Portal:English football

The English Football Portal

The England national football team playing at Wembley Stadium in 2008

Football is the most popular sport in England. Widely regarded as the birthplace of modern football, the first official rules of the game were established in England in 1863. The country is home to the world's first football league, the oldest national governing body, and the oldest national knockout competition. With over 40,000 football clubs, England has more teams involved in the sport than any other country. The world's first football club, Sheffield F.C., and the oldest professional club, Notts County, were both founded in England.

The influence of the British Empire helped spread football across the globe, shaping the development of the modern Laws of the Game. England's domestic football scene remains one of the strongest in the world, with the Premier League ranking among the richest and most popular leagues globally. As of 2024, six of the ten richest football clubs were English. Football remains deeply ingrained in English culture, with 31% of the population expressing an interest in the sport. (Full article...)

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Bradford City were formed in 1903 and was elected into Division Two before it had even played a game. Bradford City and Chelsea, in 1905, remain the only teams to be elected into the league before playing a competitive fixture. The club was promoted to Division One when it won the Division Two title in 1907–08. In 1910–11 the club recorded its highest league position of fifth and also won its only major honour when captain Jimmy Speirs lifted the FA Cup after he scored the only goal to defeat Newcastle United 1–0 in the final replay. Bradford City's honours also include the Division Three (North) title in 1928–29 and Division Three crown in 1984–85, as well as the Third Division North Challenge Cup in 1938–39.

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Did you know...

...that English lower-league football team Bristol Rovers (1904 side pictured) once beat the Netherlands national football team 3-2?

...that Sheffield Wednesday Ladies F.C. were formed at the Star Inn public house in Rotherham in 1971 following a charity match between men and women at the pub?

..that in 2003, aged 70, former English Football League and international soccer referee Pat Partridge took over as linesman in a non-league match he was watching, after the original linesman took over from the injured referee?

...that Wilf Wild was the first Manchester City manager to win the League Championship?

...that after retiring, former Premier League footballer Adrian Whitbread worked in four different clubs as assistant coach for Martin Allen?

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Ceremony at the 2007 shield

The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is an English association football trophy contested in an annual match between the current champions of England (currently the Premiership) and the winners of the FA Cup. It is equivalent to the Super Cups found in many countries. If a team wins The Double (both the league and the FA Cup), then the Double winner plays the runner-up. The match is contested at the beginning of the following season, and has traditionally been played at Wembley Stadium, although it was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales while Wembley has been being rebuilt. The newly built Wembley held the 2007 edition and every other Community Shield since, but there has been only two finals that weren't played there. In 2012, Villa Park (Home of Aston Villa) filled in as the host as Wembley hosted the final of the 2012 Olympic football tournament on the same weekend as the proposed date for the Community Shield, and in 2022, the King Power Stadium (Home of Leicester City) stood in as the replacement venue with Wembley hosting the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final. This meant that Leicester became the first club to host this fixture more than once aside from Wembley.

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Credit: Public domain

The Sheffield F.C. team in 1890. Sheffield F.C. are regarded as the oldest football club in the world and were awarded the FIFA Order of Merit in 2004 to reflect this. The amateur team played Inter Milan in 2007 to celebrate their 150th anniversary at Bramall Lane with Pele as the guest of honour.

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