It’s just over 105 years since Stoke Football Club (as Stoke City was then called) regained its place in the Football League after a twelve-year absence due to bankruptcy. Their re-admission is unique in that they were the only club to gain re-election to the Football League. Early History Stoke Ramblers was founded in 1863. … Read more
A small club from a working-class city in northern Italy captured the imagination last season. Atalanta’s high-scoring habit has been a breath of fresh air in the typically defensive Serie A. Rebuilding Hailing from Bergamo, Lombardy, Atalanta has always been a modest club. Merely a decade ago, the side was toiling away in Serie B, … Read more
Borussia Dortmund was formed on 19 December 1909 by a predominantly youthful group of steelworkers and miners. The decision was a spur-of-the-moment affair and the name an equally spontaneous choice. “Borussia” was appended to the front because it was the house beer served in the pub where the meeting took place. So the club is … Read more
Montevideo-based Club Nacional de Football is the oldest Uruguayan club and the first indigenous Latin American club. Founded on 14 May 1899 at the home of Dr. Ernesto Caprario, Nacional is the result of a merger between Uruguay Atletica Club and Montevideo Football Club. Back then, Uruguay only had a population of 930,000, and Montevideo, … Read more
Dutch physical education teacher William Paats first introduced soccer to Paraguay, and he was also the man behind the creation of the country’s oldest team, Club Olimpia. He could not have known it at the time. Still, after being appointed a sports teacher at the Asuncion teachers’ training college in 1888, William Paats introduced the … Read more
FC Barcelona was once the ideal club, successful both on the pitch and off it. In many ways, it wasn’t just a mere club, but more than that. Yet after years of mismanagement, the ostensibly epicurean squandering of money, and the allowance of the famed La Masia academy to fall into dilapidation, the mighty Barcelona … Read more
Liverpool Football Club would not exist if it weren’t for one man. John Houlding, the ground’s owner, was determined that football would continue at Anfield after Everton left the site in 1892 over rent disputes. So he formed a new club from scratch with support from Everton supporters and three club players, naming it Liverpool … Read more
In Barry, Wales, there is a semi-professional association football team called Barry Town FC. Since 1892, the team has been playing semi-pro football. As a winner of the Welsh Cup and Cymru Premier in the 1990s and early 2000s, the club is known for representing Wales in Europe. Throughout its history, the club has also competed in … Read more
Everton Football Club are pioneers of club soccer. So many of the facets of the beautiful game we take for granted today were innovations by the Goodison Park institution, which rank among the most successful in British soccer. As well as spending more seasons in the top flight in England than any other club, the … Read more
This is a surreal Superclásico. Nothing could stop it from taking place. Recently, Plaza de Mayo was the scene of riots, repression, and death. “Pickets and pans, the struggle is the same one.” Looting. State of siege. President De la Rúa fled office by helicopter. Argentina has witnessed a superminister (Domingo Cavallo), the IMF, the … Read more