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| Full name | Stockport County Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hatters, County | |||
| Founded | 1883 (as Heaton Norris Rovers) | |||
| Ground | Edgeley Park | |||
| Capacity | 10,852 all-seated | |||
| Owner | Mark Stott | |||
| Chairman | Ken Knott | |||
| Manager | Dave Challinor | |||
| League | EFL League One | |||
| 2023–24 | EFL League Two, 1st of 24 (promoted) | |||
| Website | http://www.stockportcounty.com/?site/desktop | |||
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Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system, after winning the 2023–24 EFL League Two title.
Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport County in 1890 after the County Borough of Stockport. The team have played in blue and white kits since 1914; their original colours were red and white. The club is nicknamed "The Hatters" after the town's former hat-making industry. Stockport have played at Edgeley Park since 1902.
Stockport first joined the Football League in 1900 but had to seek re-election in 1904. The club were not re-elected and spent one season outside the competition before they returned for the 1905–06 season. County then played in the Football League continuously for 106 years until 2011, mostly in the lower divisions. The team won their first league championship in 1922, the newly created Third Division North. Two league championships followed in 1937 (Third Division North) and 1967 (Fourth Division). The 1990s was the team's most successful period, when Stockport competed in the First Division for five seasons and reached the League Cup semi-finals in 1996–97. County also made four appearances at Wembley Stadium during this period, two in the Football League Trophy and two in the Football League play-offs, but lost on each occasion.
After financial difficulties in the early 2000s, the club fell back down the divisions, and were relegated out of the Football League at the end of the 2010–11 season, followed by relegation to the sixth tier in 2012–13. Stockport stabilised on and off the pitch in the following seasons, and won promotion to the fifth tier in 2018–19. In 2021–22, County topped the National League, securing promotion back to the EFL after an 11-year absence. In their first season back in League Two, Stockport finished 4th and reached the 2023 EFL League Two play-off final, losing to Carlisle United at Wembley Stadium. The following season they secured automatic promotion to League One as League Two champions.