 | |||
| Full name | Port Vale Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Valiants[1] | ||
| Short name | Vale, PVFC | ||
| Founded | 1876; 149 years ago (1876) (disputed)[2][a] 1879; 146 years ago (1879) (speculated)[4] 1907; 118 years ago (1907) (reestablished)[3] | ||
| Ground | Vale Park,Burslem,Stoke-on-Trent | ||
| Capacity | 16,800[5] | ||
| Coordinates | 53°2′59″N2°11′33″W / 53.04972°N 2.19250°W /53.04972; -2.19250 | ||
| Owner | Synsol Holdings Limited[6] | ||
| Chairlady | Carol Shanahan[7] | ||
| Manager | Darren Moore | ||
| League | EFL League One | ||
| 2024–25 | EFL League Two, 2nd of 24 (promoted) | ||
| Website | port-vale | ||
 Current season | |||
Port Vale Football Club are a professionalfootball club based inBurslem,Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete inEFL League One, the third tier of theEnglish football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on theTrent and Mersey Canal. They have never played top-flight football, and hold the record for the most seasons in theEnglish Football League (113) without reaching the first tier.[8] After playing at theAthletic Ground inCobridge and theOld Recreation Ground inHanley, the club returned to Burslem whenVale Park was opened in 1950. Outside the ground is a statue ofRoy Sproson, who played 842 competitive games for the club. The club's traditional rivals areStoke City, and games between the two are known as thePotteries derby.
After becoming one of the more prominent football clubs inStaffordshire, Burslem Port Vale were invited to become founder members of theFootball League Second Division in1892. They spent 13 non-consecutive seasons in the division, punctuated by two seasons in theMidland League before they resigned due to financial difficulties and entered liquidation in 1907. The name of Port Vale continued in the North Staffordshire Federation League, and this new club was successful enough to be reinstated into the Football League in 1919. They spent 16 non-consecutive seasons in the Second Division, punctuated by winning theThird Division North title in1929–30, before dropping back into the third tier for a much longer stay at the end of the 1935–36 campaign. The1953–54 season saw managerFreddie Steele's "Iron Curtain" defence win both a Third Division North title and a semi-final place in theFA Cup. They failed to build on this success, however, although they went on to finish as champions of the firstFourth Division season underNorman Low's stewardship in1958–59.
The club had little success throughout the 1960s and 1970s, despite being briefly managed byStanley Matthews, and were forced to apply for re-election after breakingFA rules on illegal payments in 1968.Gordon Lee guided the club topromotion back to the Third Division the following season, where they would remain untilrelegation at the end of the 1977–78 campaign.John McGrath steered the club to promotion in 1982–83, though he departed after relegation became inevitable the following season. His assistant,John Rudge, became the club's longest-serving and most successful manager, leading the club from 1983 to 1999. Under his leadership Port Vale won promotions in1985–86,1988–89 and1993–94, lifted theFootball League Trophy in1993 and reached a post-war record finish of eighth in the second tier in the1996–97 season.
After Rudge's reign ended, the club entered a decline, slipping into the fourth tier whilst twice enteringadministration in 2003 and 2012. The decline was arrested when managerMicky Adams achieved automatic promotion fromLeague Two in the2012–13 season, though they were relegated back into League Two at the end of the2016–17 season after a failed experiment with a continental staff and playing style.Carol Shanahan bought the club in 2019 and managerDarrell Clarke secured promotion out of the League Twoplay-offs at the end of the2021–22 season, and though they were relegated at the end of the2023–24 season, they secured an immediate promotion under new managerDarren Moore in2024–25.
