132-472: Women's competition Women's competition FA Women's Super League FA Women's Championship FA Women's National League North FA Women's National League South Women's competition Football is the most popular sport in England . England is home to the world's first football league, the oldest national governing body, and the oldest national knockout competition. The first modern rules for
264-545: A lower-tier men's side . Arsenal , Chelsea , Liverpool , Manchester City , Manchester United , and Tottenham Hotspur combined had spent a total of £123.6 million on their women's sides from the league's founding in 2011 to the 2022–23 season. A report in The Telegraph compared this spending to the £186 million those clubs' spent on agents' fees for men's player transactions from 1 February 2022 to 31 January 2023. Those clubs spent £33 million on their women's sides over
396-413: A Club Development Fund should limit any financial "imbalance" between clubs. However, the introduction of a genuine salary cap remained under consideration for 2013 and beyond. Doncaster manager John Buckley revealed that his club lost Rachel Williams and other players to Birmingham City because he was working to a budget eight times smaller than that enjoyed by Birmingham. When the 2012 WPS season
528-412: A Manger founder Julian Metcalfe ) and the big game hunter and artist General Douglas Hamilton , as well as Island Records founder Chris Blackwell . In sports, the school produced the first two Wimbledon champions ( Spencer Gore and Frank Hadow ) as well as FA Cup founder C. W. Alcock and current England rugby international players Billy Vunipola , Maro Itoje and Henry Arundell . Alumni in
660-500: A Scottish father and Brazilian mother, returned home after his studies in Southampton with a new profound passion for football. Miller spread this passion of football to his fellow peers in a local athletic club and began to organise local football matches. More importantly, colleges that trained teachers encouraged educators to spread the passion of football and even set up their own football clubs. This encouragement of educators to spread
792-503: A brand". Barclays renewed the sponsorship with an additional three-year deal on 15 December 2021, doubled its rights fee, and extended its sponsorship to the FA Women's Championship . The league's lead sponsor from 2012 to 2019 was Continental Tyres. Continental sponsored the FA's new commercial programme from 2014 to 2018 including the England women's national football team , FA Women's Cup and
924-477: A dark blue jacket known as a "bluer" with light grey trousers known as "greyers". With these are worn a white shirt, black tie, black shoes and an optional blue jumper. Boys also wear a Harrow hat, a straw hat with a dark blue band similar to a boater , but shallower in crown and broader in brim. The School blue-and-white woollen scarf and dark blue woollen overcoat may be worn in cold weather. Variations include boys who are monitors ( prefects ) who are allowed to wear
1056-545: A disastrous 44-day spell as Don Revie's successor at Leeds United, enjoyed even greater success at Nottingham Forest , taking the East Midlands club to promotion in 1977, the league title and League Cup in 1978 and to a further League Cup and the European Cup in 1979, before retaining their European crown in 1980. During this run of outstanding success, Clough also shelled out British football's first £1million transfer fee for
1188-474: A further league title, FA Cup and the UEFA Cup before the retirement of Bill Shankly as manager in 1974. His successor Bob Paisley took Liverpool to even greater heights; by the end of the decade, he had guided them to three league titles, another UEFA Cup triumph, and the club's first two European Cups. Liverpool's local rivals Everton , who had been league champions in 1963 and FA Cup winners in 1966, began
1320-420: A jumper of their choice of colour, and members of certain societies who may earn the right to replace the standard school tie with one of a variety of scarves, cravats , neck and bow ties of their society. Sunday dress, which is worn every Sunday up to lunch and on special occasions such as Speech Day and songs, consists of a black tailcoat , a black single-breasted waistcoat and striped trousers, worn with
1452-537: A late revival from Manchester United at Wembley to win the FA Cup final 3–2. Leeds United added a further league title and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, as well as their first FA Cup, before Don Revie departed to take over as manager of the England national football team in the summer of 1974, after the Football Association terminated Sir Alf Ramsey's contract after 11 years, following England's failure to qualify for
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#17328735884821584-609: A local landowner and farmer, under a royal charter of Queen Elizabeth I . The school has an enrolment of about 820 boys, all of whom board full-time, in twelve boarding houses. It was one of the seven public schools selected for reform in the Public Schools Act of 1868 . Harrow's uniform includes morning suits , straw boater hats , top hats and canes . Its list of distinguished alumni includes seven former British prime ministers : Aberdeen , Perceval , Goderich , Peel , Palmerston , Baldwin and Churchill , as well as
1716-664: A major role in English football in the 1960s. They won their first silverware in 1964 when they won the FA Cup, and went on to win the European Cup Winners' Cup a year later. In 1966, they provided three key players in England's World Cup winning side – goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters as well as captain Bobby Moore . Liverpool enjoyed even more success during the 1970s. They won
1848-648: A mere nine years after being elected to the Football League. They quickly established themselves in the First Division, finishing sixth in their first season at this level, and even more impressively won the FA Cup a year later, beating league champions Liverpool 1–0 in the Wembley final. Wimbledon would enjoy the longest stay in the top flight of any of the First Division's new arrivals of the 1980s, retaining their tenancy at this level for 14 years. 1988 saw Millwall reach
1980-424: A new record-breaking three-year domestic television rights deal with Sky Sports and BBC, beginning with the 2021–22 season. Sky would broadcast 44 matches per season with a further 22 matches shown on BBC platforms including a minimum of 18 on BBC One or Two. All other fixtures would remain available to stream for free on The FA Player, the governing body's own over OTT service. Believed to be worth around £8 million
2112-461: A proliferation of clubs in and around the city playing " Sheffield rules ". Sheffield hosted the world's first multi-team football tournament, the Youdan Cup , in 1867. In general, each football club, school or university tended to have its own rules, which might differ on such fundamental questions as whether to follow the example of Rugby School by allowing the ball to be carried, with players carrying
