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Premier League Printed Guide www.plguide.co.uk contact@plguide.co.uk Published: JAN Publishing Group, Watford, UK Executive Publisher: Marco Neves Art Direction and Design: Jefferson A. Nascimento jef@jefnascimento.com.br Printed in Portugal, 2019 by Lidergraf Sustainable Printing | ISSN: 2183-8844 Imprensa da Universidade de Lisboa Alameda da Universidade - Cidade Universitรกria, 1649-004, Lisbon, Portugal imprensa@reitoria.ulisboa.pt ISBN 978-987-256220-2-1 Please see the website www.plguide.co.uk for complete acknowledgment of copyrighted pieces.
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Index Brief History of Football
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The English Football League: Premier League How to Buy your Ticket
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11 The Best Pubs to Watch Premier League in the UK 16 Who to Root for: The Current Premier League Teams 20 Top 7 Football Attractions in the UK 48 Stadium: How to Get There & How to Behave
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Brief History of Football M odern football as we know it today was born in the UK. However, the earliest evidence relating to a game with football-like features is found in a manual of military exercises practiced between the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC in China during the Han Dynasty, which was called Tsu’ Chu. The competition consisted of throwing a ball made of leather and feathers and hair into a net that was caught between two bamboo poles that were about 30 to 40 centimeters apart.
The ball was also rolling in ancient Greece, through a competition called ‘Episkyros’ - of which we know little - but was much more ‘excited’, as was the Roman ‘Harpastum’. From Italy we are also aware of 16th-century Calcio, which involved the participation of 54 men who faced each other somewhat as gladiators in the arena. The ball was almost a mere spectator.
“Too small to be a real war and too cruel to be a game” Henry III of France - about ‘Episkyros’.
From the eastern lands we also have the Kemari, which appeared in Japan about 500 or 600 years after the Chinese sport and is still practiced today.
Reproduced from: ‘Kulturgeschichte des Sports’, C.H.Beck, p.181: Fresco by Jan van der Straet: Calcio being played in front of Santa Maria Novella, 1558 (Palazzo Vecchio, Florence) by HeritageDaily
“One Hundred Children in the Long Spring”, painting by Su Hanchen between 1130 and 1160 AD.
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Despite all the evidence of ball sports practiced elsewhere in the world, the evolution of football as we know it today has taken place in Britain. The game that flourished in the British Isles from the eighth to the nineteenth century featured a considerable variety of local and regional versions - which were later softened and refined to create the modern sports of the Football Association, rugby and in Ireland, Gaelic Football. Football has generated tremendous enthusiasm among the common people in Britain, and it has also resisted repeated - and unsuccessful - intervention by authorities who disapproved of such violent recreation. Since 1314, Lord Mayor of London considered it appropriate to issue a proclamation banning football within the city due to the chaos it used to cause. Violation of this law meant arrest. Already in Manchester in 1608, the game was banned because many windows were broken. As the nineteenth century progressed, a new attitude developed towards football. Educational authorities have noted how well sport has served to encourage such good qualities as loyalty, self-denial, cooperation, subordination, and deference to team spirit. Games have become an integral part of the school curriculum and participation in football is mandatory. Finally, in 1863, developments peaked. At Cambridge University, where by 1848
alumni attempts had already been made to find a common denominator for all the different adaptations of the game, a new initiative began to establish some uniform standards and rules that would be accepted by all. The decisive meeting, however, took place on October 26, 1863, when 11 eleven London clubs and schools sent their representatives to the Freemason Tavern. This meeting marked the birth of the Football Association.
International games were being held in Britain before football was hardly heard in Europe. The first was played in 1872 and was contested by England and Scotland. Football was officially included at the 1908 Summer Olympics, celebrated in London!
There, rules were set, such as the size and weight of the ball and the playing time at 90 minutes. On December 8, 1863, football and rugby broke up.
When FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) was founded in Paris in May 1904, it had seven founding members. While in 1930 - the year of the first football World Cup - there were already 41 members. For the next half century football’s popularity continued to attract new devotees, and by the end of the 2007 FIFA Congress FIFA had 208 members from all over the world.
From then on, progress was super fast. Just eight years after its founding, the Football Association already had 50 member clubs. The world’s first football competition, the FA Cup, was founded in 1872. In 1888, the league’s first championship was underway.
Football is therefore the most popular sport in the world with over 4 billion fans and practitioners. Enjoy the excitement of a UK football match at the birthplace of the most beloved sport on the planet!
Official poster of the 1930 Football World Cup
New Premier League logo presented in 2016
Football players representing Premier League clubs in the 2019/2020 season
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The English Football League:
Premier League T
he Premier League is played by twenty clubs in the running point system, where at the end of each season the top four finishers participate in the UEFA Champions League, and the bottom three are relegated to the EFL Championship, giving way to the top three. competition. Each season runs from August to May, with 38 rounds with ten matches each, totaling 380 matches throughout the season. Most games are played during the afternoon on Saturdays and Sundays and sometimes at night in the middle of the week. The competition was formed as FA Premier League on February 20, 1992, after the decision of the Football League First Division clubs to break with the Football League, originally founded in 1888. The first step towards England’s football revolution was taken with the Taylor Report, which set the standards of stadiums in the United Kingdom and is subsequently followed almost everywhere in the world. The origin of the Premier League predicted a more organized competition with standardized stadiums and much more profitable for participating clubs. Gradually, the English Championship was returning to the top of the best national leagues in Europe and the world. Today, the Premier League is the most popular football league in the world, broadcast by eighty television networks in more than two hundred countries.
Manchester United team, Premier League champion 1992/1993
dominated English football during the 1990s. At the end of the 2012-13 season, Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement. as a Manchester United coach after 27 years and 38 trophies won. Many teams that succeeded in the 70s and 80s did not do so well in the Premier League. The biggest challengers to the Premier League title in the early years were Blackburn Rovers, led by Alan Sherear, and Newcastle United.
Manchester United were the first Premier League champions, their first title in 26 years, and under Alex Ferguson they Leicester City squad, Premier League champion 2015/2016
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After 38 years without an unprecedented champion, one of the biggest surprises in English football was the Leicester City title in the 2015-2016 season. Since 1888, 24 clubs have been crowned champions of the English football system. Since the league’s inception in 1992, a total of 49 clubs have been in the Premier League, six of which have won the title: Manchester United, the biggest champion with thirteen titles, Chelsea, with five,
Manchester City, with four, Arsenal with three and only club to win the Premier League unbeaten, Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City, with one win each. Only six clubs have played in all their editions: Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham.
The trophy The current Premier League trophy was created by London’s Asprey Royal Jewelery. Its main part is solid sterling silver and golden silver, while the pedestal is made of malachite, a semiprecious stone. The plinth has a silver part around its circumference, in which the names of the title-winning clubs are listed. The green color of the malachite also represents the playing field. The trophy design is based on the heraldry of the “three lions” that are associated with English football. Two of the lions are found above the handles on either side of the trophy - the third is symbolized by the winning team’s title captain as he raises
the trophy, and his golden crown above his head at the end of the season. In 2004, a special gold version of the trophy was commissioned to commemorate Arsenal’s undefeated title.
Social responsibility Through participation and opportunity, Premier League inspire and connect with local and global communities.
The Premier League Trophy
PL and its clubs fund community facilities throughout England and Wales, operate national and local sports participation projects, and recently launched the Premier League Primary Stars, a primary education program that uses football’s appeal to inspire children and young people to achieve their potential and improve their wellbeing; working together to build stronger, safer and more inclusive communities. The program has reached more than 15,000 schools so far. Premier League Kicks programme
PREMIER LEAGUE CURIOSITIES • Scottish Alex Ferguson is the Premier League’s biggest winner with thirteen trophies. • Liverpool have never won the Premier League, although they have won 18 titles of the English League (18 titles). • Two clubs from another country have already participated in the Premier League. Cardiff City and Swansea City, both from Wales, have already won English titles, but not Premier League titles. • Most points in one edition: Manchester City, 100 points (2017/2018). • In the 2003/2004 season, Arsenal were unbeaten champions without a defeat. • Biggest PL home win: 9-0 - Manchester United v Ipswich Town (4 March 1995) • Highest PL single match attendance: 83,222 - Wembley Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal (10 February 2018) • Most played player: Gareth Barry - 653 (Aston Vila, Everton, Manchester City and West Brom). • Top Scorer: Alan Shearer - 260 goals (Blackburn and Newcastle). • Top scorer in just one edition: Mohamed Salah (32 goals, 2017/18).
