182-679: Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem , Stoke-on-Trent , England, which compete in EFL League Two , the fourth tier of the English football league system . Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal . They have never played top-flight football, and hold the record for the most seasons in the English Football League (113) without reaching
364-423: A ball around a rectangular field called a pitch . The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it
546-451: A grenade was found at Vale Park , which was later determined to be a training device from World War II. With Kiko and Yates both injured, Ribeiro signed Liverpool Academy left-back Sam Hart on a season-long loan. He also signed 29-year-old former Northern Ireland striker Martin Paterson , who had been a free agent after leaving Blackpool . Vale continued their excellent start to
728-467: A penalty in stoppage time to level the scores at 2–2. Visitors Gillingham led 1–0 at Vale Park on 17 September, before Vale turned round the game completely to achieve a 2–1 victory; manager Justin Edinburgh told the media that he believed the crowd had influenced the referee , to which Jerome Thomas responded on social media by displaying his bruised and bloodied shin . Vale then found themselves in
910-601: A stele of c. 375–400 BCE in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship trophy. Athenaeus , writing in 228 CE, mentions the Roman ball game harpastum . Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence. They all appear to have resembled rugby football , wrestling , and volleyball more than what
1092-460: A transfer request. The playing squad however, continued to grow, with a 12th signing, Monaco reserve team captain Sébastien Amoros , signing a 12-month contract . The signing of 20-year-old midfielder Nathan Ferguson then took the club to 13 new players, and Ribeiro said he wanted to further expand the squad by securing the services of veteran trialist Nathan Tyson . However, he lost
1274-479: A 0–0 draw at home to MK Dons in front of a crowd of just 3,877. Vale beat Wimbledon, 2–0, on 1 April to overtake Shrewsbury, Gillingham and Oldham and finish the day in 18th place. However, they lost 3–0 at Rochdale three days later, losing Pugh to a red card and Knops to a serious knee injury. Vale then suffered a 1–0 defeat at Chesterfield, which dropped them back into the relegation zone. League leaders Sheffield United ran out comfortable 3–0 winners in front of
1456-487: A 0–0 draw with last-placed Shrewsbury Town . Rob Page returned to Vale Park as manager of Northampton Town for the first time on 10 December, and masterminded a 3–2 victory to leapfrog the Vale, who sank to 15th-place. The poor form worsened with a 4–0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon that could have been much heavier without some fine goalkeeping from Alnwick. This caused Smurthwaite to declare that 'Plan B' had been triggered, meaning
1638-410: A 0–0 draw. Ribeiro planned to strengthen his team further though, and was hopeful of signing another goalkeeper, striker, winger and left-back. He achieved one of his targets by bringing in young Birmingham City striker Alex Jones on loan until January. Ribeiro went on to achieve his first win as Vale manager with a 2–0 victory over a poor Southend United side on 13 August. Despite only joining
1820-600: A 1–1 draw despite losing Pugh and Thomas to injury and having to hand a debut to youth team graduate Billy Reeves . Vale came from one goal down to record an important 3–2 victory at home to relegation rivals Swindon Town on 11 March. However, they went on to lose 2–1 at Northampton Town three days later – a damaging defeat as the two teams directly above the relegation zone (Bury and Oldham) both won to leave Vale five points short of safety. Brown acted on 17 March by bringing in former Cameroon international defender André Bikey and re-signing Ryan Taylor on contracts running until
2002-488: A French XI team in 1920, and also made up most of the England team against a Scottish Ladies XI in the same year, winning 22–0. Despite being more popular than some men's football events, with one match seeing a 53,000 strong crowd in 1920, women's football in England suffered a blow in 1921 when The Football Association outlawed the playing of the game on association members' pitches, stating that "the game of football
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#17328548059602184-435: A Vale fan. Another famous fan is darts legend Phil Taylor ; Burslem born, "The Power" is a 16-time world champion of the sport. The singer Simon Webbe was signed up to the club's youth team as a teenager until a torn ligament at age seventeen put an end to any sporting ambitions. The children's illustrator and author Bob Wilson , is also a fan. His Stanley Bagshaw series of books is set in an area based on Stoke, and
2366-404: A Zimbabwean-born former Sweden under-17 international winger from Norwegian 2. divisjon club HamKam . A pair of English players then joined the club, former Premier League veteran winger Jerome Thomas and 22-year-old former Blackburn Rovers forward Anton Forrester . Bookmakers made Vale second favourites for relegation , though Smurthwaite intimated that he expected the club to reach
2548-477: A bid of £1.25 million for the club. This bid was quickly matched by a local consortium fronted by property developer Kevin Jones, the owner and managing director of both ManorShop and ICL (International Computer Logistics) of Kidsgrove. Smurthwaite rejected both offers, saying that "I do not anticipate any further dialogue with either party with regard to the sale." In April 2018, it was revealed that Port Vale had made
2730-442: A caution ( yellow card ) or dismissal ( red card ). A second yellow card in the same game leads to a red card, which results in a dismissal. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in their official notebook. If a player has been dismissed, no substitute can be brought on in their place and the player may not participate in further play. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while
2912-610: A competition, which featured a bottle oven and the Stafford knot , associated with the city of Stoke-on-Trent 's pottery industry and the history of the local area. The current crest was introduced in February 2013, which was a modern rehash of the crest the club introduced in 1956; it included local historical references: the Portland Vases representing Josiah Wedgwood, the Scythe coming from
3094-564: A competitive game, and involved the kicking of a mari , a ball made of animal skin. In North America, pasuckuakohowog was a ball game played by the Algonquians ; it was described as "almost identical to the kind of folk football being played in Europe at the same time, in which the ball was kicked through goals". Phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on
3276-450: A consolation goal to make the score a respectable 3–1. Vale moved back into the play-offs on 12 November after coming from behind to beat Fleetwood Town 2–1 at Vale Park. Fleetwood boss Uwe Rösler said that "Port Vale rode their luck today and I look like Father Christmas so they got a gift today from us". However, Grant was sent off for two bookable offences and suspended for a total of six games and fined £2,000 after he returned to
3458-497: A deadlock; some competitions may invoke replays . A game tied at the end of regulation time may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of penalty shoot-outs (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of
3640-769: A fiery rivalry with Crewe Alexandra , which has taken on greater significance since Stoke were promoted to a higher league than Vale at the end of the 2001–02 season. One study in 2019 ranked the Port Vale-Stoke City rivalry as the joint-28th biggest rivalry in English professional football, with the Port Vale-Crewe Alexandra game being the 14th biggest rivalry. Vale also maintain rivalries with Shrewsbury Town and Walsall , as well as less significant rivalries with Burton Albion , Wolverhampton Wanderers and Macclesfield Town . The club's official matchday programme
3822-400: A goal has been scored or not; this was brought in to prevent controversy. Video assistant referees (VAR) have also been increasingly introduced in high-level matches to assist officials through video replays to correct clear and obvious mistakes. There are four types of calls that can be reviewed: mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card, goals and whether there was a violation during
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#17328548059604004-628: A latex bladder for pressurisation, but modern balls at all levels of the game are now synthetic. As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within IFAB , the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units . The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though use of imperial units remains popular in English-speaking countries with
