Manchester City

Manchester City FC (the Cityzens) is an English professional football club located in Bradford, Manchester, and competes in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was formed in 1880 and was known as St Mark's at the time, then became Ardwick Association FC in 1887 before being permanently renamed Manchester City in 1894. The club consists of a male first team that plays in the Premier League, an academy commonly known as EDS (predominantly under-23) side that serves as the reserve team and plays in Premier League 2 Division 1, and a women's team, Manchester City Women FC, that plays in the Women's Super League, the top flight of female English football.

Ownership

Manchester City is one of the wealthiest clubs in England, Europe, and worldwide. This is mainly because of its majority owner Sheikh Mansour, one of football's richest owners, with an estimated individual net worth of at least £17 billion and a family fortune of at least $1 trillion. The club's ownership and finances have been controlled by different owners over the years and is currently owned by the City Football Group, a British-based holding company, with the majority stake held by the Abu Dhabi United Group.

Stadium

Manchester City's home ground since 2003 has been the Etihad Stadium in east Manchester. Before then, Maine Road was their home since 1923.

Colors, badge, and kit sponsorship

The club's home colors are sky blue and white. The original home colors have been reported to be unclear, but there is evidence that the club has been using blue since 1892. The away colors have changed over the years, but traditional away colors have been either maroon or red and black. City's current badge was implemented in 2016, but they have previously worn three other badges on their kits. The badge is designed with circular variants in different sheds of blue and a ship (based on the City of Manchester coat of arms) at the center of the inner circle. The club's name, written in dark blue, and the original year that the club was renamed Manchester City, written in sky blue, are in the outer white circle. Kit suppliers and sponsors have also changed over the years. The current kit suppliers are Puma, Etihad Airways is the shirt sponsor, and Nexen Tire is the first and current sleeve sponsor. Previous kit suppliers include Nike, Umbro (served twice), Reebok, Le Coq Sportif, and Kappa, while the previous shirt sponsors include Thomas Cook, Fist Advice, Eidos, Brother, Philips, and Saab.

Fans and rivalries

Manchester City has a large fan base and support from all over Manchester and worldwide. The average attendance has been in the top six in England since moving to Etihad, usually more than 40,000. The club's most recognized supporters club is the Manchester City FC Supporters Club, founded in 1949. City fans refer to themselves as the Citizens, derived from the club's nickname, The Cityzens. The club's biggest rival is their neighbor Manchester United with the two separated by only 4 miles (6.4 km). The fixture between the two is known as the Manchester Derby. The club has, however, developed a notable rivalry with Liverpool FC. This modern rivalry began in the 2010s and has since intensified with clubs under Pep Guardiola of City and Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool.

Club honors

Manchester City has won several awards and honors over the years and is one of the most successful teams in England based on trophy count. They rank fifth in England's list of most decorated sides with 29 major domestic and European honors. They have now bagged eight Premier League titles, six FA Cup titles, eight EFL Cups, and one European Cup Winners' Cup. They are, however, yet to lift a Champions League title.