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How to buy your Ticket? Y ou can buy tickets safely on the club’s official websites or at the box office, in person or over the phone. Clubs will also provide details of any authorized partners on the official website. Premier League matches are always very popular, and sometimes you need to be a member to apply for tickets to clubs or some of the most prominent games. Generally, memberships are available as a one-time purchase and offer great benefits including priority ticket access.
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For some of the most popular games, such as derby matches, clubs can also use systems such as Loyalty Points to offer tickets first to fans who watch matches regularly.
Tickets have a lot of demands, but in most cases, seats that remain available after priority sales can be offered at the general sale, for example for beginning fans. Most clubs categorize matches (eg, A, B, or C scores) and fans should look in particular for lower scores where availability is sometimes higher.
Each club has its own sales processes, which are explained in more detail on their websites. If you contact a club, they can also provide information or guidance about your options for any of the upcoming games.
How much do tickets for a premier league cost? To participate in a Premier League match, expect to pay something like £40 to £60. But depending on the match, you could pay around £100 or over £200.
Purchase Club Tickets Selling tickets started with season ticket holders, after associate members, after the general public gets a chance. But many games don’t even reach the “general sale” stage - especially at the big Premier League clubs. Teams have different game levels with different prices and requirements for each. For example, if Manchester City is playing Manchester United, this game will not be sold to the general public; there will simply be no more tickets. Even in the first two levels (season and associated tickets), the price will be higher and there will be a lower per person ticket limit than if City is playing in Bournemouth, for example. If you are determined to attend one of these top level games involving top clubs, you may need to join as a member or buy a hospitality package. Many clubs also have a ticket exchange on their website, allowing season ticket titles to not see a game that can resell their tickets.
Associations: Paying for Access You pay an annual tax for various perks, such as a club newsletter, collection items, a loyalty point account ... and access to buy tickets before “general sale” data. There are different levels in each club. Some of them have a cheaper international or “light” membership, which allows you to buy tickets for one or two games only per season. One membership varies per club, but can cost between £ 40 and over £ 100, paying only once a year.
The Hospitality Package Hospitality packages include departure tickets and a host of other extras, ranging from fantastic food and drink options to parking, match programs and souvenir gifts. They offer a memorable day and are usually available for sale in general.
Family arriving together for Manchester United game. Photo: Gettyimages
All clubs have multiple levels of suite / box experience available. This includes many combinations of meals, drinks, hotel accommodation and stadium tours. They have £ 100 or less in a small club up to £ 500 (or above) in larger clubs.
risk not being able to enter the stadium and lose the money paid.
Tickets for the visiting team
People buying tickets from money changers experienced the following: their tickets were fake and they could not enter; your tickets have been canceled; they did not receive a departure ticket; they were seated in the opposing stadium fans’ area; your bank details and other personal information has been compromised.
Sometimes the best way to get into the stadium is to get tickets to be with visiting team fans. But watch out for watching football games in England, “Don’t sit with fan visitors unless you’re really going to cheer for that time.” If you are cheering for the time of the house, even if it is hindered in the part of the cheerleading visit, avoid the celebrations and do not go dressing with other team cores.
Be careful A “tout tout” (also known as a “money changer”) sells unauthorized departure tickets, usually at heavily inflated prices. If you buy tickets from an unauthorized source, be it an unauthorized website, an online marketplace or an off-field tout, you
Many clubs have canceled thousands of associations for fraudulent ticketing activities.
If you have had a negative experience or have information about unauthorized ticketing activities that you wish to share with confidence, please contact us at: info@premierleague.com We want you to enjoy your gaming experience comfortably and safely and ensure that the ticket you purchase is genuine.
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Tips to avoid buying fake tickets
Here’s our list of known unauthorized ticket sites. We recommend that fans exercise extreme caution when dealing with these sites.
• Ticket prices for heavily inflated departures; • Game tickets for sale many months before the game date; • Exact location of unconfirmed seats (no row or number of seats); • Large volume of tickets offered for the most prominent matches; • Be required to collect tickets from a hotel or venue other than the stadium; • Be required to return tickets after departure; • Statements that the site that sells tickets but is not affiliated with the club or unofficial;
www.365tickets.com.br www.1st4footballtickets.com www.1ticketlive.com www.247footballtickets.com www.atstickets.com www.checkfootballtickets.com www.doctorticket.com www.easysportstickets.com www.eventticketmaster.com www.eventticketsonline.eu www.fanpass.co.uk www.footballticketline.com www.footballticketnet.com www.footballticketpad.com www.footballticketsuk.com www.footballtickettrade.com www.gofootballtickets.com www.guaranteetickets.com www.hotfootballtickets.com www.kixfootballtickets.com www.livefootballtickets.com
Father and son arriving at the stadium to watch the Wolverhampton game.
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www.londonfootballinternational.com www.myticketsonline.eu www.onlineticketexpress.com www.premiumtickethub.com www.premiumticketsonline.eu www.safefootballtickets.com www.safetickets.net www.showtimetickets.com www.spareticketexchange.com www.sportsevents365.com www.sportticketspro.com www.thesportsboxoffice.com www.ticket.org www.ticket4football.com www.ticketbis.net www.ticketgum.com www.ticketunlimited.com www.ticketvago.com www.unitedticketagency.com www.vividseats.com www.worldticketshop.com
Stadium
How to get there & How to behave I t is common for both fans to arrive by subway and together. The fans don’t always show which team they support, but at least one scarf or cap can be seen. Even if it’s from head to toe, everything will be in peace.
How to get there The best way to reach the stadiums is by public transport, which on game days has a special scheme to meet the demand, both on arrival and at the end of the match. Be aware if the best way to get around is with the subway network, trains, trams, buses or if you prefer, use a taxi or shared ride apps. Just use a transportation app like Google Maps, Maps, Citymapper, or another to find the best route.
Pre-Game The best way to reach the stadiums is by public transport, which on game days has a special scheme to meet the demand, both on arrival and at the end of the match. Be aware if the best way to get around is with the subway network, trains, trams, buses or if you prefer, use a taxi or shared ride apps. Just use a transportation app like Google Maps, Maps, Citymapper, or another to find the best route.
Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal.
The match The match starts on time and when there is a minute of silence he is indeed respected. The minutes of silence last a full minute. Respect goes beyond. No matter how close the fans are to the field, no one invades the stadium or throws anything into the grass. Offenders are punished severely to avoid any problem. The fans cheer, sing, play and react almost with every move. One approach to the goal and everyone drops their tea and gets up. Yeah, you can’t come in with alcohol at the stadium, but with your tea (or coffee) that’s fine. Even if it comes to nothing the motivation comes in the form of applause from the
stadium. As the fans are very close to the lawn, this makes this atmosphere even more striking. Players feel more the support of the fans, who in turn feel more the subtle thanks of each one. If support and vibration rolls on each throw, just imagine at the time of the goal! Even more the goal being in favor, when even the club announcer vibrates and cheers everyone through the speakers. In the meantime, common sense is different: going to the bar for a beer, going to the bathroom and maybe even eating a little something. As it is not possible to enter the field with a drink, nobody cares about standing in the foyer sipping the beer and discussing first half bids.