The official story reported on the club website is that Port Vale F.C. was formed in 1876, following a meeting at Port Vale House, from where the club was supposed to have taken its name.[2] However, documented evidence of football from that era is exceptionally scarce and research by historianJeff Kent indicated that it was probably formed in 1879 as an offshoot of Porthill Victoria F.C. and took its name from the valley of canal ports where the team played.[9][10] In the club's early days the team played their football at Limekiln Lane,Longport and from 1880 at Westport.[11] The club moved to Moorland Road inBurslem in 1884, changing its name to Burslem Port Vale in the process, though stayed in Burslem for just one year before both turning professional and moving toCobridge to play at theAthletic Ground.[12] In1892, the club were invited to become founder members of theFootball League Second Division after proving themselves a strong club in theMidland League.[13] They spent 13 seasons in the Second Division, either side of a two-season return to the Midland League (1896–97 and 1897–98).[14]
The club were forced to resign from the league at the end of the1906–07 season and were subsequently liquidated.[15] However, the name of Port Vale was continued after ambitious minor league side Cobridge Church opted to change their name. The new club subsequently moved into their new home of theOld Recreation Ground inHanley in 1912. They returned to the Football League inOctober 1919, taking over the fixture list ofLeeds City in the Second Division, who were forced to disband because of financial irregularities.[16]Wilf Kirkham made his Vale debut in October 1923, and over the next ten years would score aclub record 164 league and cup goals, including a club record 41 goals in the1926–27 campaign.[17]
The club wererelegated for the first time at the end of the1928–29 season, going from the Second Division to theThird Division North.[18] They came up as champions thefollowing season and in the1930–31 season were placed fifth in the second tier of English football, their highest ever league finish.[19] Vale went to beatChesterfield by a club record 9–1 margin on 24 September 1932.[20] However, after these achievements, the club were once again relegated in the1935–36 season and remained in the third tier untilWorld War II.[21]
Port Vale moved into their new home ofVale Park in 1950, and a year laterFreddie Steele was appointed clubmanager.[22] Steele quickly established himself at the club, masterminding the celebrated 'Iron Curtain' defence.[22] The1953–54 season saw Vale winning the Third Division North title as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing out to eventual winnersWest Bromwich Albion in controversial fashion, in which anAlbert Leake goal was disallowed foroffside.[22] Three years later, the club were again relegated, and once again became founder members of a division – this time theFootball League Fourth Division.[22] ManagerNorman Low instilled an attacking philosophy and in the1958–59 season guided the team to the Fourth Division title with a club record 110 goals scored.[22]
Vale ended a six-season stay in the Third Division with relegation at the end of the1964–65 campaign.[23] In 1967, formerBallon d'Or winnerStanley Matthews succeededJackie Mudie as manager. However, he resigned a year later after Vale were expelled from the Football League for allegedly making illegal payments to players in contravention ofFA rules – this punishment was reduced on appeal to a re-election vote, which the club won.[24]Gordon Lee took the helm following this punishment, and steered the club topromotion at the end of the1969–70 campaign.[25] However, the 1970s did not prove a successful period for the Valiants, as the club languished in the bottom half of the Third Division for much of the decade. Lee left in 1974, and a succession of managers failed to prevent relegation in1977–1978.[26] The1979–80 season saw Port Vale finish 20th in the Fourth Division (88th overall), the club's worst ever finish.[27] Despite this poor finish inJohn McGrath's first season, they eventually achieved their first success in 13 years in1982–83 by winning promotion out of the Fourth Division in third place.[28]
Following McGrath's dismissal, his assistantJohn Rudge was appointed manager in December 1983.[29] Though he was unable to halt Vale's immediate return to the bottom tier of the Football League, he succeeded in steadying the ship.[30] Helped by the goals of prolific WelshmanAndy Jones, Vale were promoted back to the third tier in1985–86 after losing just once at Vale Park in the league all season.[31] A major cup upset came on 30 January 1988, when Vale defeatedFirst Division sideTottenham Hotspur 2–1, thanks to a superb strike fromRay Walker.[32] After three seasons in the third tier, Rudge's Vale achieved another promotion in1988–89 afterRobbie Earle scored the winning goal at Vale Park to complete a 2–1aggregateplay-off final victory overBristol Rovers; this marked the club's return to the Second Division after a 33-year absence.[33]
Vale suffered relegation on the final day of the1991–92 league campaign, and though they bounced back well by staying in the promotion picture for most of the1992–93 season, they narrowly missed out as runners-up to local rivalsStoke City after being overtaken byBolton Wanderers on the final day.[34] Instead Vale would visitWembley twice in just over a week. They firstly ran out as 2–1 winners againstStockport County inthe final of theFootball League Trophy.[35] However, they then lost3–0 in the play-off final to West Bromwich Albion.[36] Vale recovered from this setback and went on to confirm promotion as runners-up on the final day of the1993–94 season. During the1995–96 season, Vale recorded one of their greatest FA Cup giant killings when they defeated holders Everton 2–1.[37] The team also had some success in theAnglo-Italian Cup, as they qualified for the final at Wembley, where theylost 5–2 to the ItalianSerie B sideGenoa.[38] Vale made a slow start to the1996–97 campaign, with protests forming against chairmanBill Bell, and the sale ofSteve Guppy toLeicester City for £800,000. Despite this, Rudge masterminded an eighth-place finish – their highest in the pyramid since 1931.
