee Mike Dean receiving treatment after being struck by a projectile in a South Wales derby in 2009

Known as the South Wales derby, Cardiff City's most significant rivalry is with nearby neighbours Swansea City, and over 100 games have been played in all competitions between the sides. Swansea's first competitive match following their founding in 1912 was against Cardiff in the Southern Football League.[4] The rivalry had been relatively friendly until the 1970s and 1980s. Economic issues, such as the UK miners' strike, rivalry between the two cities and an increase in football hooliganism led to numerous violent clashes between fans at the matches. One game in 1993 was dubbed "The Battle of Ninian Park" for its particularly severe violence and resulted in away fans being banned from attending any matches between the sides for four years.[81][82][83] Cardiff player Jason Perry described the period as "the dark, dark days of the derby".[84] When the ban was dropped, "bubble trips" were introduced for away fans who could only attend matches via police-escorted convoys to and from the stadium.[81][82]

Further political divide between the two cities was caused by the Welsh devolution referendum in 1997 when Cardiff was chosen as the site for the newly created Senedd, despite the majority of the city voting against devolution.[82] Swansea, which largely voted in favour of devolution, received funding for a national swimming pool instead.[82] Alan Curtis, who played for both sides, commented, "I think Cardiff has always been perceived [...] to receive whatever funding is going around. It seems to me that everything gets channelled in that direction".[81] Further afield, the club has a rivalry with Bristol City, known as the Severnside derby, and to a lesser extent, Bristol Rovers. There is also a lesser rivalry with Welsh neighbours Newport County due to the proximity of the two Welsh cities; they have rarely played against each other since the 1980s due to Cardiff being in higher leagues. In total, they have only ever played 20 Football League games against each other. A survey by Football Fans Census in 2003 saw Swansea, Bristol City, and Newport listed as Cardiff's main three rivalries, with Stoke City matching Newport in third.[85]

In the 1980s, a hooligan group known as the Soul Crew emerged from within the club's fanbase.[86] The group became notorious for their violent clashes with rival supporters and brawls between sets of supporters at football matches and other events.[87][88]

Stadium

Ninian Park

 
The front of Ninian Park in 2005

Cardiff's first ground was at Sophia Gardens recreational park, where the team played from their founding in 1899 until 1910.[89] With increasing support for the club, Bartley Wilson contacted Bute Estate, who owned large amounts of Cardiff at the time, in an attempt to find land suitable for building a stadium. They eventually agreed on an area of waste ground on Sloper Road. The land was a former rubbish tip and required extensive work to get a playable surface, but with the assistance of Cardiff Corporation and volunteers, the work was completed.[8] The original intention was to name the ground Sloper Park,[90] but Ninian Park was chosen instead after Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, who was a driving force behind the ground's construction.[91] The ground hosted its first match on 1 September 1910 with a friendly against Aston Villa;[6] Lord Crichton-Stuart ceremonially kicked off the game.[90]

The stadium was built with one stand. A second, which replaced an earth embankment and could hold 18,000 people, was opened in 1928. It hosted its first international match in March 1911 with a Welsh match against Scotland.[90] Towards the end of its lifespan, the ground was replaced for international fixtures by Cardiff Arms Park as doubts mounted over the safety of the aging ground.[92] The club's record attendance in the ground is 57,893 which was achieved during a league match against Arsenal on 22 April 1953.[93] The scaling down of grounds throughout the 1970s and 1980s due to safety fears, which saw the ground capacity fall to 22,000, meant that the record stood until the ground's closure. In its final years of use, the club was forced to seek special dispensation from authorities to keep the remaining standing areas of the ground open beyond the three-year period given to clubs at Championship level or above to remove them.[94][95]

Cardiff City Stadium

 
Cardiff City Stadium pitch in 2010

In June 2009, the club completed construction of a 26,828-seat stadium on the site of the now-demolished old Cardiff Athletics Stadium at a cost of £48 million.[96][97] The ground was named the "Cardiff City Stadium". Three of the four stands retained the names used at Ninian Park—the Grange End, the Canton Stand and the Grandstand—and the fourth stand was named the Ninian Stand.[96] The ground's naming rights were expected to be sold, the club hoping to generate up to £9 million income; they remain unsold.[96] Although a pre-season friendly against Chasetown was played at the ground with limited capacity to test safety features,[98] the stadium was officially opened with a friendly against Scottish side Celtic on 22 July 2009.[99] The first competitive match played at the ground was on 8 August 2009, the opening day of the 2009–10 season, as Cardiff won 4–0 over Scunthorpe United.[100] When it opened, the Cardiff Blues rugby union club left their Cardiff Arms Park home to share the new stadium with Cardiff City.[101] The move proved unpopular among fans of the rugby club, which returned to Cardiff Arms Park in 2012.[102]

A few years after the stadium was built, plans to upgrade and expand the stadium were initiated. The expansion plans were completed in August 2014, and the seating capacity was raised to 33,316. In March 2015, it was announced that the Ninian Stand extension was to be shut for the 2015–16 season due to poor ticket sales, dropping the capacity to 27,978.[103] It was reopened the following year due to an increase in demand.[104]

In February 2023, the stadium was awarded the Level Playing Field's Centre of Excellence Award in recognition of its accessible facilities and services.[105]

Colours, kit and crest

Colours

When Riverside A.F.C. was formed in 1899, the club used a chocolate-brown and amber checkered shirt.[3] Following the club's name change to Cardiff City in 1908, they adopted a blue shirt and white or blue shorts and socks, although for the first nine years black socks were used. Kit changes over the club's history have included all blue kits, the introduction of a yellow vertical stripe during the 1970s, and alternating blue stripes.[38]

In 2012, Cardiff controversially changed their home kit colours from the traditional blue, white and yellow to red and black,[106] the first time the club had not worn blue as its primary colour since 1908. The crest was also changed to one in which the Welsh Dragon was more prominent than the traditional bluebird. These changes were made to "appeal in 'international markets'" as part of a "major investment plan" unveiled by chairman Vincent Tan.[107] The rebranding provoked strong opposition from the fans, who organised protest marches and demonstrations to voice their displeasure at the changes.[108][109] Despite Tan previously stating that the club would only return to wearing blue if another owner was found, on 9 January 2015, after three seasons playing in the red kit, the club reverted their home kit back to blue with a red away kit in a bid to "unite" the club.[110][111]