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Postgame
Stadium visit
Other tips
It is an organized riot. A lot of policing in the street mixed with a lot of lively people makes the exit lighter and conducive to the type of event. The frequency of the subway is very fast on game days and this avoids pinching the wagon - there is hardly any.
Visitors are great ways to get to know the stadium far beyond the fan areas. You visit the press room, locker rooms and usually arrive close to the lawn.
We recommend you get an affiliation with football clubs. This gives you priority access to the purchase of tickets. First are the longest and most buying members, then the newcomers, and then open to the general public. Membership starts from £ 30 or £ 40.
It is not dangerous to leave or arrive at the stadium with fans of the opposing team even with the club shirt. A lot of people still prefer to keep their shirt hidden, but still showing a blanket or something light.
Depending on the stadium there is also a small museum with trophies, photos, historical items and important for the formation of the club. Learn more about visiting London clubs: Armory (£ 23) | Chelsea (£ 19) | Fulham (Stadium Store) | West Ham (£ 17) | Wembley Stadium (£ 19)
Manchester United hero Jesse Lingard surprises unsuspecting fans outside Old Trafford.
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Some clubs offer the so-called ticket exchange, which is not quite a ticket exchange as it seems. The clubs themselves have a platform where fans who have tickets for the whole season but
Fan singing during a Brighton & Hove Albion match
don’t want to go to a particular match can sell their seats there. The club itself brokers transactions and you do not need to find or exchange any data with the ticket holder.
Even those who don’t like football so much get in the mood and start cheering. It’s all very organized, so you can go with your wife or kids, the whole family, no problem.
In the latter cases, I recommend ticket resale sites like Live Football Tickets. But remember that it is resale. They are generally reliable, but the price will be above normal.
Also useful is the British Train website. Club websites will also have a “how to reach us” page); If you’re in London, you’ll want the Plan a Tube Trip page at tfl.gov.uk. And an Oyster card.
The English watch the game sitting and basically only get up if it is a very clear goal throw or after the goal. In general, they clap the whole game. Even if the player misses a pass, they clap.
In any case, understand that all train stations after the game will be, as they say, “heavy”. You can also plan a snack or drink in the area after the game.
At the end of the game, cheers and all politely, and without any confusion, left the stadium.
Be careful about the colors you wear; if you wear, for example, red at Goodison Park (Everton’s blue house), you at least get glances. And home fan pubs may not let you in!
Atmosphere inside of the St James’ Park stadium, home of Newcastle United F.C.
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Pub
The second best place to watch a football match I
n practice, it is easy to explain what pub is by remembering the meaning of that word: it is an abbreviation of public house, which designates the essence of an environment with a community appeal. By definition, they are establishments licensed to serve alcoholic beverages. In the United Kingdom alone, there are more than 50,000 such ethylic institutions. Pubs are both part of British popular culture and tourist attraction for anyone visiting England. The first prototype pubs emerged about 2,000 years ago from the coming of the Romans. They built the so-called taverns along the roads and cities of Great Britain, where wines were traded. The Roman heritage survived and readjusted itself according to the clientele, considering the invasion of the AngloSaxon peoples, as well as the Danish and Scandinavian Vikings. Wine has given way to the most sought after drink in any self-respecting pub: beer. Thus, the taverns made room for the so-called alehouses. These alehouses became so popular that King Edgar in 965 (there is no shortage there) determined that there could be only one beer house in each village.
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Fans rooting in a Pub.
This rule did not take long to be abolished, of course. In 1577, a census identified one pub for every 187 people in England and Wales. This term covers different establishments of that time. There were inns (downstairs bar inns), taverns (Roman-origin markets that also sold drinks) and alehouses (Anglo-Saxon breweries that brewed their own beer).
In the villages, the pubs were meeting places and their owners used them to support their families. Most of them lived on the very top floor of the establishment. Locals used to visit the same pub often, so they were called regulars. The problem is that many regulars were too many regulars. Therefore, several laws were created to control the drink. In the 16th century came the first act that required a license for the sale of alcoholic beverages. In the 19th century, there were the first time constraints. So began that tradition of ringing bells to announce the latest beer orders. This tradition still happens in many pubs to this day. The latest legislation, which came into force at the end of 2005, provides that pubs may apply for a permit to operate until after 11 pm. The concession depends on the violence around the pub, the fulfillment of sound muffling requirements, among others.
Over the years, pubs have reinvented themselves. These days, they can offer appetizers, board games and darts, blues shows, themed floors, and of course, soccer games. In addition to a wide range of drinks and attract young, old, single, married and families. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Britain’s oldest pub still in operation is Ye Olde Fighting Cocks. It was built in the 11th century and is located in St Albans, a town south of Hertfordshire County. It was named after the cockfights that were common in the area. In pubs, you do not necessarily have to have a table to sit on. You can quietly go to this place just to have a beer at the counter. This is another feature of them: you usually order the drink at the bar and pay on time. A tip is to ask to try the beer if you do not know it. In a pub, this is common. Just don’t ask to try a Guinness: the bartender will think you’re kidding.
West Ham fans watching a game in a Pub.
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Pub
Guide to the best pubs to watch Premier League W
hat’s so special about watching sport in pubs? Surely the comfort of one’s own home is easier; the atmosphere of the stadium incomparable. For MacLehose, the pub offers all of the benefits of home – such as HD TV and quality sound – with added atmosphere, not to mention food and drink.
“Regardless of whether you’re watching the greatest sporting moment ever, if you’re not surrounded by other people, it’s not the same.” What does a good sports pub need? Just having a TV isn’t enough. “The number one response from speaking to our users is atmosphere,” MacLehose explains. “It’s a pretty intangible word, but the common themes are that people want a social experience, good-quality big screens, so that all 50+ people in the pub are directing their energy towards the same place. “Once you’ve got those fundamentals in place, great food and drink are obviously important.” And a publican or bar manager who cares, switches the game on before it starts, or makes sure the commentary or national anthems are audible, is also a plus. Here are the best pubs and bars near each Premier League ground, according to Leo MacLehose and Dom Collingwood of MatchPint.
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Arsenal - Victoria Tavern
Chelsea - McGettigans
Victoria Tavern, 203 Holloway Road, London N7 8DL;
1 Fulham Broadway, London SW6 1AA; www.mcgettigans.com
A Holloway Road favourite with added benefits. Upstairs there’s Plonk Golf (an indoor form of crazy golf ), while downstairs there’s amazing pizzas – a loyalty card gets every 10th pie free – and a cracking selection of craft beers.
An Irish pub in the heart of Chelsea. It’s a proper sports pub, with screens everywhere over two floors. There’s great food and regular live music.
Crystal Palace - Albert Tavern
A cracking beer garden and 10 per cent off a range of drinks during Premier League games. 65 Harrington Road, South Norwood, London SE25 4LX; www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk
Everton - Black Horse Aston Villa - The Aston Tavern
An amazing Victorian tavern a stone’s throw from Villa Park. There’s a beautiful central courtyard with a massive beer garden. It’s £3 entry, but you get a free hog roast baguette with stuffing and apple sauce. 10 Aston Hall Road, Birmingham B6 7FF; www.astontavern.co.uk
Bournemouth - Cricketers Arms
A celebrated real ale spot in a Victorian pub, open from 10am on matchdays. 41 Windham Road, Bournemouth BH1 4RN;
Brighton & Hove Albion - The Swan Inn
A recently refurbished pub with a massive external screen. It also offers 10 per cent off during Premier League matches. 284 Country Road, Liverpool L4 5PW; www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk
Leicester City - Local Hero
In between Welford Road Stadium (home of the Leicester Tigers rugby team) and the King Power stadium (home of the football club), this pub is perfect for either attending either sport. 10 per cent off drinks here, too. 84 Aylestone Road, Leicester LE2 7LB; www.greenking-pubs.co.uk
Liverpool - The Church Anfield
A family-friendly pub which shows sport in its own barn. The food service on matchday is exemplary, even when it’s rammed.