In1997–98, relegation was avoided on the final day of the season with a 4–0 win overHuddersfield Town, at the expense ofManchester City and Stoke City.[39] Thenext season was another struggle. John Rudge was controversially sacked in January 1999.[40] He was replaced by former playerBrian Horton, who spent big to secure the club's second consecutive final-day escape from relegation.[41] There was no avoiding relegation in1999–2000, though, as they were some 13 points short of safety. Horton led the club to Football League Trophy success in 2001, asMarc Bridge-Wilkinson andSteve Brooker scored the goals to secure a 2–1 victory overBrentford inthe final at theMillennium Stadium.[42] In December 2002, Bill Bell called in the administrators, with the club around £1.5 million in debt.[43]
The club came out of administration in2003–04 under a fan-ownership consortium headed byBill Bratt's Valiant 2001 consortium.[44] However, Horton left in February 2004, unwilling to accept the financial cutbacks imposed by the new board, and was replaced by former playerMartin Foyle.[45] Foyle was dismissed in November 2007, and his successor,Lee Sinnott, proved unable to prevent the club from being relegated intoLeague Two after a 23rd-place finish and also oversaw a defeat toSouthern League Division One Midlands clubChasetown in the FA Cup.[46] Sinnott was sacked in September 2008 and following an unsuccessful tenure fromDean Glover,Micky Adams was appointed as the club's new manager in June 2009.[47][48] Adams left the club in December 2010 with Vale second in the table andJim Gannon was selected to finish the promotion job.[49][50] However, Gannon's turbulent reign ended after 74 days.[51] Adams returned as manager at the end of the2010–11 campaign, but this was not enough to appease fans who demanded a change in the boardroom after a series of promised investments failed to come to fruition.[52]
Genuine hopes of promotion in2011–12 were brought to an end after the club was issued with awinding up petition byHM Revenue and Customs on 29 February 2012; the club were by this time unable to pay tax bills, creditors, or staff wages.[53] The club enteredadministration on 9 March.[54] The club finally exited administration on 20 November 2012,[55] andTom Pope scored 33 goals to fire Vale to promotion back toLeague One with a third-place finish.[56] They stabilised in the division under new bossRob Page, before chairmanNorman Smurthwaite orchestrated the departure of Page and his squad in favour of the club's first foreign manager,Bruno Ribeiro, in June 2016.[57][58] The result was relegation back intoLeague Two at the end of the2016–17 season, after which Smurthwaite resigned as chairman.[59] He returned to the role the following season and threatened to put the club into administration if a buyer was not found by May 2019, a fate which was avoided whenCarol and Kevin Shanahan completed their takeover.[60] ManagerDarrell Clarke returned from close family bereavement to lead Vale through theLeague Two play-off semi-finals at the end of the2021–22 season.[61] Promotion was secured with a 3–0 victory overMansfield Town inthe final.[62] Clarke was sacked on 17 April 2023,[63] and was succeeded by his assistantAndy Crosby. They reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup for the first time during the2023–24 season.[64] Crosby was sacked in February,[65] and was replaced byDarren Moore.[66] However, Port Vale were relegated to League Two at the end of the season.[67] Moore led the club to bounce back with an immediate promotion in the2024–25 campaign.[68]