 
 
 
 
 
 
Original strip used as Riverside A.F.C. before 1908
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cardiff's original colours from 1908 until the 1920s
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cardiff's lighter blue strip used between 1926 and 1930
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dark blue shirts returned between 1930 and 1992
 
 
 
 
 
 
All blue kits were used in 1992–1996 and 2000–2007
 
 
 
 
 
 
The 2009–10 strip with yellow being re-added
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cardiff briefly wore red between 2012 and 2015
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cardiff reverted to blue during the 2014–15 season

Crest history

From 1908 Cardiff played in unadorned shirts. This changed in 1959 when they played in shirts with a simple crest featuring an image of a bluebird. The following season their shirts were plain and unadorned and remained so until 1965 when they played in shirts with the word "Bluebirds" embroidered.[38] A new crest, similar to the one used previously, and again featuring a bluebird, was introduced in 1969. Variations of this crest have been used over the years. In the 1980s, extra features including words and motifs were added. A major change was made in 2012, when owner Vincent Tan attempted to rebrand the club to expand its appeal outside Wales.[112] This change gave large prominence to the Welsh Dragon, reducing the bluebird to a minor feature. In March 2015, Cardiff announced a new crest which would once again feature the Bluebird predominantly with a Chinese dragon replacing the standard Welsh dragon.[113]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer[38] Shirt sponsor[38]
1973–82 Umbro None
1983 Whitbread Wales
1984 Superted

Camilleri Roofing

1984–85 Merthyr Motor Auctions
1985–87 Admiral Airways Cymru
1987–88 Buckley's Brewery
1988–89 Scoreline
1989–90 Havelet
1990–91 None
1991–92 Influence
1992–94 Bluebirds South Wales Echo
1994–95 Strika
1995–96 Influence
1996–97 Lotto
1997–98 Errea Gilesports
1998–99 Xara Sports Cafe
1999–2000 Modplan
2000–02 Ken Thorne Group
2002–03 Puma Leekes
2003–05 Redrow Homes
2005–06 Joma
2006–08 Communications Direct
2008–09 Vansdirect
2009–10 Puma 777.com[114]
SBOBET
2009–10
2010–11
2011–14 Malaysia tourist board and BBC Cymru
2014–15 Cosway Sports
2015–22 Adidas
2022– New Balance

Players

First-team squad

As of 28 January 2023[115][116]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   ENG Ryan Allsop
2 DF   ATG Mahlon Romeo
3 DF   IRL Joel Bagan
5 DF   IRL Mark McGuinness
6 MF   ENG Ryan Wintle
8 MF   ENG Joe Ralls (captain)
9 FW   ENG Kion Etete
10 MF   ENG Sheyi Ojo
11 MF   IRL Callum O'Dowda
12 MF   ENG Tom Sang
15 DF   WAL Oliver Denham
17 DF   NGA Jamilu Collins
18 MF   GAM Ebou Adams
19 MF   SKN Romaine Sawyers
20 MF   NIR Gavin Whyte
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 GK   ENG Jak Alnwick
22 DF   ENG Vontae Campbell
23 DF   CIV Cédric Kipré (on loan from West Bromwich Albion)
24 MF   WAL Eli King
25 MF   ENG Jaden Philogene (on loan from Aston Villa)
26 DF   ENG Jack Simpson
27 MF   WAL Rubin Colwill
28 GK   ENG Rohan Luthra
29 FW   WAL Mark Harris
31 FW   ENG Connor Wickham
35 MF   ENG Andy Rinomhota
38 DF   ENG Perry Ng
39 FW   WAL Isaak Davies
47 FW   IRL Callum Robinson
48 FW   GUI Sory Kaba (on loan from Midtjylland)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   ENG Dillon Phillips (to KV Oostende until 30 June 2023)
14 MF   ENG Ollie Tanner (to York City until 30 June 2023)
No. Pos. Nation Player
36 FW   ENG Max Watters (to Barnsley until 30 June 2023)
FW   WAL Kieron Evans (to Torquay United until 30 June 2023)

Retired numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
7 MF   ENG Peter Whittingham (2007–2017)

Under-23 and Academy

Cardiff runs a youth academy catering to groups from ages seven to eighteen years.[117] Recent players to come through the youth system include Wales internationals: Joe Ledley, Chris Gunter, Aaron Ramsey, Adam Matthews, Darcy Blake, Declan John, Rabbi Matondo, Mark Harris and Rubin Colwill[118] prior to the youth system being granted academy status, Robert Earnshaw and James Collins.[119][120]

Notable former players

Backroom staff

Position Name
Manager Sabri Lamouchi
Assistant manager Sol Bamba
First-team coaches Tom Ramasut
Dean Whitehead
Goalkeeper coach James Wood
Head of physical performance Johnny Northeast
Football support executive Lee Southernwood
Head of medical services Matthew May
Senior physiotherapist James Rowland
First-team physiotherapist Chris Lewis
Head of first-team analysis Jack Radusin
Senior first team & recruitment analyst Patrick Deboys
Senior strength & conditioning Mike Beere
Club doctor Dr. Matt Giles
Chief scout Tim Henderson

Source:[121]

Manager history

Source:[122]

Records

 
Cardiff set club records when buying Gary Medel in 2013 and selling him a year later

The record for the most appearances in all competitions is currently held by Billy Hardy who appeared in 590 matches for the club between 1911 and 1932, including in the Southern Football League.[123] Phil Dwyer has made the most appearances in the Football League era, having played in 575 matches. Len Davies is the club's top goalscorer with 179 goals in all competitions. Seven other players, Peter King, Robert Earnshaw, Brian Clark, Carl Dale, Derek Tapscott, Jimmy Gill and John Toshack have also scored 100 or more goals for the club.[124]