Housed in what used to be a church, this pub arranges away days for customers. It often has live music from the likes of Jamie Webster.
Middle Street, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9PD;
148-152 Oakfield Road, Liverpool L4 0UF;
Burnley - The Royal Dyche
Formally called The Princess Royal, The Royal Dyche was renamed after the one and only Sean Dyche, Burnley’s celebrated current manager. There’s even a mural of Big Sean in the beer garden. 45-47 Yorkshire Street, Burnley BB11 3BW;
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Manchester City - The Cornershop
It’s absolutely rammed on a matchday, but there’s a big outdoor drinking area. Rylance Street, Manchester M11 3NA;
Tottenham Hotspur - The Antwerp Arms
This pub’s been serving Tottenham since 1820, an is locally known as The Annie. It’s family and dog friendly and owned by the community. 168-170 Church Road, Tottenham, London N17 8AS; www.antwerparms.co.uk
Manchester United - Matchstick Man
There’s a really big outdoor bar space at Matchstick Man, and it’s a large pub with TVs everywhere. There’s 10 per cent off a range of drinks during Premier League games. Capital Quay, Salford M50 3WL; www.hungryhorse.co.uk
Newcastle United - NINE Bar
Watford - Estcourt Tavern
A massive Watford pub, near the station and en route to the stadium. It’s got a great garden. 25 Estcourt Road, Watford WD17 2PY;
Located in St James’ Park stadium, it used to be called Shearer’s (after the legendary striker). It does a wicked Sunday lunch and has 35 screens.
West Ham United - The Bat & Ball
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4SF; www.nufc.co.uk
Westfield Stratford City, The Street, London E20 1EN; www.thebatandball.com
Norwich City - The Murderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers - The Leaping Wolf
The pub dates back to 1530, and The Murders is a semi-official nickname – it’s real name is the Gardeners Arms. It’s a familyowned pub that was once a hairdresser as well as a pub.
A recently refurbished pub that dates back to 1865. It’s rammed on matchdays as it’s opposite Molineux Stadium, but it’s got a fabulous beer garden.
2-8 Timber Hill, Norwich NR1 3LB; www.themurderers.co.uk
107 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4RB; www.leapingwolf.co.uk
Sheffield United - The Clubhouse
A massive pub spread over two floors. There’s pool, darts, and an outside drinking area. 13 London Road, Sheffield S2 4LA;
Southampton - The Spitfire
The name’s inspired by Southampton’s links with the Spitfire plane. There’s regular live music and great food. 100-132 Above Bar Street, Southampton SO14 7DU; www.thespitfiresouthampton.co.uk
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A table tennis pub with karaoke in Westfield shopping centre.
In addition to these options listed on the MatchPint website, here are some of the best pubs in London, according to Harry Fletcher’s Standard article, to watch a Premier League match accompanied by a good pint.
The Faltering Fullback
This lively Finsbury Park pub has been a favorite of London sports fans for years. The small central bar is well stocked with beers and the pub’s charming two-story outdoor space is also a great setting for an after-game conversation. 19 Perth Rd, Finsbury Park, London N4 3HB www.falteringfullback.com
The Cross Keys
In addition to a wide range of live sports, you can find football here every weekend during the season. 57 Black Lion Ln, Hammersmith, London W6 9BG www.crosskeyshammersmith.co.uk
Famous Three Kings
The award-winning pub shows all televised Premier League games. The bar specializes in craft beers, while the cuisine offers tapas, pizzas, steaks and a wide variety of gluten-free dishes.
The Camden Eye
Located around the corner from Camden Town tube station, Camden Eye is one of the most trusted options for live sports on NW1. 2 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 9NX www.camdeneye.pub
The Coat & Badge
Near Putney Bridge Station, it is a good choice for fans looking for a relaxed atmosphere to watch football. The beachfront room and large sofas make it a somewhat conventional but comfortable environment for games. The spacious beer garden is also perfect for summer tournaments, making it a good all-rounder when it comes to choosing a destination in southwest London. 8 Lacy Rd, Putney, London SW15 1NL www.thecoatandbadge.co.uk
The World’s End
171 North End Rd, Fulham, London W14 9NL www.craft-pubs.co.uk
This Finsbury Park boozer is one of North London’s best football bars and a favorite with Arsenal fans. You’ll find offers from Camden Brewery and Meantime, and large screens in some large rooms, making it a spacious and comfortable place to watch games.
De Hems
23 Stroud Green Rd, London N4 3EF www.worldsendfinsburypark.com
In addition to offering the widest range of esoteric beers in Europe you’ll find in Soho, De Hems Dutch pub near Leicester Square is a great place to watch football. 11 Macclesfield St, London W1D 5BW www.dehemspub.co.uk
Bar Kick
Kick Bar on Shoreditch High Street offers a friendly and engaging experience for local fans. The main room, complete with football tables and big screens, blends in with large groups, and although the place is very crowded on weekends, it is without doubt one of Shoreditch’s best football pubs. 127 Shoreditch High St,London E1 6JE www.cafekick.co.uk/bar-kick
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Who to root for: Premier League teams 2019 / 20 22
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Arsenal Aston Villa Bournemouth Brighton & Hove Albion Burnley Chelsea Crystal Palace Everton Leicester City Liverpool
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Manchester City Manchester United Newcastle United Norwich City Sheffield United Southampton Tottenham Hotspur Watford West Ham United Wolverhampton
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Arsenal Arsenal Football Club is based in Islington, London Emirates Stadium. Highbury House, 75 Drayton Park, London, N5 1BU www.arsenal.com English Championship Titles: 13 Main Rival: Tottenham Nickname: Gunners
After spending 93 years in Highbury, Arsenal moved to Emirates in 2006. The stadium is home to more than 60,000 fans, far exceeding the capacity of 38,000 in Highbury. Outside is an impressive photo mural, the Spirit of Highbury, which recognizes players and managers for gracing the old club house.
Pub: The World’s End. 23 Stroud Green Rd, Londres N4 3EF
Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join The Football League, in 1893, and they reached the First Division in 1904. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division, and have won the second-most top-flight matches in English football history. In the 1930s, Arsenal won five League Championships and two FA Cups, and another FA Cup and two Championships after the war. In 1970–71, they won their first League and FA Cup Double. Between 1989 and 2005, they won five League titles and five FA Cups, including two more Doubles. They
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completed the 20th century with the highest average league position. Arsène Wenger was the longestserving manager and won the most trophies. He won a record 7 FA Cups, and his title-winning team set an English record for the longest topflight unbeaten league run at 49 games between 2003 and 2004, receiving the nickname The Invincibles. In 1886, Woolwich ammunition workers founded the club as Dial Square. In 1913, the club crossed the city to Arsenal
Stadium in Highbury, becoming close neighbors to Tottenham Hotspur and creating the derby in north London. In 2006, they moved to the nearby Emirates Stadium. In terms of revenue, Arsenal is the ninth highest-earning football club in the world, earned €487.6m in 2016–17 season. Based on social media activity from 2014 to 2015, Arsenal’s fanbase is the fifth largest in the world.[9] In 2018, Forbes estimated the club was the third most valuable in England, with the club being worth $2.24 billion.
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Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is based in Aston, Birmingham Villa Park. Trinity Road, Birmingham, B6 6HE www.avfc.co.uk English Championship Titles: 7 Main Rival: Birmingham City Nicknames: Villains, Lions Pub: The Aston Tavern. 10 Aston Hall Road, Birmingham B6 7FF
Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, since 1897.
seven times, the League Cup five times, and the UEFA Super Cup once.
Aston Villa were one of the founder members of the Football League in 1888 and of the Premier League in 1992.
Villa have a fierce local rivalry with Birmingham City and the Second City derby between the teams has been played since 1879. Their traditional club badge is of a rampant lion. The club is currently owned by the NSWE group, a company owned by the Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and the American billionaire Wes Edens.
