Football in London
Football is the most popular sport, both in terms of participants and spectators, in London. London has several of England's leading football clubs, and the city is home to twelve professional clubs, several dozen semi-professional clubs and several hundred amateur clubs regulated by the London Football Association, Middlesex County Football Association, Surrey County Football Association and the Amateur Football Alliance. Most London clubs are named after the district in which they play, and share rivalries with each other.
In the 1989–90 season, eight of London's professional clubs were in the top tier of English Football at the same time, meaning that 40% of the member clubs of the First Division that season were based in one city.
Introduction
were founded in 1879 and are London's oldest club still playing professionally. Royal Arsenal were London's first team to turn professional in 1891. They became Woolwich Arsenal in 1893, and then became just Arsenal in 1913. They are London's most successful team with 43 honours. Arsenal are only the second English club, and the only London club to go an entire League season unbeaten, in the 2003–04 season. Arsenal have won The FA Cup a record 13 times; they were the first London team to win the Football League First Division in the 1930–31 season and the first London club to win the Premier League in the 1997–98 season.Chelsea are, to date, the only London club to win the UEFA Champions League, which they did at the 2012 tournament. On 15 May 2013, Chelsea won the UEFA Europa League to become one of five clubs to win all three main UEFA club competitions. Chelsea are also the only London club to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. They were runners-up in 2012, losing to Corinthians of Brazil in the final.
Tottenham Hotspur were the first club in Britain to win a European trophy, winning the Cup Winners Cup in 1963.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are traditionally London's most successful teams. Between them, they have won a total of 100 titles and trophies.
Wembley Stadium, England's national stadium, is in London. The site of the 1966 World Cup Final and numerous European cup finals, it is the home venue of the England national football team and has traditionally hosted the FA Cup Final since 1923.
History
The playing of team ball games was first recorded in London by William FitzStephen around 1174–1183. He described the activities of London youths during the annual festival of Shrove Tuesday.Regular references to the game occurred throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, including the first reference to the word "football" in English when it was outlawed by King Henry IV of England in 1409. Early games were probably disorganised and violent. In the sixteenth century, the headmaster of St Paul's School Richard Mulcaster is credited with taking mob football and transforming it into organised and refereed team football. In 1581 he wrote about his game of football, which included smaller teams, referees, set positions and even a coach.
, 1872The modern game of football was first codified in 1863 in London and subsequently spread worldwide. Key to the establishment of the modern game was Londoner Ebenezer Cobb Morley who was a founding member of the Football Association, the oldest football organisation in the world. Morley wrote to the Bell's Life newspaper proposing a governing body for football which led directly to the first meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern in central London of the FA. He wrote the first set of rules of true modern football at his house in Barnes. The modern passing form of the game was invented in London in the early 1870s by the Royal Engineers A.F.C.
Prior to the first meeting of the Football Association in the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London on 26 October 1863, there were no universally accepted rules for the playing of the game of football. The founder members present at the first meeting were Barnes, Civil Service, Crusaders, Forest of Leytonstone, N.N. Club, the original Crystal Palace, Blackheath, Kensington School, Percival House, Surbiton and Blackheath Proprietary School; Charterhouse sent its captain, B.F. Hartshorne, but declined the offer to join. All of the 12 founding clubs were from London though many are since or now play rugby union.
A rise in the popularity of football in London dates from the end of the 19th century, when a fall in church attendance left many people searching for a way to spend their weekend leisure time. In 1882 the London Football Association was set up. Over the next 25 years clubs sprang up all over the capital, and the majority of these teams are still thriving in the 21st century. Of those clubs currently playing in the Football League, Fulham is generally considered to be London's oldest, having been founded in 1879. However, Isthmian League side Cray Wanderers is the oldest extant club in all of the Greater London area, having been founded in 1860 in St Mary Cray |.
at Upton Park.Initially, football in London was dominated by amateur teams, drawing their membership from former public schoolboys but gradually working-class sides came to the forefront. Royal Arsenal was London's first professional team, becoming so in 1891, a move which saw them boycotted by the amateur London Football Association. Other London clubs soon followed Arsenal's footsteps in turning professional, including Millwall, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and West Ham.
In the meantime, Woolwich Arsenal went on to be the first London club to join the Football League, in 1893. The following year, the Southern League was founded and many of its members would go on to join the Football League. In 1901 Tottenham Hotspur became the first club from London to win the FA Cup in the professional era, although it would not be until 1931 that a London side would win the Football League, the team in question being Arsenal.
In the 1989–90 season, eight of London's professional clubs were in the top tier of English Football at the same time, forming 40% of the First Division that season.
