Huddersfield Town were reportedly £25,000 in debt in 1919, and attendances fell to around 3,000. Chairman John Hilton Crowther planned to merge Town with newly formed Leeds United and to relocate to Leeds. The reports galvanised supporters to start fundraising to stave off the move. Shares of £1 had been released, converting the club to a public ownership. After a month of acquiring funds and negotiations, the club stayed in Huddersfield. The team then reached the 1920 FA Cup Final and won promotion to First Division for the first time.