Villa are one of only five English clubs to have won the European Cup, in 1981–82. They have also won the Football League First Division seven times, the FA Cup
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Casa do Aston Villa desde 1897, o Villa Park é um dos poucos selecionados que encenou jogos internacionais ao longo de três séculos diferentes, o primeiro internacional sênior a ter lugar em 1899. Além disso, era um local comum para as semifinais da Copa FA antes de serem disputadas. mudou-se para Wembley.
Bournemouth Athletic Football Club Bournemouth is based in Bournemouth Vitality Stadium. Dean Court, Bournemouth, BH7 7A www.afcb.co.uk
Vitality Stadium, also known as Goldsands and Dean Court, is east of the city center and close to Boscombe.
English Championship Titles: 0 Main Rival: Southampton Nickname: Cherries
It was built on the site of an old gravel pit, using land donated by the Cooper-Dean family. A 2001 renovation saw the field rotate by 90 degrees.
Pub: Cricketers Arms. 41 Windham Road Bournemouth BH1 4RN
Formed in 1890 as Boscombe St. John’s Institute F.C., the club adopted their current name in 1972. Nicknamed The Cherries, since 1910 Bournemouth have played their home games at Dean Court. Their home colours are red and black striped shirts, with black shorts and socks, inspired by that of Italian club A.C. Milan. Bournemouth have spent the majority of their history bouncing between the third
and fourth tier of English football. Under manager Eddie Howe, they have risen through the pyramid; the 2015–16 season was A.F.C. Bournemouth’s first ever in the Premier League. The team finished 16th in the league, ensuring their Premier League status for another year. Last season, 2018-19, Bournemouth secured the 5th season in the Premier League. The club is currently owned by Maxim Demin, a Russian billionaire involved in the petrochemical trade sector.
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Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club is based in the city of Brighton Amex Stadium. Village Way, Brighton, BN1 9BL www.brightonandhovealbion.com English Championship Titles: 0 Main Rival: Crystal Palace Nicknames: Seagulls, Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion moved to their newly built stadium in 2011, with the first match taking place on July 30, 2011 in a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur. Also known as Amex Stadium, the current attendee record is 30,338 following the final home match of the 2016/17 season.
Pub: The Swan Inn. Middle Street, Falmer, Brighton
Founded in 1901, and nicknamed “Seagulls” or “Albion,” Brighton played her early professional football in the Southern League before being elected to the Football League in 1920. The club was most prominent between 1979 and 1983, when she played. in the First Division and reached the 1983 FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United after a repeat. In the late 1990s, Brighton was on the fourth level of English football and was having financial difficulties. After avoiding the demotion of the Football League to the Conference in 1997, a boardroom acquisition saved the club from liquidation. Successive promotions in 2001 and 2002 brought Brighton back to second level, and in 2011 the club moved to Falmer Stadium after 14 years without a permanent home. In the 2016-17 season, Brighton finished second in the EFL championship and was promoted to the Premier League, ending a 34-year absence in the first division.
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Burnley Burnley Football Club is based in Burnley, Lancashire Turf Moor. Harry Potts Way, Burnley, Lancashire, BB10 4BX www.burnleyfootballclub.com English Championship Titles: 2 Main Rival: Blackburn Nickname: Clarets
Once a rugby club, Burnley converted to the round ball game in the 19th century. They are known as Turfites, Moorites and Royalites, but are currently known as Clarets. Turf Moor is one of the oldest league fields in England and Burnley is one of only three teams to win all four professional divisions.
Pub: The Royal Dyche. 45-47 Yorkshire Street, Burnley BB11 3BW
Founded on May 18, 1882, the team played only friendly matches until they entered the FA Cup for the first time between 1885 and 1886. Dubbed the Clarets, due to the dominant color of their home shirts, they were one of the twelve founding members of the 1888 Football League.
Burnley won the promotion in 1991–92 for the third level and again in 1999–2000 for the second level, before being promoted to the Premier League in 2008–09, 2013–14 and 2015–16. Burnley has been playing at home at Turf Moor since February 17, 1883, after the club moved from its original Calder Vale facility.
The club’s emblem is based on the city’s coat of arms, with the Latin motto Pretiumque et causa Laboris (“The Prize and the cause of [our] work ”). Burnley’s team was twice English champions in 1920–21 and 1959–60, won the FA Cup once in 1914, and won the Community Shield twice in 1960 and 1973. Just twenty years later, between 1979 and 1980, Burnley was relegated to the Third Division - the first time in history that they played at the third level of English football. Five years later, the team competed in the Fourth Division for the first time after another relegation, and on May 9, 1987, only a 2-1 home win against Orient saved Burnley from relegation to the Football Conference and possible dissolution.
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Chelsea Chelsea Football Club is based in Fulham, Chelsea, London Stamford Bridge. Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS www.chelseafc.com English Championship Titles: 6 Main Rivals: Tottenham, Fulham, Arsenal Nickname: Blues Pub: McGettigans. 1 Fulham Broadway, London SW6 1AA
Founded in 1905, they compete in the Premier League, the top division of English football. Chelsea are among England’s most successful clubs; they have been league champions six times and won over thirty competitive honours, including six European trophies. Their home ground is Stamford Bridge. Chelsea won their first major honour, the League Championship, in 1955. They won the FA Cup for the first time in 1970 and their first European honour, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, in 1971. After a period of decline in the late 1970s and 1980s, the club enjoyed a revival in the 1990s and had more success in cup competitions. The last two decades have been the most successful in Chelsea history: they have won five of their six league and UEFA Champions League titles during that time.
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Chelsea are one of five clubs to have won all three of UEFA’s main club competitions, and the only London club to have won the Champions League. The club’s crest features a ceremonial lion rampant regardant holding a staff. The club have rivalries with neighbouring teams Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, and a historic rivalry with Leeds United. Based on attendance figures, the club have the sixth-largest fanbase in England. In terms of club value, Chelsea are the sixth most valuable football club in the world, worth £2.13 billion ($2.576 billion), and are the eighth highestearning football club in the world, with earnings of over €428 million in the 2017–18 season. Since 2003, Chelsea have been owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Officially opened in 1887, Stamford Bridge is the oldest stadium in the Premier League and has undergone a huge transformation since its humble beginnings as the home of the London Athletic Club in the 19th century. The venue was originally offered to Fulham FC, but after they declined, Chelsea moved to the stadium a few months after graduating in March 1905.
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Crystal Palace Crystal Palace Football Club is based in Selhurst, South London Selhurst Park Stadium. Holmesdale Road, London, SE25 6PU www.cpfc.co.uk English Championship Titles: 0 Main Rivals: Brighton, Millwall, Charlton Nickname: Eagles Pub: Albert Tavern. 65 Harrington Road, South Norwood, London SE25 4LX
They were founded in 1905 at the famous Crystal Palace Exhibition building and played their home games at the FA Cup Final stadium, which was situated inside the historic Palace grounds. The club were forced to leave the Palace in 1915 due to the outbreak of the First World War, and played at Herne Hill Velodrome and the Nest until 1924, when they moved to their current home at Selhurst Park. Palace joined the Football League in 1920, and have overall spent the majority
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of their time competing in the top two tiers of English football. The club were denied a place in Europe at the end of that season because of the partial UEFA ban on English clubs at that time following the Heysel Stadium disaster. Palace became one of the original founding members of the Premier League. The club suffered severe financial problems towards the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s and went into
Selhurst Park has undergone several renovations since its construction; The stadium has a rich history and was the scene of two matches at the 1948 Olympics. In the past, Crystal Palace shared the stadium with Wimbledon and a previous partnership with Charlton represented the first appearance in English football league history.
administration twice, in 1999 and 2010. Palace recovered and gained promotion back to the Premier League in 2012–13 where they have remained ever since. The club’s traditional kit colours were originally claret and blue, but in 1973 they decided to change to the red and blue vertical stripes now worn today. Palace have a fierce rivalry with Brighton & Hove Albion, with whom they contest the M23 derby and also share rivalries with fellow South London clubs Millwall and Charlton Athletic.
