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Big moments. Local heroes.

Cardiff CityFootball Club

The highs. The heartbreak.
The people who made it.
This is their story.

Founded
1899
Known as
The Bluebirds
Home turf
Cardiff City Stadium
From
Cardiff
The long read

More than a scoreline.

From local beginnings to the big occasions. This is Cardiff City.

An introductory history of the men’s first team, from the club’s origins through 2013. Selected turning points and honours, rather than a complete season archive; later results are outside this edition.

Riverside before Cardiff City

The club began as Riverside in 1899, with Bartley Wilson helping provide a winter sport for cricket players. The Cardiff City name followed in 1908. The origins are local, but the club’s competitive route would connect Welsh football with the English league system. Source →

A remarkable first decade in the league

Cardiff joined the Football League in 1920 and immediately won promotion from Division Two. In 1924 they missed the First Division championship on goal average. An FA Cup final appearance in 1925 showed that this was a sustained period of achievement. Source →

The 1927 cup

Cardiff beat Arsenal 1–0 in the 1927 FA Cup final. It remains the competition’s only victory by a club from outside England. Welsh Cup successes form another part of the honours record, rather than a substitute for that distinctive national-cup achievement. Source →

New ground, renewed ambition

The club left Ninian Park for Cardiff City Stadium in 2009. Further Wembley appearances had brought near misses, but the 2012–13 Championship title delivered promotion to the Premier League. This introduction ends with that return to the top tier. Source →

The moments that mattered

Through the years.

  1. 1899

    Riverside begins

    Bartley Wilson helps establish a winter team for cricketers. [source]

  2. 1908

    Cardiff City

    Riverside adopt the city’s name. [source]

  3. 1920–21

    Football League arrival

    Cardiff enter Division Two and win promotion. [source]

  4. 1923–24

    So close to the title

    Cardiff finish second on goal average. [source]

  5. 1927

    The FA Cup in Wales

    Cardiff beat Arsenal in the final. [source]

  6. 2012–13

    Championship winners

    The title secures Premier League promotion. [source]

Home turf

More than a ground.

Cardiff City Stadium

Ninian Park was Cardiff’s home from 1910 until 2009. The move to Cardiff City Stadium kept the club in the same part of the city.

Read the ground’s history ↗
Club characters

The people behind it.

A few figures from the milestones in this introduction.

The beginnings

Bartley Wilson

Organised the meeting that led to Riverside AFC.

Read the source ↗
A long-serving Bluebird

Phil Dwyer

Made 531 first-team appearances between 1972 and 1985.

Read the source ↗
In the trophy cabinet

Reasons to celebrate.

Selected senior honours and promotions. Competition records ↗

FA Cup

Winners
1926–27

Second Division / Championship

Runners-up · promoted
1920–21

Championship

Champions
2012–13

Welsh Cup

Winners · selected seasons
1911–12, 1926–27
Behind the story

Good stories.
Proper sources.

Written in our own words, with links back to the records. Last reviewed .

  1. Cardiff City FC

    Cardiff City: history and origins ↗

    Background to the club, its identity and the people in this introduction.

  2. Football Club History Database · Richard Rundle

    Cardiff City: competition record ↗

    Competition records; the honours below are a selection within this page’s stated period.

  3. Cardiff City

    Club History: records and honours ↗

    Phil Dwyer’s appearances and the club’s selected records.

  4. Cardiff City

    Home Supporter Guide 2024/25 ↗

    Historical stadium dates and club background. PDF.

A growing record

Our first chapter is an introduction, not an exhaustive archive. We credit existing research and will expand the collection as more material is checked. Our editorial approach ↗

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