York City F.C. played at Fulfordgate in Fulford, on the southern outskirts of York, from 1922 to 1932. It was difficult for most supporters to reach, being a good distance from the railway station, and the tram service to Fulford only had a single track. Attendances declined in the club's second and third seasons in the Football League, which the directors blamed on Fulfordgate's location. One director, G. W. Halliday, became convinced that the only solution was to move to a new ground. York Cricket Club left Bootham Crescent, their home for around 50 years, for a new ground at Wigginton Road in January 1932. Preliminary discussions and visits to Bootham Crescent took place, and the directors believed that renting the ground would be cheaper than repaying the debts on Fulfordgate. Further, Bootham Crescent was situated near the centre of the city, and the population living within a mile of the site was, at 30,000, 10 times that within a similar radius of Fulfordgate. However, two former directors argued that attendances at many grounds had fallen during the Great Depression, and that the approaches and surrounds to Bootham Crescent were limited.