Jack Evans became the first Cardiff City player to win an international cap on 13 April 1912 when he represented Wales in a 3–2 defeat of Ireland. The player who has won the most caps as a Cardiff player is Aron Gunnarsson, who won 62 caps for Iceland during his spell with the club.[125][126] The highest transfer fee the club has paid for a player is £15 million for Emiliano Sala from Nantes in January 2019.[127] Two days after signing, Sala died in a plane crash in the English Channel.[128] Gary Medel became the most expensive player sold by the club when he joined Inter Milan for £10 million in August 2014.[129]

Cardiff's largest victory was a 16–0 victory over Knighton Town in the fifth round of the Welsh Cup in 1962. Their biggest league victory was a 9–2 victory over Thames on 6 February 1932; their biggest FA Cup victory was an 8–0 victory over Enfield on 28 November 1931.[130]

Honours

Cardiff City's honours include the following:[131]

League

First Division (Tier 1)

Second Division / Championship (Tier 2)

Third Division South/Third Division (Tier 3)

Fourth Division / Third Division (Tier 4)

Southern Football League Second Division

  • Champions: 1912–13[132]

Cup

FA Cup

FA Charity Shield

Football League Cup

Welsh Cup

FAW Premier Cup

Sources

References

  1. ^ "Premier League Handbook 2018–19" (PDF). Premier League. 30 July 2018. (PDF) from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Hayes 2006, p. 208
  3. ^ a b c Tucker, Steve (9 May 2012). "The obscure story of Cardiff City's blue kit and nickname". WalesOnline. Media Wales. from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b Hayes 2003, p. 5
  5. ^ Grandin 2010, p. 11
  6. ^ a b c Shepherd 2002, p. 4
  7. ^ a b c d Shepherd, Richard (19 March 2013). . Cardiff City F.C. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  8. ^ a b Grandin 2010, p. 12
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Cardiff City". Football Club History Database. from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
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Bibliography

  • Shepherd, Richard (2007). The Cardiff City Miscellany. Sussex: Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1-905411-04-7.
  • Shepherd, Richard (2002). The Definitive: Cardiff City F.C. Nottingham: SoccerData Publications. ISBN 1-899468-17-X.
  • Hayes, Dean P. (2003). The South Wales Derbies. Manchester: The Parrs Wood Press. ISBN 1-903158-43-5.
  • Hayes, Dean (2006). The Who's Who of Cardiff City. Nottingham: Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-462-0.
  • Grandin, Terry (2010). Cardiff City 100 Years of Professional Football. Vertical Editions. ISBN 978-1-904091-45-5.

External links

  • Cardiff City F.C. Official website
  • Cardiff City F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
  • Cardiff City stats at Football Club History Database

