101-608: The Full Members' Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992. The competition was created after the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster , when English clubs were banned from European competition , as an additional competition for clubs in
202-509: A Scottish father and Brazilian mother, returned home after his studies in Southampton with a new profound passion for football. Miller spread this passion of football to his fellow peers in a local athletic club and began to organise local football matches. More importantly, colleges that trained teachers encouraged educators to spread the passion of football and even set up their own football clubs. This encouragement of educators to spread
303-551: A competition conceived after a suggestion by Sheffield. They also finished as runners up of the FA Vase in 1977. In 1855, members of a Sheffield cricket club organised informal kick-abouts without any official rules. Subsequently, two members, Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest , formed the Sheffield Football Club. The inaugural meeting of the club took place on 24 October 1857 at Parkfield House in
404-558: A disastrous 44-day spell as Don Revie's successor at Leeds United, enjoyed even greater success at Nottingham Forest , taking the East Midlands club to promotion in 1977, the league title and League Cup in 1978 and to a further League Cup and the European Cup in 1979, before retaining their European crown in 1980. During this run of outstanding success, Clough also shelled out British football's first £1million transfer fee for
505-479: A further league title, FA Cup and the UEFA Cup before the retirement of Bill Shankly as manager in 1974. His successor Bob Paisley took Liverpool to even greater heights; by the end of the decade, he had guided them to three league titles, another UEFA Cup triumph, and the club's first two European Cups. Liverpool's local rivals Everton , who had been league champions in 1963 and FA Cup winners in 1966, began
606-604: A late revival from Manchester United at Wembley to win the FA Cup final 3–2. Leeds United added a further league title and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, as well as their first FA Cup, before Don Revie departed to take over as manager of the England national football team in the summer of 1974, after the Football Association terminated Sir Alf Ramsey's contract after 11 years, following England's failure to qualify for
707-693: A major role in English football in the 1960s. They won their first silverware in 1964 when they won the FA Cup, and went on to win the European Cup Winners' Cup a year later. In 1966, they provided three key players in England's World Cup winning side – goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters as well as captain Bobby Moore . Liverpool enjoyed even more success during the 1970s. They won
808-667: A mere nine years after being elected to the Football League. They quickly established themselves in the First Division, finishing sixth in their first season at this level, and even more impressively won the FA Cup a year later, beating league champions Liverpool 1–0 in the Wembley final. Wimbledon would enjoy the longest stay in the top flight of any of the First Division's new arrivals of the 1980s, retaining their tenancy at this level for 14 years. 1988 saw Millwall reach
909-468: A proliferation of clubs in and around the city playing " Sheffield rules ". Sheffield hosted the world's first multi-team football tournament, the Youdan Cup , in 1867. In general, each football club, school or university tended to have its own rules, which might differ on such fundamental questions as whether to follow the example of Rugby School by allowing the ball to be carried, with players carrying
1010-419: A second spell with the club he had scored more than 200 goals from during his first spell there. The England team made considerable progress during the 1980s after the barren performances of the previous decade, qualifying for every major tournament between 1980 and 1990, with the exception of the 1984 European Championships , although their best run in any of these competitions was a quarter-final appearance at
1111-564: A single season in the competition. After the turn of the century, Sheffield competed mainly in local leagues. By 1925–26 they were competing in the Sheffield Association League . Fifty years after leaving the competition, the club rejoined the Yorkshire League , in 1949. Three years later they won promotion to Division One, but were relegated back to Division Two in 1954. They returned to the top flight at
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#17327718683951212-469: A three consecutive titles, and Arsenal taking five in total, as well as two FA Cups. Huddersfield, and then Arsenal, were managed by Herbert Chapman , who moved from Huddersfield to Arsenal after the Yorkshire club's second successive title, and died just before Arsenal won their third successive title. By the turn of the 1930s, the national side regularly played against other national teams from outside
1313-413: A year later. That first relegation place in 1987 had very nearly been occupied by Burnley , league champions 27 years earlier and First Division members until just over a decade earlier, but victory in their final league game of the season secured their league survival. Another major change which took place in English football during the second half of the 1980s was a restructuring of the divisions. During