Everton Everton Football Club is based in Walton, Liverpool Goodison Park. Goodison Road, Liverpool, L4 4EL www.evertonfc.com English Championship Titles: 9 Main Rival: Liverpool Nickname: Toffees
Goodison Park was the first football stadium in the country and has remained the home of the Toffees for the last 125 years. It is one of the oldest and most recognized land in England. Outside the Park Stand is a tribute to legend Dixie Dean, who set a record of 60 goals in the 1927/28 season.
Pub: Black Horse. 284 Country Road, Liverpool L4 5PW
The club has competed in the top division for a record 116 seasons, missing the top division only four times (1930–31, 1951–52, 1952–53, and 1953–54) since The Football League was created in 1888. The club has won the League Championship nine times (fourth
most), the FA Cup five times (ninth most), and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once. Formed in 1878, Everton was a founding member of The Football League in 1888 and won its first League Championship two seasons later. Following four
League Championship and two FA Cup wins, Everton experienced a lull in the immediate post World War II period, until a revival in the 1960s saw the club win two League Championships and an FA Cup. The mid-1980s represented its most recent period of sustained success, with two League Championships, an FA Cup, and the 1985 European Cup Winners’ Cup. The club’s most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup. The club’s supporters are known as Evertonians. Everton has a rivalry with Liverpool, and the two sides contest the Merseyside derby. The club has been based at Goodison Park in Walton since 1892, after moving from Anfield following a disagreement over its rent. The club has competed in the top tier for 116 seasons, losing only four times (1930–31, 1951–52, 1952–53 and 1953–54) since the Football League was created in 1888. The club won the League Nine League Championship. (four more), the FA Cup five times (ninth) and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup once.
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Leicester City Leicester City Football Club is based in Leicester in the East Midlands King Power Stadium. Filbert Way, Leicester, LE2 7FL www.lcfc.com English Championship Titles: 1 Main Rivals: Notts County, Nottingham Forest Nickname: Foxes
Leicester City moved to King Power Stadium in 2002 after 111 years on Filbert Street. The new course was opened by former Leicester and England striker Gary Lineker with the first match played against Athletic Club Bilbao on July 23, 2002.
Pub: Local Hero. 84 Aylestone Road, Leicester LE2 7LB
The club was founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse F.C., playing on a field near Fosse Road. They moved to Filbert Street in 1891, were elected to the Football League in 1894 and adopted the name Leicester City in 1919. They moved to the nearby Walkers Stadium in 2002, which was renamed the King Power Stadium in 2011.
win as the greatest sporting shock ever, multiple bookmakers had never paid out at such long odds for any sport. As a result, the team was dubbed “The Unbelievables”, a spin-off harking back to Arsenal’s undefeated team “The Invincibles”. The club’s previous highest ever finish was second place in the top flight, in 1928–29, then known as the First Division.
Leicester won the 2015–16 Premier League, their first top-level football championship. They are one of only six clubs to have won the Premier League since its inception in 1992. A number of newspapers described Leicester’s title
Throughout their history, Leicester have spent all but one season in the top two divisions of English football. They hold a joint-highest seven second-tier titles (six Second Division and one Championship). The club have been FA Cup finalists
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four times, won the League Cup three times and competed in four European campaigns. Their most recent outing in European football was the 2016–17 season, as the club reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
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Liverpool Liverpool Football Club is based in Liverpool Anfield. Anfield Road, Liverpool, L4 0TH www.liverpoolfc.com English Championship Titles: 18 Main Rivals: Manchester United, Everton Nickname: Reds Pub: The Church Anfield. 148-152 Oakfield Road, Liverpool L4 0UF
Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has played at Anfield since its formation. Liverpool established itself as a major force in English and European football in the 1970s and 1980s when Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish led the club to a combined eleven League titles and four European Cups. Under the management of Rafael Benítez and captained by homegrown player Steven Gerrard, Liverpool became European champions for the fifth time in 2005, before a sixth title was added under Jürgen Klopp in 2019.
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Anfield has been Liverpool’s home since the club’s formation in 1892. Redesigned in 1928, Kop soon developed a reputation for being one of the most cacophonic football stands in the country. Nestled among the red brick buildings of the Anfield area, the “ football house ”has maintained its dual status as a traditional community center and iconic terrain of global renown.
Liverpool was the seventh highest-earning football club in the world in 2019, with an annual revenue of €513.7.2 million, and the world’s eighth most valuable football club in 2019, valued at $2.183 billion. The club is one of the most widely supported teams in the world. Liverpool has longstanding rivalries with Manchester United and Everton.
Juventus - dying , after which English clubs were banned for five years of European competition and the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, where 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death by perimeter fencing.
The fans of the club were involved in two major tragedies: the disaster of Heysel Stadium, where fans were pressed against a wall collapsed in the final of the European Cup 1985 in Brussels, with 39 people - the Italian majority and fans of
The club has won six European Cups, more than any other English club, three UEFA Cups and four UEFA Super Cups, also English records, eighteen League titles, seven FA Cups, a record eight League Cups and fifteen FA Community Shields.
Red is the main color of the shirt since 1896. The club anthem is “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high And don’t be afraid of the dark At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky And the sweet, silver song of a lark Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Though your dreams be tossed and blown Walk on, walk on With hope in your hearts And you’ll never walk alone You’ll never walk alone Walk on, walk on With hope in your hearts And you’ll never walk alone
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Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is based in Manchester Etihad Stadium. Etihad Campus, Manchester, M11 3FF www.mancity.com English Championship Titles: 6 Main Rival: Manchester United Nickname: Citizens, Sky Blues
Manchester City moved to Etihad Stadium, formerly known as City of Manchester Stadium, in 2003 after 80 years at their previous home, Maine Road. Etihad, located in the east of Manchester, opened in 2002 as the 2002 Commonwealth Games Athletics Stadium.
Pub: The Cornershop. Rylance Street, Manchester M11 3NA
Founded in 1880 as St. Mark’s (West Gorton), it became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894. The club’s home ground is the City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester, to which it moved in 2003, having played at Maine Road since 1923. Manchester City entered the Football League in 1899 and earned its first major FA Cup honor in 1904. It had its first major success period in the late 1960s, winning the League, FA Cup and League Cup under administration of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison. After losing the 1981 FA Cup final, the club went through a period of decline that was eventually relegated to third level by the end of the 1997-98 season. They have since regained their promotion to the first tier in 2001-2002 and have been in the Championship since 2002-2003.
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In 2008, Manchester City was bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group for £ 210 million and received considerable financial investment. The club has won six national titles. Under Pep Guardiola’s management, they won the Premier League in 2018, becoming the only Premier League team to reach 100 points in a single season.
In 2019, they won four trophies, completing an unprecedented sweep of all national trophies in England and becoming the first English men’s team to win the national triple. Manchester City’s revenue was the fifth largest in a football club in the world in the 2018-19 season with € 568.4 million. In 2019, Forbes estimated the club to be the fifth most valuable in the world at $ 2.69 billion.
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Manchester United Manchester United Football Club is based in Old Trafford, Manchester Old Trafford Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 0RA www.manutd.com English Championship Titles: 20 Main Rivals: Manchester City, Liverpool Nickname: Red Devils Pub: Matchstick Man. Capital Quay, Salford M50 3WL
Nicknamed “the Red Devils”, the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to its current stadium, Old Trafford, in 1910.
won 38 trophies as a coach including 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cup and 2 UEFA Champions League leagues between 1986 and 2013 when he announced his retirement.
Manchester United have won more trophies than any other club in English football, with a record 20 League titles, 12 FA Cups, five League Cups and a record 21 FA Community Shields. United have also won three UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA Europa League, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 1998–99, the club became the first in the history of English football to achieve the continental European treble. By winning the UEFA Europa League in 2016–17, they became one of five clubs to have won all three main UEFA club competitions.