cardiff, city, cardiff, city, redirects, here, other, uses, cardiff, city, disambiguation, this, article, about, football, club, women, team, women, cardiff, city, football, club, welsh, clwb, pêl, droed, dinas, caerdydd, professional, association, football, c. Cardiff City redirects here For other uses see Cardiff City disambiguation This article is about the men s football club For the women s team see Cardiff City F C women Cardiff City Football Club Welsh Clwb Pel droed Dinas Caerdydd is a professional association football club based in Cardiff Wales It competes in the Championship the second tier of the English football league system Founded in 1899 as Riverside A F C the club changed its name to Cardiff City in 1908 and entered the Southern Football League in 1910 before joining the English Football League in 1920 The team has spent 17 seasons in the top tier of English football the longest period being between 1921 and 1929 Their most recent season in the top flight was the 2018 19 Premier League season Cardiff CityFull nameCardiff City Football ClubNickname s The BluebirdsShort nameCAR CCFC CityFounded1899 124 years ago 1899 as Riverside A F C GroundCardiff City StadiumCapacity33 316 1 OwnerVincent TanChairmanMehmet DalmanManagerSabri LamouchiLeagueEFL Championship2021 22EFL Championship 18th of 24WebsiteClub websiteHome coloursAway coloursThird coloursCurrent seasonCardiff is the only team from outside England to have won the FA Cup doing so in 1927 They have also reached three other cup finals in English competitions the 1925 FA Cup Final against Sheffield United the 2008 FA Cup Final against Portsmouth and the 2012 Football League Cup Final against Liverpool suffering defeat on each occasion They have won the Welsh Cup on 22 occasions making them the second most successful team in the competition s history behind Wrexham With the exception of a short period this century the team has played in home colours of blue and white since 1908 from which their nickname The Bluebirds derives Cardiff s first permanent ground was Ninian Park which opened in 1910 it remained in use for 99 years until the club moved into the Cardiff City Stadium in 2009 Cardiff has long standing rivalries with nearby clubs Swansea City with whom they contest the South Wales derby and Bristol City with whom they contest the Severnside derby The club s record appearance holder is Billy Hardy who made 590 appearances in a 20 year playing spell with Cardiff and their record goalscorer is Len Davies with 179 goals Contents 1 History 1 1 Early years 1899 1920 1 2 1920s success and later decline 1920 1945 1 3 Post war and European competition 1945 2000 1 4 Foreign investment 2000 present 2 Support 2 1 Rivalry 3 Stadium 3 1 Ninian Park 3 2 Cardiff City Stadium 4 Colours kit and crest 4 1 Colours 4 2 Crest history 4 3 Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors 5 Players 5 1 First team squad 5 2 Out on loan 5 3 Retired numbers 5 4 Under 23 and Academy 5 5 Notable former players 5 6 Backroom staff 6 Manager history 7 Records 8 Honours 8 1 League 8 2 Cup 9 Sources 9 1 References 9 2 Bibliography 10 External linksHistory EditMain article History of Cardiff City F C Early years 1899 1920 Edit Following a meeting at the home of lithographic artist Bartley Wilson in Cardiff 2 the club was founded in 1899 as Riverside A F C as a way of keeping players from the Riverside Cricket Club together and in shape during the winter months 3 4 In their first season they played friendlies against local sides at their Sophia Gardens ground In 1900 they joined the Cardiff amp District League for their first competitive season 5 When King Edward VII granted Cardiff city status in 1905 the club put in a request to the South Wales and Monmouthshire Football Association to change their name to Cardiff City 3 The request was turned down as they were deemed not to be playing at a high enough level To enhance their standing the team arranged to join the South Wales League in 1907 The following year they were granted permission to change the name of the club to Cardiff City 6 7 Although growing in stature the club was forced to turn down the opportunity to join the newly formed Second Division of the Southern Football League due to a lack of facilities at their Sophia Gardens ground Over the next two years Cardiff played friendlies against some of Britain s top professional sides including Middlesbrough Bristol City and Crystal Palace The matches were played at grounds in Cardiff and nearby towns so as to gauge the level of public interest in the team 8 The club eventually secured land to build their own stadium Ninian Park which was completed in 1910 The club turned professional the same year They made their first signing the following year with the acquisition of Jack Evans from fellow Welsh side Cwmparc 7 With the new ground in place Cardiff joined the Southern Football League Second Division 9 and appointed their first manager Davy McDougall who became player manager 10 They went on to finish in fourth place in their first year in the league The board decided to replace McDougall with Fred Stewart who had previous managerial experience with Stockport County 2 He set about adopting a more professional approach signing several players with Football League experience including brothers John and George Burton and Billy Hardy Stewart led the team to promotion in his second season by winning the Second Division title They remained in the First Division for the next decade and finished in the top four on two occasions 7 11 1920s success and later decline 1920 1945 Edit In 1920 the club submitted a successful application to join the Football League and were placed into the Second Division for the 1920 21 season 7 Stewart brought in several players with Football League experience breaking the club s transfer record on two occasions to sign Jimmy Gill and later Jimmy Blair from The Wednesday They played their first match in the Football League on 28 August 1920 defeating Stockport County 5 2 12 The side finished the season in second place to win promotion to the First Division 9 They finished behind Birmingham City on goal average and reached the semi final of the FA Cup 13 In their third season in the top tier the team finished runners up to Huddersfield Town because of a goal average difference of 0 024 9 13 14 Cardiff drew their final match 0 0 as club record goalscorer Len Davies missed a penalty 13 Yearly table position since Cardiff City joined the Football League 9 The following season was the first time Cardiff appeared at Wembley Stadium having reached their first FA Cup final 9 The team lost 1 0 to Sheffield United following a goal from England international Fred Tunstall 13 The 1926 27 season when they finished in 14th position was Cardiff s worst performance in the top tier of English Football since winning promotion six seasons before However they reached their second FA Cup final in the space of two years 13 On St George s Day 23 April 1927 at Wembley Stadium in London Cardiff became the only non English side to win the FA Cup by defeating Arsenal 1 0 in the final 15 Hughie Ferguson scored the only goal of the game in the 74th minute He received the ball from Ernie Curtis and hurried a tame shot toward the goal 16 Dan Lewis the Arsenal goalkeeper allowed the shot to slip through his grasp and knocked the ball into the net with his elbow 17 Captain Fred Keenor received the FA Cup trophy at the end of the match from King George V only seven years after Cardiff City had entered the Football League 