Hereford United FC is an English professional football club based in the cathedral city of Hereford, Herefordshire. Founded in 1924, the club was admitted to the Birmingham Combination League and played its first competitive match two months later. After four seasons, United joined the Birmingham League and gradually became established as one of its  leading sides. In 1939, United became a limited company and joined the Southern League only for their new career to be cut short after four matches due to the outbreak of war. They returned to the Southern League after the War and in 1966 John Charles signed for the club at the age of 35. Charles scored 115 goals in 202 games and took over as player manager in 1967. Under Charles’ inspirational leadership, Hereford became one of the strongest non-League sides in the country. Hereford shot to national prominence in 1972 when, as a Southern League team, they knocked top-flight Newcastle United out of the FA Cup. In the same season they were elected to the Football League, and reached the Second Division by 1976. But after a rapid decline into the Fourth Division, where they spent nineteen seasons, they were eventually relegated on the final day of the 1996-97 season with serious financial troubles. Graham Turner purchased the majority shareholding in 1998 saving the club from probable extinction and, after nine seasons in the Conference, Hereford returned to the Football League by winning the 2006 Conference Playoff Final. They returned to the Conference on 5 May 2012. In December 2014, the club was wound up in the High Court after a petition had been brought against it by HM Revenue and Customs. A new club was set up called Hereford F.C. They entered the football pyramid before the 2015–16 season and won three league titles in their first three campaigns - the Midland Football League Premier Division followed by the Southern League South & West and the Southern League Premier. As of the 2022–23 season, the club plays in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system.