Wrexham

Early years (1863–1921)

On 12 October 1863, a group of local businessmen formed a new organisation 'The United Volunteer Services Club' to provide athletic sport for the young men of Wrexham, in order to keep them from spending their spare time in public houses.

This organisation provided the ideological basis for the future formation of Wrexham Football Club, which is now the oldest football club 'still in existence today' that was founded according to temperance principles. Evan Morris, Charles Edward Kershaw and Joseph Wilbraham Clark were 3 of the founding members of the United Volunteer Services Club, who were also members of the Denbighshire County Cricket Club; and they used their influence within the cricket club to bring their ideals to fruition.

Wrexham Football Club was formed on 4 October 1864, in The Turf Tavern (named the Turf Hotel by 1872), by members of the cricket club who wanted to provide sporting activity for the young men of the town throughout the winter months. This makes them the fifth oldest association football team, the third oldest professional club and the oldest in Wales. Their first game was played on 22 October 1864 at the Denbighshire County Cricket Ground (later known as the Racecourse Ground), against 10 men of the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade. The 10 founding members who played for Wrexham Football Club in that first ever game were; Charles Edward Kershaw, William Tootell, Thomas Broster, Thomas Hanmer, Edward Ephraim Knibbs, Thomas Heath, Thomas Henry Sykes, John Taylor, George Rumsey Johnston, and Joseph Roberts. The club lost 2–1 to the brigade.

In these early years, Wrexham were leaders of the campaign to restrict teams to eleven players on the pitch at any one time (as early matches could feature teams with up to seventeen players on each side). In 1876, the newly formed Football Association of Wales (FAW) organised the Welsh national team's first international match against Scotland, where trials were held at the Racecourse Ground and two Wrexham players, Edwin Cross and Alfred Davies made the squad.

In the 1877–78 season, the FAW inaugurated the Welsh Cup competition, to run on similar lines to the English FA Cup. Wrexham won the final of the inaugural competition, defeating Druids F.C. 1–0, thanks to James Davies scoring the winning goal. Due to a lack of money at the fledgling FAW, Wrexham did not receive their trophy until the next year. In this decade, Wrexham mostly played in friendly matches against Welsh and English opponents and, as such, the Welsh Cup provided most of their competitive football.

Disputes with the landlords of the Racecourse Ground –– who had raised the rent to £10 a year –– resulted in Wrexham playing their home games at Rhosddu Recreation Ground during the 1881–82 and 1882–83 seasons. The club's name also changed to Wrexham Athletic for one season. However, in the 1883–84 season, the club moved back to the Racecourse Ground and have played their home games there ever since.

In 1883, Wrexham won their second Welsh Cup, and made their first appearance in the FA Cup. In the FA Cup, Wrexham received a bye into the second round of the competition and were defeated 3–4 at home by Oswestry. Misconduct from the Wrexham crowd at the game resulted in the club's expulsion from the Football Association and subsequently, Wrexham were forced to reform in 1884 as Wrexham Olympic (a name eventually dropped in 1888).