History of Stoke City F.C.

History Of Stoke City F.C.

It is claimed that the history of Stoke City F.C., an English association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, began when Stoke Ramblers were formed in 1863. However, as the Official Site states, "In 1863 the story goes that former pupils of the Charterhouse School formed a football club while apprentices at the North Staffordshire Railway works in Stoke. But little evidence exists of any matches taking place." The first actual reference to Stoke Ramblers is made five years later. To quote the Official Site again, "Five years later a report in The Field magazine of September 1868 made things much clearer. It stated a new Association Football club had been formed in Stoke-on-Trent...and its founder member was ex-Charterhouse School pupil Henry Almond. So it's possible that football had been played in the area during the previous five years, although in terms of official records the first game played by Almond's team, known as Stoke Ramblers and consisting largely of railway employees, was in October 1868." In 1878, the club moved to the Victoria Ground, their home for the next 119 years, and merged with Stoke Victoria Cricket Club to become Stoke Football Club. The club joined the Football League upon its formation in 1888, and it is claimed that they are the second oldest club in the Football League. However, documented history begins in 1868 and Nottingham Forest Football Club were founded in 1865. In 1928, the club's name was changed for the final time to Stoke City Football Club when Stoke-on-Trent was granted city status. The club then moved in 1997 to the Britannia Stadium, a 28,383 all-seater stadium; the Victoria Ground was demolished later that year.

In the 2007–08 season, Stoke won promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, and as of 2008–09 are playing in the top flight (currently Premier League) for the first time since the 1984–85 season, when they were relegated with a total of 17 points, a record low unsurpassed for 21 years. Stoke's only major trophy was the 1972 Football League Cup, won when they beat Chelsea 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 97,852. The club have also won the Football League Trophy—a competition for clubs in the two lower divisions of The Football League—in 1992 and 2000.