1414-487: Is the most popular sport in England . England is home to the world's first football league, the oldest national governing body, and the oldest national knockout competition. The first modern rules for the game were established in England in 1863. England is one of the oldest national football teams, having played in the first international match in 1872. England won the FIFA World Cup in 1966, and has qualified for
1515-663: The 1986 World Cup . Sheffield F.C. Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Dronfield , North East Derbyshire . They currently compete in the Northern Premier League Division One East. Founded in October 1857 , the club is recognised by FIFA as the oldest existing club still playing football in the world. Sheffield F.C. initially played games under the Sheffield Rules and did not officially adopt
1616-577: The Birmingham City forward Trevor Francis , who signed for Forest in February 1979. Also among his acquisitions was the goalkeeper Peter Shilton , who went on to win a record of 125 full caps for England. The rise of football hooliganism marred the game throughout the 1970s and 1980s, which contributed to a decline in match attendance. Other factors in falling attendances were the dismal economic conditions and rising unemployment which plagued
1717-604: The British Isles . However, the FA's resignation from FIFA in 1928 meant that England did not contest any of the first three World Cups . The 1939–40 season was abandoned in September 1939 following the outbreak of World War II . However, as with World War I, a special wartime league was played throughout the war years, with the FA Cup again suspended. Ten regional "mini-leagues" were initially established in 1939 as well as
1818-769: The European Cup final , in the Heysel Stadium disaster . The sequel to the tragedy was a ban on English clubs in European competitions, which was not lifted for five years. Due to the ban, many English star players transferred to continental clubs. England's ageing and poorly built stadiums were responsible for two disasters, at Bradford in May 1985 (just before the Heysel tragedy) and Hillsborough in April 1989, resulting in
1919-615: The Football League between 1982 and 1986. Wolverhampton Wanderers found themselves on the verge of closure twice during the 1980s and suffered three successive relegation which pushed them into the Fourth Division in 1986. Their local rivals Birmingham City dropped into the Third Division for the first time in 1989. Sunderland suffered the same fate as Birmingham two years previously, but achieved promotion at
2020-421: The Football League soon after. During the war, competitive football was suspended. However, an unofficial "Wartime Football league" was played from 1915–16 to 1918–19 , although the FA Cup was suspended until after the war. In the 1920–21 season the Football League was expanded, with the new Third Division , which expanded the league south of Birmingham , which until then had been sparsely represented in
2121-657: The Football League Cup and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup . Manchester United also faced competition from their local rivals Manchester City , who overcame a dismal first half of the decade (which included three seasons in the Second Division) to pip United to the league title in 1968, win the FA Cup in 1969 and claim their first piece of European silverware in 1970 when they lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup . West Ham United also played
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#17327718683952222-476: The Football League War Cup which ran six seasons from 1939 to 1945 with West Ham United , Preston North End, Wolverhampton Wanderers , Blackpool , and Bolton Wanderers winning the trophy while in 1943–44 Aston Villa and Charlton Athletic shared the trophy after drawing 1–1. Various leagues and cups, mostly on a regional basis, were organised throughout the war years for five seasons until
2323-718: The Super Cup instead. While the European ban of English clubs was partially lifted for 1990–91, and fully lifted for 1991–92, the Full Members' Cup survived through the end of 1991–92, its seventh season. The competition was then cancelled the following season when the Football League First Division was superseded by the Premier League as the top division. Seven finals took place between 1986 and 1992. Blackburn Rovers and Reading were
2424-477: The University of Cambridge between the 1830s and the 1860s. In the second half of the century, a culture of independent "football clubs" began to thrive. It was through the spread of football in elite social groups that allowed the growth of such clubs. It was common for sons descendant of elite locals to return to their home from school and form their own clubs. In 1894, Charles Miller, a young elite son of
2525-551: The World Cup . Although Leeds United were still in the First Division at the decade's end, they failed to win any trophies after Revie left the club. The England team, meanwhile, continued to struggle, failing to qualify for the 1978 World Cup , with Revie defecting to coach the United Arab Emirates side just before this latest disappointment. Things began turn around under his successor Ron Greenwood , who ended
2626-415: The final . Manager Bill Nicholson then built another successful Tottenham side which lifted a further FA Cup in 1967. The most marked success of the era, however, was Alf Ramsey 's England team, which won the 1966 FIFA World Cup on home soil after controversially beating West Germany 4–2 after extra time , the only time the national team has won the trophy. In the late 1960s English clubs dominated