2244-460: A restructuring of the league and its licensing criteria would follow from the 2017–18 season with a goal of a fully professional top division of between 8 and 14 teams and a second division of up to 12 semi-professional teams. For the 2018–19 season, the league became fully professional. The following twelve clubs are competing in the 2024–25 season : In the first season of the WSL clubs were subject to
2376-521: A room to himself. The School has a book of songs, of which the best known is Forty Years On . In the 19th century, most schools had a school song, usually in Latin, which they sang at the beginning and end of term. Harrow had a master, Edward Bowen , who was a poet and a music teacher, and John Farmer , who was a composer. Between 1870 and 1885, these two wrote a number of songs about school life. The inspiring, wistful, amusing and thought-provoking words and
2508-474: A season, it was the biggest broadcast deal of any professional women's football league in the world and marked the first time that the WSL's rights had been sold separately from the men's game. In July 2024, YouTube was listed as a new streaming service for non-broadcast WSL matches and select Women's Championship fixtures, as part of a transition from the FA Player. Sky Sports and BBC remained rights holders for
2640-419: A second spell with the club he had scored more than 200 goals from during his first spell there. The England team made considerable progress during the 1980s after the barren performances of the previous decade, qualifying for every major tournament between 1980 and 1990, with the exception of the 1984 European Championships , although their best run in any of these competitions was a quarter-final appearance at
2772-422: A space in a large house to become available (hence the use of the term large house in this article). A twelfth large house, Lyon's, was built in 2010. House Masters, Assistant House Masters and their families live in the boarding Houses and are assisted by House Tutors appointed from the teaching staff. The House Master oversees the welfare of every boy in his care; for parents, he is the main point of contact with
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#17328735884822904-561: A squad cap of 20 players. This proved unpopular with both managers and players. Ahead of the 2012 season, the rule was reviewed and the cap increased to 23 players. Players from outside the European Union , like their male counterparts, are subject to Home Office work permit regulations. The FA said in April 2012 that the salary rule of allowing only four players per team to earn over £20,000 and that all clubs are paid £70,000 per season from
3036-464: A three consecutive titles, and Arsenal taking five in total, as well as two FA Cups. Huddersfield, and then Arsenal, were managed by Herbert Chapman , who moved from Huddersfield to Arsenal after the Yorkshire club's second successive title, and died just before Arsenal won their third successive title. By the turn of the 1930s, the national side regularly played against other national teams from outside
3168-432: A top hat, and carry canes. Harrow School divides its pupils, who are all boarders , into twelve Houses , each of about seventy boys, with a thirteenth house, Gayton, used as an overflow. Each House has its own facilities, customs and traditions, and each competes in sporting events against the others. Until the 1950s there existed what was known as 'small houses' where only 5–10 boys stayed at one time while they waited for
3300-437: A wealthy local farmer. The school's formal name is still 'The Free Grammar School of John Lyon within the town of Harrow-on-the-Hill'. The charter described this as a re-endowment, and there is some evidence of a grammar school at Harrow in the mid-16th century, but its location and connection with Lyon's foundation are unclear. Evidence for earlier schools, possibly connected with the chantry of St Mary (established in 1324),
3432-585: A white shirt and black tie. Boys with sports colours may wear a grey double-breasted waistcoat; members of the Guild (a society for boys who have achieved distinction in art, music or drama) may wear maroon double-breasted waistcoats with maroon bow ties; members of the Philathletic Club (a society for boys with achievements in sport) may wear black bow ties alongside grey double-breasted waistcoats. School monitors (prefects) may wear black double-breasted waistcoats and
3564-413: A year later. That first relegation place in 1987 had very nearly been occupied by Burnley , league champions 27 years earlier and First Division members until just over a decade earlier, but victory in their final league game of the season secured their league survival. Another major change which took place in English football during the second half of the 1980s was a restructuring of the divisions. During
3696-481: Is part of the routine that is the essence of the English Public School system... the wonder of other countries". In 2005, the school was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel , exposed by The Times , which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents, although the schools said that they had not realised that
3828-423: Is the oldest fixture at Lord's (see: Eton v Harrow ). Eton won the match in 2013, and Harrow in 2014 and 2015. Harrow has its own unique style of football called Harrow Football . Currently, the school offers around 30 sports activities for students such as archery, badminton, hockey and judo. As in most boarding schools, for many years there was a system of 'fagging' whereby younger boys carried out duties for
3960-635: Is weak. In the original charter six governors were named, including two members of the Gerard family of Flambards, and two members of the Page family of Wembley and Sudbury Court. The founder John Lyon died in 1592, bequeathing his estate to two beneficiaries: the school and the maintenance of two roads, the Harrow Road and the Edgware Road, both going to London, 10 miles (16 km) away. The Road Trust received by far
4092-526: The 1986 World Cup . FA Women%27s Super League The Women's Super League ( WSL ), known as the Barclays Women's Super League ( BWSL ) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league and the highest level of women's football in England . Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features twelve fully professional teams. The league replaced
Football in England - Misplaced Pages Continue
4224-565: The Birmingham City forward Trevor Francis , who signed for Forest in February 1979. Also among his acquisitions was the goalkeeper Peter Shilton , who went on to win a record of 125 full caps for England. The rise of football hooliganism marred the game throughout the 1970s and 1980s, which contributed to a decline in match attendance. Other factors in falling attendances were the dismal economic conditions and rising unemployment which plagued
4356-543: The British Isles . However, the FA's resignation from FIFA in 1928 meant that England did not contest any of the first three World Cups . The 1939–40 season was abandoned in September 1939 following the outbreak of World War II . However, as with World War I, a special wartime league was played throughout the war years, with the FA Cup again suspended. Ten regional "mini-leagues" were initially established in 1939 as well as