Historically, London clubs have not accumulated as many trophies as those from North West England, such as the 52 top-league English championships won by Liverpool, Manchester United, Everton and Manchester City; however, in the thirteen consecutive seasons since 2005–06, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham have consistently finished in the top six of the league table and are regarded as three of the Premier League's current "big six" alongside Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City. In the two seasons immediately proceeding the start of this top six run, Arsenal and Chelsea became the first pair of London clubs to finish first and second in the top flight, with Arsenal winning in 2003–04, and Chelsea winning in 2004–05. The 2009–10 season saw Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham all finish in the top four, qualifying all three of these London teams into the same UEFA Champions League competition.
Before the 1996–97 season, when Chelsea started its run of consistent high finishes, the two highest profile London clubs were Arsenal and their long-standing North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom were considered to be members of English football's "big five" for much of the post-war period. As of the end of the 2016–17 season, all three clubs were in the top ten in the all-time top-flight table for England - Arsenal at second overall, Chelsea at seventh overall and Tottenham at eighth overall.
Clubs
The table below lists all London clubs in the top eight tiers of the English football league system: from the top division, down to Step 4 of the National League System. League status is correct for the 2019–20 season. Stadiums and capacity are of 26 May 2019.Below the eighth tier, numerous London clubs are represented within the Combined Counties League, Essex Senior League, Southern Counties East Football League and the Spartan South Midlands League.
Defunct clubs
| Club | Stadium | Founded | Dissolved/ Merged | Notes |
| Casuals | ? | 1878 | 1939 | Founder members of the Isthmian League in 1905 and won the FA Amateur Cup in 1936. Merged with Corinthian to form Corinthian-Casuals. |
| Clapham Rovers | Clapham Common | 1869 | 1911 | Former FA Cup winners. Scorers of the first ever FA Cup goal. |
| Corinthian | Queen's Club, Crystal Palace, Leyton | 1882 | 1939 | Rarely partook in competitive matches yet defeated many strong teams, often by a wide margin — e.g. FA Cup holders Blackburn Rovers 8–1 and Bury FC 10-3. Merged with Casuals to form Corinthian-Casuals. |
| Croydon Athletic | KT Stadium | 1986 | 2011/2012 | Supporters of the defunct club and some of the old club management and officials formed a new member owned, fan owned, club — AFC Croydon Athletic. |
| Croydon Common | Croydon Common Athletic Ground | 1897 | 1917 | The only First Division club not to return to action after World War I. |
| Croydon Municipal | Croydon Arena | 2009 | 2010 | Offshoot of Croydon FC. Withdrew from the league at the conclusion of their first season. |
| Ealing | Various in West London, including Wembley Stadium | 1905 | 2013 | Founding Member of the Ishmian League. Southern Amateur League and Amateur Cup double in 1927. Folded due to sad demise of long term team officials and increased costs. First amateur team to play at Wembley. Played 8 home games there in 1928. |
| Edgware Town | White Lion Ground | 1939 | 2008 | At the end of the 2007–08 season, Edgware Town were forced to resign from the Isthmain League Division One North when lack of funds meant that the club were unable to confirm a new ground for the following season after their lease at the White Lion ground had expired. |
| Fisher Athletic | Champion Hill | 1908 | 2009 | Once tenants of Dulwich Hamlet. A new fan-owned club, Fisher F.C., was formed. |
| Hayes | Church Road | 1909 | 2007 | Merged with Yeading to form Hayes & Yeading United. |
| Leyton | Leyton Stadium | 1868 | 2011 | In January 2011, after a short suspension from the league for not paying its subscription, the club was forced to withdraw from the Isthmian League Division One North division due to debt. |
| London XI | Multiple | 1955 | 1958 | Created specifically to take part in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup between 1955 and 1958, reaching the final |
| Nunhead F.C. | Brown's Ground | 1888 | 1949, with day-to-day operations ceasing at the end of the 1940–41 season | Founded as Wingfield House Football Club in 1888, the name was changed to Nunhead F.C. in 1904. |
| Thames | West Ham Stadium | 1928 | 1932 | Members of the Football League between 1930 and 1932. |
| Upton Park | West Ham Park | 1866 | 1911 | Represented Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics football tournament, winning the gold medal. |
| Wanderers | The Oval and others | 1859 | c.1887 | Winners of the first ever FA Cup. |
| Wimbledon | Plough Lane, Selhurst Park | 1889 | 2004 | Moved to Milton Keynes in 2003, renamed Milton Keynes Dons in 2004. AFC Wimbledon formed in 2002 by the majority of its former fans. |
| Yeading | The Warren | 1960 | 2007 | Merged with Hayes to form Hayes & Yeading United. |
There are also a huge number of minor London clubs playing outside the top eight levels of English football. Hackney Marshes in east London, home to many amateur sides, is reportedly the single largest collection of football pitches in the world, with 100 separate pitches.