4186-654: A league title with the club, taking them to the top of the Third Division North at the end of the 1929–30 season. Freddie Steele repeated the feat during the 1953–54 campaign, also taking the club to the semi-finals of the FA Cup . He was followed by Norman Low , who led Vale to the Fourth Division title in 1958–59 . Gordon Lee ( 1969–70 ), John McGrath ( 1982–83 ), Micky Adams ( 2012–13 ) and Darrell Clarke ( 2021–22 ) also secured promotions. John Rudge led
4368-570: 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 indicated that it 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. In the club's early days the team played their football at Limekiln Lane, Longport and from 1880 at Westport. The club moved to Moorland Road in Burslem in 1884, changing its name to Burslem Port Vale in
4550-519: A meeting attended by representatives from Eton , Harrow , Rugby , Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club , formed by former public school pupils in 1857, which led to
4732-426: A penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kick-offs , goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks. A standard adult football match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time. The referee
4914-410: A penalty. Youth team goalkeeper Joe Slinn went on to turn professional at the club, becoming the fifth goalkeeper on the club's books. A Remie Streete header seemed to have handed Vale a comfortable win at Gillingham, but a Josh Parker header five minutes into injury time levelled the game at 1–1. Streete then fractured his leg in a 2–0 defeat at Millwall, as Vale dropped to just one place above
5096-421: A player, as right-back Adam Yates was ruled out of action for seven months with an ankle cruciate ligament injury. Ribeiro broke with tradition by naming three players as joint- captains : goalkeeper Jak Alnwick , veteran full-back Ben Purkiss , and star midfielder Anthony Grant. Nine players made their debut for the club on the opening day of the season at Valley Parade , as Vale held Bradford City to
5278-456: A profit of £466,343 for the 2016–17 season, partly due to £390,000 in player sales and £100,000 in exclusivity payments. Vale faced a home tie with League Two side Stevenage in the First Round of the FA Cup , and managed to progress by edging a narrow game 1–0, but were booed off by sections of the home support. Witnessed by a crowd of just 3,093 (only 173 of which were Stevenage fans), this
5460-416: A relatively recent history of metrication (or only partial metrication), such as Britain. The length of the pitch, or field, for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 90–120 m (100–130 yd) in length and 45–90 m (50–100 yd) in width, provided
5642-456: A season high 8,999 crowd – 4,330 of which were United fans – at Vale Park on Good Friday. Vale put in a decent performance away at Oxford United, but lost the game 2–0 after individual errors from Mehmet and then Smith handed easy chances to the home side. Bolton Wanderers were Vale's final home opponents of the season in an eventful and disastrous game on 22 April, Cicilia was sent off in the first half for two bookable offences, and as Bolton took
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5824-443: A semi-final place in the FA Cup . They failed to build on this success, however, although they went on to finish as champions of the first Fourth Division season under Norman Low 's stewardship in 1958–59 . The club had little success throughout the 1960s and 1970s, despite being briefly managed by Stanley Matthews , and were forced to apply for re-election after breaking FA rules on illegal payments in 1968. Gordon Lee guided
6006-418: A short-term deal. He made his debut at home to Oxford United , and scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot as Vale came back from two goals down at half-time ; Oxford had dominated the game in the first half before Vale initiated a more direct game plan in the second half. Vale could not repeat the feat after going 3–0 down at high-flying Bolton Wanderers after 16 minutes, though did manage to score
6188-567: A similar ancient game ( cuju , or tsu chu ) was played by women during the Han dynasty (25–220 CE), as female figures are depicted in frescoes of the period playing tsu chu . There are also reports of annual football matches played by women in Midlothian , Scotland, during the 1790s. Association football, the modern game, has documented early involvement of women. In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardised rules to prohibit violence on
6370-554: A truce to the nation's civil war in 2006 and it helped further reduce tensions between government and rebel forces in 2007 by playing a match in the rebel capital of Bouaké , an occasion that brought both armies together peacefully for the first time. By contrast, football is widely considered to have been the final proximate cause for the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras . The sport also exacerbated tensions at
6552-432: A variety of positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws. The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards . An athletic supporter and protective cup is highly recommended for male players by medical experts and professionals. Headgear
6734-542: A week. They firstly ran out as 2–1 winners against Stockport County in the final of the Football League Trophy . However, they then lost 3–0 in the play-off final to West Bromwich Albion. Vale recovered from this setback and went on to confirm promotion as runners-up on the final day of the 1993–94 season. During the 1995–96 season, Vale recorded one of their greatest FA Cup giant killings when they defeated holders Everton 2–1. The team also had some success in
6916-553: A year later Freddie Steele was appointed club manager . Steele quickly established himself at the club, masterminding the celebrated 'Iron Curtain' defence. The 1953–54 season saw Vale winning the Third Division North title as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing out to eventual winners West Bromwich Albion in controversial fashion, in which an Albert Leake goal was disallowed for offside . Three years later,
7098-468: A year later after Vale were expelled from the Football League for allegedly making illegal payments to players in contravention of FA rules – this punishment was reduced on appeal to a re-election vote, which the club won. Gordon Lee took the helm following this punishment, and steered the club to promotion at the end of the 1969–70 campaign. However, the 1970s did not prove a successful period for
7280-463: Is governed by FIFA . Under FIFA, there are six continental confederations: AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA . Of these confederations, CONMEBOL is the oldest one, being founded in 1916. National associations (e.g. The FA in England) are responsible for managing the game in their own countries both professionally and at an amateur level, and coordinating competitions in accordance with
7462-410: Is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by
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7644-438: Is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials. A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during
7826-405: Is positioned on each goal line, midway between the two touchlines. The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (24 ft) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws. In front of the goal is the penalty area. This area
8008-800: Is quite unsuitable for females and should not be encouraged." Players and football writers have argued that this ban was, in fact, due to envy of the large crowds that women's matches attracted, and because the FA had no control over the money made from the women's game. The FA ban led to the formation of the short-lived English Ladies Football Association and play moved to rugby grounds. Women's football also faced bans in several other countries , notably in Brazil from 1941 to 1979, in France from 1941 to 1970, and in Germany from 1955 to 1970. Restrictions began to be reduced in
8190-506: Is recognisable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football , the antecedent of all modern football codes , these three games involved more handling the ball than kicking it. Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other ball games played around the world, FIFA has described that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The history of football in England dates back to at least
8372-625: Is the dominant region in women's football, with the United States winning the most FIFA Women's World Cups and Olympic tournaments. Europe and Asia come second and third in terms of international success, and the women's game has been improving in South America. Association football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game . The game is played using a spherical ball of 68–70 cm (27–28 in) circumference, known as
8554-451: Is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is called "additional time" in FIFA documents, but is most commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time , while lost time can also be used as a synonym. The duration of stoppage time is at the sole discretion of