13 When the team returned to Cardiff the next day a crowd of around 150 000 people lined the streets to welcome them 18 The side also won the Welsh Cup in 1927 defeating Rhyl 2 0 They went on to win the FA Charity Shield after beating amateur side the Corinthians 2 1 at Stamford Bridge 19 13 20 The club entered a period of decline after their cup success They were relegated from the First Division in the 1928 29 season despite conceding fewer goals than any other side in the division 21 They suffered a second relegation two years later dropping into the Third Division South for the first time since they joined the Football League 9 During their first season in the division Cardiff recorded their biggest ever win when they beat Thames by a scoreline of 9 2 22 They finished the 1932 33 season in 19th place resulting in manager Fred Stewart tendering his resignation from his post after 22 years in charge 13 Club founder Bartley Wilson stepped in to replace Stewart Results continued to be disappointing and in March 1934 Ben Watts Jones was given the opportunity to manage the club he had supported as a youngster He was unable to turn the team s fortunes around they finished the season at the bottom of the table and had to apply for re election to the league 2 Watts Jones remained in charge for another three years until Bill Jennings replaced him Cardiff remained in the Third Division South until the Football League was suspended following the outbreak of World War II 9 13 Post war and European competition 1945 2000 Edit In their first season since the resumption of the Football League under new manager Billy McCandless Cardiff finished the 1946 47 season as champions of the Third Division South and returned to the Second Division 23 McCandless left the club soon after and was replaced by Cyril Spiers who led the side to promotion in the 1951 52 season 9 24 Cardiff returned to the top tier of English football for the first time in 23 years and stayed there for five seasons 13 They were relegated after in 1957 after struggling in the bottom half of the table for three seasons 24 They returned to the First Division for two seasons between 1960 and 1962 before they were again relegated 9 Cardiff City playing Oxford United at Ninian Park in 1983 During the 1960s Cardiff participated in European competition for the first time as a result of winning the Welsh Cup which granted qualification to the newly created European Cup Winners Cup 25 Their first ever match in European competition was in the tournament during the 1964 65 season against Danish side Esbjerg fB The team won 1 0 on aggregate over two legs the only goal being scored by Peter King 26 They went on to reach the quarter finals before being knocked out by Real Zaragoza 9 Despite their exploits in Europe the team were still struggling in league competition under the stewardship of Jimmy Scoular finishing in 20th position in the Second Division 27 Two years later the team reached the semi final of the Cup Winners Cup after victories over Shamrock Rovers NAC Breda and Torpedo Moscow set up a tie with German side Hamburg 9 whose squad contained several German internationals This remains the furthest any Welsh side has advanced in European competition 28 After a 1 1 draw in the first leg over 43 000 fans turned out at Ninian Park to watch Hamburg win 3 2 27 29 During the 1970 71 season Cardiff reached the quarter finals of the Cup Winners Cup where they faced Spanish side Real Madrid The first leg of the tie was held at Ninian Park where 47 000 fans watched one of the most significant victories in Cardiff s history when Brian Clark headed in to give Cardiff a 1 0 win 6 30 They were later eliminated after losing the second leg 2 0 27 The team remained in the Second Division for 19 of the 20 seasons between 1962 and 1982 having been relegated to the Third Division for the 1975 76 season 9 31 Cardiff were continuously in the lower two divisions of the Football League between 1985 and 1993 The club appointed several managers in attempts to turn the team s performances around with limited success 31 They were relegated to the Fourth Division once in the 1985 86 season and despite returning to the Third Division on two occasions they finished in their lowest ever league position in 1996 22nd of 24 in Division Three 32 In 1995 Cardiff and other Welsh clubs competing in English leagues were banned from entering the Welsh Cup by the Football Association of Wales after pressure from UEFA 33 who did not want teams playing in two national cup competitions 34 Their final match in the competition was a 2 1 defeat to Wrexham in the 1995 final 9 Foreign investment 2000 present Edit In August 2000 Lebanese businessman Sam Hammam purchased control of the club and replaced Steve Borley as chairman 35 36 Shortly after taking over he controversially pledged to get the entire Welsh nation to support Cardiff by renaming the club The Cardiff Celts and changing the club colours to green red and white 37 After lengthy talks with senior players and fans he decided the best policy was not to change the name of the club The club crest was redesigned the new design incorporated the Cardiff City bluebird in front of the Flag of Saint David and featured the club s nickname superimposed at the top of the crest 38 Hammam funded the transfers of several new players to the club and new manager Lennie Lawrence guided Cardiff to promotion when they won the Second Division play off in 2003 against Queens Park Rangers 39 Substitute Andy Campbell came off the bench to score the only goal in extra time and ensure Cardiff s return to Division One after an 18 year absence 35 The club experienced increasing financial difficulties over the next few years and plans for a new stadium failed to gain approval from Cardiff Council because of concerns over financial security in 2006 35 Hammam then agreed to a takeover by a consortium led by new chairman Peter Ridsdale and the lead developer of the new stadium Paul Guy 40 During the 2007 08 season Cardiff reached the semi final of the FA Cup for the first time in 81 years after beating Middlesbrough 2 0 on 9 March 2008 35 After coming through their semi final against Barnsley with a 1 0 win at Wembley Stadium on 6 April with a goal from Joe Ledley 41 they eventually lost 1 0 to Portsmouth in the final 35 Manager Neil Warnock and players lift the 2017 18 EFL Championship runner up trophy In May 2010 Datuk Chan Tien Ghee took over as club chairman following a takeover bid by a Malaysian consortium Vincent Tan also invested and joined the board 42 43 Tan later became the Cardiff s majority shareholder after buying out several other directors and acquired around 82 of the club s shares 44 In 2011 the club appointed Malky Mackay as manager 45 He took the side to the League Cup final for the first time in the club s history during his first season 9 The following season Cardiff won the 2012 13 Championship title and with it gained promotion to the top tier of English football for the first time after 52 years 46 47 On 18 August 2013 Cardiff played their first ever away Premier League match against West Ham United losing 2 0 48 Cardiff won only three games in the first half of the season and on 27 December 2013 Mackay was sacked by Vincent Tan and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 49 50 Despite the change in management Cardiff were relegated to the Championship after a single season following a 3 0 away defeat to Newcastle United 51 Solskjaer himself was sacked on 18 September 2014 after a disappointing