Rochdale Association Football Club, commonly known as Rochdale AFC and nicknamed "The Dale", is a professional association football club based in the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The club plays home matches at the Crown Oil Arena and represents the town in the English football league system and national cup competitions, including the Carabao Cup.
Formed in 1907, Rochdale initially competed in regional leagues before joining the Football League’s Third Division North in 1921. The club became renowned for its long unbroken spell in the bottom tier of the League, punctuated by promotion in 1968–69 and later rises from the fourth tier in 2009–10 and 2013–14. Rochdale’s most famous achievement remains reaching the 1961–62 League Cup final, the first fourth‑division side to contest a major English cup final.