8736-401: Is the world's most popular sport. The game of association football is played in accordance with the Laws of the Game , a set of rules that has been in effect since 1863 and maintained by the IFAB since 1886. The game is played with a football that is 68–70 cm (27–28 in) in circumference . The two teams compete to score goals by getting the ball into the other team's goal (between
8918-435: Is thought to have been borrowed from the slang of Rugby School . Initially spelt assoccer (a shortening of "association"), it was later reduced to the modern spelling. This form of slang also gave rise to rugger for rugby football, fiver and tenner for five pound and ten pound notes , and the now-archaic footer that was also a name for association football. The word soccer arrived at its current form in 1895 and
9100-404: Is to score goals; defenders , who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders , who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, to distinguish them from the goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which
9282-421: The football (or soccer ball ). Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by
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#17328548059609464-473: The 1926–27 season is also a club record. Tom Pope and Martin Foyle have also scored more than 100 goals for the club. The first player to be capped at the international level while playing for Vale was Teddy Peers when he made his debut for Wales . The most capped player is Chris Birchall , who earned 27 caps for Trinidad and Tobago while at the club. The first Vale player to score in an international match
9646-541: The Anglo-Italian Cup , as they qualified for the final at Wembley, where they lost 5–2 to the Italian Serie B side Genoa . Vale made a slow start to the 1996–97 campaign, with protests forming against chairman Bill Bell , and the sale of Steve Guppy to Leicester City for £800,000. Despite this, Rudge masterminded an eighth-place finish – their highest in the pyramid since 1931. In 1997–98 , relegation
9828-515: The Caribbean and Oceania regions (except Australia ) have yet to make a mark in international football. When it comes to men's national teams, Europeans and South Americans continue to dominate the FIFA World Cup, as no team from any other region has managed to even reach the final. These regional trends do not hold true for the women's game, as the United States women's national team has won
10010-448: The Football League Trophy in 1993 and reached a post-war record finish of eighth in the second tier in the 1996–97 season. After Rudge's reign ended, the club entered a decline, slipping into the fourth tier whilst twice entering administration in 2003 and 2012. The decline was arrested when manager Micky Adams achieved automatic promotion from League Two in the 2012–13 season, though they were relegated back into League Two at
10192-438: The following season and in the 1930–31 season were placed fifth in the second tier of English football, their highest ever league finish. Vale went to beat Chesterfield by a club record 9–1 margin on 24 September 1932. However, after these achievements, the club were once again relegated in the 1935–36 season and remained in the third tier until World War II . Port Vale moved into their new home of Vale Park in 1950, and
10374-592: The play-offs under the stewardship of new manager Bruno Ribeiro . Vale were knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two side Carlisle United . They failed to make it out of the group stages of the EFL Trophy as they were unable to score against League Two clubs Doncaster Rovers and Mansfield Town . Ribeiro, the club's first foreign manager, resigned on Boxing Day, with the club languishing in 17th place. Assistant manager Michael Brown stepped in as caretaker manager , but
10556-460: The play-offs . Andy Smith was confirmed as the club's new first-team coach whilst the club decided to not hire Peter Farrell after all; Farrell only found out the news on his future after he heard it reported on the radio, and said "It would have been more respectful if someone had the decency to ring me up rather than leave it for 10 days". The club's Player of the Year, Anthony Grant , then submitted
10738-620: The 1960s and 1970s. The Italian women's football league was established in 1968. In December 1969, the Women's Football Association was formed in England, with the sport eventually becoming the most prominent team sport for women in the United Kingdom. Two unofficial women's World Cups were organised by the FIEFF in 1970 and in 1971 . Also in 1971, UEFA members voted to officially recognise women's football, while The Football Association rescinded
10920-471: The Championship. Smurthwaite said this information had been leaked by "some long standing fans" he had consulted for advice. He went on to issue a statement apologizing for his decision to appoint Ribeiro and expressing regret at his attempts to communicate with fans over social media. He said there would be no further dialogue over social media, though "sadly I do not think this will change the activities of
11102-570: The FIFA Women's World Cup four times, more than any other women's team. Football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams, while billions more watch the game on television or on the internet. A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football. Football has
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#173285480596011284-504: The First Round of the newly re-branded EFL Cup and lost the game 2–1 after conceding two goals in a poor first half. In his post-match interview Ribeiro criticised his team's work rate , and said that "I am very disappointed with my players." In the EFL Trophy , Vale were drawn in Northern Group E with Derby County under-23s, Doncaster Rovers (League Two), Mansfield Town (League Two). Only 1,198 spectators turned out to witness
11466-861: The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association , the Football Association of Wales , and the Irish Football Association . FIFA , the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to the Laws of the Game of the Football Association. The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. The board consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of
11648-525: The Fourth Division in third place. Following McGrath's dismissal, his assistant John Rudge was appointed manager in December 1983. Though he was unable to halt Vale's immediate return to the bottom tier of the Football League, he succeeded in steadying the ship. Helped by the goals of prolific Welshman Andy Jones , Vale were promoted back to the third tier in 1985–86 after losing just once at Vale Park in
11830-464: The Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a direct free kick or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an indirect free kick . The referee may punish a player's or substitute's misconduct by
12012-470: The IFAB Laws. Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes ), one of whom must be the goalkeeper . Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team, which is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are
12194-430: The Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees . In many high-level games there is also a fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise. Goal line technology is used to measure if the whole ball has crossed the goal-line thereby determining whether
12376-713: The Laws of the Game. The most prestigious senior international competitions are the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Women's World Cup . The men's World Cup is the most-viewed sporting event in the world, surpassing the Olympic Games . The two most prestigious competitions in club football are the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Women's Champions League , which attract an extensive television audience worldwide. The final of
12558-475: The Laws of the Game: to represent their team in the coin toss before kick-off or penalty kicks . The primary law is that players other than goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they must use both their hands during a throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their body (notably, "heading" with
12740-591: The League Cup for the first time. Port Vale's largest Football League victory was a 9–1 win over Chesterfield in the Second Division in 1932, while the heaviest loss was 10–0 to Sheffield United in 1892 in the same division. Other club record scorelines include a 16–0 victory over Middlewich in a friendly in 1884 and a 12–0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Staffordshire Senior Cup in 1891. The record for
12922-499: The Second Division, who were forced to disband because of financial irregularities. Wilf Kirkham made his Vale debut in October 1923, and over the next ten years would score a club record 164 league and cup goals, including a club record 41 goals in the 1926–27 campaign. The club were relegated for the first time at the end of the 1928–29 season, going from the Second Division to the Third Division North . They came up as champions
