Bristol City FC is an English football club from the city of Bristol in south west England where they play at Ashton Gate. It was founded in 1897, when Bristol South End turned professional and changed its name to Bristol City. In 1900 the club merged with local rivals Bedminster, who had been founded as Southville in 1887. The side joined the Football League in 1901 and were the only non-London League side south of Birmingham until 1920. They first entered Division 1 in 1906 as Second Division champions, and as newcomers became known as the "Bristol Babies", a nickname that would last into the thirties. They were runners-up to Newcastle in their first season in the top flight, and in 1909 reached the FA Cup final, where they were beaten 0-1 by Manchester United at the Crystal Palace in London. But these achievements were not consistent, and in 1911 City were relegated back to the Second Division. The 1920s were a rocky time as City bounced between the Second Division and the Southern Section of the Third Division. 

By the 1930s they had slumped into the lower division where they stayed until the Second World War; the club did win the Welsh Cup in 1934.  Their next promotion did not come until 1955 when they spent five years in the Second Division before being relegated once more. In 1965, City was promoted again, and this time succeeded in consolidating their position.  They finally returned to the First Division in 1976 where they remained for three seasons before relegation back to the Second Division in 1980.  By 1982 they were in the Fourth Division and had been declared bankrupt. The club slowly recovered and the 1990s saw promotion to the Second Division and in 2007-8 they reached the Championship where they remained until relegation in 2013. Bristol City were promoted back to Championship for 2015–16 season after securing  top spot in Football League One during the previous season. The club managed to secure its place in the second tier of English football as one of the stronger sides during subsequent years.