4488-525: The Championship . In May 2020, the league was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic . Chelsea were declared champions of the season based on a points-per-game average. At the conclusion of the 2020–21 season , four first-team managers resigned from their positions at WSL clubs Birmingham, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Aston Villa. Birmingham's outgoing manager Carla Ward questioned the commitment of some of
4620-692: The European Cup final , in the Heysel Stadium disaster . The sequel to the tragedy was a ban on English clubs in European competitions, which was not lifted for five years. Due to the ban, many English star players transferred to continental clubs. England's ageing and poorly built stadiums were responsible for two disasters, at Bradford in May 1985 (just before the Heysel tragedy) and Hillsborough in April 1989, resulting in
4752-514: The FA WSL Continental Cup in addition to the WSL. During the 2011 season, Yorkshire Building Society was also a sponsorship partner along with Continental. Most shirt sponsorships for women's sides affiliated with men's clubs are bundled and not sold or valued separately. In the 2022–23 season, 11 of the WSL's 12 teams were affiliates of men's Premier League clubs, with the only exception being Reading , who were affiliated with
4884-401: The FA Women's Premier League National Division as the highest level of women's football in England, with eight teams competing in the inaugural 2011 season . In the WSL's first two seasons, there was no relegation from the division. The WSL discarded the winter football season for six years, between 2011 and 2016, playing through the summer instead (from March until October). Since 2017–18 ,
5016-692: The FA Women's Premier League National Division as the top level of women's football in England but was deferred for a year due to the global economic downturn . Sixteen clubs applied for 8 places in the inaugural season of the league: Arsenal , Barnet , Birmingham City , Bristol Academy , Chelsea , Colchester United , Doncaster Rovers Belles , Everton , Leeds Carnegie , Leicester City , Lincoln Ladies , Liverpool , Millwall Lionesses , Newcastle United , Nottingham Forest , and Sunderland . Leeds Carnegie later withdrew their application. Women's Premier League clubs Blackburn Rovers and Watford declined to apply. FA Chief Executive Ian Watmore described
5148-594: The Football League between 1982 and 1986. Wolverhampton Wanderers found themselves on the verge of closure twice during the 1980s and suffered three successive relegation which pushed them into the Fourth Division in 1986. Their local rivals Birmingham City dropped into the Third Division for the first time in 1989. Sunderland suffered the same fate as Birmingham two years previously, but achieved promotion at
5280-421: The Football League soon after. During the war, competitive football was suspended. However, an unofficial "Wartime Football league" was played from 1915–16 to 1918–19 , although the FA Cup was suspended until after the war. In the 1920–21 season the Football League was expanded, with the new Third Division , which expanded the league south of Birmingham , which until then had been sparsely represented in
5412-632: The Football League Cup and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup . Manchester United also faced competition from their local rivals Manchester City , who overcame a dismal first half of the decade (which included three seasons in the Second Division) to pip United to the league title in 1968, win the FA Cup in 1969 and claim their first piece of European silverware in 1970 when they lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup . West Ham United also played
Football in England - Misplaced Pages Continue
5544-466: The Football League War Cup which ran six seasons from 1939 to 1945 with West Ham United , Preston North End, Wolverhampton Wanderers , Blackpool , and Bolton Wanderers winning the trophy while in 1943–44 Aston Villa and Charlton Athletic shared the trophy after drawing 1–1. Various leagues and cups, mostly on a regional basis, were organised throughout the war years for five seasons until
5676-601: The Keepmoat Stadium , Doncaster . In 2013, BBC Two broadcast four WSL programmes during the 2013–14 season. Each programme featured goal round-ups, highlights and features. During the 2017–18 season, many WSL games were broadcast on television by BT Sport , online and red-button by the BBC (UK only), and via the league's Facebook page. BBC Sport continued to air one game a weekend digitally via their iPlayer service and website, while subscription channel Sky Sports also holds
5808-898: The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904; John Galsworthy , winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature ; and Winston Churchill , who also received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. Other alumni include writers Lord Byron , Anthony Trollope , Sir Terence Rattigan , Simon Sebag-Montefiore , and Richard Curtis , the Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster and prominent reformist Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury , military commanders such as Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis and Sir Peter de la Billiere , and business people (including DeBeers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer , Pret
5940-583: The Premier League , is one of the most popular and richest sports leagues in the world, with five of the ten richest football clubs in the world as of 2022. The England national football team is one of only eight teams to win the FIFA World Cup , having done so once, in 1966 . A total of six English club teams have won the UEFA Champions League , formerly known as the European Cup . Football
6072-515: The Royal Albert Hall . The sport squash (originally called 'Squasher') was invented in Harrow out of the game rackets around 1830. It spread to other schools, eventually becoming an international sport. An annual cricket match has taken place between Harrow and Eton College at Lord's Cricket Ground since 1805. It is considered to be the longest-running cricket fixture in the world and
6204-462: The UEFA Women's Champions League the following season. Since its inception, four clubs have won the title: Chelsea (7), Arsenal (3), Liverpool (2) and Manchester City (1). The current Women's Super League champions are Chelsea, who won their record-extending seventh title in the 2023–24 season, as well as their fifth consecutive title in a row. The FA WSL was due to start in 2010 to replace
6336-469: The University of Cambridge between the 1830s and the 1860s. In the second half of the century, a culture of independent "football clubs" began to thrive. It was through the spread of football in elite social groups that allowed the growth of such clubs. It was common for sons descendant of elite locals to return to their home from school and form their own clubs. In 1894, Charles Miller, a young elite son of
