CCCardiff City

Club history

Cardiff City traces its roots to autumn 1899, when Bartley Wilson, a Bristol-born lithographic artist, gathered members of Riverside Cricket Club to form Riverside F.C. as a winter pastime, playing at Sophia Gardens in the club's chocolate-and-amber quarters. Cardiff's designation as a city in 1905 prompted a request to rename the club Cardiff City, initially rejected because the side was deemed too lowly, but granted in 1908 once the club had risen into the South Wales Amateur League. The move to purpose-built Ninian Park in 1910 coincided with the switch to blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks that gave rise to the enduring 'Bluebirds' nickname.

Cardiff enjoyed a golden spell either side of World War I, reaching the FA Cup final in 1925 before winning it in 1927 with a 1-0 defeat of Arsenal -- still the only occasion the trophy has left England. Decades of yo-yoing between divisions followed, with the club spending long stretches outside the top flight. Ninian Park closed in 2009 after 99 years, replaced by the Cardiff City Stadium.

Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan took control in 2010 and controversially rebranded the kit red and black between 2012 and 2015 to court Asian markets, reverting to blue after fierce supporter protest. Cardiff won the Championship in 2012-13 and again in 2017-18 to reach the Premier League, though both promotions were followed swiftly by relegation.

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Cardiff City Official Site - 1899-1920: Foundations & the Early Years

Runner-up finishes (1)

• 1923-24

See the full english top-flight champions list for the winner each of these years.