Rochdale 1907 Centenary shirt

Rochdale FC were formed in 1907 and accepted into the Manchester League. After one season they joined the Lancashire Combination, a competition that included the reserve sides of several Football League clubs. After winning the Combination title, Rochdale made their first application to join the League but received just one vote.

In 1919, ‘Dale made their second application to join the enlarged Second Division but once again they could not attract enough support. They only had to wait two more seasons, however, before being invited to join the new Northern Section of the Third Division. At the end of their first season, Rochdale had to seek re-election but they then had a run of successful campaigns, narrowly missing out on promotion in 1924 and 1927. During the 1930s the club’s performances fell away and they generally finished near the bottom of the League, having to apply three times for re-election in the years leading up the Second World War.