Around November 1920, club chairman Frank Huntbach came up with the nickname of "the Valiants".[70] The following year the club adopted their familiar white and black strip after having experimented with numerous colours, including plain red, gold and black stripes, claret and blue, and even during 1898–1902 playing in the red and white stripes now used by rivalsStoke City for over a century. However, thekit soon changed to plain red shirts with white shorts in 1923, a style which lasted until 1934, when the white shirt, black shorts and socks kit was re-adopted. Between 1958 and 1963, the club adopted various gold and black designs before once again returning to the black-and-white theme.[69]
The initial club crest was modelled on the coat of arms of the Borough of Burslem.[71] From 1952 to 1956 the club used a Staffordshire knot with the letters "PVFC" inside it.[71] Four years later a more complex badge emerged, again based on the Burslem coat of arms but this time also featuring the scythe of theTunstall arms, the fretted cross ofAudley, and twoJosiah Wedgwood pots.[69] The crest was removed in 1964, and replaced by a 'P.V.F.C.' monogramme, which in turn was abandoned in 1978.[69] For the next four years the club switched to a design of a knight on a horse with the text "Port Vale" at the top.[71] From 1982 the club introduced a design based on that of a schoolchild who won a competition, which featured abottle oven and theStafford knot, associated with the city ofStoke-on-Trent'spottery industry and the history of the local area.[69][71] The current crest was introduced in February 2013, which was a modern rehash of the crest the club introduced in 1956; it included local historical references: the Portland Vases representing Josiah Wedgwood, the Scythe coming from the house crest of the Sneyd family and the silver cross appearing from the house crest of theAudley family, as well as theStafford knot above the crest.[72]
A table of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below:[73]
| Kit suppliers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Supplier | |
| 1974–1976 | Admiral | |
| 1977–1978 | Bukta | |
| 1978–1979 | Admiral | |
| 1980–1983 | Adidas | |
| 1983–1986 | Hobott | |
| 1986–1987 | Bourne Sports | |
| 1987–1988 | New Olympic | |
| 1989–1991 | Bourne Sports | |
| 1991–1995 | Valiant Leisure | |
| 1995–2001 | Mizuno | |
| 2001–2003 | Patrick | |
| 2003–2012 | Vandanel | |
| 2012–2014 | Sondico | |
| 2014–2018 | Erreà | |
| 2018–2019 | BLK | |
| 2019–2023 | Erreà | |
| 2023– | Puma | |
| Shirt sponsors | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Sponsor |
| 1979–1980 | TI Creda |
| 1981–1982 | BGR |
| 1983–1984 | PMT |
| 1984–1985 | EDS |
| 1985–1986 | ECCI |
| 1986–1987 | Browns Transport |
| 1987–1990 | ABC Minolta Copiers |
| 1990–1992 | Kalamazoo |
| 1992–2003 | Tunstall Assurance |
| 2003–2005 | Tricell |
| 2005–2007 | BGC Gas |
| 2007–2008 | Sennheiser |
| 2008–2012 | Harlequin Property |
| 2012–2013 | UK Windows Systems Ltd |
| 2013–2017 | GMB |
| 2017–2019 | Manorshop.com |
| 2019–2025 | Synectics Solutions |
When they joined theEnglish Football League in 1892, Port Vale played at their fourth home ground. They began at the Meadows in Limekiln Lane,Longport, now Scott Lidgett Road,[74] and then moved on to Westport Meadows in 1881, where they played for three years.[74] An area prone to flooding, todayWestport Lake now lies where the ground once stood.[74] In 1884, the club moved to the Burslem Football and Athletic ground, where they would stay for just two years.[74] Located close toBurslem railway station, the club took the area's name.[74] The first match was a 6–0 win overEverton in afriendly and the ground also hostedFA Cup matches for the first time.[74] It proved to be inadequate however. Port Vale moved on to theAthletic Ground.[74] Located opposite the church on Waterloo Road, directly on theHanley andBurslem tram line, it played host to the club for 27 years, including twelve Football League seasons.[12] It was so named as it also hosted athletics.