Manchester United was the highestearning football club in the world for 2016–17, with an annual revenue of €676.3 million, and the world’s third most valuable football club in 2019, valued at £3.15 billion ($3.81 billion). As of June 2015, it is the world’s most valuable football brand, estimated to be worth $1.2 billion. After being floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1991, the club was purchased by Malcolm Glazer in May 2005 in a deal valuing the club at almost £800 million, after which the company was taken private again, before going public once more in August 2012, when they made an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.
The 1958 Munich air disaster killed eight players. In 1968, under the administration of Matt Busby, Manchester United became the first English football club to win the European Cup. Alex Ferguson
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Manchester United are one of the most supported football clubs in the world and have rivalries with Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Leeds United.
Built in 1910, Old Trafford, known as the ‘Theater of Dreams’ is the largest stadium in England and is one of the most iconic football venues in the world. There are many nods to the club’s illustrious past on the ground, with statues of Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson and Denis Law’s ‘Holy Trinity’, Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best.
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Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is based in Newcastle upon Tyne St. James’ Park. Strawberry Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4ST www.nufc.co.uk English Championship Titles: 4 Main Rival: Sunderland Nickname: Magpies
St. James ‘Park has been Newcastle United’s home since 1982, having undergone several developments since then. The stadium currently has over 52,000 fans following the last major expansion, completed in 2000, making it the 11th largest stadium in the United Kingdom.
Pub: NINE Bar. Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4SF
Founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, they have played at St James’ Park since. The club has been a member of the Premier League for all but three years of the competition’s history, spending 86 seasons in the top tier as of May 2018, and has never dropped below English football’s second tier since joining the Football League in 1893. They have won four League Championship titles, six FA Cups and a Charity Shield, as well as the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, the ninth highest total of trophies won by an English club. The club’s most successful period was between 1904 and 1910, when they won an FA Cup and three of their First Division titles. The club was relegated in 2009 and 2016, but returned to the Premier League for the 2017–18 season.
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Newcastle has had a local rivalry with Sunderland, with whom they have been in Derby Tyne-Wear since 1898. The club’s traditional colors are black and white striped shirts, black shorts and black socks. Its crest has elements of the city’s coat of arms, which features two gray seahorses. Before each home game, the team enters the field with “Local Hero” and “Blaydon Races” sung during the games. The club has been owned by Mike Ashley since 2007, succeeding longterm chairman Sir John Hall. The club is the 17th-highest revenue producing club in the world in terms of annual revenue, generating €169.3 million in 2015. Newcastle’s highest placing was in 1999, when they were the fifth-highest revenue producing football club in the world, and second in England only behind Manchester United.
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is based in Norwich, Norfolk Carrow Road. Norwich, NR1 1JE www.canaries.co.uk English Championship Titles: 0 Main Rival: Ipswich Town Nickname: Canaries; Yellows Pub: The Murderers. 2-8 Timber Hill, Norwich NR1 3LB
With a capacity of 26,034 people, the stadium has undergone several renovations throughout its history and is situated between Norwich train station and the Wensum River. The Norwich site consists of the following four sections: Barclay Stand (north), Jarrold Stand (east), River End (south) and Geoffrey Watling Stand (west).
Also known as The Canaries or City, the club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich has been playing their home games on Carrow Road and has maintained a longstanding rivalry with East Anglian Iglwich rivals, with whom they played 134 times. East Anglian derby since 1902. Fan song “On the Ball, City” is the oldest football corner in the world, written in 1890 and still sung today. Norwich won the League Cup twice in 1962 and 1985. The league’s biggest championship ever took place in 1992-93, when it finished third in the first division. The club is dubbed the Canary Islands after the bird breeding story in the area (which was introduced around the 16th century by a group of European immigrants known as “The Strangers”).
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Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire Bramall Lane. Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S2 4SU www.sufc.co.uk English Championship Titles: 1 Main Rival: Sheffield Wednesday Nickname: Blades Pub: The Clubhouse. 13 London Road, Sheffield S2 4LA
The football club was formed in 1889 as a branch of the Sheffield United Cricket Club and is nicknamed The Blades due to the history of Sheffield’s steel production. The club has played its home games at Bramall Lane since it was formed in 1889. Bramall Lane is a everywhere terrain with a current capacity of 32,125. Sheffield United won the original Football League in 1898 and the FA Cup in 1899, 1902, 1915 and 1925. They were defeated FA Cup finalists in 1901 and 1936 and reached the semifinals in 1961, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2014. They reached the League Cup semi-finals in 2003 and 2015. For most of the club’s history, they played in red and white striped shirts with black shorts. His closest rivals are Sheffield Wednesday, with whom they compete in the Steel City derby.
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Bramall Lane is home to the Sheffield United Football Club. Expanded in 2001 and 2006, the 32,702-capacity stadium is considered the oldest in the world to host professional football games today.
Southampton Southampton Football Club is based in Southampton, Hampshire St Mary’s Stadium. Britannia Road, Southampton, SO14 5FP www.southamptonfc.com English Championship Titles: 0 Main Rival: Portsmouth Nickname: Saints
Southampton moved to St Mary’s in 2001 after 103 years at Dell. The move followed the club’s tradition, as Southampton was originally founded by members of the St. Mary’s Church Youth Association. St Mary’s is located near the city’s seaport for luxury cruises.
Pub: The Spitfire. 100-132 Above Bar Street, Southampton SO14 7DU
Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary’s Stadium, before which they were based at The Dell.
its proximity and both cities’ respective maritime history. Matches between the two sides are known as the South Coast derby.
The club has been nicknamed “The Saints” since its inception in 1885 due to its history as a church football team, founded as St. Mary’s Church of England Young Men’s Association, and play in red and white shirts.
The club has won the FA Cup once, in 1976, and their highestever league finish was second in the First Division in 1983–84. Southampton were relegated from the Premier League on 15 May 2005, ending 27 successive seasons of top-division football for the club. They returned after a seven-year absence, and have played there ever since.
Southampton has a long-standing rivalry with Portsmouth due to
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Totteham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is based in Tottenham, London Lilywhite House, 782 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0BX www.tottenhamhotspur.com English Championship Titles: 2 Main Rival: Arsenal Nickname: Spurs, Lilywhites
Built on the site of its 118-year-old White Hart Lane home, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was opened during the 2018/19 season. The first match to be played at the newly opened Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be the Premier League match against Crystal Palace.
Pub: The Antwerp Arms. 168-170 Church Road, Tottenham, London N17 8AS
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been the club’s home ground since April 2019, replacing their former home of White Hart Lane, which had been demolished to make way for the new stadium on the same site. Their training ground is on Hotspur Way in Bulls Cross in the London Borough of Enfield. The club is owned by ENIC Group. Tottenham have played in a first (home) strip of white shirts and navy blue shorts since the 1898–99 season. The club’s emblem is a cockerel standing upon a football, with a Latin motto Audere est Facere (“ To Dare is to Do”).
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Founded in 1882, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901, the only non-League club to do so since the formation of the Football League in 1888. Tottenham were the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960–61 season. After successfully defending the FA Cup in 1962, in 1963 they became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition – the European Cup Winners’ Cup. They were also the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972, becoming the first British club to win two different major European trophies. They have collected
at least one major trophy in each of the six decades from the 1950s to 2000s – an achievement only matched by Manchester United. In total, Spurs have won two league titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, seven FA Community Shields, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and two UEFA Cups. Tottenham were also the runners-up of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League competition. The club has a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Arsenal, with head-tohead fixtures known as the North London derby.
