Bell's Football Chronicle

Royal Engineers Football Club

21 Jun 2025 10:52

Pioneers of the Beautiful Game

Formed in 1863 in Chatham, Kent, the Royal Engineers Association Football Club—known affectionately as the Sappers—holds a unique place in football history. As a regiment of the British Army, they were one of the very first teams to adopt association football as their primary sport. By 1869, they were playing it exclusively. Led by Major Francis Marindin, the Royal Engineers recorded their earliest known fixture against civilian opposition in March 1867, defeating the No Names Club 3–0 on home turf.

St. Domingo’s Football Club

20 Jun 2025 22:54

From the Pews to the Pitch (1878 - 1879)

The St. Domingo Methodist New Connexion Chapel (a Protestant nonconformist church) opened in 1871 on Breckfield Road North in Everton, Liverpool. It was named after its location at the corner of Breckfield Road North and St. Domingo Vale. The name "St. Domingo" in the area traces back to St. Domingo House, a residence built in 1758 by George Campbell, a West Indies trader and sugar refiner who regularly visited the Colony of Santo Domingo and later became Mayor of Liverpool in 1763.

Newton Heath Football Club

15 Jun 2025 19:43

Green & Gold Beginnings (1878–1887)

Newton Heath LYR Football Club was founded in 1878 by railway workers from the Carriage and Wagon department of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (LYR) depot in Newton Heath, Manchester. The Company granted permission for the employees to start a football club with Frederick Attock appointed as the new club's president. The LYR suffix was added to the club's name to distinguish it from other departments who also had football clubs, such as the Motive Power Division who were known as Newton Heath Loco. Newton Heath LYR wore green and gold, mirroring the railway company's colours.