2727-751: The 16th centuries references to organised teams and goals had appeared. There is evidence for refereed, team football games being played in English schools since at least 1581. The eighteenth-century Gymnastic Society of London is, arguably, the world's first football club. The 19th century saw the codification of the rules of football at several public schools , with those of Rugby School (first published 1845) and Eton College (first published 1847) being particularly influential, in addition to those of Harrow , Winchester and Shrewsbury . The need for alumni of different public schools to be able to play against each other resulted in several sets of "compromise laws", often known as Cambridge rules , being drawn up at
2828-415: The 1950s, while Portsmouth won back-to-back league titles in the early postwar years. The Football League was reorganised for the 1958–59 season with Third Divisions North and South discontinued. The top half of each regional Third Division from the previous season formed a new Third Division, while the lower halves formed the new Fourth Division . Modernisation followed in the 1960s, with revolutions in
2929-411: The 1960s saw the promotion of two sides to the First Division who would achieve great success as this level for many years afterwards: Liverpool (in 1962) and Leeds United (in 1964). Liverpool, managed by Bill Shankly , won the league title in 1964, two seasons after promotion, and followed this up with their first-ever FA Cup triumph a year later and a further league title in 1966. Among their players
3030-473: The 1970s by winning another league titles, but failed to add any silverware to their list of honors for the rest of the decade, although they did hold onto their place in the First Division. Arsenal started the 1970s on a winning note by lifting the penultimate Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and then became the second team of the 20th century to win the double when they clinched the league title and FA Cup in 1971. Their next major trophy came in 1979, when they fought off
3131-461: The 1980s and into the 1990s. 1985 saw the promotion of Oxford United to the First Division, 23 years after being elected to the Football League. They survived for three seasons in the First Division and won the League Cup in their first season among the elite. An even bigger success story emerged soon after Oxford's First Division arrival, when Wimbledon won promotion to the First Division in 1986,
Full Members' Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-485: The 1986 close season, the Football League decided to reduce the First Division to 21 clubs for the 1987–88 season and finally to 20 clubs for the 1988–89 season, while the Second Division would be increased to 23 and finally to 24 clubs in the process. End-of-season promotion/relegation playoffs were introduced for these two transitional seasons, before the playoffs were established as promotion-only deciders from
3333-456: The British economy for most of the 1970s and into the 1980s, with many clubs in the north of England being hit particularly hard. Many of English football's most famous and successful clubs reached low ebbs during the 1970s and 1980s, in many cases at least partly due to financial problems. Preston North End and Blackpool both fell into the Fourth Division and had to apply for re-election to
3434-577: The Coach & Horses ground in Dronfield in 2001, which was previously the home of Norton Woodseats F.C. , a notable football team who reached the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup in 1939. It was the first time the club had owned its own ground. The ground has a capacity of just over 2,000 with 250 seats in the stand behind the southern goal. In March 2019 it was revealed that Sheffield F.C.
3535-479: The Conference and the Football League was increased to two clubs in 2002–03 . In the 1980s, play-offs were introduced throughout the Football League for promotion each season, with one club each season being promoted via the end of season play-offs in addition to those clubs promoted automatically. Liverpool remained the most successful club side in England during the 1980s, winning the league title six times and
3636-410: The FA Cup in 1984 and enjoyed even more success a year later, when they lifted the league title and their first European trophy – the European Cup Winners' Cup. Although they failed to win any trophies in 1986, they did finish runners-up to Liverpool in the league and reached the FA Cup final, where they lost 3–1 to their close neighbours, in a season where Gray's successor in attack, Gary Lineker , found
3737-576: The FA Cup resumed in 1945–46 . The Football League returned the following season. The English national team suffered two shock defeats in the early 1950s: a 1–0 loss to the United States at the 1950 World Cup and a 6–3 defeat to Hungary at Wembley in 1953. However, Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated the Hungarian club Budapest Honvéd , a match which inspired the creation of the European Cup . Chelsea were dissuaded from participating in
3838-522: The FA Cup twice (including the double in 1986). They also won four successive League Cups, and before the Heysel disaster they won the European Cup in 1981 and again in 1984, bringing their total number of victories in European football's biggest competition to four. Everton also enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980s. Following the appointment of Howard Kendall as manager in 1981 and the signing of inspirational striker Andy Gray in November 1983, Everton won