start to the following Championship season and replaced by Leyton Orient manager Russell Slade 52 In October 2016 Neil Warnock was appointed first team manager of Cardiff 53 Warnock took over the team with Cardiff second from the bottom of the table after two wins from eleven games and guided the side to a 12th placed finish after a good run of form 54 The start of the 2017 18 season saw Cardiff break a club record by winning their opening three league games of a season the first time in the club s 107 year professional history 55 They proceeded to clinch promotion to the Premier League after finishing second in the table 56 However they were relegated back to the Championship after a single season 57 Warnock resigned as manager in November 2019 following a poor start to the season and was replaced by Neil Harris 58 59 Harris guided Cardiff to a 5th placed finish before suffering defeat in the Championship playoff semi final 60 After a run of six straight defeats Harris was sacked on 21 January 2021 61 beginning a chain of short term hirings His replacement Mick McCarthy was appointed the following day 62 but was relieved of his duties less than a year later with the side 2 points above relegation 63 The club s under 23 manager Steve Morison was appointed as caretaker manager before signing an 18 month contract after guiding the Bluebirds to safety 64 Morrison was sacked in September 2022 and replaced by Mark Hudson who lasted only 4 months in the role before he too was dismissed in January 2023 65 In December 2022 Cardiff City were issued a transfer embargo by Fifa which was lifted in January 2023 66 67 The club are also appealing against an embargo from the English Football League which prevents them paying fees for players until May 2024 67 In March 2023 Cardiff City reported an operating loss of 29 million for the 2021 22 season 68 Support EditCardiff has a large catchment area from which to draw its supporter base With only two professional teams Swansea City and Newport County sharing the South Wales region the club enjoys considerable support from both the city of Cardiff and the surrounding South Wales Valleys 69 As a Welsh club playing in the English football league system national identity is believed to be a major factor in fan support and some of the club s matches are considered to be Welsh cross border rivalries with England 69 70 During the 1980s as the club struggled in the lower divisions of English football crowds dropped to an average of 3 000 per match An increase in the club s fortunes saw a steady improvement in crowd numbers The average attendance at home matches rose from 3 594 to 12 522 between 1997 and 2002 71 Promotion to the second tier in 2003 brought further increases in numbers The opening of the Cardiff City Stadium led to average attendances reaching 20 000 fans culminating with highs of between 28 000 and 31 000 during two seasons in the Premier League 72 73 Despite this increase the club has often been regarded as attracting fewer spectators than similarly placed teams This has been attributed to several factors such as the club s controversial change to red shirts between 2012 and 2015 some supporters being perceived as fairweather fans and a lack of atmosphere 72 74 Cardiff City fans performing the Ayatollah in 2011 Welsh national identity also contributes to the supporter culture of the club Men of Harlech a song largely made famous by the 1964 film Zulu which depicted a battle involving a Welsh regiment 75 and I ll Be There a take on a miner s song that was popular during the 1926 United Kingdom general strike are both frequently sung before and during matches 76 The Ayatollah an act involving raising both arms up and down above the head in a patting motion has become synonymous with the club and its supporters as a celebratory gesture since its adoption in the early 1990s 77 78 The action has become popular with Cardiff fans outside football to show support for the club with boxer Nathan Cleverly 79 Olympic swimmer David Davies and rugby player Gareth Thomas all having performed the action at some points of their careers 77 80 Rivalry Edit See also South Wales derby and Severnside derby Referee Mike Dean receiving treatment after being struck by a projectile in a South Wales derby in 2009 Known as the South Wales derby Cardiff City s most significant rivalry is with nearby neighbours Swansea City and over 100 games have been played in all competitions between the sides Swansea s first competitive match following their founding in 1912 was against Cardiff in the Southern Football League 4 The rivalry had been relatively friendly until the 1970s and 1980s Economic issues such as the UK miners strike rivalry between the two cities and an increase in football hooliganism led to numerous violent clashes between fans at the matches One game in 1993 was dubbed The Battle of Ninian Park for its particularly severe violence and resulted in away fans being banned from attending any matches between the sides for four years 81 82 83 Cardiff player Jason Perry described the period as the dark dark days of the derby 84 When the ban was dropped bubble trips were introduced for away fans who could only attend matches via police escorted convoys to and from the stadium 81 82 Further political divide between the two cities was caused by the Welsh devolution referendum in 1997 when Cardiff was chosen as the site for the newly created Senedd despite the majority of the city voting against devolution 82 Swansea which largely voted in favour of devolution received funding for a national swimming pool instead 82 Alan Curtis who played for both sides commented I think Cardiff has always been perceived to receive whatever funding is going around It seems to me that everything gets channelled in that direction 81 Further afield the club has a rivalry with Bristol City known as the Severnside derby and to a lesser extent Bristol Rovers There is also a lesser rivalry with Welsh neighbours Newport County due to the proximity of the two Welsh cities they have rarely played against each other since the 1980s due to Cardiff being in higher leagues In total they have only ever played 20 Football League games against each other A survey by Football Fans Census in 2003 saw Swansea Bristol City and Newport listed as Cardiff s main three rivalries with Stoke City matching Newport in third 85 In the 1980s a hooligan group known as the Soul Crew emerged from within the club s fanbase 86 The group became notorious for their violent clashes with rival supporters and brawls between sets of supporters at football matches and other events 87 88 Stadium EditNinian Park Edit Main article Ninian Park The front of Ninian Park in 2005 Cardiff s first ground was at Sophia Gardens recreational park where the team played from their founding in 1899 until 1910 89 With increasing support for the club Bartley Wilson contacted Bute Estate who owned large amounts of Cardiff at the time in an attempt to find land suitable for building a stadium They eventually agreed on an area of waste ground on Sloper Road The land was a former rubbish tip and required extensive work to get a playable surface but with the assistance of Cardiff Corporation and volunteers the work was completed 8 The original intention was to name the ground Sloper Park 90 but Ninian Park was chosen instead after Lord Ninian Crichton Stuart who was a driving force behind the ground s construction 91 The ground hosted its first match on 1 September 1910 with a friendly against Aston Villa 6 Lord Crichton Stuart