13104-530: The United States. A notable exception is New Zealand, where in the first two decades of the 21st century, under the influence of international television, "football" has been gaining prevalence, despite the dominance of other codes of football, namely rugby union and rugby league . The term soccer comes from Oxford "-er" slang, which was prevalent at the University of Oxford in England from about 1875, and
13286-441: The Vale on loan; the story was ridiculed by local journalists and fans on social media. Vale conceded their first league goal in a 1–0 defeat at Swindon Town on 20 August, despite Ribeiro's view that Vale were the better side on the day. Northampton Town boss Rob Page was allowed to sign JJ Hooper on a five-month loan deal starting from 22 August, after the striker began the season on the right-wing for Vale. Later that night
13468-432: The Vale powerless to prevent Swindon overtaking them and other relegation rivals to pick up points; Vale entered March five points from safety but with three game in hand. Brown signed Vale's eighth goalkeeper of the season on 1 March after former Turkey youth international Deniz Mehmet agreed to a short-term contract. Vale then travelled to play-off chasing Southend United, and picked up a useful point after grinding out
13650-634: The Valiants, as the club languished in the bottom half of the Third Division for much of the decade. Lee left in 1974, and a succession of managers failed to prevent relegation in 1977–1978 . The 1979–80 season saw Port Vale finish 20th in the Fourth Division (88th overall), the club's worst ever finish. Despite this poor finish in John McGrath 's first season, they eventually achieved their first success in thirteen years in 1982–83 by winning promotion out of
13832-475: The Year award in 2023. The club's most famous supporter is singer Robbie Williams , raised in Stoke-on-Trent. Before administration in 2012, he was a major shareholder, having bought £240,000 worth of available shares in the club in February 2006. For this investment, a restaurant at Vale Park is named after him. For the football game FIFA 2000 , he provided an original theme song with " It's Only Us ", on
14014-456: The ban that prohibited women from playing on association members' pitches in England. Women's football still faces many struggles, but its worldwide growth has seen major competitions being launched at both the national and international levels, mirroring the men's competitions. The FIFA Women's World Cup was inaugurated in 1991: the first tournament was held in China, featuring 12 teams from
14196-410: The beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play: A foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of
14378-525: The beginning of the Croatian War of Independence of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade degenerated into rioting in May 1990. Women's association football has historically seen opposition, with national associations severely curbing its development and several outlawing it completely. Women may have been playing football for as long as the game has existed. Evidence shows that
14560-404: The buildup, direct red card decisions, and penalty decisions. The ball is spherical with a circumference of between 68 and 70 cm (27 and 28 in), a weight in the range of 410 to 450 g (14 to 16 oz), and a pressure between 0.6 and 1.1 standard atmospheres (8.5 and 15.6 pounds per square inch ) at sea level. In the past the ball was made up of leather panels sewn together, with
14742-423: The campaign by beating Scunthorpe United 3–1; substitutes Paterson, Hart and Amoros all made their first appearances for the club in the game, with the latter two players making their first appearances in professional football. Vale rounded off the month with two deadline day signings: Portuguese goalkeeper Miguel Santos from Benfica B and Swiss attacker Gëzim Shalaj from Enosis Neon Paralimni . Nathan Smith
14924-732: The champions of these two club competitions would contest the Intercontinental Cup to prove which team was the best in the world. In the 21st century, South America has continued to produce some of the best footballers in the world, but its clubs have fallen behind the still dominant European clubs, which often sign the best players from Latin America and elsewhere. Meanwhile, football has improved in Africa , Asia and North America , and nowadays, these regions are at least on equal grounds with South America in club football, although countries in
15106-572: The church on Waterloo Road, directly on the Hanley and Burslem tram line, it played host to the club for 27 years, including twelve Football League seasons. It was so named as it also hosted athletics. The Old Recreation Ground was Vale's home from 1913 to 1950 and was located in Hanley , standing on what is now the multi-storey car park for the Potteries Shopping Centre . The club endured hard financial times during World War II and sold
15288-440: The club adopted their familiar white and black strip after having experimented with numerous colours, including plain red, gold and black stripes, claret and blue, and even during 1898–1902 playing in the red and white stripes now used by rivals Stoke City for over a century. However, the kit soon changed to plain red shirts with white shorts in 1923, a style which lasted until 1934, when the white shirt, black shorts and socks kit
15470-500: The club after rejecting the offer of a new contract. Ben Purkiss was the next to leave after he elected to join Swindon Town. The club sold 3,344 season tickets, priced as low as £345 for adults, for the 2016–17 season; match day tickets were £23. Smurthwaite stated that the playing budget was around £1.3 million. A Norwegian hedge fund signed an exclusivity deal in view of purchasing the club on 16 June 2016. Smurthwaite stated that
15652-530: The club into administration if a buyer was not found by May 2019, a fate which was avoided when Carol and Kevin Shanahan completed their takeover. Manager Darrell Clarke returned from close family bereavement to lead Vale through the League Two play-off semi-finals at the end of the 2021–22 season. Promotion was secured with a 3–0 victory over Mansfield Town in the final . Clarke was sacked on 17 April 2023, and
15834-450: The club six weeks ago, Carlos Saleiro agreed to have his contract cancelled by mutual consent as he "found it difficult to adjust to life in the country". The good results kept coming though, and impressive young defender Nathan Smith scored a headed goal as Vale extending their run of league clean sheets to three games with a 1–0 win over Rochdale . In a bizarre revelation, The Sun newspaper reported that Mario Balotelli could join
16016-504: The club to promotion back to the Third Division the following season, where they would remain until relegation at the end of the 1977–78 campaign. John McGrath steered the club to promotion in 1982–83, though he departed after relegation became inevitable the following season. His assistant, John Rudge , became the club's longest-serving and most successful manager, leading the club from 1983 to 1999. Under his leadership Port Vale won promotions in 1985–86 , 1988–89 and 1993–94 , lifted
16198-559: The club to Football League Trophy success in 2001, as Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Steve Brooker scored the goals to secure a 2–1 victory over Brentford in the final at the Millennium Stadium . In December 2002, Bill Bell called in the administrators, with the club around £1.5 million in debt. The club came out of administration in 2003–04 under a fan-ownership consortium headed by Bill Bratt 's Valiant 2001 consortium. However, Horton left in February 2004, unwilling to accept
16380-452: The club to three promotions – 1985–86 , 1988–89 and 1993–94 – as well as a Football League Trophy title in 1993 . His successor, Brian Horton also secured a Football League Trophy final victory in 2001 . League Cup Association football Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer , is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who almost exclusively use their feet to propel
16562-406: The club was issued with a winding up petition by HM Revenue and Customs on 29 February 2012; the club were by this time unable to pay tax bills, creditors, or staff wages. The club entered administration on 9 March. The club finally exited administration on 20 November 2012, and Tom Pope scored 33 goals to fire Vale to promotion back to League One with a third-place finish. They stabilised in
16744-597: The club were again relegated, and once again became founder members of a division – this time the Football League Fourth Division . Manager Norman Low instilled an attacking philosophy and in the 1958–59 season guided the team to the Fourth Division title with a club record 110 goals scored. Vale ended a six-season stay in the Third Division with relegation at the end of the 1964–65 campaign. In 1967, former Ballon d'Or winner Stanley Matthews succeeded Jackie Mudie as manager. However, he resigned
16926-431: The club's return to the Second Division after a 33-year absence. Vale suffered relegation on the final day of the 1991–92 league campaign, and though they bounced back well by staying in the promotion picture for most of the 1992–93 season, they narrowly missed out as runners-up to local rivals Stoke City after being overtaken by Bolton Wanderers on the final day. Instead Vale would visit Wembley twice in just over