6468-597: The Women's FA Cup . Teams in bold and in italics indicate trebles with the Women's FA Cup and FA Women's League Cup . In September 2021, the Women's Super League announced the first inductees into the Barclays FA WSL Hall of Fame , recognising significant individuals who have contributed to the growth of the women's game in England and the WSL. As of 30 November 2022 , the WSL's total annual sponsorship revenue
6600-537: The World Cup . Although Leeds United were still in the First Division at the decade's end, they failed to win any trophies after Revie left the club. The England team, meanwhile, continued to struggle, failing to qualify for the 1978 World Cup , with Revie defecting to coach the United Arab Emirates side just before this latest disappointment. Things began turn around under his successor Ron Greenwood , who ended
6732-415: The final . Manager Bill Nicholson then built another successful Tottenham side which lifted a further FA Cup in 1967. The most marked success of the era, however, was Alf Ramsey 's England team, which won the 1966 FIFA World Cup on home soil after controversially beating West Germany 4–2 after extra time , the only time the national team has won the trophy. In the late 1960s English clubs dominated
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#17328735884826864-415: The 1950s, while Portsmouth won back-to-back league titles in the early postwar years. The Football League was reorganised for the 1958–59 season with Third Divisions North and South discontinued. The top half of each regional Third Division from the previous season formed a new Third Division, while the lower halves formed the new Fourth Division . Modernisation followed in the 1960s, with revolutions in
6996-411: The 1960s saw the promotion of two sides to the First Division who would achieve great success as this level for many years afterwards: Liverpool (in 1962) and Leeds United (in 1964). Liverpool, managed by Bill Shankly , won the league title in 1964, two seasons after promotion, and followed this up with their first-ever FA Cup triumph a year later and a further league title in 1966. Among their players
7128-473: The 1970s by winning another league titles, but failed to add any silverware to their list of honors for the rest of the decade, although they did hold onto their place in the First Division. Arsenal started the 1970s on a winning note by lifting the penultimate Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and then became the second team of the 20th century to win the double when they clinched the league title and FA Cup in 1971. Their next major trophy came in 1979, when they fought off
7260-455: The 1980s and into the 1990s. 1985 saw the promotion of Oxford United to the First Division, 23 years after being elected to the Football League. They survived for three seasons in the First Division and won the League Cup in their first season among the elite. An even bigger success story emerged soon after Oxford's First Division arrival, when Wimbledon won promotion to the First Division in 1986,
7392-478: The 1986 close season, the Football League decided to reduce the First Division to 21 clubs for the 1987–88 season and finally to 20 clubs for the 1988–89 season, while the Second Division would be increased to 23 and finally to 24 clubs in the process. End-of-season promotion/relegation playoffs were introduced for these two transitional seasons, before the playoffs were established as promotion-only deciders from
7524-454: The 2024–25 season, with Sky and Now TV broadcasting 44 matches, and the BBC broadcasting 22 matches on iPlayer, with 18 intended for BBC One or BBC Two. In October 2024, a five-year deal with Sky Sports and the BBC worth £65 million was agreed upon by the WSL, an increase from the estimated £7-8 million per season, and the first long-term agreement with broadcasters. As the main investor, Sky Sports are to broadcast 118 live matches per season,
7656-513: The BBC have committed to 21 matches, with the remaining games available on YouTube. For countries without broadcast rights, all WSL matches are available on YouTube for the 2024–25 season . Harrow School Harrow School ( / ˈ h ær oʊ / ) is a public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill , Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon ,
7788-451: The British economy for most of the 1970s and into the 1980s, with many clubs in the north of England being hit particularly hard. Many of English football's most famous and successful clubs reached low ebbs during the 1970s and 1980s, in many cases at least partly due to financial problems. Preston North End and Blackpool both fell into the Fourth Division and had to apply for re-election to
7920-473: The Conference and the Football League was increased to two clubs in 2002–03 . In the 1980s, play-offs were introduced throughout the Football League for promotion each season, with one club each season being promoted via the end of season play-offs in addition to those clubs promoted automatically. Liverpool remained the most successful club side in England during the 1980s, winning the league title six times and
8052-410: The FA Cup in 1984 and enjoyed even more success a year later, when they lifted the league title and their first European trophy – the European Cup Winners' Cup. Although they failed to win any trophies in 1986, they did finish runners-up to Liverpool in the league and reached the FA Cup final, where they lost 3–1 to their close neighbours, in a season where Gray's successor in attack, Gary Lineker , found
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#17328735884828184-563: The FA Cup resumed in 1945–46 . The Football League returned the following season. The English national team suffered two shock defeats in the early 1950s: a 1–0 loss to the United States at the 1950 World Cup and a 6–3 defeat to Hungary at Wembley in 1953. However, Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated the Hungarian club Budapest Honvéd , a match which inspired the creation of the European Cup . Chelsea were dissuaded from participating in
8316-517: The FA Cup twice (including the double in 1986). They also won four successive League Cups, and before the Heysel disaster they won the European Cup in 1981 and again in 1984, bringing their total number of victories in European football's biggest competition to four. Everton also enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980s. Following the appointment of Howard Kendall as manager in 1981 and the signing of inspirational striker Andy Gray in November 1983, Everton won
8448-485: The FA and Sheffield rules co-existed, with each code at times influencing the other. Several games were played between Sheffield and London teams, using both sets of rules. After several disputes, the two codes were unified in 1877 when the Sheffield Football Association voted to adopt the FA laws, following the adoption of a compromise throw-in law by the FA. The Sheffield rules had a major influence on how