TheOld Recreation Ground was Vale's home from 1913 to 1950 and was located inHanley, standing on what is now themulti-storey car park for thePotteries Shopping Centre. The club endured hard financial times duringWorld War II and sold the ground to the council, who were reluctant to allow the club to rent it back.[75] The club received £13,500 for the ground, which they needed to pay off a £3,000 debt.[76]
Vale Park has been Port Vale's home ground since 1950; it is located on Hamil Road, opposite Burslem Park. Originally planned to be as massive as an 80,000-capacity stadium, the development was known as the "Wembley of the North".[77] However, the £50,000 project opened at a capacity of 40,000 (360 seated), which is still highly ambitious.[75] The capacity was increased to a sell-out of 49,768 for an FA Cup tie withAston Villa in 1960.[75] The stadium underwent numerous upgrades afterBill Bell was elected as chairman in 1987, who aimed to make it "fit for thePremiership".[78] Outside the ground are statues toRoy Sproson, who played 842 competitive games for the club, and longtime manager John Rudge.[79][80]
The club has afierce rivalry withStoke City, as City are based in the town ofStoke-upon-Trent.[81] Stoke and Vale first met on 2 December 1882 and played out a total of 44 Football League games up until 10 February 2002, when the two clubs last met in the Second Division; Stoke won the first match 1–0, whilst Vale were 1–0 victors in the latest encounter.[82]
Port Vale also maintain a fiery rivalry withCrewe Alexandra, which has taken on greater significance since Stoke were promoted to a higher league than Vale at the end of the2001–02 season.[83] One study in 2019 ranked the Port Vale-Stoke City rivalry as the joint-28th biggest rivalry in English professional football, with the Port Vale-Crewe Alexandra game being the 14th biggest rivalry.[84] Vale also maintain rivalries withShrewsbury Town andWalsall, as well as less significant rivalries withBurton Albion,Wolverhampton Wanderers andMacclesfield Town.[85][86]
The club's officialmatchday programme was published from 1949 to 2024.[87] It was voted the best in League Two in 2010–11.[88] Supporters also produced three unofficialfanzines. The oldest areThe Memoirs of Seth Bottomley printed in the 1990s but now defunct and theVale Park Beano, which has been printed since 1997; the Beano took its name as a dig atStoke's stadium being constructed partially with the funding of the local council.[89][90]Derek I'm Gutted! is also a long-running fanzine, and has been printed since August 2000; the name was inspired by a remark by then-managerBrian Horton to local journalist Derek Davis following a defeat toTranmere Rovers.[91] TheOneValeFan fansite is the largest independent Port Vale website and has been running since 1996; it was originally titledThere's only one Vale fan in Bristol? in reference to founder Rob Fielding's location.[92][93] TheAle and the Valepodcast won the Real EFL League One Podcast of the Year award in 2023.[94]
The club's most famous supporter is singerRobbie Williams, raised in Stoke-on-Trent. Before administration in 2012, he was a major shareholder, having bought £240,000 worth of available shares in the club in February 2006.[95] For this investment, a restaurant atVale Park is named after him.[96] For the football gameFIFA 2000, he provided an original theme song with "It's Only Us", on the condition that Port Vale should be included in the game, which they were, located in the Rest of World section. This song was also featured on the only FIFA Soundtrack CD release byEMI.[97] In 2005 Williams foundedLos Angeles Vale F.C., a Super Metro League team in the United States, named after Port Vale and based at hisL.A. home. His best friend, TV presenterJonathan Wilkes, is also a Vale fan.[98] Another famous fan isdarts legendPhil Taylor; Burslem born, "The Power" is a 16-time world champion of the sport.[99] The singerSimon Webbe was signed up to the club'syouth team as a teenager until atornligament at age 17 put an end to any sporting ambitions.[100] The children's illustrator and authorBob Wilson, is also a fan.[101] HisStanley Bagshaw series of books is set in an area based on Stoke, and the protagonist supports a thinly disguised version of the Vale; even basing a book on their 1954 Cup run – albeit with a successful conclusion.[102]