17108-416: The club, Brown then signed veteran midfielder Chris Eagles on a short-term contract, and brought in 20-year loanee Callum Guy in from Derby County and 20-year striker Tyler Walker on loan from Nottingham Forest . Ryan Boot made his debut in goal and Eagles, Guy and Walker also made their debuts in a 2–2 home draw with Bury on 20 January; Walker scored the opening goal whilst Guy was named as man of
17290-400: The club. The club has a fierce rivalry with Stoke City , as City are based in the town of Stoke-upon-Trent . Stoke and Vale first met on 2 December 1882 and played out a total of 44 Football League games up until 10 February 2002, when the two clubs last met in the Second Division; Stoke won the first match 1–0, whilst Vale were 1–0 victors in the latest encounter. Port Vale also maintain
17472-446: The condition that Port Vale should be included in the game, which they were, located in the Rest of World section. This song was also featured on the only FIFA Soundtrack CD release by EMI . In 2005 Williams founded Los Angeles Vale F.C. , a Super Metro League team in the United States, named after Port Vale and based at his L.A. home. His best friend, TV presenter Jonathan Wilkes , is also
17654-425: The course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is five in 90 minutes, with each team being allowed one more if the game should go into extra-time; the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches . Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or timewasting at
17836-401: The division under new boss Rob Page , before chairman Norman Smurthwaite orchestrated the departure of Page and his squad in favour of the club's first foreign manager, Bruno Ribeiro , in June 2016. The result was relegation back into League Two at the end of the 2016–17 season, after which Smurthwaite resigned as chairman. He returned to the role the following season and threatened to put
18018-476: The drop. After relegation was confirmed, Smurthwaite announced that he was stepping down as chairman. Following the decision of Rob Page to leave Port Vale to manage Northampton Town at the end of the 2015–16 campaign, many names were linked with the Vale job. Chairman Norman Smurthwaite hinted of three "outstanding" candidates, which The Sentinel reported as being Brian Little , Paul Dickov , and José Morais . Bookmakers initially listed Michael Brown as
18200-453: The eighth century. The modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England. The Cambridge rules , first drawn up at the University of Cambridge in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge , at
18382-420: The end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match. IFAB recommends "that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team". Any decision regarding points awarded for abandoned games is left to the individual football associations. A game is officiated by a referee , who has "full authority to enforce
18564-478: The end of the 2016–17 season after a failed experiment with a continental staff and playing style. Carol Shanahan bought the club in 2019 and manager Darrell Clarke secured promotion out of the League Two play-offs at the end of the 2021–22 season, though they were relegated at the end of the 2023–24 season. The official story reported on the club website is that Port Vale F.C. was formed in 1876, following
18746-405: The end of the game is the winner. There are situations where a goal can be disallowed, such as an offside call or a foul in the build-up to the goal. Depending on the format of the competition, an equal number of goals scored may result in a draw being declared with 1 point awarded to each team, or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shoot-out . Internationally, association football
18928-761: The end of the season. However, Rangers triggered Alnwick's £250,000 release clause , and his departure left the Vale without arguably their Player of the Season so far. Vale also sold reigning Player of the Year Anthony Grant to Peterborough United for an undisclosed "six-figure fee". Brown completed Vale's January transfer window by signing veteran midfielder Danny Pugh and bringing in goalkeeper Leo Fasan on loan from Celtic . Vale welcomed back Grant with Peterborough United on 4 February – Fasan, Shodipo and Pugh all made their Vale debuts – and were beaten, 3–0, despite Fasan's man-of-the-match performance and his saving
19110-539: The end of the season. Later that evening Taylor provided an assist and scored a goal as Vale claimed a crucial 2–1 home win over relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town. Vale had the chance to exit the relegation zone on 21 March, but put in a poor performance at the Ricoh Arena and conspired to become the only team to lose home and away to bottom club Coventry City that season. They missed another opportunity to overtake Shrewsbury in 20th-place four days later after playing out
19292-429: The field after the match to argue with the referee on the full-time whistle. Vale then suffered a 2–0 defeat at Charlton, and dropped down to 11th-position. On 22 November, Vale came from behind at home to struggling Oldham Athletic to lead the game with a late strike from Cicilia, only for Oldham to score an equalising goal deep into stoppage time. They ended the month two points outside the play-offs after playing out
19474-406: The final day of the season. In order to retain their League One status Vale had to beat Fleetwood on the final day and rely on either Gillingham failing to win at Northampton or Bury failing to pick up a point at Southend. Third-place Fleetwood were difficult opponents however, as they needed a win to stand a chance of securing automatic promotion , and manager Uwe Rosler said they "have to settle
19656-580: The financial cutbacks imposed by the new board, and was replaced by former player Martin Foyle . Foyle was dismissed in November 2007, and his successor, Lee Sinnott , proved unable to prevent the club from being relegated into League Two after a 23rd-place finish and also oversaw a defeat to Southern League Division One Midlands club Chasetown in the FA Cup. Sinnott was sacked in September 2008 and following an unsuccessful tenure from Dean Glover , Micky Adams
19838-567: The first tier. After playing at the Athletic Ground in Cobridge and The Old Recreation Ground in Hanley , the club returned to Burslem when Vale Park was opened in 1950. Outside the ground is a statue of Roy Sproson , who played 842 competitive games for the club. The club's traditional rivals are Stoke City , and games between the two are known as the Potteries derby . After becoming one of
20020-420: The forehead) other than their hands or arms. Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though players may not pass to teammates who are in an offside position. During gameplay, players attempt to create goal-scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling , passing the ball to a teammate, and by taking shots at
20202-514: The formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules. These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street , London. The only school to be represented on this occasion
20384-517: The four British associations. For most of the 20th century, Europe and South America were the dominant regions in association football. The FIFA World Cup , inaugurated in 1930 , became the main stage for players of both continents to show their worth and the strength of their national teams. In the second half of the century, the European Cup and the Copa Libertadores were created, and
20566-695: The game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time. The layout of a team's players is known as a formation . Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager . There are 17 laws in the official Laws of the Game, each containing a collection of stipulations and guidelines. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football for both sexes, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors and people with physical disabilities are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on
20748-425: The goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee for an infringement of
20930-490: The ground once stood. In 1884, the club moved to the Burslem Football and Athletic ground, where they would stay for just two years. Located close to Burslem railway station , the club took the area's name. The first match was a 6–0 win over Everton in a friendly and the ground also hosted FA Cup matches for the first time. It proved to be inadequate however. Port Vale moved on to the Athletic Ground . Located opposite
21112-458: The ground to the council, who were reluctant to allow the club to rent it back. The club received £13,500 for the ground, which they needed to pay off a £3,000 debt. Vale Park has been Port Vale's home ground since 1950; it is located on Hamil Road, opposite Burslem Park. Originally planned to be as massive as an 80,000-capacity stadium, the development was known as the "Wembley of the North". However,