8580-435: The FA legalised professionalism, and when Aston Villa director William McGregor organised a meeting of representatives of England's leading clubs, this led to the formation of the Football League in 1888. Preston North End were inaugural winners in 1888–89 and were also the first club to complete the double of both winning the league and the FA Cup. Aston Villa repeated the feat in 1896–97 . The League expanded over
8712-435: The First Division for the first time. Tipped by many to go straight back down, they actually topped the First Division briefly in its early stages before finishing 10th – the lowest position they occupied all season. They briefly went top of the league again during the second month of the following season, but finished the season relegated after just two seasons in the First Division. Eventually, promotion and relegation between
8844-522: The Football League. Each division had 22 clubs. The next season the league was again expanded with the Third Division divided into North (with 20 clubs) and South (with 22 clubs) sections, making a total of 86 clubs in the Football League. In the 1923–24 season the Third Division North was expanded to 22 clubs, making a total of 88 league clubs. After half a century of cup finals and internationals being hosted at various venues across England,
8976-712: The League Cup in 1987 and ended their 18-year wait for the league title in 1989, when they beat Liverpool at Anfield in the final minute of the last game of the season to clinch the championship trophy on goals scored. The summer of 1988 saw the first £2million+ transfer fees paid by British clubs. Tottenham Hotspur signed 21-year-old PFA Young Player of the Year Paul Gascoigne from Newcastle United , before Everton swooped for high-scoring forward Tony Cottee from West Ham United. After spending an unsuccessful season in Italy with Juventus , Ian Rush headed back to Liverpool for
9108-549: The Premier League, is one of the most popular and richest leagues in the world. The British Empire's cultural power spread the rules of football to areas of British influence. England the home of football, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game . With over 40,000 association football clubs, England has more clubs involved in
9240-452: The School. Each House has a resident matron and sick room. The matrons are supported by the School's Medical Centre where trained nursing staff offer round-the-clock care. The medical centre is under the direct supervision of the school doctor who is available on the Hill every day for consultation. There are no dormitories: a boy shares his room for the first three to six terms and thereafter has
9372-547: The Scottish players were all London-based and so not fully representative of Scotland as a nation. The first official international , Scotland v England , was played on 30 November 1872 at Hamilton Crescent , the West of Scotland Cricket Club 's ground in Partick , Glasgow . It was a 0–0 draw watched by 4,000 spectators. On 8 March 1873, England's 4–2 win over Scotland at Kennington Oval
9504-584: The United States. FA women's competitions were initially broadcast on ESPN from 2009 to 2013 as part of a four-year broadcast rights deal. Six live matches were broadcast in 2011 in addition to weekly highlights, with ten games shown in 2012. ESPN broadcast the opening game of the WSL between Chelsea and Arsenal at Imperial Fields on 13 April 2011, a game Arsenal won 1–0 with a first half goal by Gilly Flaherty . The second televised game took place on 12 May 2011 as Doncaster Belles lost 1–0 to Everton Ladies at
9636-448: The WSL 2 having ten teams. The new WSL 1 licence was awarded to Manchester City . Doncaster Rovers Belles were relegated to the WSL 2. They appealed against their demotion but were unsuccessful. In December 2014, the FA WSL announced a two-year plan to expand the WSL 1 from an eight to a ten-team league. Two teams were promoted from the WSL 2 at the end of the 2015 season, while one team
9768-420: The WSL has operated as a winter league running from September to May, as was traditional before 2011. From 2014 to 2017–18, the Women's Super League consisted of two divisions – FA WSL 1 and FA WSL 2 – and brought a promotion and relegation system to the WSL. Ahead of the 2018–19 season, the second division was renamed the FA Women's Championship . The WSL champions, runners-up and third-placed team qualify for
9900-459: The WSL would be semi-professional , with only a "handful" of top players full-time. Clubs' annual wage bills were expected to be approximately one-tenth of those in the now-defunct American Women's Professional Soccer . The 2011 season included a mid-season break from 12 May 2011, to allow for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup . The season then resumed in early July, finishing in August 2011. After
10032-712: The War Memorial building (1926), designed by Herbert Baker to mark the loss of former pupils in the First World War , are all Grade II* listed buildings . A total of 27 school buildings are Grade II listed, including the Headmaster's House (1843) by Decimus Burton ; the Museum Schools [Butler Museum] (1886) by Basil Champneys ; and the Music Schools (1890) by Edward Prior. Everyday dress for boys at Harrow consists of
10164-471: The arts and media industry include actors Edward Fox , Benedict Cumberbatch and Cary Elwes , photographer Nikolai von Bismarck , singers David Dundas and James Blunt , pianist James Rhodes , horse racing pundit John McCririck , and Mark Thatcher , son of Margaret Thatcher . Fictional characters who have attended Harrow include Brett Sinclair of the TV series The Persuaders! , Withnail and Uncle Monty from
10296-526: The attractive tunes, made the songs very popular. Successors to Bowen and Farmer have added to the collection. The songs are sung in House and School concerts several times a term. Winston Churchill was a great lover of Harrow songs and when he returned for a concert as Prime Minister in 1940, it was the first of many annual visits. Churchill Songs is still celebrated in Speech Room each year, and every five years at
10428-416: The ball being allowed to be "hacked" (kicked in the shins) by their opponents. The desire of football clubs for a common code was the impetus behind the foundation of the Football Association (FA) in 1863. Within the FA, there was an acrimonious debate between the "hacking" and "non-hacking" clubs. When the first meetings were held to discuss the FA's laws of football, the "hackers" were in the ascendancy, but
10560-451: The building of 1615, although it was extended and re-designed by Charles Robert Cockerell in 1818. It is a Grade I listed building . The majority of the school's boarding houses were constructed in Victorian times, when the number of boys increased dramatically. The Speech Room by William Burges (1877), the chapel (1855) and Vaughan Library (1863), both by George Gilbert Scott , and
10692-404: The change to the law (which had happened only a few months earlier) about the sharing of information had subsequently made it an offence. Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling £3,000,000 into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared. Harrow
