Get to know Norwich City
Our beginnings
We are Norwich City. We were formed in 1902 following a meeting called by Robert Webster and Joseph Cowper Nutchey, and turned professional three years later.
Our stadium
City moved from Newmarket Road to The Nest in 1908. However, with crowds continuing to rise and with the Football Association raising concerns over the suitability of The Nest, the club decided to move to its current home, Carrow Road, following the conclusion of the 1933/34 season. The first game at our current home saw us win 4-3 over West Ham United. The current capacity of the stadium is 27,150.
On the ball, City!
The club’s iconic chant, On the Ball, City!, is widely reported to be the oldest song in world football still in use today. While a longer version exists, the chorus chanted by City fans is as follows;
Kick it off, throw it in, have a little scrimmage,
Keep it low, a splendid rush, bravo, win or die;
On the ball City, never mind the danger,
Steady on, now's your chance,
Hurrah! We've scored a goal,
City! City! City!
Our nickname
Our original nickname was ‘The Citizens’, and we originally played in blue and white. However, this isn’t the case today. In the mid-16th century, Dutch and Flemish migrants known as ‘The Strangers’ landed on our shores and revitalised the textile industry. They also introduced canaries to the city, which provided the inspiration for our current moniker. Our now iconic yellow and green identity was introduced onto our strips ahead of the 1907/08 season.
Our crest
In June 2022, the club introduced a new crest, replacing the previous crest that had existed for 50 years. The new crest maintains the core elements that made up the previous crest - the lion, castle and canary, but was modernised for a digital-first era.
Our mascot
Captain Canary is the club’s mascot and you will often find him around Carrow Road on a matchday. In 2022, the club launched the current version of Captain Canary, replacing the previous costume which had been in place for over 25 years.
Our ownership
Delia Smith, alongside her husband, Michael Wynn Jones, were the club's majority owners for 28 years, joining the board in 1996. Her influence not only helped stabilise the then precarious financial predicament the club found itself in, but also to develop off-field revenue streams, such as Delia’s Canary Catering, to help the finances further. In October 2024, they stepped down from the Board, instead becoming honorary life presidents, allowing Norfolk Holdings, an investment group led by Mark Attanasio to take a controlling stake in the club.
Attanasio was appointed to the club’s board of directors in September 2022. He is an American businessman and the chairman and principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers Major League Baseball team. Over the course of Attanasio’s tenure, the Brewers have been one of baseball’s most competitive teams. Attanasio has also been an accomplished investment management executive for more than 35 years. He is co-founder and managing partner of Crescent Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based asset management firm that also has a long-standing presence in the UK and Europe.
Honours
Norwich City’s most recent honour was the 2020/21 EFL Championship title, the club’s fifth winning England’s second tier. They have also gained promotion to the top division once as runner-up and once via the play-offs. The Canaries have also won the Football League Cup on two occasions, in the 1961/62 and 1984/85 campaigns.
