At the end of the 1899 Cricket season, the members of the Riverside Cricket team decide to found an Association Football team to play throughout the winter. Two meetings in August 1899, held in the home of Bartley Wilson, one of the Cricket club members, results in a committee being formed to run this new club. They are as follows.

A.J.Stone, George Pearce, Jimmy Redfern, Stanley Barrett, Andrew Sheen, E.W.Holder, Billy Canter and Frank Burfitt. Bartley Wilson is elected secretary.

The Riverside Cricket team, pictured in 1899, shortly before the founding of what is to become Cardiff City Football Club.

BACK(L-R): Bert Hodson, J.Crabtree, Billy Canter, P.Allen, W.Allen, W.Highway, A.Davey, J.Pearce, W.Rowley.
MIDDLE: A.Sheen, T.Stringer, A.Shea, W.Edmunds, Bartley Wilson, E.W.Holder, C.Dring.
FRONT: G.Stephenson, D.McGregor, J.Redfern, G.Pearce, W.Jenkins, D.Jones.

The name Riverside F.C. is adopted. Formed too late to join the 1899-1900 Cardiff and District League season, the first fixture, a friendly, is arranged against Barry West End for October 7th.

The team is G.A.Sheen, H.G.Pearce, P.Whitcombe, F.Drake (capt.), B.Stone, T.Mann, J.Holder, S.Barrett, W.Jenkins, J.F.Pearce, W.Hill.

The match is lost 1-9. A number of players start to show an interest playing for Riverside football club though, and further friendlies take place during the winter of 1899-1900 against Barry District Juniors, Llanbradach and Penarth Parish Church. By November, Riverside are putting out two sides every Saturday and go on to play Cadoxton United and Llandaff City Boys Brigade. Home matches are played on the club cricket ground at Sophia Gardens.

In December, Riverside enter their first competition when the reserves are admitted to the Monthmouthshire F.A's Junior Medal Cup. They lose in the first round, held on February 24th, 1900. The rest of the season is a series of friendly matches for both the senior side and the reserves.

1900-02

For the 1900-02 seasons Riverside are entered into the Cardiff and District League, and two moderately successful seasons ensue.

The earliest known photograph of Riverside F.C. taken sometime during the early 1900's, although the exact date is unknown. The only person who can be clearly identified in the picture is Bartley Wilson, the then club secretary, who is second from left in the back row. The photograph also shows the Sophia Gardens pavilion of Riverside Cricket Club, which also served as the football club changing rooms.

1902-04

By the summer of 1902, the founding force behind the club, Bartley Wilson, decides that progress needed. He holds talks with a rival club, Riverside Albion, and an amalgamation takes place. The new club retains the name Riverside A.F.C. The 1902-03 season is spent, once again, playing in the Cardiff and District League.

In 1903-04 Bartley Wilson decides to enter The South Wales and Monmouthshire F.A's Junior Cup again, while still playing in the Cardiff & District League. Once again Riverside go out in the first round, to Roath.

1904-05

1904-05 is another season on the parks and the Junior Cup brings embarrassment when Riverside get a bye in the first round and are thrashed 1-6 in the second by Cwmaman, but the club captures it's first ever trophy later in the season, when the Bevan Shield, a locally contested cup competition, is won.

1905-06

In 1905, Cardiff is awarded City status and Bartley Wilson, together with member Charles Kyd, apply to the South Wales and Monmouthshire F.A. to change Riverside A.F.C.'s name to Cardiff City. The application is refused, as the club is judged not to be playing in a high enough grade of football to justify the name. The club spend another season competing in the local parks leagues. In the Junior Cup, Riverside lose in the first round again, to Penarth Parish Church, 1-2, in a replay after a 2-2 draw.

1906-07

Bartley Wilson decides to try and get the club into a higher grade of football and applies for admission for Riverside A.F.C. to the South Wales League, which is the strongest league in the area, for the 1906-07 season. The application is accepted. Once again an application to change the name of the club to Cardiff City is made to the South Wales and Monmouthshire F.A. It is refused again, this time due to irregularities in the accounts of the club relating to the gate money taken before a game against Pontlottyn in the Llanbradach Charity Cup during the 1905-06 season. The club adopts the name Cardiff Riverside. As for the football season itself, it is a season of struggle for the side in the new higher grade of football. Most matches are lost, and there are particularly heavy defeats at the hands of Newport, Cwmparc-and-Treorchy, and Treharris.

1907-08

1907-08 is another season spent near the bottom of the South Wales League. The side concedes seven goals in matches to each of Aberdare, Treharris and Ebbw Vale, while Ton Pentre go one better and defeat Riverside by 8-2. Riverside compete for the first time in the South Wales and Monmouthshire F.A. Senior Cup, and lose in the first round to Barry Dock Albions.