Most successful clubs overall (1871 – present)
| Team | English Football Champions | FA Cup | League Cup | FA Community Shield | Football League Championship | Domestic Total | UEFA Champions League | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | UEFA Europa League | UEFA Super Cup | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Fairs Cup | Intercontinental Cup / FIFA Club World Cup | Total |
| Arsenal | 13 | 13 | 2 | 15 | - | 43 | – | 1 | – | – | – | * | – | 44 |
| Chelsea | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | - | – | 31 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 23 | – | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 26 |
| West Ham United | – | 3 | – | 1 | 2 | 6 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – | – | 8 |
| Wanderers | – | 5 | – | – | - | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 |
| Queens Park Rangers | – | – | 1 | – | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
| Fulham | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | 3 |
| Charlton Athletic | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Crystal Palace | – | - | – | – | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Clapham Rovers | – | 1 | – | – | - | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Wimbledon | – | 1 | – | – | - | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Brentford | – | - | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| Millwall | – | - | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
The figures in bold represent the most times this competition has been won by an English team.
Shared Community Shield results listed as wins.
* The Fairs Cup is not considered a UEFA competition, and hence Arsenal's record in the Fairs Cup is not considered part of its European record.
English football champions
- Titles : 21
- Runners-up : 19
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
| Arsenal | 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1947–48, 1952–53, 1970–71, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04 | ||
| Chelsea | 1954–55, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1950–51, 1960–61 | ||
| Queens Park Rangers | |||
| Charlton Athletic |
FA Cup winners
- Titles : 40
- Runners-up : 22
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Arsenal | 13 | 7 | 1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017 | 1927, 1932, 1952, 1972, 1978, 1980, 2001 |
| Chelsea | 8 | 5 | 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2018 | 1915, 1967, 1994, 2002, 2017 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 1 | 1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982, 1991 | 1987 |
| Wanderers | 5 | 0 | 1872, 1873, 1876, 1877, 1878 | — |
| West Ham United | 3 | 2 | 1964, 1975, 1980 | 1923, 2006 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1 | 1 | 1947 | 1946 |
| Clapham Rovers | 1 | 1 | 1880 | 1879 |
| Wimbledon | 1 | 0 | 1988 | — |
| Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 | — | 1990, 2016 |
| Fulham | 0 | 1 | — | 1975 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 0 | 1 | — | 1982 |
| Millwall | 0 | 1 | — | 2004 |
Football League Cup winners
- Titles : 12
- Runners-up : 16
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Chelsea | 5 | 3 | 1965, 1998, 2005, 2007, 2015 | 1972, 2008, 2019 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 4 | 1971, 1973, 1999, 2008 | 1982, 2002, 2009, 2015 |
| Arsenal | 2 | 6 | 1987, 1993 | 1968, 1969, 1988, 2007, 2011, 2018 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 1 | 1967 | 1986 |
| West Ham United | 0 | 2 | — | 1966, 1981 |
Football League Championship winners
London football in Europe
- Titles : 13
- Runners-up : 8
UEFA Champions League
- Titles : 1
- Runners-up : 3
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Chelsea | 1 | 1 | 2012 | 2008 |
| Arsenal | 0 | 1 | – | 2006 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 | – | 2019 |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- Titles : 5
- Runners-up : 3
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Chelsea | 2 | 0 | 1971, 1998 | – |
| Arsenal | 1 | 2 | 1994 | 1980, 1995 |
| West Ham United | 1 | 1 | 1965 | 1976 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 0 | 1963 | – |
UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League
- Titles : 4
- Runners-up : 4
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2 | 1 | 1972, 1984 | 1974 |
| Chelsea | 2 | 0 | 2013, 2019 | – |
| Arsenal | 0 | 2 | – | 2000, 2019 |
| Fulham | 0 | 1 | – | 2010 |
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
- Titles : 1
- Runners-up : 1
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Arsenal | 1 | 0 | 1970 | – |
| London XI | 0 | 1 | – | 1958 |
UEFA Super Cup
- Titles : 1
- Runners-up : 4
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Chelsea | 1 | 3 | 1998 | 2012, 2013, 2019 |
| Arsenal | 0 | 1 | – | 1994 |
UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Titles : 2
- Runners-up : 0
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| West Ham United | 1 | 0 | 1999 | – |
| Fulham | 1 | 0 | 2003 | – |
London football in FIFA Club World Cup
- Titles : 0
- Runners-up : 1
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
| Chelsea | 0 | 1 | – | 2012 |