3939-498: The FA and Sheffield rules co-existed, with each code at times influencing the other. Several games were played between Sheffield and London teams, using both sets of rules. After several disputes, the two codes were unified in 1877 when the Sheffield Football Association voted to adopt the FA laws, following the adoption of a compromise throw-in law by the FA. The Sheffield rules had a major influence on how
4040-436: The FA legalised professionalism, and when Aston Villa director William McGregor organised a meeting of representatives of England's leading clubs, this led to the formation of the Football League in 1888. Preston North End were inaugural winners in 1888–89 and were also the first club to complete the double of both winning the league and the FA Cup. Aston Villa repeated the feat in 1896–97 . The League expanded over
4141-435: The First Division for the first time. Tipped by many to go straight back down, they actually topped the First Division briefly in its early stages before finishing 10th – the lowest position they occupied all season. They briefly went top of the league again during the second month of the following season, but finished the season relegated after just two seasons in the First Division. Eventually, promotion and relegation between
Full Members' Cup - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-531: The Football League. Each division had 22 clubs. The next season the league was again expanded with the Third Division divided into North (with 20 clubs) and South (with 22 clubs) sections, making a total of 86 clubs in the Football League. In the 1923–24 season the Third Division North was expanded to 22 clubs, making a total of 88 league clubs. After half a century of cup finals and internationals being hosted at various venues across England,
4343-716: The Full Members' Cup. Some eligible teams chose not to compete in the tournament in a particular year, while four teams in the First Division throughout the seven seasons of the tournament never entered the competition – Arsenal , Liverpool , Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur . Details of numbers of teams competing in each of the seasons: Second Division members are in italics . Football in England Women's competition Women's competition FA Women's Super League FA Women's Championship FA Women's National League North FA Women's National League South Women's competition Football
4444-725: The League Cup in 1987 and ended their 18-year wait for the league title in 1989, when they beat Liverpool at Anfield in the final minute of the last game of the season to clinch the championship trophy on goals scored. The summer of 1988 saw the first £2million+ transfer fees paid by British clubs. Tottenham Hotspur signed 21-year-old PFA Young Player of the Year Paul Gascoigne from Newcastle United , before Everton swooped for high-scoring forward Tony Cottee from West Ham United. After spending an unsuccessful season in Italy with Juventus , Ian Rush headed back to Liverpool for
4545-563: The Scottish players were all London-based and so not fully representative of Scotland as a nation. The first official international , Scotland v England , was played on 30 November 1872 at Hamilton Crescent , the West of Scotland Cricket Club 's ground in Partick , Glasgow . It was a 0–0 draw watched by 4,000 spectators. On 8 March 1873, England's 4–2 win over Scotland at Kennington Oval
4646-549: The Sheffield area. They became members of The Football Association on 30 November 1863 but continued to use their own set of rules. On 2 January 1865, the club played its first fixture outside Sheffield against Notts County , then known as Nottingham Football Club, at the Meadows Cricket Ground; the match was played eighteen-a-side under "Nottingham Rules". Sheffield won by a goal to nil. By this time
4747-526: The World Cup 16 times. England has more football clubs than any other country, including the world's first club, Sheffield F.C., and the world's oldest professional club, Notts County. England's top domestic league, the Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest leagues in the world. The British Empire's cultural power spread the rules of football to areas of British influence. England
4848-438: The above, the following have played in the Football League either before or after playing for Sheffield: Sheffield have played at a number of grounds near Sheffield. Initially they played at Strawberry Hall Lane Park. However, like all of the early grounds they played at, it was not owned by the club. In the following years they would play at Old Forge ground and a ground near Hunter's Bar on Ecclesall Road . There
4949-416: The ball being allowed to be "hacked" (kicked in the shins) by their opponents. The desire of football clubs for a common code was the impetus behind the foundation of the Football Association (FA) in 1863. Within the FA, there was an acrimonious debate between the "hacking" and "non-hacking" clubs. When the first meetings were held to discuss the FA's laws of football, the "hackers" were in the ascendancy, but
5050-420: The club had decided only to play teams outside Sheffield in order to seek a bigger challenge. On 31 March 1866, Sheffield played a "London" team under FA rules at Battersea Park . The game, played as an eleven aside, was won by London by 2 goals and four touches down to nil. However the matter of rules remained a problem with Sheffield clubs continuing to play by their own rules. A number of rule proposals by
5151-526: The club were rejected by the FA in February 1867 and the London Committee were reluctant to commit to further fixtures over Sheffield's refusal to play strictly to FA rules. Sheffield clubs finally adopted the FA rules in 1878. In 1873 the club entered the FA Cup for the first time, their first ever tie in the competition, against Shropshire Wanderers , being decided after a replay by a coin toss;