ceremonially kicked off the game 90 The stadium was built with one stand A second which replaced an earth embankment and could hold 18 000 people was opened in 1928 It hosted its first international match in March 1911 with a Welsh match against Scotland 90 Towards the end of its lifespan the ground was replaced for international fixtures by Cardiff Arms Park as doubts mounted over the safety of the aging ground 92 The club s record attendance in the ground is 57 893 which was achieved during a league match against Arsenal on 22 April 1953 93 The scaling down of grounds throughout the 1970s and 1980s due to safety fears which saw the ground capacity fall to 22 000 meant that the record stood until the ground s closure In its final years of use the club was forced to seek special dispensation from authorities to keep the remaining standing areas of the ground open beyond the three year period given to clubs at Championship level or above to remove them 94 95 Cardiff City Stadium Edit Main article Cardiff City Stadium Cardiff City Stadium pitch in 2010 In June 2009 the club completed construction of a 26 828 seat stadium on the site of the now demolished old Cardiff Athletics Stadium at a cost of 48 million 96 97 The ground was named the Cardiff City Stadium Three of the four stands retained the names used at Ninian Park the Grange End the Canton Stand and the Grandstand and the fourth stand was named the Ninian Stand 96 The ground s naming rights were expected to be sold the club hoping to generate up to 9 million income they remain unsold 96 Although a pre season friendly against Chasetown was played at the ground with limited capacity to test safety features 98 the stadium was officially opened with a friendly against Scottish side Celtic on 22 July 2009 99 The first competitive match played at the ground was on 8 August 2009 the opening day of the 2009 10 season as Cardiff won 4 0 over Scunthorpe United 100 When it opened the Cardiff Blues rugby union club left their Cardiff Arms Park home to share the new stadium with Cardiff City 101 The move proved unpopular among fans of the rugby club which returned to Cardiff Arms Park in 2012 102 A few years after the stadium was built plans to upgrade and expand the stadium were initiated The expansion plans were completed in August 2014 and the seating capacity was raised to 33 316 In March 2015 it was announced that the Ninian Stand extension was to be shut for the 2015 16 season due to poor ticket sales dropping the capacity to 27 978 103 It was reopened the following year due to an increase in demand 104 In February 2023 the stadium was awarded the Level Playing Field s Centre of Excellence Award in recognition of its accessible facilities and services 105 Colours kit and crest EditColours Edit When Riverside A F C was formed in 1899 the club used a chocolate brown and amber checkered shirt 3 Following the club s name change to Cardiff City in 1908 they adopted a blue shirt and white or blue shorts and socks although for the first nine years black socks were used Kit changes over the club s history have included all blue kits the introduction of a yellow vertical stripe during the 1970s and alternating blue stripes 38 In 2012 Cardiff controversially changed their home kit colours from the traditional blue white and yellow to red and black 106 the first time the club had not worn blue as its primary colour since 1908 The crest was also changed to one in which the Welsh Dragon was more prominent than the traditional bluebird These changes were made to appeal in international markets as part of a major investment plan unveiled by chairman Vincent Tan 107 The rebranding provoked strong opposition from the fans who organised protest marches and demonstrations to voice their displeasure at the changes 108 109 Despite Tan previously stating that the club would only return to wearing blue if another owner was found on 9 January 2015 after three seasons playing in the red kit the club reverted their home kit back to blue with a red away kit in a bid to unite the club 110 111 Original strip used as Riverside A F C before 1908 Cardiff s original colours from 1908 until the 1920s Cardiff s lighter blue strip used between 1926 and 1930 Dark blue shirts returned between 1930 and 1992 All blue kits were used in 1992 1996 and 2000 2007 The 2009 10 strip with yellow being re added Cardiff briefly wore red between 2012 and 2015 Cardiff reverted to blue during the 2014 15 seasonCrest history Edit From 1908 Cardiff played in unadorned shirts This changed in 1959 when they played in shirts with a simple crest featuring an image of a bluebird The following season their shirts were plain and unadorned and remained so until 1965 when they played in shirts with the word Bluebirds embroidered 38 A new crest similar to the one used previously and again featuring a bluebird was introduced in 1969 Variations of this crest have been used over the years In the 1980s extra features including words and motifs were added A major change was made in 2012 when owner Vincent Tan attempted to rebrand the club to expand its appeal outside Wales 112 This change gave large prominence to the Welsh Dragon reducing the bluebird to a minor feature In March 2015 Cardiff announced a new crest which would once again feature the Bluebird predominantly with a Chinese dragon replacing the standard Welsh dragon 113 Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors Edit Period Kit manufacturer 38 Shirt sponsor 38 1973 82 Umbro None1983 Whitbread Wales1984 Superted Camilleri Roofing1984 85 Merthyr Motor Auctions1985 87 Admiral Airways Cymru1987 88 Buckley s Brewery1988 89 Scoreline1989 90 Havelet1990 91 None1991 92 Influence1992 94 Bluebirds South Wales Echo1994 95 Strika1995 96 Influence1996 97 Lotto1997 98 Errea Gilesports1998 99 Xara Sports Cafe1999 2000 Modplan2000 02 Ken Thorne Group2002 03 Puma Leekes2003 05 Redrow Homes2005 06 Joma2006 08 Communications Direct2008 09 Vansdirect2009 10 Puma 777 com 114 SBOBET2009 102010 112011 14 Malaysia tourist board and BBC Cymru2014 15 Cosway Sports2015 22 Adidas2022 New BalancePlayers EditFirst team squad Edit As of 28 January 2023 115 116 Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player1 GK ENG Ryan Allsop2 DF ATG Mahlon Romeo3 DF IRL Joel Bagan5 DF IRL Mark McGuinness6 MF ENG Ryan Wintle8 MF ENG Joe Ralls captain 9 FW ENG Kion Etete10 MF ENG Sheyi Ojo11 MF IRL Callum O Dowda12 MF ENG Tom Sang15 DF WAL Oliver Denham17 DF NGA Jamilu Collins18 MF GAM Ebou Adams19 MF SKN Romaine Sawyers20 MF NIR Gavin Whyte No Pos Nation Player21 GK ENG Jak Alnwick22 DF ENG Vontae Campbell23 DF CIV Cedric Kipre on loan from West Bromwich Albion 24 MF WAL Eli King25 MF ENG Jaden Philogene on loan from Aston Villa 26 DF ENG Jack Simpson27 MF WAL Rubin Colwill28 GK ENG Rohan Luthra29 FW WAL Mark Harris31 FW ENG Connor Wickham35 MF ENG Andy Rinomhota38 DF ENG Perry Ng39 FW WAL Isaak Davies47 FW IRL Callum Robinson48 FW GUI Sory Kaba on loan from Midtjylland Out on loan Edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player GK ENG Dillon Phillips to KV Oostende until 30 June 2023 14 MF ENG Ollie Tanner to York City until 30 June 2023 No Pos Nation Player36 FW ENG Max Watters to Barnsley until 30 June 2023 FW WAL Kieron Evans to Torquay United until 30 June 2023 Retired numbers Edit Main article Retired numbers in association football Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player7 MF ENG Peter Whittingham 2007 2017 Under 23 and Academy Edit For more details on this topic and current academy squads see