10824-499: The club, who won the FA Cup in 1983 and again in 1985 under the management of Ron Atkinson . They were captained by Bryan Robson , who also captained the England team for much of the decade, and had been Britain's most expensive footballer on his £1.5million arrival at the club in October 1981. Atkinson was succeeded by Alex Ferguson as manager in November 1986, but by the end of the decade United had gone more than 20 years without winning
10956-413: The clubs involved in WSL, whilst Manchester United's outgoing manager Casey Stoney allegedly quit because of unresolved issues surrounding lack of training facilities and other infrastructure. In November 2023, all 24 Women's Super League and Women's Championship clubs unanimously agreed to form a new organisation to run the women's professional game in England, taking over from the FA. The organisation
11088-638: The code than any other country. England hosts the world's first club, Sheffield F.C. ; the world's oldest professional association football club, Notts County ; the oldest national governing body, the Football Association ; the joint-oldest national team; the oldest national knockout competition, the FA Cup ; and the oldest national league, the English Football League . It also has 31% of the population interested in Football . Today England's top domestic league,
11220-496: The contests of their juniors, and in their fashion sport with the young men; and there seems to be aroused in these elders a stirring of natural heat by viewing so much activity and by participation in the joys of unrestrained youth." Kicking ball games are described in England from 1280. In 1314, Edward II , then the King of England , said about a sport of football and the use of footballs , "certain tumults arising from great footballs in
11352-403: The creation of the league as a "top priority" in February 2010. The inaugural WSL season kicked off on 13 April 2011 — at Imperial Fields, Chelsea's home ground — with a match between Chelsea and Arsenal, which Chelsea lost 1–0. For the 2014 season, a second division was created named FA WSL 2 , with nine teams and one team being relegated from the WSL 1. WSL 1 remained as eight teams, with
11484-542: The deaths of 56 and 97 people respectively. In 1986–87 automatic promotion and relegation between the Football League and non-league was introduced, with the bottom club in the league being relegated to the Conference . The first club to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League was Lincoln City , who were replaced by the GM Vauxhall Conference champions Scarborough , only to regain their league status
11616-443: The decade by securing England's qualification for the 1980 European Championships , the first major tournament England had qualified for in 10 years. Derby County , promoted to the First Division in 1969 after a lengthy absence, emerged as a force during the 1970s, winning the league title in 1972 under the controversial but effective management of Brian Clough , and again in 1975 under Clough's successor Dave Mackay . Clough, after
11748-452: The end of the 1988–89 season onward, with the previously two-legged final being altered to a single match at Wembley from 1990 onward. The 1970s saw the FA Cup won twice by Second Division clubs, the first time in the postwar era that the trophy had been won by a club outside the First Division. First, Sunderland lifted the trophy in 1973 at the expense of Leeds United . Three years later, Southampton defeated Manchester United to claim
11880-711: The enthusiasm for football aided in the global diffusion of football. For example, William Leslie Poole, a teacher at the English High School in Montevideo, is acknowledged as the founder of the first football club and league in Uruguay. Particularly in London and Sheffield, with Sheffield Football Club , founded in 1857, is recognised today as the world's oldest surviving independent football club. The example of Sheffield F.C., which published its first set of laws in 1859, soon led to
12012-452: The fields of the public, from which many evils may arise." An account of an exclusively kicking "football" game from Nottinghamshire in the fifteenth century bears similarity to association football. By the 16th centuries references to organised teams and goals had appeared. There is evidence for refereed, team football games being played in English schools since at least 1581. The eighteenth-century Gymnastic Society of London is, arguably,
12144-686: The first Prime Minister of India , Jawaharlal Nehru . Twenty Old Harrovians have been awarded the Victoria Cross and one the George Cross . Five monarchs have attended the school: King Hussein of Jordan ; both Kings of Iraq, Ghazi I and his son Faisal II ; the current Emir of Qatar , Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ; and Ali bin Hamud of Zanzibar . Harrow has educated several Nobel laureates: John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh , who received
12276-518: The first attempt and were soon challenging for a return to the First Division, while Wolves ended the decade back in the Second Division after two successive promotions. Bolton Wanderers, four times FA Cup winners, were relegated to the Fourth Division in 1987, but were promoted at the first time of asking. In August 1974, a Blackpool fan was stabbed to death at the back of the Spion Kop, Bloomfield Road at Blackpool's home match with Bolton Wanderers . It
12408-546: The first season of the European Cup in 1955–56 , but Manchester United ignored such advice and went on to reach the semi-final of the 1956–57 edition , losing to the eventual winners Real Madrid . In the following season's European Cup , Manchester United were involved in the Munich air disaster : this also affected the national team as three of the players who died – Roger Byrne , Tommy Taylor and Duncan Edwards – were established England internationals. Their manager Matt Busby
12540-419: The first silverware of their history. In 1980, the trophy was won by a Second Division club for the third time in eight seasons when West Ham United triumphed over holders Arsenal. The 1980s saw five different clubs reach the First Division for the first time. In 1981, Swansea City reached the First Division after climbing from the Fourth Division in just four seasons – the fastest rise of any club throughout
12672-536: The following year. A shortened bridging season took place, branded as the FA WSL Spring Series , with teams playing each other once from February to May 2017. Following the 2017–18 FA WSL season, WSL 1 was renamed back to the FA Women's Super League, becoming a fully professional league for the first time, with eleven teams for the 2018–19 season . Teams had to re-apply for their licence to earn their place in
12804-455: The former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ; numerous former and current members of both Houses of the UK Parliament , several members of various royal families , three Nobel Prize winners, twenty Victoria Cross holders, and many prominent figures in the arts and sciences . The school was founded in February 1572 under a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I to John Lyon ,