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#17327718683955252-519: The club's rules of play, which were decided upon at the club's AGM on 21 October 1858, and published the following year. They were referred to as the Sheffield Rules , and were the first detailed set of rules of football to be published by a football club (as opposed to a school or university). At the time, before the formation of the Football Association (FA), many different kinds of football were popular in England. For example, each of
5353-449: The club, who won the FA Cup in 1983 and again in 1985 under the management of Ron Atkinson . They were captained by Bryan Robson , who also captained the England team for much of the decade, and had been Britain's most expensive footballer on his £1.5million arrival at the club in October 1981. Atkinson was succeeded by Alex Ferguson as manager in November 1986, but by the end of the decade United had gone more than 20 years without winning
5454-477: The creation of a cup exclusively for amateur clubs. The FA Amateur Cup was inaugurated in 1893 and Sheffield themselves won the competition in 1904. They joined their first league competition in 1889 when entering the Midland League , but left after just one season when they finished bottom of the table. They were also founder members of the original Yorkshire League in 1898, but again they spent just
5555-450: The cup in their final year. Sheffield's decline from the top echelon of football began with the introduction of professionalism in July 1885, with the amateurs of Sheffield failing to compete with professional teams, losing heavily that year to Aston Villa , Nottingham Forest and Notts County . After the legalisation of professionalism, the staunchly amateur Sheffield suggested to the FA
5656-560: The deaths of 56 and 97 people respectively. In 1986–87 automatic promotion and relegation between the Football League and non-league was introduced, with the bottom club in the league being relegated to the Conference . The first club to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League was Lincoln City , who were replaced by the GM Vauxhall Conference champions Scarborough , only to regain their league status
5757-443: The decade by securing England's qualification for the 1980 European Championships , the first major tournament England had qualified for in 10 years. Derby County , promoted to the First Division in 1969 after a lengthy absence, emerged as a force during the 1970s, winning the league title in 1972 under the controversial but effective management of Brian Clough , and again in 1975 under Clough's successor Dave Mackay . Clough, after
5858-535: The division One title, but they were relegated back again a year later because of their lack of floodlights. At the first time of asking Sheffield again won the division One title, this time remaining in the NCEL Premier Division for 15 years. In 1994 the club won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup for the first time, beating Worksop Town on penalties at Hillsborough. They would later win
5959-452: The end of the 1988–89 season onward, with the previously two-legged final being altered to a single match at Wembley from 1990 onward. The 1970s saw the FA Cup won twice by Second Division clubs, the first time in the postwar era that the trophy had been won by a club outside the First Division. First, Sunderland lifted the trophy in 1973 at the expense of Leeds United . Three years later, Southampton defeated Manchester United to claim
6060-737: The enthusiasm for football aided in the global diffusion of football. For example, William Leslie Poole, a teacher at the English High School in Montevideo, is acknowledged as the founder of the first football club and league in Uruguay. Particularly in London and Sheffield, with Sheffield Football Club , founded in 1857, is recognised today as the world's oldest surviving independent football club. The example of Sheffield F.C., which published its first set of laws in 1859, soon led to
6161-524: The first attempt and were soon challenging for a return to the First Division, while Wolves ended the decade back in the Second Division after two successive promotions. Bolton Wanderers, four times FA Cup winners, were relegated to the Fourth Division in 1987, but were promoted at the first time of asking. In August 1974, a Blackpool fan was stabbed to death at the back of the Spion Kop, Bloomfield Road at Blackpool's home match with Bolton Wanderers . It
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#17327718683956262-550: The first season of the European Cup in 1955–56 , but Manchester United ignored such advice and went on to reach the semi-final of the 1956–57 edition , losing to the eventual winners Real Madrid . In the following season's European Cup , Manchester United were involved in the Munich air disaster : this also affected the national team as three of the players who died – Roger Byrne , Tommy Taylor and Duncan Edwards – were established England internationals. Their manager Matt Busby
6363-419: The first silverware of their history. In 1980, the trophy was won by a Second Division club for the third time in eight seasons when West Ham United triumphed over holders Arsenal. The 1980s saw five different clubs reach the First Division for the first time. In 1981, Swansea City reached the First Division after climbing from the Fourth Division in just four seasons – the fastest rise of any club throughout