21294-503: The hedge fund ended their interest after meeting with Ribeiro. Smurthwaite renewed his dispute with The Sentinel by banning the newspaper from attending the club's press conference where Ribeiro was unveiled as the club's new manager. He went on to appoint Colin Garlick as the club's CEO, and in January stated that "I'm only really involved now when it comes to prising open the sweetie jar for
21476-404: The highest global television audience in sport. In many parts of the world, football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans , local communities, and even nations. Ryszard Kapuściński says that Europeans who are polite, modest, or humble fall easily into rage when playing or watching football games. The Ivory Coast national football team helped secure
21658-751: The house crest of the Sneyd family and the silver cross appearing from the house crest of the Audley family , as well as the Stafford knot above the crest. A table of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below: When they joined the English Football League in 1892, Port Vale played at their fourth home ground. They began at the Meadows in Limekiln Lane, Longport , now Scott Lidgett Road, and then moved on to Westport Meadows in 1881, where they played for three years. An area prone to flooding, today Westport Lake now lies where
21840-654: The instigation of Alcock. England is also home to the world's first football league , which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor . The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and Northern England . Laws of the Game are determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The board was formed in 1886 after a meeting in Manchester of
22022-446: The keyboard warriors but at least they will now know that I will not be reading or responding to it". Smurthwaite issued a statement on 2 May apologising for relegation, and stated that he would be stepping down as chairman and would no longer attend games as he looked to sell the club. Three days later, Burslem-based IT company Synectics Solutions's husband and wife owners Carol and Kevin Shanahan went public to announce they had made
22204-697: The lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s, with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games. The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup , which was founded by the footballer and cricketer Charles W. Alcock , and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match also took place in 1872, between Scotland and England in Glasgow , again at
22386-445: The lead after 66 minutes a pitch invasion from the away fans sparked a clash between both sets of fans as the players left the field whilst police restored order; the players returned to see out a 2–0 away win, and other results went against the Vale to leave them needing to win their final two games to stand any chance of survival. A late Chris Eagles strike at Walsall gave the Vale a 1–0 victory to keep their survival fight going until
22568-416: The league all season. A major cup upset came on 30 January 1988, when Vale defeated First Division side Tottenham Hotspur 2–1, thanks to a superb strike from Ray Walker . After three seasons in the third tier, Rudge's Vale achieved another promotion in 1988–89 after Robbie Earle scored the winning goal at Vale Park to complete a 2–1 aggregate play-off final victory over Bristol Rovers ; this marked
22750-522: The league at the end of the 1906–07 season and were subsequently liquidated. However, the name of Port Vale was continued after ambitious minor league side Cobridge Church opted to change their name. The new club subsequently moved into their new home of the Old Recreation Ground in Hanley in 1912. They returned to the Football League in October 1919 , taking over the fixture list of Leeds City in
22932-456: The match . Brown went on to make a fourth signing in Rochdale full-back Scott Tanser . Vale twice took the lead away at high-flying Scunthorpe United, but went on to lose the game 3–2 with a penalty which Brown said had "never been a penalty in a million years". Brown further added to squad by signing 19-year-old Queens Park Rangers midfielders Olamide Shodipo and Axel Prohouly on loan until
23114-607: The men's tournament is the most-watched annual sporting event in the world. Association football is one of a family of football codes that emerged from various ball games played worldwide since antiquity. Within the English-speaking world, the sport is now usually called "football" in Great Britain and most of Ulster in the north of Ireland, whereas people usually call it "soccer" in regions and countries where other codes of football are prevalent, such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, most of Ireland (excluding Ulster), and
23296-482: The money". In March, Smurthwaite used the OneValeFan fansite to ask supporters to vote whether he should sell the club to one of two hedge funds that he said had met his asking price for the club. The Sentinel revealed one interested party was a Norwegian company who proposed a sale figure of £6.5 million based on a valuation of Vale Park at £10 million, the playing squad at £5 million and expected crowds of 20,000 in
23478-711: The more prominent football clubs in Staffordshire , Burslem Port Vale were invited to become founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892 . They spent 13 non-consecutive seasons in the division, punctuated by two seasons in the Midland League before they resigned due to financial difficulties and entered liquidation in 1907. The name of Port Vale continued in the North Staffordshire Federation League, and this new club
23660-426: The most appearances for Port Vale is held by Roy Sproson , who played 842 matches in all competitions. Sproson also holds the record for the most league appearances for the club, with 760. His nephew, Phil Sproson , made 500 appearances in all competitions. Wilf Kirkham is the club's top goalscorer with 164 goals in all competitions, which includes 153 in the league and 11 in the FA Cup. Kirkham's tally of 41 goals in
23842-546: The name was inspired by a remark by then-manager Brian Horton to local journalist Derek Davis following a defeat to Tranmere Rovers . The OneValeFan fansite is the largest independent Port Vale website and has been running since 1996; it was originally titled There's only one Vale fan in Bristol? in reference to founder Rob Fielding's location. The Ale and the Vale podcast won the Real EFL League One Podcast of
24024-525: The nature of the game. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the IFAB. In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of association football. Within the United States, Major League Soccer used a distinct ruleset during the 1990s and the National Federation of State High School Associations and NCAA still use rulesets that are comparable to, but different from,
24206-600: The next stoppage of play. The referee's decision in all on-pitch matters is considered final. The score of a match cannot be altered after the game, even if later evidence shows that decisions (including awards/non-awards of goals) were incorrect. 2016%E2%80%9317 Port Vale F.C. season The 2016–17 season was Port Vale 's 105th season of football in the English Football League , and fourth-successive season in EFL League One . Vale finished in 21st place – one point from safety – and were relegated . The season covers
24388-497: The odds-on favourite, before switching to Morais, then Shefki Kuqi , and then Bruno Ribeiro . Ribeiro was appointed as manager on 20 June, with Michael Brown as his assistant, and Peter Farrell as first-team coach . He made Dutch centre-back Kjell Knops his first signing of the season, who had spent the previous five years in the Eerste Divisie with MVV Maastricht . A day later, Curaçao under-20 striker Rigino Cicilia
24570-426: The offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute, substituted player, and to non-players such as managers and support staff. Rather than stopping play,
24752-461: The only club in the top four divisions of English football to have beaten the other 91 clubs of the Football League and Premier League in a competitive league fixture. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Port Vale Ladies
24934-464: The opening victory over Derby County U23 – the second lowest ever attendance for a competitive fixture at Vale Park – as a Nathan Smith header secured a 1–0 win, though coach Andy Smith criticised the players for putting in a low-tempo performance. They went on to lose 1–0 at home to Mansfield Town in front of an even lower crowd of 1,075 – 29 more than the lowest ever attendance at Vale Park. Vale then failed to beat Doncaster, and were eliminated from
25116-461: The original thirteen laws of the game. The sticking point was hacking, which a twelfth club at the meeting, Blackheath FC , had wanted to keep, resulting in them withdrawing from the FA. Other English rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, and instead in 1871, along with Blackheath, formed the Rugby Football Union . The FA rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and
