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Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal. They have never played top-flight football, and hold the record for the most seasons in the English Football League (112) without reaching the first tier. After playing at the Athletic Ground in Cobridge and The Old Recreation Ground in Hanley, the club returned to Burslem when Vale Park was opened in 1950. Outside the ground is a statue of Roy Sproson, who played 842 competitive games for the club. The club's traditional rivals are Stoke City, and games between the two are known as the Potteries derby.
Wilfred Thomas Kirkham was an English footballer who holds four goalscoring records at Port Vale. His 153 league goals and 164 goals in all competitions are both records, as are his tally of 38 goals in the 1926–27 season and his total tally of 13 competitive hat-tricks. A cousin of Tom Holford, he was noted for his "Kirkham Special" hook shots, intelligent football and prolific scoring record.
John George Peart was an English footballer who played centre forward for 13 different teams in a career which spanned World War I. After he retired, he became a football manager until he died in 1948.
Robert Blood was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward and was noted for his powerful strikes.
Thomas Holford was an English footballer who played for Stoke, Manchester City, Port Vale and the England national team. His primary position was wing-half. Still, he played in many different positions throughout his career. He later managed Port Vale on two separate occasions, serving throughout World War I, before three years from 1932 to 1935. He also served the club for many years as a trainer and a scout. In 1924, he turned out for the Vale at 46 years and 68 days, making him one of the oldest players in the English Football League.
In English football, the Potteries derby is the local derby between the two major clubs in the city of Stoke-on-Trent – Port Vale and Stoke City, first contested in 1882. Port Vale plays at Vale Park whilst Stoke play at the bet365 Stadium, the two grounds are separated by roughly 4.3 miles (6.9 km). The fans of each club both consider the other to be their main rivals; this has led to a heated atmosphere at these matches. One study in 2019 ranked it as the joint-28th biggest rivalry in English professional football, level with the Manchester derby. The two teams have met in 92 competitive first-team fixtures, including 44 English Football League, six FA Cup and two Football League Trophy fixtures, with the remaining 40 meetings coming in regional cup competitions.
Edward John Peers was a Wales international football goalkeeper. He won 12 caps for Wales and spent 1911 to 1921 at Wolverhampton Wanderers and then from January 1922 to May 1923 at Port Vale.
Peter Pursell was a Scottish footballer. A defender, he won one cap for Scotland in 1914. He was the younger brother of Robert Russell Pursell and the father of Robert Wilson Pursell.
William Howard Matthews was an English football goalkeeper who played for Port Vale, Burton United, Oldham Athletic, Halifax Town, Chester, and Oswestry Town. With Oldham, he finished second in the Second Division in 1909–10 and then second in the First Division in 1914–15.
Joseph Brough was an English footballer. He was also an accomplished cycler and sprinter.
William Briscoe was an English footballer who played as a forward.
Thomas Page was an English footballer and international baseball player who played as an inside-forward. Three of his brothers, Louis, Jack and Willie, were also professional footballers.
Samuel Jennings was an English footballer and football manager. A tall player, he was a goal-scoring centre-forward, with a ratio of a goal every two games.
John Lowe was an English footballer who played on the right-wing for Ripley Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Chesterfield, Bolton Wanderers, Port Vale, Oldham Athletic, and Rotherham United.
John Maddock was an English footballer, noted for his 'rifle shot'. He played in the right-back position for Stoke between 1919 and 1921 before signing with Port Vale following two years at Macclesfield Town. He spent eight years with Vale before joining Crewe Alexandra in 1931. He later played for non-League sides Nantwich and Audley United. He won the Third Division North title with Port Vale in 1929–30.
Ernest William Perry was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra between 1919 and 1924; he was also signed to Stoke and Bradford City.
Arthur Martin McGarry (1898–1960) was an English footballer who played at right-half for Port Vale, Reading, and Rochdale.
William John Aitken was a Scottish football player and manager.
Leonard Armitage was an English footballer who could play both in defence and attack. He made 284 league appearances in a 15-year career in the Football League.
Harold Arthur Crockford was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Fulham, Exeter City, Port Vale, Chesterfield, Gillingham, Accrington Stanley, Walsall, Darlington and Norwich City.