1908-09

The 1908-09 season is a momentous one for the club. On September 5th 1908, at a meeting of the South Wales and Monmouthshire F.A., held at the Alexandra Hotel Cardiff's Queen Street, the club make another application to change their name to Cardiff City. The application is approved on the condition that the club would be required to relinquish the name should a professional club be founded in the City in the meantime. It is season of some improvement on the pitch though, and Cardiff City, as they are now known, spend the season near the top of the South Wales League. In the Senior Cup, the side go out in the first round to Ebbw Vale. The major other development of the season comes about when the Southern League decides to expand to two divisions. Cardiff City, together with a number of other South Wales League members are approached regarding membership. As the club cannot provide the necessary facilities of an enclosed pitch, turnstiles and spectator facilities at their Sophia Gardens ground, the proposal is held over.

1909-10

In 1909-10 season, there are more significant developments. As the club starts to attract some significant support, Bartley Wilson and the committee decide to arrange three friendlies against professional teams to gauge the interest in the club and game. On October 5th, Crystal Palace of the Southern League play City at Cardiff Arms Park and draw 3-3. The gate receipts are £33. On November 17th, Bristol City of the Football League play an invitation Cardiff City XI made up of the best amateurs in Cardiff. Bristol City win 7-1 and the gate receipts come to £50. Later in the season, First Division Middlesbrough play Cardiff City at the Cardiff Harlequins ground in Newport Road. They include two of the great England footballers of the period, Alf Common and Steve Bloomer, in their side but Cardiff City win by 2-1. A £39 profit on the gate receipts confirms to Bartley Wilson that a professional football club in Cardiff is viable. He and the committee immediately start to search for premises.

The amateur side that represented Cardiff City against Middlesbrough at the Cardiff Harlequins ground on 30 March 1910. In the background is the pavilion that served the ground at the time.

BACK(L-R): (Players only) W.Johnson, Leo Newton, Llew Nash, A.Boswell, Cliff Norton.
MIDDLE: H.Evans, J.Tait, Nicholas Wilson, W.Boon
FRONT: H.Pritchard, A.Stone

CARDIFF CITY TURN PROFESSIONAL.

The problem of premises is solved first. An area of land, previously used for refuse disposal, bounded by Sloper Road and the Taff Vale Railway in Cardiff's Canton area, owned by Cardiff Corporation, is offered to the club for 7 years. The rent is £90 per annum. Cardiff Corporation promise to assist in the construction of a new football ground on the site. As a result, admission to the Second Division of the Southern League is duly offered and the club accepts. The club takes up the lease of the site of their new ground on April 1st 1910. A prospectus for Cardiff City Association Football Club is issued. The following are named as guarantors of the club.

D.A.Thomas (Lord Rhondda), J.Bell Harrison, Councillor H.C.Vivian, Councillor Charles Wall, Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart.

The last of these people steps in at the last moment, saving the enterprise, and the new ground is provisionally named after him. A decision is made to change the playing strip from chocolate and amber quarters to blue. Cardiff City Association Football Club is incorporated on April 21st 1910. A Board of Directors is elected. They are as follows.

S.H.Nicholls (chairman), Charles Kyd, J.McGill, Ivor Parker, L.H.Nash, Frank Burfitt, P.Hansford, (these from the old Cardiff Riverside/City club), J.H.Brain, Walter Empsall, John Pritchard, Walter Riden, David Robertson and Charles Wall. Bartley Wilson is elected as secretary.

During the summer, the new ground site at Sloper Road is levelled, and a grass surface laid. The pitch is enclosed with fencing and ash banking is constructed on all four sides. A small wooden grandstand is erected on the next to Sloper Road and changing rooms built on the west side of that stand. The ground, though somewhat basic, is accepted as adequate, and Cardiff City are formally accepted into the Southern League.

Bartley Wilson is given the responsibility of recruiting a team for the first professional season for the club. His first signing is Jack Evans, a left winger found playing for Cwmparc. He receives 6 shillings (30P) as a signing on fee. Then Wilson signs Davy McDougall from Glasgow Rangers. He takes on the job of Player/Manager, and is installed as the team captain in his left half position. The amateur ranks of the players are then cleared and McDougall uses his contacts in the game to sign a series of professionals from the North of England and Scotland. Goalkeeper will be Ted Husbands who has seen service with Liverpool and Wrexham. Full backs John Duffy and James McKenzie are signed on. They have been professionals at Dundee and Middlesbrough respectively. Right half Bob Lawrie comes from Third Lanark and centre half John Ramsey from Brechin. The forward line consists of James McDonald from Aberdeen, John Abley from Treharris, although he has also played for Aston Villa, Jim Malloch from Dundee Centrals and Billy Watts from Glossop. As the Second Division of the Southern League contains only 12 clubs, the 11 home games will not raise enough in takings to keep the club solvent after the considerable costs incurred in putting together the side, so City decide on entering the Glamorgan League to raise extra revenue. Ninian Park is opened with a friendly match against Football League Champions Aston Villa on September 1st 1910.

Cardiff City's first professional side is as follows. Ted Husbands, James McKenzie, John Duffy, Bob Lawrie, John Ramsey, Davy McDougall (capt.), John Abley, Jim Malloch, Bob Peake, Billy Watts amd Jack Evans.

The team plays a match in blue for the first time, which is played in front of an estimated crowd of 7,000. Villa win 2-1, with City's first goal of the professional era scored by Jack Evans, and the next match will be in the Glamorgan League.