Those interested in football in London will find enough to see. To clarify for any readers of this post who are not from the United Kingdom, football refers to the ‘beautiful game,’ also known as Soccer across the world.
Famous football teams have a long history in London, and there is fierce competition among them to be the best. In the Premier Championship, there are usually four or five London teams, and many analysts consider that this is one of the biggest impediments to any of them winning the league. Because it is so hotly contested, a ‘local derby’ between two London football clubs might create an electrifying atmosphere and throw current form on its head.
Obtaining Premier League tickets might be challenging at times, but perseverance typically pays off. A variety of ticket agencies are able to obtain them for a fee.
Arsenal and Chelsea have both won the coveted Premier League championship twice and reached the European Cup final in the recent decade.
Here are some information regarding London’s top 10 football clubs, which are provided in alphabetical order to avoid any charges of bias:
Arsenal
Since the 1919-20 season, Arsenal has competed in the top level of English football in consecutive seasons. They have won the championship 13 times and set a modern-day record in the 2003-04 season when they finished the entire season without losing.
Arsenal has three times won the desired ‘double’ (league and cup winners in the same season): in 1971, 1998, and 2002.
In recent years, they have relocated to The Emirates Stadium, a 60,000-seat arena. The Arsenal Museum is open every day and is definitely worth a visit.
Brentford
Brentford Football Club, also known as the Bees, is currently in Football League I. They were created in 1889 and have been playing their home games at Griffin Park since 1904. Brentford’s greatest successful period was in the 1930s, when they finished in the top six of the First Division for three years in a row.
They’ve spent the majority of their time in English football’s third and fourth levels since the war. Brentford has reached the FA Cup quarter-finals four times and finished second in the Football League Trophy twice.
Charlton Athletic is a football club based in the United
Charlton Athletic, also known as the Addicks, has seen brighter days. In the 1930s and 1940s, there were golden days. After being demoted from the Premier League in 2005 and subsequently the Championship in 2008, they have struggled in recent years.
They perform at Greenwich’s The Valley, which is located directly south of the Thames River. In 1905, the club was created.
Charlton’s most successful time historically was the 1930s, when the club achieved its greatest league positions, including runners-up in 1937, and following World War II, when the club reached the FA Cup final twice, winning in 1947.
Chelsea
Chelsea Football Club, sometimes known as the Pensioners or the Blues, was formed in 1905 and competes in the Premier League. Chelsea has won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times, and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice. They have also won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times, and the League Cup four times. In 2008, they reached the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea’s home stadium is Stamford Bridge in West London, with a seating capacity of 42,000.
The Chelsea Museum is open most days and is well worth a visit for museum buffs and football fans both.
Crystal Palace is a palace in London.
Crystal Palace Football Club, sometimes known as the Eagles, was founded in 1905. The team has been situated at Selhurst Park since 1924 and plays its home games there. The Championship is the second category in which the club presently competes.
The most recent spell of success for Crystal Palace came in 1988-89, when the team finished third in the Second Division and was promoted to the First Division. In 1990-91, the club reached the FA Cup Final, only to lose the replay against Manchester United, and finished third in the First Division.
Palace has been demoted from and promoted to the FA Premier League on several occasions since then, with their most recent demotion coming in the 2004-05 season.
Fulham
Fulham Football Club, sometimes known as the Cottagers, was formed in 1879 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2004. They now play in England’s Premier League. Fulham is London’s oldest professional football club.
Fulham finished 7th in the Premier League in 2009, qualifying for Europe for the first time.
Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh, Alan Mullery, and Jim Langley are just a few of the great British footballers that have come through the club. They play at Craven Cottage, a riverfront pitch on the banks of the Thames in Fulham, which has been their home since 1896.
The Queens Park Rangers are a professional football team based in New York
Queens Park Rangers, sometimes known as The Hoops or just QPR, is a football club headquartered in Shepherd’s Bush, West London. They are now in the Football League Championship and have won the League Cup in 1967, as well as finishing second in the former First Division in 1975-76 and the FA Cup in 1982.
The Queens Park Rangers Football Club was formed in 1882 and is known for its blue and white colours. QPR has long-standing rivalries with many other West London teams, the most renowned of which being Chelsea, Brentford, and Fulham, with whom they compete in what are known as West London derbies.
QPR was purchased by Italian entrepreneur Flavio Briatore in 2007 and is now one of the top ten wealthiest sporting teams in the world. Lakshmi Mittal and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone are among the other big shareholders. So keep an eye out!
Tottenham Hotspur is a football club based in England.
Many football fans consider the renowned ‘Spurs’ team of 1961 to be one of the finest football teams in English football history. They won the ‘double,’ which had not been done since Aston Villa had won it in 1897 at the time.
Recent Spurs teams have had a lot to live up to. Spurs, on the other hand, have a long history of playing superb football, so there are plenty of thrilling games at White Hart Lane, particularly against their North London rivals Arsenal.
Spurs won the European Cup Winners’ Cup for the first time in 1963, making them the first British club to do it. They won the Football League Cup twice in the 1970s and were the first champions of the UEFA Cup in 1972. Spurs won the FA Cup twice, the FA Community Shield once, and the UEFA Cup once in the 1980s. They won the FA Cup and the Football League Cup in the 1990s, and in 2008, they defeated Chelsea in the Football League Cup final. With this triumph, Tottenham has now won a trophy in each of the previous six decades, a feat only Manchester United has equaled.
Spurs are building a new stadium that will be finished by 2012 and is projected to be one of the greatest in the UK.
Watford
Watford Football Club, situated in Watford, Hertfordshire, is known as the Hornets. They compete in the Champions League. The club was formed in 1881 and played at a number of different locations until settling on Vicarage Road in 1922, where they have been ever since. Saracens Rugby Club has shared the stadium with them since 1997. Luton Town and Watford have a long-standing rivalry.
The club is most recognised for two periods when former England manager Graham Taylor was in charge. The first ran from 1977 to 1987, when the club was promoted from the Fourth Division to the former First Division. Watford was formerly in England’s top flight, finishing second in the league in 1983, reaching the FA Cup final in 1984, and competing in the UEFA Cup in 1984-85.
Taylor led the team from the renamed Second Division to the Premier League in consecutive seasons during the second phase, which lasted from 1997 to 2001.
Taylor is presently a non-executive director and honorary life president of the club, alongside Sir Elton John, who owned the club throughout both of these times and has remained a long-time supporter.
West Ham United is a football club based in London.
West Ham United Football Club, also known as the Hammers, has played at Upton Park (Boleyn Ground) in East London since 1904, after been founded in 1895.
They played in the inaugural FA Cup Final at Wembley, against Bolton Wanderers, in 1923. The FA Cup has been won three times by the club: in 1964, 1975, and 1980. They’ve also finished second twice, in 1923 and 2006.
They won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1965 and the InterToto Cup in 1999.