This is a timeline of sport in Greater Manchester,
19th Century
1810s
1816
Manchester Cricket Club is founded
1840s
1842
First use of referee in football. For a match in Rochdale, between the Bodyguards club and the Fearnaught club
1850s
1857
Old Trafford Cricket Ground is opened in Old Trafford, Manchester as the home of Manchester Cricket Club
1860s
1864
Lancashire County Cricket Club is formally constituted at a meeting of thirteen Lancashire cricket clubs in Manchester, with Old Trafford Cricket Ground as its home base 1865 Lancashire County Cricket Club joins the County Championship and plays its initial important match against Middlesex at Old Trafford
1870s
1874
Bolton Wanderers F.C. is formed
1878
Newton Heath LYR Football Club is formed by the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, Manchester (later known as Manchester United F.C.)
1880s
1880
St Mark's (West Gorton) football club is formed in Manchester
1883
Heaton Norris Rovers is formed (later to become Stockport County F.C.) 1884 10–12 July – Old Trafford Cricket Ground hosts the first Ashes Test in England, which ends in a draw 1885 Bury F.C. is established
1890s
1890
Heaton Norris Rovers are renamed Stockport County F.C. 1893 Manchester Football League is founded 1894 31 March – Notts County F.C. defeat Bolton Wanderers 4–1 in the 1894 FA Cup Final St Mark's (West Gorton) football club and Aldwick Association FC are renamed Manchester City F.C. 1895 Bury F.C. win the Second Division Pine Villa F.C. is founded (later to become Oldham Athletic A.F.C.) 1899 Pine Villa F.C are renamed Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
20th Century
1900s
1900
21 April – Bury F.C. defeat Southampton F.C. 4–0 in the 1900 FA Cup Final
1902
J.H. Davies takes over near bankrupt Newton Heath (L&YR) F.C. and changes its name to Manchester United F.C. 1903 18 April – Bury F.C. defeat Derby County F.C. 6–0 in the 1903 FA Cup Final 1904 23 April – Manchester City F.C. defeat Bolton Wanderers F.C. 1–0 in the 1904 FA Cup Final, to win their first FA Cup 1907 Rochdale A.F.C is founded 1908 Manchester United F.C. win their first league (First Division) title 1909 24 April – Manchester United defeat Bristol City F.C. 1–0 in the 1909 FA Cup Final, to win their first FA Cup Manchester United win the inaugural Charity Shield
1920s
1923
28 April Bolton Wanderers defeat West Ham United F.C. 2–0 in the 1923 FA Cup Final, the first final to be held at Wembley, known as the White Horse Final Manchester City move to Maine Road 1926 24 April – Bolton Wanderers defeat Manchester City 1–0 in the 1926 FA Cup Final Belle Vue Stadium is opened as a greyhound racing track in Belle Vue, Manchester. It has also been used for motorcycle speedway, as the home ground of Elite League team Belle Vue Aces from 1988 until 2015, and from 1999 until 2019 for stock car racing and banger racing 1928 White City Speedway (Manchester) is opened for dirt track racing 1929 27 April – Bolton Wanderers defeat Portsmouth F.C. 2–0 in the 1929 FA Cup Final, to win the FA Cup for the third time
1930s
1930
White City Speedway (Manchester) is closed
1932
Wigan Athletic F.C. is formed
1933
29 April – Everton F.C. defeat Manchester City 3–0 in the 1933 FA Cup Final
1934
28 April – Manchester City defeat Portsmouth F.C. 2–1 in the 1934 FA Cup Final
84,569 watch Manchester City defeat Stoke City at Maine Road in the FA Cup 6th Round, the biggest crowd ever recorded for an English game outside of Wembley Stadium 1937 Manchester City win their first-ever league title 1938 Manchester City become the first and only defending Champions to be relegated
1940s
1948
17 January – 83,260 watch Manchester United vs Arsenal at Maine Road, to become the highest attendance at an English league game 24 April – Manchester United defeat Blackpool F.C. 4–2 in the 1948 FA Cup Final, to end a 37-year trophy drought 1949 24 May - Radcliffe F.C. is founded