25298-452: The period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017. The club underwent a complete transformation of the playing and managerial team, with 16 players coming in (plus two on loan ) and 16 players going out throughout the summer. Ten new arrivals came from European leagues outside the UK, and bookmakers predicted the club would be relegated. However, chairman Norman Smurthwaite expected the team to push for
25480-432: The pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB initially approved a fixed size of 105 m (115 yd) long and 68 m (74 yd) wide as a standard pitch dimension for international matches; however, this decision was later put on hold and was never actually implemented. The longer boundary lines are touchlines , while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines . A rectangular goal
25662-437: The pitch, making it more socially acceptable for women to play. The first match recorded by the Scottish Football Association took place in 1892 in Glasgow . In England, the first recorded game of football between women took place in 1895. Women's football has traditionally been associated with charity games and physical exercise, particularly in the United Kingdom. Association football continued to be played by women since
25844-437: The player spends the most time. For example, there are central defenders and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of
26026-400: The players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signalled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee. Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between Stoke and Aston Villa . Trailing 1–0 with two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty kick. Villa's goalkeeper deliberately kicked the ball out of play; by
26208-407: The posts, under the bar, and fully across the goal line). When the ball is in play, the players mainly use their feet, but may also use any other part of their body, such as their head, chest and thighs, except for their hands or arms, to control, strike, or pass the ball. Only the goalkeepers may use their hands and arms, and that only within the penalty area . The team that has scored more goals at
26390-582: The process, though stayed in Burslem for just one year before both turning professional and moving to Cobridge to play at the Athletic Ground . In 1892 , the club were 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 were forced to resign from
26572-459: The protagonist supports a thinly disguised version of the Vale; even basing a book on their 1954 Cup run – albeit with a successful conclusion. Port Vale's highest Football League finish was fifth place in the Second Division (second tier) in 1930–31 , whilst their best FA Cup finish saw them reach the semi-finals in 1953–54 . In the 2023–24 season, they reached the quarter-finals of
26754-416: The referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage". The referee may "call back" play and penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within "a few seconds". Even if an offence is not penalised due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at
26936-419: The referee. Stoppage time does not fully compensate for the time in which the ball is out of play , and a 90-minute game typically involves about an hour of "effective playing time". The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, towards the end of the half, the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time they intend to add. The fourth official then informs
27118-501: The relegation zone. A 1–1 home draw with Bristol Rovers then allowed Bury to overtake Vale to leave Vale in the relegation zone for the first time in the season; the injury also crisis worsened as Walker left the pitch with a serious knee injury. Bradford City then came to Burslem to claim three points, with Alex Jones scoring his first goal in Bradford colours to make the final score 2–1. A waterlogged pitch at Rochdale on 28 February left
27300-440: The respective six confederations. The World Cup has been held every four years since; by 2019 , it had expanded to 24 national teams, and 1.12 billion viewers watched the competition. Four years later , FIFA targeted the 32-team 2023 Women's World Cup at an audience of 2 billion, while about 1.4 million tickets were sold, setting a Women's World Cup record. Women's football has been an Olympic event since 1996 . North America
27482-751: The reverse situation at the Memorial Stadium , going from a 1–0 lead to an ultimate 2–1 defeat after Bristol Rovers equalised on 43 minutes. The perfect home form continued with a 3–1 victory over Millwall . Alex Jones was nominated for the EFL League One Player of the Month award for August and September after scoring six goals in eight games. Coventry City manager Tony Mowbray resigned days before Coventry travelled to Vale Park for their fixture on 1 October. Vale were beaten 2–0 to lose their 100% home record and to give Coventry their first league win of
27664-534: The rules. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart. At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2022–23 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.85 goals per match. The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper, but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers , or forwards, whose main task
27846-618: The score" after losing at Vale Park in November. Gillingham and Bury both dropped points, but Vale failed to take advantage as they saw out a 0–0 draw with Fleetwood. Brown decided to release 10 players at the end of the season: Sébastien Amoros, Remie Streete, JJ Hooper, Sam Johnson , Sam Kelly , Ryan Lloyd , Deniz Mehmet, Harry Pickering, Scott Tanser, and Jerome Thomas; he also arranged deals with Rigino Cicilia, Kiko, Chris Mbamba, Quentin Pereira, and Paulo Tavares so that those five players could leave their contracts early. Sam Foley also left
28028-449: The scythe of the Tunstall arms, the fretted cross of Audley , and two Josiah Wedgwood pots. The crest was removed in 1964, and replaced by a 'P.V.F.C.' monogramme, which in turn was abandoned in 1978. For the next four years the club switched to a design of a knight on a horse with the text "Port Vale" at the top. From 1982 the club introduced a design based on that of a schoolchild who won
28210-402: The season with a 1–0 win. However, they then put in a poor performance at Bramall Lane , losing 4–0 to Sheffield United despite United having three goals disallowed. They seemed to be heading for another defeat at home to Charlton Athletic , before they managed a late comeback to achieve a 1–1 draw. Former Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United defender Ryan Taylor then joined the club on
28392-554: The season. Vale's fixture at Milton Keynes Dons was shown live on Sky TV , and the Daily Mirror reported that Ribeiro paid £ 1,500 out of his own pocket to pay for a hotel stay for the team before the game as Smurthwaite refused to pay for the trip out of club funds. Smurthwaite refuted the newspaper's claim, saying he paid for the hotel accommodation out of his own pocket. The investment paid off as Vale scored their first goal at Stadium mk and recorded their first away victory of
28574-543: The sexes are so widely divided are all on the side of emancipation , and I look forward to the time when ladies may sit in Parliament and have a voice in the direction of affairs, especially those which concern them most." Honeyball and those like her paved the way for women's football. However, the women's game was frowned upon by the British football associations and continued without their support. It has been suggested that this
28756-474: The signing of "seasoned, higher grade" players, whilst he admitted he felt "a little bit hoodwinked" as Ribeiro's friends in the game ( José Mourinho , Aitor Karanka , and Carlos Carvalhal ) had provided him with glowing references but had thus far failed to lend any of their players to the Vale. Out of form Walsall then inflicted a 1–0 Boxing Day defeat on the Vale. This proved to be too much for Ribeiro, who announced his resignation hours later; Michael Brown
28938-447: The time it was recovered, the clock had run out and the game was over, leaving Stoke unable to attempt the penalty. The same law also states that the duration of either half is extended until a penalty kick to be taken or retaken is completed; thus, no game can end with an uncompleted penalty. In league competitions, games may end in a draw. In knockout competitions where a winner is required, various methods may be employed to break such
29120-531: The time of the first recorded women's games in the late 19th century. The best-documented early European team was founded by activist Nettie Honeyball in England in 1894. It was named the British Ladies' Football Club . Honeyball is quoted as, "I founded the association late last year [1894], with the fixed resolve of proving to the world that women are not the 'ornamental and useless' creatures men have pictured. I must confess, my convictions on all matters where
29302-422: The tournament or be the champion. Goals scored during extra time periods count towards the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament, with goals scored in a penalty shoot-out not making up part of the final score. In competitions using two-legged matches , each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from