Port Vale's highest Football League finish was fifth place in theSecond Division (second tier) in1930–31, whilst their bestFA Cup finish saw them reach the semi-finals in1953–54.[103] In the2023–24 season, they reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup for the first time.[64] Port Vale's largest Football League victory was a 9–1 win overChesterfield in the Second Division in 1932, while the heaviest loss was 10–0 toSheffield United in 1892 in the same division.[103] Other club record scorelines include a 16–0 victory over Middlewich in a friendly in 1884 and a 12–0 defeat toAston Villa in theStaffordshire Senior Cup in 1891.[103]
The record for the most appearances for Port Vale is held byRoy Sproson, who played 842 matches in all competitions.[104] Sproson also holds the record for the most league appearances for the club, with 760. His nephew,Phil Sproson, made 500 appearances in all competitions.Wilf Kirkham is the club's top goalscorer with 164 goals in all competitions, which includes 153 in the league and 11 in the FA Cup.[105] Kirkham's tally of 41 goals in the1926–27 season is also a club record.[106]Tom Pope andMartin Foyle have also scored more than 100 goals for the club. The first player to becapped at the international level while playing for Vale wasTeddy Peers when he made his debut forWales.[103] The most capped player isChris Birchall, who earned 27 caps forTrinidad and Tobago while at the club.[107] The first Vale player to score in an international match wasSammy Morgan, who scored forNorthern Ireland againstSpain on 16 February 1972.[108]
The club's highest attendance atVale Park is 49,768 against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on 20 February 1960, whilst the lowest is 554 againstMiddlesbrough U21 in theEFL Trophy on 16 October 2018.[103] The highesttransfer fee received for a Vale player is £2,000,000 fromWimbledon forGareth Ainsworth on 29 October 1998, while Ainsworth was also the most expensive player bought, costing £500,000 fromLincoln City on 11 September 1997.[109] The youngest player to play for the club isNelson Agho, who was aged 15 years and 262 days on his debut againstWalsall in the EFL Trophy on 13 November 2018.[110] The oldest player isTom Holford, who played his last match aged 46 years and 68 days againstDerby County in the Second Division on 5 April 1924.[111]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Port Vale Ladies was formed in 2017 and won the Staffordshire County League in their maiden season before they reached theWest Midlands Premier Division at the start of the 2024–25 season.[113][114] The name was changed to Port Vale F.C. Women at the end of the 2020–21 season.[115] The women's section also runs girls teams at under-9, under-11, under-12, under-13, under-14 and under-16 level.[113]
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Manager: | Darren Moore |  Jamaican |
| Lead First-Team Coach: | Jamie Smith |  English |
| First-Team Coach: | Simon Ireland | English |
| First-Team Coach: | Martin Devaney | English |
| Goalkeeping Coach: | Gary Walsh | English |
| Honorary Club Presidents: | John Rudge &Robbie Williams | English |
Tom Morgan was the first Port Vale manager to win a league title with the club, taking them to the top of theThird Division North at the end of the1929–30 season.[117]Freddie Steele repeated the feat during the1953–54 campaign, also taking the club to the semi-finals of theFA Cup.[118] He was followed byNorman Low, who led Vale to theFourth Division title in1958–59.[119]Gordon Lee (1969–70),John McGrath (1982–83),Micky Adams (2012–13),Darrell Clarke (2021–22) andDarren Moore (2024–25) also secured promotions.[120][68]John Rudge led the club to three promotions –1985–86,1988–89 and1993–94 – as well as aFootball League Trophy title in1993.[121] His successor,Brian Horton also secured a Football League Trophy final victory in2001.[122]
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