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Watford Watford Football Club is based in Watford, Hertfordshire Vicarage Road Stadium. Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 0ER www.watfordfc.com English Championship Titles: 0 Main Rival: Luton Town Nickname: Hornets Pub: Estcourt Tavern. 25 Estcourt Road, Watford WD17 2PY
The club recognises its foundation as 1881, aligned with that of its antecedent, Watford Rovers, and was established as Watford Football Club in 1898. After finishing the 1914–15 season as Southern League champions under the management of Harry Kent, Watford joined the Football League in 1920. The club played at several grounds in its early history, before moving to Vicarage Road in 1922. Graham Taylor’s tenure as club manager between 1977 and 1987 saw Watford move up from Wednesday to the First Division. The team finished second in the First Division in 1982-83, competed in the 1983-84 UEFA Cup and reached the 1984 FA Cup final. Watford declined between 1987 and 1997 before Taylor returned as manager, leading the team to successive promotions. Watford secured the promotion in 2014–15 and has been in the Premier League since 2015–16. The two main stands of their stadium are named after club legends, Sir Elton John and Graham Taylor, who were both owner and manager during their most successful period.
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Vicarage Road, known to Hornets fans as The Vic, has been home to Watford since the club moved from Cassio Road in 1922. The stadium opened a sensory room in December 2016 for fans with autism who can watch the games in a spacious room that blocks the noise of fans in the stands.
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is based in Stratford, East London London Stadium. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, E20 2ST www.whufc.com English Championship Titles: 0 Main Rival: Millwall Nickname: Hammers, Irons Pub: The Bat & Ball. Westfield Stratford City, The Street, London E20 1EN
The club play at the London Stadium, having moved from their former home the Boleyn Ground in 2016.
when they were also losing finalists in the first FA Cup final held in Wembley. In 1940, the club won the first Football League Cup.
The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and renovated in 1900 as West Ham United. They moved to Boleyn Ground in 1904, which remained their homeland for over a century.
West Ham won the FA Cup three times in 1964, 1975 and 1980, and were runners-up twice in 1923 and 2006. The club reached two major European finals, winning the European Champions Cup. Cup in 1965 and finalist in the same competition in 1976.
The team initially competed in the Southern League and the Western League before joining the 1919 Football League. Promoted to the first division in 1923,
West Ham also won the Intertoto Cup in 1999. They are one of eight clubs that
The iconic London Stadium stadium, which hosted several memorable moments during the 2012 London Olympics, features giant shirts from West Ham legends including Sir Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Mark Noble outside the structure. .The Hammers previously worked at Boleyn Ground, where they moved in 1904.
have never fallen below the second tier of English football, spending 61 of the league’s 93 seasons on the best flight, up to and including the 2018-19 season. The league’s highest position in the club to date came in 1985–86, when it reached third place in the then First Division. Three West Ham players were members of the English team winning the 1966 World Cup final: Captain Bobby Moore and top scorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands Molineux Stadium. Molineux Stadium, Waterloo Rd, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR www.wolves.co.uk English Championship Titles: 3 Main Rival: West Bromwich Nickname: Wolves, Wanderers
Molineux Stadium has been home to the Wolverhampton Wanderers since 1889 and was the first stadium built for use by a Football League club. It was one of the first British camps to have spotlights installed and hosted some of the first European Cup matches in the 1950s.
Pub: The Leaping Wolf. 107 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4RB
Known as Wolves, formed as St Luke’s F.C. in 1877, they have played at Molineux Stadium since 1889 and compete in the Premier League, the top division of English football, after winning the 2017–18 EFL Championship. Wolves compete in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, the first time the club has qualified for a European tournament for 39 years, by virtue of finishing in seventh place in the 2018–19 Premier League in their first season back in the top tier. Wolves were one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888. The club in 2019–20 is enjoying its 65th season of top flight football; Wolves’s longest continuous period in the top tier was 26 consecutive seasons in the 33 years
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between 1932 and 1965 (n.b. there was no league football between 1939 and 1946 due to World War II). In the 1950s, Wolves were English League champions three times (1953–54, 1957–58 and 1958–59), under the management of Stan Cullis. Wolves have also finished League runners-up on five occasions, most recently in 1959–60. Wolves have won the FA Cup four times, most recently in 1960, and finished runners-up on a further four occasions. The club has also won the Football League Cup twice, in 1974 and 1980. In 1953, Wolves was one of the first British clubs to install floodlights,taking part in televised “floodlit friendlies”
against leading overseas club sides between 1953 and 1956 in the run-up to the creation of the European Cup in 1955 and the first participation of an English club side in that competition in 1956. Wolves reached the quarter-finals of the 1959–60 European Cup and the semi-finals of the 1960–61 European Cup Winners’ Cup, and were runners-up to Tottenham Hotspur in the inaugural UEFA Cup Final in 1972. Wolves have long-standing rivalries with other West Midlands clubs, the main one being with West Bromwich Albion, against whom they contest the Black Country derby, although the two clubs have not met in a League fixture since 2011–12, the last season they competed in the same division.
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Top7
Football
F
rom stadium tours that allow you to follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest sports, to thrilling championships and enjoying the electric atmosphere of a live match, there’s really no better place to go if you’re a football fanatic or football fan. We’ve put together just a few of the football experiences you can have here in Britain.
1
Visit to Wembley Stadium in London
If you want to relive the triumphs and tragedies of English international football, visit Wembley Stadium, one of the most famous sports stadiums in the world. Take a tour to see England’s locker room, create a FA Cup replica, feel the tension in the players’ tunnel and experience the locker rooms where legends prepare to battle the most famous football field.
2
Tour of a football stadium, all over Great Britain
Manchester United, Liverpool, Celtic, Chelsea, Newcastle United: Choose from fascinating stadium and museum tours. Feel the atmosphere as you walk through the player’s tunnel at Arsenal Stadium, visit the players’ dressing room at Chelsea FC or discover the fascinating history of Manchester United.
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Wembley Stadium Tour Photo: virginexperiencedays.co.uk
What to do in the United Kingdom
3
Visit to the Scottish Football Museum in Glasgow, Scotland
Set on the spectacular outskirts of Scotland’s Hampden Park, Glasgow’s national stadium, Scotland’s football sanctuary is full of rare football-related items north of the border. See the world’s oldest match ticket from the first official international match held in Glasgow in 1872, and hundreds of other permanent collection items, as well as ever-changing special exhibits.
4
Visit to the National Football Museum in Manchester
Manchester National Football Museum is a must-see attraction for fans of the “beautiful game”. Housed in the impressive Urbis building in the city center, it houses an interactive football / soccer experience and fascinating memories, including the 1966 World Cup final ball and Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ shirt.
Scottish Football Museum in Glasgow. Photo: visitscotland.com
National Football Museum in Manchester. Photo: nationalfootballmuseum.com
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Get there early for a great view of the Bourton Football in the River action.
5
Play soccer on the river in Cotswolds
If you’re looking for something a little less serious, try the Rio Football event, held every August bank holiday in Bourton-on-the-Water, where locals play knee-high football at River Windrush. The usually tranquil banks of the river are flooded with spectators wishing to watch the action involved as players face the icy water. If you want to watch and watch, don’t get ahead if you want to stay dry!
Hotel Football in Manchester offers exclusive matchday hospitality packages.
6
Stay in a dedicated football hotel in Manchester
What is better than watching a live soccer game? Watching a live match and then going to a dedicated football hotel later, of course. Located in front of Old Trafford Stadium, Hotel Football in Manchester features rooms with 40-inch smart TVs (including all Sky Sports and BT Sports channels) and a complimentary diner filled with retro delights as standard. Guests can dine at Cafe Football and enjoy views of Old Trafford at the hotel and buy tickets to the National Football Museum.
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7
Play on the pitch of a Premier League team
Experience the thrill of playing on the pitch at a professional stadium.
Live your fantasy and play a game on the sacred grass of your favorite team’s ground. Play on the Pitch organizes packages, which include a game of 11 on each side, exactly where your favorite football heroes played. Get ready at home and out of the locker rooms, have a lively pre-match conversation and line up in the player’s tunnel before facing your opponents on the pitch, all in UK clubs including Everton, Millwall and Chelsea. These special events take place every summer during the off season. There are only a few dates a year, so book early to get a spot.
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