Manchester City: Dominating the Football League

Manchester City Football Club was founded in 1880 under the name St. Mark's (West Gorton) by Anna Connell, the daughter of a churchwarden, and two church members from St. Mark's Church in West Gorton, an industrial suburb in Manchester [^1^]. The team was established to provide recreational activities for local men to reduce social problems in the area, such as alcoholism and gang violence [^2^].

The early years were marked by financial struggles and a lack of success on the pitch. However, after changing their name several times – first becoming Ardwick Association FC in 1887 following a move to Hyde Road stadium and then adopting their current moniker, Manchester City F.C., in 1894 – they began to find their feet on the field.

By joining The Football League Second Division in 1899 [^3^], Manchester City gradually started improving its performance. In just four seasons (1902-1903), they achieved promotion to First Division after winning Second Division title with Billy Meredith being one of key players at that time[^4^]. Their journey continued with FA Cup victory against Bolton Wanderers during season 1903-1904[^5^].

Throughout its history, there have been several "golden eras" for Manchester City:

1. Late-1960s/Early-1970s: Under manager Joe Mercer and assistant Malcolm Allison, Man City won some major titles including First Division championship (1967-68)[^6], FA Cup(1968-69)[^7]_, League Cup(1969-70)[^8], European Cup Winners' Cup(1969–70). Key players during this period included Colin Bell, Francis Lee, Mike Summerbee, and goalkeeper Joe Corrigan.

2. 2011-Present: With the influx of investment from Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008[^9^], Manchester City has experienced unprecedented success. Under managers such as Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini, and Pep Guardiola, they have won several Premier League titles (2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18 , 2018–19 &2020–21) [^10^], FA Cups (2010-11 & 2018–19), Football League/EFL Cups(2013/14 , 15/16 ,17/18 ,18/19 &20/21). Key players during this period: Sergio Aguero,Yaya Toure,Vincent Kompany,Raheem Sterling,Kevin De Bruyne.

Manchester City's main rivals are Manchester United - a rivalry which began with geographical proximity between two clubs' stadiums being just four miles apart in Greater Manchester area. The matches between these teams are often referred to as "Manchester Derby" [11] . Highlights of the derby include:

• April 23rd,1947: A record-breaking attendance of over 83k people at Maine Road for a First Division match.
• September1989 :A memorable 5-1 victory by Man City over United at Maine Road
• April30th;. Sergios Agüero last-minute goal clinching first PL title in their history[^12]

The atmosphere surrounding these derbies is highly charged and tense with significant bragging rights fan engagement both on social media offline conversations among fans

Etihad Stadium originally called City of Manchester stadium was built predominantly for hosting events at2002 Commonwealth Games opening doors Manchester city moved therefrom Maine road in 2003[^13^] .Stadium has a capacity of over 55000 spectators offering comfortable modern facilities fans home advantage played important role club's success with team often enjoying strong support passionate crowds during matches [^14] .

Manchester City supporters, known as the "Cityzens" are reputed for their undying loyalty and passion towards the team. The fan base is spread across various demographics and geographic locations, both within the UK and worldwide.

Notable fan groups include the '1894 Group' who organize chants, tifos, banner displays to create vibrant atmosphere at Etihad Stadium [^15]. Club anthem "Blue Moon" sung by fans before kickoff every match is one of integral traditions that plays crucial part in building enthusiasm sense camaraderie among supporters [^16]

Top 10 Best Moments in Manchester City's History:

1. Winning First Division Championship (1967-68) under Joe Mercer
2. FA Cup victory against Leicester City (1968-69)_
3. European Cup Winners' Cup win defeating Górnik Zabrze(1969–1970)
4. Premier League title triumph dramatic last-minute goal by Sergio Aguero (2011-12 Season)
5. FA Cup Final Win vs Stoke , completing domestic double along with PL Title - 2010/11
6. Breaking multiple records including most points wins goals difference route winning PL title17/18 season Pep Guardiola
7. Clinching Domestic Treble first English men’s football history – EPL FA cup & EFL cup (2018-19) 8.- Defeating Barcelona 3-1 Champions league group stage_match(2016–17) showing they were becoming force reckoned European football_[^17] 9.- Achieving back-back Premier league titles under Pep Guardiola era (2017/18 & 2018/19) 10.- Centurions: City becoming first team score 100 points single PL season – 2017/18 [^18]

[^6]^ ^acimiento: https://sportytell.com/football/list/premier-league-golden-boot-winners-list/#202021-Harry-Kane-Tottenham-HotspurAlan-Shearer-Newcastle-United