29484-597: The transmission of cuju outside of China, especially the form of the game popular in the Tang dynasty , the period when the inflatable ball was invented and replaced the stuffed ball. Other East Asian games include kemari in Japan and chuk-guk in Korea, both influenced by cuju . Kemari originated after the year 600 during the Asuka period . It was a ceremonial rather than
29666-439: The two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg they played away from home. If the result is still equal, extra time and potentially a penalty shoot-out are required. Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are ball in play and ball out of play . From
29848-474: The £50,000 project opened at a capacity of 40,000 (360 seated), which is still highly ambitious. The capacity was increased to a sell-out of 49,768 for an FA Cup tie with Aston Villa in 1960. The stadium underwent numerous upgrades after Bill Bell was elected as chairman in 1987, who aimed to make it "fit for the Premiership ". Outside the ground is a statue to Roy Sproson , who played 842 competitive games for
30030-510: Was Charterhouse . The Freemasons' Tavern was the setting for five more meetings of The FA between October and December 1863; the English FA eventually issued the first comprehensive set of rules named Laws of the Game , forming modern football. The laws included bans on running with the ball in hand and hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Eleven clubs, under the charge of FA secretary Ebenezer Cobb Morley , ratified
30212-439: Was Sammy Morgan , who scored for Northern Ireland against Spain on 16 February 1972. The club's highest attendance at Vale Park is 49,768 against Aston Villa in the FA Cup on 20 February 1960, whilst the lowest is 554 against Middlesbrough U21 in the EFL Trophy on 16 October 2018. The highest transfer fee received for a Vale player is £2,000,000 from Wimbledon for Gareth Ainsworth on 29 October 1998, while Ainsworth
30394-636: Was Vale's lowest attendance for a home FA Cup tie since 1906; this was despite ticket prices being almost halved to £12 on the day. They then cruised to a 4–0 victory at home to League Two side Hartlepool United to make it into the Third Round. Huddersfield Town , fourth in the Championship , proved far superior to the Vale in the Third Round, as they cruised to a 4–0 win at the John Smith's Stadium . Vale were drawn away to League Two club Carlisle United in
30576-483: Was also the most expensive player bought, costing £500,000 from Lincoln City on 11 September 1997. The youngest player to play for the club is Nelson Agho , who was aged 15 years and 262 days on his debut against Walsall in the EFL Trophy on 13 November 2018. The oldest player is Tom Holford , who played his last match aged 46 years and 68 days against Derby County in the Second Division on 5 April 1924. Port Vale are
30758-515: Was appointed as the club's new manager in June 2009. Adams left the club in December 2010 with Vale second in the table and Jim Gannon was selected to finish the promotion job. However, Gannon's turbulent reign ended after 74 days. Adams returned as manager at the end of the 2010–11 campaign, but this was not enough to appease fans who demanded a change in the boardroom after a series of promised investments failed to come to fruition. Genuine hopes of promotion in 2011–12 were brought to an end after
30940-486: Was avoided on the final day of the season with a 4–0 win over Huddersfield Town , at the expense of Manchester City and Stoke City. The next season was another struggle. John Rudge was controversially sacked in January 1999. He was replaced by former player Brian Horton , who spent big to secure the club's second consecutive final-day escape from relegation. There was no avoiding relegation in 1999–2000 , though, as they were some thirteen points short of safety. Horton led
31122-527: Was first recorded as in exercise in the Zhan Guo Ce , a military history from the Han dynasty . Cuju players would pass the ball around, having to avoid it touching the ground at any point. It was then passed to a designated player, who attempted to kick it through the fengliu yan , a circular goal atop 10–11 meter poles. During the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), cuju games were standardised and rules were established. The Silk Road facilitated
31304-419: Was first recorded in 1889 in the earlier form of socca . Kicking ball games arose independently multiple times across multiple cultures. The Chinese competitive game cuju ( 蹴鞠 , literally "kickball"; also known as tsu chu ) resembles modern association football as well as a mix of basketball, and volleyball. This is the earliest form of a kicking game for which there is historical evidence. The game
31486-562: Was formed in 2017 and won the Staffordshire County League in their maiden season before they reached the West Midlands Premier Division at the start of the 2024–25 season. The name was changed to Port Vale F.C. Women at the end of the 2020–21 season. The women's section also runs girls teams at under-9, under-11, under-12, under-13, under-14 and under-16 level. Tom Morgan was the first Port Vale manager to win
31668-497: Was motivated by a perceived threat to the "masculinity" of the game. Women's football became popular on a large scale at the time of the First World War , when female employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for men 50 years earlier. The most successful team of the era was Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. of Preston, England . The team played in one of the first women's international matches against
31850-471: Was named as the Football League Young Player of the Month for August. Vale opened September by losing 4–1 to Bury in rain-soaked conditions at Gigg Lane ; Ribeiro blamed himself for his players' poor performance, saying it was his job to instil the right attitude into the team before the match. Vale recovered and went on to claim a point at Peterborough United after Alex Jones converted
32032-415: Was placed in temporary charge. Brown's first match in charge was a 1–0 home victory over Chesterfield . Vale opened the new year at bottom club Oldham Athletic , and Alnwick made some excellent saves to secure a 0–0 draw and a point which moved the Vale two places up the table. However, Brown stated that the player's fitness rates were so low they were "alarming". Having allowed Santos and Hart to leave
32214-483: Was re-adopted. Between 1958 and 1963, the club adopted various gold and black designs before once again returning to the black-and-white theme. The initial club crest was modelled on the coat of arms of the Borough of Burslem. From 1952 to 1956 the club used a Staffordshire knot with the letters "PVFC" inside it. Four years later a more complex badge emerged, again based on the Burslem coat of arms but this time also featuring
32396-512: Was signed after being released by Dutch side Roda JC Kerkrade . The next to join were French midfielders Quentin Pereira and Anthony de Freitas . Another Dutch-based centre-back, Calvin Mac-Intosch , was then signed from Cambuur . The next trio to arrive were all Portuguese: midfielder Paulo Tavares and left-back Kiko , both from Vitória Setúbal , and striker Carlos Saleiro from Oriental . A ninth new arrival followed, Chris Mbamba ,
32578-401: Was succeeded by his assistant Andy Crosby . They reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup for the first time during the 2023–24 season. Crosby was sacked in February, and was replaced by Darren Moore . However, Port Vale were relegated to League Two at the end of the season. Around November 1920, club chairman Frank Huntbach came up with the nickname of "the Valiants". The following year
32760-420: Was successful enough to be reinstated into the Football League in 1919. They spent 16 non-consecutive seasons in the Second Division, punctuated by winning the Third Division North title in 1929–30 , before dropping back into the third tier for a much longer stay at the end of the 1935–36 campaign. The 1953–54 season saw manager Freddie Steele 's "Iron Curtain" defence win both a Third Division North title and
32942-470: Was unable to arrest Vale's slide down the table. The club had a poor January transfer window , losing top-scoring loanee striker Alex Jones , star goalkeeper Jak Alnwick , and reigning Player of the Year Anthony Grant . Despite failing to score in six of their final seven games, the fight against relegation went to the last day of the season at Fleetwood Town , but a 0–0 draw was not enough to escape
33124-562: Was voted the best in League Two in 2010–11. Supporters also produced three unofficial fanzines . The oldest are The Memoirs of Seth Bottomley printed in the 1990s but now defunct and the Vale Park Beano , which has been printed since 1997; the Beano took its name as a dig at Stoke's stadium being constructed partially with the funding of the local council. Derek I'm Gutted! is also a long-running fanzine, and has been printed since August 2000;
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