History of Manchester United F.C. (1878–1945) History of Manchester United F.C. (1878–1945) Manchester United Football Club was formed in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR Football Club by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. The team initially played games against other departments and rail companies at their home ground at North Road, but by 1888 the club had become a founding member of The Combination, a regional football league. However, following the league's dissolution before the end of its first season, Newton Heath joined the newly formed Football Alliance, which ran for three seasons before being merged with
F.C. United of Manchester through Manchester. F.C. United are the largest fan-owned football club in the United Kingdom by number of members and have one of the highest home attendances in English non-league football. The club is democratically run by its members who have equal voting rights and own one share in the club each. The club was founded in 2005 by disaffected supporters of Manchester United. Although there were varying reasons for their dissatisfaction, the catalyst for F.C. United's formation was the 12 May 2005 takeover of Manchester United by American businessman Malcolm Glazer. Supporters first considered forming a breakaway club in 1998