12936-574: The game such as the George Eastham case allowing players greater freedom of movement, and the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961. Tottenham Hotspur became the first club to win the Double in the 20th century in 1960–61 , retained the FA Cup the following season, and then became the first English club to win a European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup in 1962–63 when they beat Atlético Madrid 5–1 in
13068-543: The game were established in England in 1863. England is one of the oldest national football teams, having played in the first international match in 1872. England won the FIFA World Cup in 1966, and has qualified for the World Cup 16 times. England has more football clubs than any other country, including the world's first club, Sheffield F.C., and the world's oldest professional club, Notts County. England's top domestic league,
13200-463: The greater share, the school's share providing just for the salary of The School Master and some minor provisions. This situation, reasonable at the time because of the need to transport merchandise to market, continued until 1991 when the considerable assets of the Road Trust were reassigned to John Lyon's Charity, a charity to provide educational benefits for the inhabitants of the boroughs through which
13332-471: The last years of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, with wins for Leeds United , Newcastle United and Arsenal . Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1967–68 when they beat Benfica 4–1 at Wembley in the final . Liverpool (four), Nottingham Forest (two), and Aston Villa (one) won the European Cup in a successful period between 1977 and 1984. The first half of
13464-455: The league at the time. They topped the First Division more than once during the 1981–82 season before finishing sixth. However, Swansea's successive story was short-lived, and their second season among the elite ended in relegation, and by 1986 they were back in the Fourth Division, having narrowly avoided going out of business. In 1982, Watford reached the First Division under the chairmanship of Elton John , management of Graham Taylor , and with
13596-500: The league fixtures, the teams compete for a knock-out cup competition, the FA WSL Continental Cup . For the 2014 season , the teams were placed into three regional groups of six. The group winners and best-performing runners-up all advanced to a knockout semi-final. Since the 2015 season , the WSL Continental Cup have been played simultaneously with the league season. Following a review, the FA announced in September 2017 that
13728-574: The league title, although they had finished in the top four on no less than seven times during the decade. Tottenham Hotspur also enjoyed success during the 1970s and 1980s. They won the League Cup twice during the early 1970s as well as the inaugural UEFA Cup in 1972, but suffered relegation to the Second Division in 1977. They achieved instant promotion under recently appointed manager Keith Burkinshaw , who then guided Spurs to back-to-back FA Cups and then another UEFA Cup triumph before stepping down as manager in 1984. Their North London rivals Arsenal won
13860-561: The league, requiring clubs to offer their players a minimum 16-hour a week contract and to form a youth academy as compulsory for the new licence criteria. Sunderland was moved down to tier 3 in the women's football pyramid after not receiving a licence whilst Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United were added to the league. The league was extended to twelve teams for the 2019–20 season , with Yeovil Town relegated after going into administration and being replaced by Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur , who gained promotion from
13992-454: The modern game of football developed. Among other things they introduced into the laws of the game are the concepts of corners , and free kicks for fouls. International football began when teams representing England and Scotland met in a match at Kennington Oval in south London on 5 March 1870. A total of five games were played between the two teams to 21 February 1872 but they are not recognised as official internationals by FIFA because
14124-480: The national stadium at Wembley was opened in 1923, with the " White Horse Final " being the first FA Cup final to be played there. Bolton Wanderers defeated West Ham United to win this landmark game. Bolton Wanderers would win the FA Cup on three occasions during the 1920s. The inter-war years were dominated by Huddersfield Town , Everton and Arsenal , who won eleven of the eighteen league titles contested between them, with Huddersfield and Arsenal each grabbing
14256-442: The net more than 40 times in all competitions. Despite the sale of Lineker to Barcelona in the summer of 1986, Everton retained their league title the following season. Manchester United endured a difficult time in the 1970s following the retirement of Matt Busby as manager. They suffered relegation to the Second Division in 1974, but achieved instant promotion and went on to win the FA Cup in 1977. The 1980s brought more success for
14388-606: The next 25 years as football boomed in England, from one division of twelve clubs in 1888, to two divisions by the 1892–93 season , with a total of 28 clubs and with the gradual addition of more clubs, a total of 40 by 1905–06 . It remained at 40 until the league was suspended after the 1914–15 season with the outbreak of World War I . During this time clubs from the North and Midlands dominated, with Aston Villa, Sunderland , The Wednesday (later renamed Sheffield Wednesday) and Newcastle United all winning three or more league titles in
14520-582: The number of free scholars declined. In 1825 there were 17 free scholars and 219 foreigners. In 1876 the Lower School of John Lyon was founded under the authority of the Governors of Harrow School to provide a modern education for local boys. It is now known as The John Lyon School and is a prominent independent school; it remains part of the Harrow School Foundation. The Old Schools remains largely
14652-438: The period leading up to World War I. Other clubs to win league titles in this period include Sheffield United , Manchester United and Everton . London-based clubs enjoyed little success during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the first major trophy being won by a London-based club being Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup triumph in 1901, when they were still a Southern Football League club, although they were elected to
14784-432: The postwar years. Under the management of Stan Cullis , they were league champions three times and FA Cup winners twice between 1949 and 1960. Although they failed to make a major impact in either of their European Cup campaigns, they did beat some of European football's most respected club sides in a series of friendlies at Molineux Stadium during the 1950s. Arsenal continued their run of success for several years after