Cardiff City F C Under 23s and Academy Cardiff runs a youth academy catering to groups from ages seven to eighteen years 117 Recent players to come through the youth system include Wales internationals Joe Ledley Chris Gunter Aaron Ramsey Adam Matthews Darcy Blake Declan John Rabbi Matondo Mark Harris and Rubin Colwill 118 prior to the youth system being granted academy status Robert Earnshaw and James Collins 119 120 Notable former players Edit Main articles List of Cardiff City F C players and List of Cardiff City F C internationals Backroom staff Edit Position NameManager Sabri LamouchiAssistant manager Sol BambaFirst team coaches Tom RamasutDean WhiteheadGoalkeeper coach James WoodHead of physical performance Johnny NortheastFootball support executive Lee SouthernwoodHead of medical services Matthew MaySenior physiotherapist James RowlandFirst team physiotherapist Chris LewisHead of first team analysis Jack RadusinSenior first team amp recruitment analyst Patrick DeboysSenior strength amp conditioning Mike BeereClub doctor Dr Matt GilesChief scout Tim HendersonSource 121 Manager history EditMain article List of Cardiff City F C managers Name Nat From To 122 Davy McDougall 1910 1911Fred Stewart 1911 1933Bartley Wilson 1933 1934Ben Watts Jones 1934 1937Bill Jennings 1937 1939Cyril Spiers 1939 1946Billy McCandless 1946 1948Cyril Spiers 1948 1954Trevor Morris 1954 1958Bill Jones 1958 1962George Swindin 1962 1964Jimmy Scoular 1964 1973Lew Clayton Caretaker 1973 1973Frank O Farrell 1973 1974Jimmy Andrews 1974 1978Richie Morgan 1978 1981Graham Williams 1981 1982Len Ashurst 1982 1984Jimmy Goodfellow amp Jimmy Mullen Caretakers 1984 1984Jimmy Goodfellow 1984 1984Alan Durban 1984 1986Jimmy Mullen Caretaker 1986 1986Frank Burrows 1986 1989Len Ashurst 1989 1991Eddie May 1991 1994 Name Nat From 122 To 122 Terry Yorath 1994 1995Eddie May 1995 1995Kenny Hibbitt 1995 1996Phil Neal 1996 1996Kenny Hibbitt Caretaker 1996 1996Russell Osman 1996 1998Kenny Hibbitt Caretaker 1998 1998Frank Burrows 1998 2000Billy Ayre 2000 2000Bobby Gould 2000 2000Alan Cork 2000 2002Lennie Lawrence 2002 2005Dave Jones 2005 2011Malky Mackay 2011 2013David Kerslake Caretaker 2013 2014Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 2014 2014Scott Young amp Daniel Gabbidon Caretakers 2014 2014Russell Slade 2014 2016Paul Trollope 2016 2016Neil Warnock 2016 2019Neil Harris 2019 2021Mick McCarthy 2021 2021Steve Morison 2021 2022Mark Hudson 2022 2023Dean Whitehead Caretaker 2023 2023Sabri Lamouchi 2023 Source 122 Records EditMain article List of Cardiff City F C records and statistics Cardiff set club records when buying Gary Medel in 2013 and selling him a year later The record for the most appearances in all competitions is currently held by Billy Hardy who appeared in 590 matches for the club between 1911 and 1932 including in the Southern Football League 123 Phil Dwyer has made the most appearances in the Football League era having played in 575 matches Len Davies is the club s top goalscorer with 179 goals in all competitions Seven other players Peter King Robert Earnshaw Brian Clark Carl Dale Derek Tapscott Jimmy Gill and John Toshack have also scored 100 or more goals for the club 124 Jack Evans became the first Cardiff City player to win an international cap on 13 April 1912 when he represented Wales in a 3 2 defeat of Ireland The player who has won the most caps as a Cardiff player is Aron Gunnarsson who won 62 caps for Iceland during his spell with the club 125 126 The highest transfer fee the club has paid for a player is 15 million for Emiliano Sala from Nantes in January 2019 127 Two days after signing Sala died in a plane crash in the English Channel 128 Gary Medel became the most expensive player sold by the club when he joined Inter Milan for 10 million in August 2014 129 Cardiff s largest victory was a 16 0 victory over Knighton Town in the fifth round of the Welsh Cup in 1962 Their biggest league victory was a 9 2 victory over Thames on 6 February 1932 their biggest FA Cup victory was an 8 0 victory over Enfield on 28 November 1931 130 Honours EditCardiff City s honours include the following 131 League Edit First Division Tier 1 Runners up 1923 24Second Division Championship Tier 2 Champions 2012 13 Runners up 1920 21 1951 52 1959 60 2017 18Third Division South Third Division Tier 3 Champions 1946 47 South Runners up 1975 76 1982 83Fourth Division Third Division Tier 4 Champions 1992 93 Runners up 1987 88 2000 01Southern Football League Second Division Champions 1912 13 132 Cup Edit FA Cup Winners 1926 27 Runners up 1924 25 2007 08FA Charity Shield Winners 1927Football League Cup Runners up 2011 12Welsh Cup Winners 1911 12 1919 20 1921 22 1922 23 1926 27 1927 28 1929 30 1955 56 1958 59 1963 64 1964 65 1966 67 1967 68 1968 69 1969 70 1970 71 1972 73 1973 74 1975 76 1987 88 1991 92 1992 93 Runners up 1928 29 1938 39 1950 51 1959 60 1993 94 1994 95FAW Premier Cup Winners 2001 02 Runners up 1997 98 1999 2000Sources EditReferences Edit Premier League Handbook 2018 19 PDF Premier League 30 July 2018 Archived PDF from the original on 12 May 2019 Retrieved 12 May 2019 a b c Hayes 2006 p 208 a b c Tucker Steve 9 May 2012 The obscure story of Cardiff City s blue kit and nickname WalesOnline Media Wales Archived from the original on 22 August 2017 Retrieved 21 August 2017 a b Hayes 2003 p 5 Grandin 2010 p 11 a b c Shepherd 2002 p 4 a b c d Shepherd Richard 19 March 2013 1899 1920 Foundations amp the Early Years Cardiff City F C Archived from the original on 22 June 2016 Retrieved 22 January 2017 a b Grandin 2010 p 12 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cardiff City Football 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Teams com Hayes 2006 pp 218 219 Abbandonato Paul 19 January 2019 Cardiff City announce signing of goal ace Emiliano Sala in club record 15m deal WalesOnline Media Wales Archived from the original on 20 January 2019 Retrieved 19 January 2019 Doel Jon 7 February 2019 Emiliano Sala confirmed dead as body in plane wreckage formally identified WalesOnline Media Wales Archived from the original on 9 February 2019 Retrieved 8 February 2019 Inter Milan Cardiff City s Gary Medel joins club for 10m BBC Sport 9 August 2014 Archived from the original on 11 August 2014 Retrieved 27 August 2014 Club records Cardiff City F C Archived from the original on 8 July 2017 Retrieved 12 August 2017 Cardiff City football club honours 11vs11 com AFS Enterprises Archived from the original on 12 August 2017 Retrieved 12 August 2017 Shepherd 2002 p 16 Bibliography Edit Shepherd Richard 2007 The Cardiff City Miscellany Sussex Pitch Publishing ISBN 978 1 905411 04 7 Shepherd Richard 2002 The Definitive Cardiff City F C Nottingham SoccerData Publications ISBN 1 899468 17 X Hayes Dean P 2003 The South Wales Derbies Manchester The Parrs Wood Press ISBN 1 903158 43 5 Hayes Dean 2006 The Who s Who of Cardiff City Nottingham Breedon Books ISBN 1 85983 462 0 Grandin Terry 2010 Cardiff City 100 Years of Professional Football Vertical Editions ISBN 978 1 904091 45 5 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cardiff City F C Cardiff City F C Official website Cardiff City F C on BBC Sport Club news Recent results and fixtures A collection of items relating to Cardiff City Football Club s historic victory against Arsenal in the 1927 FA Cup Cardiff City stats at Football Club History Database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cardiff City F C amp oldid 1146073421, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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