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, five 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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Everton Football Club is an English football club located in the city of Liverpool. The club was a founder member of the Football League in 1888 and have contested more seasons in the top flight of English football than any other. They are one of the top five most successful English clubs in terms of major honours, having won the League Championship nine times, the FA Cup five times and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup once. After winning five League championships and two FA Cups, the club experienced a post-World War II lull until a revival in the 1960s under Harry Catterick. However, their most successful period came in the mid-1980s with Howard Kendall, when Everton won a further two League championships, one FA Cup, and the 1985 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Everton have a notable rivalry with Liverpool F.C., who were formed after a dispute over the rent at Anfield, Everton's old ground, in 1892; As a result of the split, Everton played their home games at Goodison Park for over 130 years until moving to Everton Stadium in 2025. The club have a large fanbase and regularly attract large crowds.

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Did you know...

...that Stoke City F.C. (1870s squad pictured) is the second-oldest English football league club, as it was founded in 1863?

...that footballer Alan Taylor scored two goals in the quarter final, two goals in the semi final and two goals in the final of the 1975 FA Cup as his club West Ham United won the competition?

...that Tommy Sale scored 282 goals during 14 years at the English Football club Stoke City F.C.?

...that Tommy Johnson holds the record for the most goals scored by a Manchester City player in a single season?

...that William Bambridge, the father of England Football international Charles Bambridge was a member of the Te Waimate mission, New Zealand who became official photographer to Queen Victoria?

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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: Paddy Briggs

Robbie Keane of Tottenham Hotspur places the ball for a Penalty kick. A player for the Republic of Ireland, Keane scored his 100th competitive goal for Tottenham in the 2-0 win against Sunderland on January 19, 2008. He is the 15th Tottenham player to achieve this feat.

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