6464-435: The first time of asking before entering their centenary year in 1957. Celebrations included games against the England B team at Hillsborough and fellow amateur side Queen's Park F.C. at Bramall Lane . In 1961, Sheffield was relegated to Division Two again, only returning to the top flight again in 1967, and then only for one more season before another relegation. Three years later, in 1970, they were relegated again, to
6565-591: The game such as the George Eastham case allowing players greater freedom of movement, and the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961. Tottenham Hotspur became the first club to win the Double in the 20th century in 1960–61 , retained the FA Cup the following season, and then became the first English club to win a European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup in 1962–63 when they beat Atlético Madrid 5–1 in
6666-473: The home of football, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game . With over 40,000 association football clubs, England has more clubs involved in the code than any other country. England hosts the world's first club, Sheffield F.C. ; the world's oldest professional association football club, Notts County ;
6767-506: The joys of unrestrained youth." Kicking ball games are described in England from 1280. In 1314, Edward II , then the King of England , said about a sport of football and the use of footballs , "certain tumults arising from great footballs in the fields of the public, from which many evils may arise." An account of an exclusively kicking "football" game from Nottinghamshire in the fifteenth century bears similarity to association football. By
6868-481: The last years of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, with wins for Leeds United , Newcastle United and Arsenal . Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1967–68 when they beat Benfica 4–1 at Wembley in the final . Liverpool (four), Nottingham Forest (two), and Aston Villa (one) won the European Cup in a successful period between 1977 and 1984. The first half of
6969-455: The league at the time. They topped the First Division more than once during the 1981–82 season before finishing sixth. However, Swansea's successive story was short-lived, and their second season among the elite ended in relegation, and by 1986 they were back in the Fourth Division, having narrowly avoided going out of business. In 1982, Watford reached the First Division under the chairmanship of Elton John , management of Graham Taylor , and with
7070-574: The league title, although they had finished in the top four on no less than seven times during the decade. Tottenham Hotspur also enjoyed success during the 1970s and 1980s. They won the League Cup twice during the early 1970s as well as the inaugural UEFA Cup in 1972, but suffered relegation to the Second Division in 1977. They achieved instant promotion under recently appointed manager Keith Burkinshaw , who then guided Spurs to back-to-back FA Cups and then another UEFA Cup triumph before stepping down as manager in 1984. Their North London rivals Arsenal won
7171-455: The modern game of football developed. Among other things they introduced into the laws of the game are the concepts of corners , and free kicks for fouls. International football began when teams representing England and Scotland met in a match at Kennington Oval in south London on 5 March 1870. A total of five games were played between the two teams to 21 February 1872 but they are not recognised as official internationals by FIFA because
7272-480: The national stadium at Wembley was opened in 1923, with the " White Horse Final " being the first FA Cup final to be played there. Bolton Wanderers defeated West Ham United to win this landmark game. Bolton Wanderers would win the FA Cup on three occasions during the 1920s. The inter-war years were dominated by Huddersfield Town , Everton and Arsenal , who won eleven of the eighteen league titles contested between them, with Huddersfield and Arsenal each grabbing
7373-442: The net more than 40 times in all competitions. Despite the sale of Lineker to Barcelona in the summer of 1986, Everton retained their league title the following season. Manchester United endured a difficult time in the 1970s following the retirement of Matt Busby as manager. They suffered relegation to the Second Division in 1974, but achieved instant promotion and went on to win the FA Cup in 1977. The 1980s brought more success for
7474-579: The new Abbeydale Park ground. They moved to Hillsborough Park in 1988, then to Owlerton Stadium and Don Valley Stadium . In 1999, Richard Tims got involved with Sheffield FC when he was invited to a home game in Don Valley Stadium. He noted that the club was struggling as they were playing in a rented stadium. He took over the club and helped it secure its own ground, the Coach and Horses Stadium in Dronfield, Derbyshire. The club bought
7575-588: The new FA rules until 1878. The club competes in the Rules derby with near neighbours Hallam . In 2004 they were given the FIFA Order of Merit , an award given to only one other club; Real Madrid . In 2007 they were inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame , to commemorate their 150th anniversary. On the pitch, the club's finest hour came in 1904 when they won the FA Amateur Cup ,
7676-551: The newly formed Division Three. Club would spend six seasons in the Yorkshire League's basement division, finishing as low as 10th in 1974. They finally started to turn their fortunes around in 1976 by returning to Division Two, and a year later they were crowned as Division Two champions to return to Division One. In the same season, Sheffield reached the final of the newly formed FA Vase . At Wembley stadium , they drew 1–1 with Billericay Town , before being beaten 1–2 in
