Leeds United F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry football itself first originating in Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath L&YR by employees of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, with the company – as the name suggests – covering both historic counties. The club's new owners later changed their name to Manchester United in 1902. Leeds had traditionally been a rugby league city so it was a while before the attraction of football finally appealed to the local people. An association football club was finally made though in 1904, when Leeds City emerged. The two sides clashed for the first time in the Second Division at
Leeds United F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry colours of each football team's home shirts fittingly correspond to the respective rose representing their historic county – Leeds with a white kit, resembling the Yorkshire rose and Manchester United with a red shirt, like the Lancashire rose. However, Manchester United's colours have not always been red and Leeds only adopted their white kit in the 1960s, inspired by Real Madrid. There is a similar rivalry in the sport of cricket, in which matches are contested on a county basis. In this case, the "Roses Match" is the name given to games played between Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Lancashire