How did Newton Heath LYR Football Club become Manchester United? You asked, we answered
We all think we know almost everything there is to know about our beloved Manchester United.
However, during our weekly topic requests, we came across a very interesting suggestion from our user Dee - who wanted to know about Newton Heath and whether or not there's any mention of it when players sign new contracts and/or official documents.
Well, for all you history buffs, take a seat because this is going to be a wild ride!
Where it all started
To start things off, remember the year 1878 because that's when Newton Heath LYR Football Club was founded by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot.
Our initial opponents only included other departments and rail companies at North Road (more on that later). In about a year's time, we became part of The Combination - a regional football league.
That was an ill-fated spell though as the league itself had to be dissolved before the first season even came to an end. As a result, Newton Heath then joined the Football Alliance for the next three seasons.
Meanwhile, in the 1892–93 season of the Football League, the teams associated with Football Alliance merged in and the body became one. And that was how we started playing in the First Division at the time.
That was also the time that the club decided to drop "LYR" from the name since that's when we split from the railway company. For the next 100 years, we remained under private ownership but in the following two seasons, United were relegated.
What about North Road?
North Road was to Newton Heath what Old Trafford is to us. In other words, that was our first home ground.
It is a football and cricket ground that is located in Newton Heath, Manchester and was one of the founding steps that led to the growth and development of our club.
It initially consisted of just one pitch and could support 12,000 supporters at a time. In 1891, however, the capacity was extended to 15,000.
Bankruptcy and the birth of Manchester United
In 1902, Newton Heath FC were close to declaring bankruptcy. But as fate would have it, the then-captain Harry Stafford reached out to four local businessmen - all of whom invested £500 each. Keeping that in mind, on April 24 that year, the club's name was changed to "Manchester United".
The name was changed and so was the outlook that helped usher in a new era.
Later, in 1990, the club went public and property trader Michael Knighton and Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB corporation did a takeover. That's how it continued for a while until the pivotal year of 2003.
The Glazer revolution
In 2003, American businessman Malcolm Glazer announced a stake in the club. Before the year ended, he raised his ownership from 3.17% to around 15% - which marked a steep jump.
Subsequently, in October the next year, he doubled his holdings. Eventually, by May 2005, he took control of 75% of the club's shares. In the month that followed, the Glazers owned 98% of Manchester United.
Do contracts and official documents still mention Newton Heath?
To answer our user Dee, no. From a legal standpoint, there is no reason to still mention Newton Heath in official documents since the club not only changed its name to Manchester United but also have a different owner.
Since the name was officially changed, it seems likely that it was done following due legal procedure. That would mean that Newton Heath simply no longer exists as a legal entity anymore.
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