7777-610: The next 25 years as football boomed in England, from one division of twelve clubs in 1888, to two divisions by the 1892–93 season , with a total of 28 clubs and with the gradual addition of more clubs, a total of 40 by 1905–06 . It remained at 40 until the league was suspended after the 1914–15 season with the outbreak of World War I . During this time clubs from the North and Midlands dominated, with Aston Villa, Sunderland , The Wednesday (later renamed Sheffield Wednesday) and Newcastle United all winning three or more league titles in
7878-545: The oldest national governing body, the Football Association ; the joint-oldest national team; the oldest national knockout competition, the FA Cup ; and the oldest national league, the English Football League . It also has 31% of the population interested in Football . Today England's top domestic league, the Premier League , is one of the most popular and richest sports leagues in the world, with five of
7979-620: The only Second Division teams to win the cup. Chelsea and Nottingham Forest were the most successful teams in the competition, with both of them winning it twice. The competition was open to all teams from the top two levels of the English Leagues , namely the First and Second Divisions. The six First Division teams that qualified for 1985–86 European play were invited to the English Super Cup tournament rather than
8080-483: The only time in the history of the competition that a tie has been decided in this way. They would reach the 4th round of the competition in 1877–78 and 1879–80. Their reluctance to play against local clubs led to the formation of Thursday Wanderers in 1876, a team of players registered to Sheffield who wished to play in the Sheffield Challenge Cup . The Wanderers operated from 1876 to 1879, winning
8181-438: The period leading up to World War I. Other clubs to win league titles in this period include Sheffield United , Manchester United and Everton . London-based clubs enjoyed little success during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the first major trophy being won by a London-based club being Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup triumph in 1901, when they were still a Southern Football League club, although they were elected to
8282-590: The play-offs of the NPL Division One South on four occasions, but have so far failed to win promotion. In their first Division One South campaign in 2008 they reached the final, losing on penalties to Nantwich Town , before being knocked out in the semi-finals in 2010, 2012 and 2019. The club first played in the FA Trophy in 2007 after winning promotion to the NPL, but have so far failed to advance past
8383-432: The postwar years. Under the management of Stan Cullis , they were league champions three times and FA Cup winners twice between 1949 and 1960. Although they failed to make a major impact in either of their European Cup campaigns, they did beat some of European football's most respected club sides in a series of friendlies at Molineux Stadium during the 1950s. Arsenal continued their run of success for several years after
8484-468: The publication of the 1863 set of Cambridge rules (which forbade hacking) enabled the "non-hackers" to prevail and the FA's first Laws of the Game , published in December 1863, banned hacking and carrying the ball. The FA, initially dominated by London-based clubs, saw its influence gradually spread over the country by the success of FA Cup , first contested in the 1871–72 season. Between 1863 and 2021,
8585-494: The qualifying rounds. In 2015, the Qataris donated £100,000 to Sheffield FC. Famous players from the club's early days included Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest , who founded the club. Four Sheffield players have appeared for England – Charles Clegg , who played in the first international game against Scotland in 1872, John Owen , in 1874, Thomas Sorby , in 1879, and Jack Hudson , in 1883. In addition to
8686-671: The replay at the City Ground in Nottingham . When the Yorkshire League merged with the Midland League to form the Northern Counties East League (NCEL) in 1981, Sheffield were placed in Division One South of the new competition. They stayed in this division for three seasons before the league was restructured, with the club being reassigned to the newly formed Division One. In 1989 they won
8787-515: The resumption of league football, winning two league titles and an FA Cup between 1948 and 1953. Their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur won the league title for the first time in 1951, and by the end of the decade were challenging for honors once again under new manager Bill Nicholson and captain Danny Blanchflower . Another London club, Chelsea , won the league title in 1955. Newcastle United were FA Cup winners three times in
8888-404: The scoring prowess of Luther Blissett and John Barnes in attack. They finished runners-up in the league in their first top division season and were FA Cup runners-up in their second, and survived in the First Division until 1988. Taylor later managed the England team, while Barnes went on to help Liverpool win five major trophies and was a regular member of the England side for the second half of
