Mid 1800s

The origin of the Greater Manchester Youth Federation dates back to the mid 1800’s.  The founding ‘Lads Clubs’ were established in Manchester and Salford by groups of businessmen as a solution to the growth of ‘Scuttling Gangs’ which had come to prominence in many of the poorest communities in the area.  Representing and defending particular streets, these gangs would meet on waste ground and battle one another using a variety of lethal weapons.