On 17th October 1919, just after the start of the 1919/20 season, the footballing authorities "closed down" Leeds City FC and expelled them from the Football League, with their fixtures being taken over by Port Vale.
The Yorkshire Post newspaper described it as "a melancholy spectacle", as the playing squad was sold as if they were cattle. Billy McLeod was bought by Notts County for £1250, John Hampson sold to Aston Villa and Harold Millership sold to Rotherham County both for £1000, while £100 was the bargain price that Lincoln City paid for Francis Chipperfield.
Their whole squad went for around £10,000. You could claim this to be slavery but I would have thought emerging out of that hardship, a new club was soon playing at the Elland Road home of Leeds City called Leeds United!!
The official story reported on the club website is that Port Vale F.C. was formed in 1876, following a meeting at Port Vale House, from where the club was supposed to have taken its name. However, documented evidence of football from that era is exceptionally scarce and research by historian, Jeff Kent, indicateS that the club was probably formed in 1879, as an offshoot of Porthill Victoria F.C. and took its name from the valley of canal ports where the team played. (look up the symbols on the club badge)
In the club's early days the team played their football at Limekiln Lane, Longport and after briefly from 1880, at Westport. The club moved to Moorland Road in Burslem in 1884, changing its name to Burslem Port Vale in the process, though the club stayed in Burslem for just one year before turning professional and moving to Cobridge to play at the Athletic Ground. In 1892, the club was invited to become founder members of the Football League Second Division, after proving themselves a strong club in the Midland League. They spent 13 seasons in the Second Division, either side of a two-season return to the Midland League (1896–97 and 1897–98).
The club was forced to resign from the league at the end of the 1906-7 season and were subsequently liquidated. However, the name of Port Vale was continued after the ambitious minor league side, Cobridge Church, opted to change their name. The new club subsequently moved into its new home at the Old Recreation Ground, in 1912. They returned to the Football League in October 1919, taking over the fixture list of Leeds City in the Second Division, who were forced to disband because of financial irregularities.
As of the 2024-25 season, Port Vale has never played top-flight football; it has spent 41 seasons in the second tier, 48 seasons in the third tier, 24 seasons in the fourth tier of the Football League, as well as 16 seasons in non-league football.
No team has played more Football League seasons (113) without reaching the top-flight.
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