8989-485: The suburb of Highfield . The original headquarters was a greenhouse on East Bank Road lent by Thomas Asline Ward , father of the first club president Frederick Ward , and the adjacent field was used as their first playing ground. Initially, Sheffield FC games were played among club members themselves and took the format of "Married v Singles" or "Professionals v the Rest". Creswick and Prest were responsible for drawing up
9090-638: The ten richest football clubs in the world as of 2022. The England national football team is one of only eight teams to win the FIFA World Cup , having done so once, in 1966 . A total of six English club teams have won the UEFA Champions League , formerly known as the European Cup . Football was played in England as far back as medieval times. The first written evidence of a football match came in about 1170, when William Fitzstephen wrote of his visit to London, "After dinner all
9191-558: The top two English League divisions. The competition's name refers to the clubs that were Full Members of the Football League , with full voting rights; teams from the lower two divisions were Associate Members and were only eligible for the Associate Members' Cup (now known as the EFL Trophy ). The initial Full Members' Cup did not include the six teams that had qualified for 1985–86 European competitions, as these played in
9292-576: The trophy on a further four occasions throughout the 2010s. 2007 was a momentous year for Sheffield F.C. as they entered their 150th year. They finished as runners-up in the league to secure promotion to the Northern Premier League (NPL) for the first time. In October 2007, FIFA president Sepp Blatter attended the club's anniversary dinner, and the following month the club played anniversary celebration matches against Internazionale and Ajax at Bramall Lane. Football legend Pelé
9393-501: The various public schools played football according to their own individual rules, and these varied widely. The Sheffield Rules were later adopted by the Sheffield Football Association when it was formed in 1867. Sheffield's near neighbour, Hallam , was formed in 1860 and in the same year the two clubs first met each other in a local derby which is still contested today. By 1862 there were 15 clubs in
9494-423: The youths of the city goes out into the fields for the very popular game of ball." He also went on to mention that each trade had their own team, "The elders, the fathers, and the men of wealth come on horseback to view the contests of their juniors, and in their fashion sport with the young men; and there seems to be aroused in these elders a stirring of natural heat by viewing so much activity and by participation in
9595-402: Was Roger Hunt , who played in attack for England's World Cup winning side of 1966. Leeds United had appointed Don Revie , an FA Cup winner for Manchester City as a player in 1956, as their new manager in 1961, and he guided them to promotion in 1964. A year after promotion, they only missed out on the league title on goal average, finally winning it in 1969, by which time they had already won
9696-438: Was guest of honour at the first game and was introduced to the teams and the fans before the game. The match ended 5–2 to Inter, with 18,741 supporters attending the match. Inter's side included World Cup winner Marco Materazzi and a young Mario Balotelli . As part of his visit, Pelé opened an exhibition which included the first public showing in 40 years of the original hand-written rules of football. Sheffield have reached
9797-724: Was in talks with the Sheffield Transport Sports Club (STSC) to move the club back to its home city after plans to move to the Olive Grove sports ground in the Heeley district of Sheffield fell through in 2016. In March 2021 plans for the new stadium based at the STSC facility in the Meadowhead area of Sheffield were revealed. The proposed 4,000 person capacity stadium features a heritage centre celebrating
9898-423: Was much reluctance from the owners of Bramall Lane to see the pitch used for football. They did not relent until a charity match between Sheffield and Hallam was suggested in late 1862. The ground was used by Sheffield for its more important fixtures but relations with the owners remained strained. They collapsed altogether in 1875 when the club vowed never to play at the ground again. In 1921, Sheffield settled at
9999-544: Was seriously injured but survived; he had already taken United to FA Cup glory in 1948 and another league title triumph in 1952 with an earlier side which featured the likes of Johnny Carey , Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson . Two English teams, a London XI and Birmingham City , both lost to Barcelona in the first two finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1958 and 1960. Wolverhampton Wanderers were another highly successful English club side during
10100-443: Was the first-ever victory in international football. The late nineteenth century was dominated by the growing split between the amateur and professional teams, which was roughly aligned along a North-South divide . Northern clubs were keen to adopt professionalism as workers could not afford to play on an amateur basis, while Southern clubs by the large part stuck by traditional "Corinthian" values of amateurism . Eventually, in 1885
10201-400: Was widely reported as being the first hooligan death at an English football match, and other clubs who gained notorious reputations for hooliganism during the 1970s and 1980s included Chelsea , Millwall , West Ham United , and Leeds United . The nadir came in May 1985, when Liverpool fans hooliganism, combined with poor policing and infrastructure, led to the deaths of 39 Juventus fans before
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