We ask every Manchester United supporter, from screen fans to hardline fans, from remote supporters to people who are native to Manchester or Mancunian: Exactly what date was Manchester United first formed?
Most people will say Manchester United was formed in 1878. At that time their name was not Manchester United, but Newton Heath LYR. LYR stands for "Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway" which is the railroad company, the company that financed them in the first place.
There's nothing wrong with the information above. Year 1878 means is about 139 years ago. However, the exact date Newton Heath LYR was formed, as far as I searched and I asked, no one knows.
Sometimes historical records are lost or destroyed, and this myth has been considered a fact for 139 years, and actually no one protests about the exact date: but everyone is so sure that Newton Heath LYR was first formed in 1878. The date and month, I don't know. .
There is no actual data regarding when Newton Heath LYR was founded, the forerunner of the Manchester United team, or simply the date this team was registered.
This happened because the history of Man United's first years was destroyed along with the bomb dropped by a German war plane on the night of March 11, 1941, which reduced Old Traffod to rubble.
So, to find out the exact date of the founding of Man United, we really have to dig into the history of the ruins of the second World War. An excavation that has turned up nothing but myths so far.
Even a United historian of the caliber named Geoffery Green cannot find a date when Newton Heath LYR was formed, let alone us. In his book entitled There's Only One United, he says; "The exact date of birth of [Newton Heath LYR or Manchester United] is buried at the bottom of time. It's like looking for footprints on a sandy beach that has been swept long ago by waves."
But one thing is clear, Green believes that 1878 was the year Man United was founded. This is confirmed in the book The History of the Lancashire Football Association.
In another note that I found in "Unofficial and International Blog About FC United of Manchester", a writer who is the co-founder of FC United of Manchester (FCUM)* wrote that March 5, 1878 was the first time Newton Heath LYR was formed and while playing their first match.
Please note, the sources I quote here are not fully accountable. However, seeing what I've been looking for and I've asked so far, only the writing above clearly states the date, month, and year one of the formation or the first match of Newton Heath LYR was formed. So, believe it or not, please just read it.
On March 5, 1878, after Newton Heath LYR was formed, they immediately played a football match against their kind of team, namely from the yar and depot companies.
The match was held at North Road, a church-owned stadium leased by LYR which has a capacity of 12,000 spectators. In that match, Newton Heath LYR wore a green and yellow (gold) uniform, the colors that represent the LYR company.