14916-462: The publication of the 1863 set of Cambridge rules (which forbade hacking) enabled the "non-hackers" to prevail and the FA's first Laws of the Game , published in December 1863, banned hacking and carrying the ball. The FA, initially dominated by London-based clubs, saw its influence gradually spread over the country by the success of FA Cup , first contested in the 1871–72 season. Between 1863 and 2021,
15048-507: The resumption of league football, winning two league titles and an FA Cup between 1948 and 1953. Their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur won the league title for the first time in 1951, and by the end of the decade were challenging for honors once again under new manager Bill Nicholson and captain Danny Blanchflower . Another London club, Chelsea , won the league title in 1955. Newcastle United were FA Cup winners three times in
15180-512: The rights to televise a selection of matches. For the 2019–20 season, league matches were streamed via The FA Player, as well as some Women's Championship games, highlights from the FA Cup , League Cup and international England games. Some games in The FA Player were excluded, such as those broadcast on BT Sport in the UK and Ireland due to licensing rights. In March 2021, the FA WSL announced
15312-526: The roads pass. It was only after the death of Lyon's wife in 1608 that the construction of the first school building began. Known as the Old Schools, it was completed in 1615. John Lyon's school was founded to provide free education for 30 (later extended to 40) poor boys of the parish. However, the School Master was permitted to accept "foreigners" (boys from outside the parish) from whom he received fees. It
15444-664: The same period. In July 2022, The FA declined a £150 million offer from an unnamed private equity firm to purchase the league. Baroness Sue Campbell had noted that The FA had refused other private equity offers. As of 2021 , matches are broadcast and streamed in the United Kingdom and Ireland via The FA Player, Sky Sports , and the BBC (UK only). Internationally, select matches are broadcast in at least twelve countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden, and
15576-404: The scoring prowess of Luther Blissett and John Barnes in attack. They finished runners-up in the league in their first top division season and were FA Cup runners-up in their second, and survived in the First Division until 1988. Taylor later managed the England team, while Barnes went on to help Liverpool win five major trophies and was a regular member of the England side for the second half of
15708-401: The seniors. At Harrow this was phased out in the 1970s and completely banned by 1990. In his detailed history of the school, Christopher Tyerman recorded that in 1796 fagging was compulsory for boys up to the fourth form, and that 50 out of 139 boys were then fags. In 1928, Harrow Master C. H. P. Mayo said of fagging: "Those who hope to rule must first learn to obey... to learn to obey as a fag
15840-507: The team — the only WSL club not affiliated with a men's Premier League club – struggled to compete with a smaller budget for wages than women's sides with Premier League backing. She cited the £250,000 fee paid by Tottenham Hotspur for Bethany England , while some Reading staff were required to work multiple roles from lack of investment by its affiliated men's side in the EFL Championship . Teams in just bold indicate doubles with
15972-502: The world's first football club. The 19th century saw the codification of the rules of football at several public schools , with those of Rugby School (first published 1845) and Eton College (first published 1847) being particularly influential, in addition to those of Harrow , Winchester and Shrewsbury . The need for alumni of different public schools to be able to play against each other resulted in several sets of "compromise laws", often known as Cambridge rules , being drawn up at
16104-402: Was Roger Hunt , who played in attack for England's World Cup winning side of 1966. Leeds United had appointed Don Revie , an FA Cup winner for Manchester City as a player in 1956, as their new manager in 1961, and he guided them to promotion in 1964. A year after promotion, they only missed out on the league title on goal average, finally winning it in 1969, by which time they had already won
16236-498: Was cancelled in the United States, Lincoln Ladies manager Glen Harris said that the next destination of that league's British players would be decided by "pounds, shillings and pence." Ultimately Kelly Smith , Alex Scott and Gemma Davison all joined Arsenal, while Ifeoma Dieke and Anita Asante joined the Swedish Damallsvenskan in preference to the WSL. On 20 May 2023, Reading manager Kelly Chambers noted that
16368-427: Was estimated to be about $ 14.72 million. In March 2019, the Women's Super League agreed a multi-million sponsorship deal with British bank Barclays from the start of the 2019–20 season. The three-year sponsorship deal is reported to be in excess of £10 million with a prize money pot of £500,000 for the league champions for the first time. The FA described the deal as "the biggest ever investment in UK women's sport by
16500-440: Was featured in a Sky 1 documentary series entitled Harrow: A Very British School in 2013. In February 2016, the actor Laurence Fox claimed Harrow threatened legal action to prevent him discussing the racism, homophobia and bullying he said he encountered as a pupil at the school. Harrow alumni are known as Old Harrovians, among seven British prime ministers were Winston Churchill , Stanley Baldwin and Robert Peel , and
16632-406: Was named NewCo, and Nikki Doucet was named CEO. From the 2024–25 season , the company was known as the Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL). The Women's Super League currently consists of twelve clubs. Initially the league was described as professional, with the top four players on each team being paid an annual salary in excess of £20,000. However, in November 2010 it was confirmed that
16764-417: Was played in England as far back as medieval times. The first written evidence of a football match came in about 1170, when William Fitzstephen wrote of his visit to London, "After dinner all the youths of the city goes out into the fields for the very popular game of ball." He also went on to mention that each trade had their own team, "The elders, the fathers, and the men of wealth come on horseback to view
16896-571: Was relegated to the WSL 2 with the same happening at the end of the 2016 season. Also, for the first time, a team from the FA Women's Premier League earned a promotion to WSL 2, effectively connecting the WSL to the rest of the English women's football pyramid . The FA announced in July 2016 that the league would move from a summer league format to a winter league, in line with the traditional football calendar in England, with matches played from September to May
17028-534: Was seriously injured but survived; he had already taken United to FA Cup glory in 1948 and another league title triumph in 1952 with an earlier side which featured the likes of Johnny Carey , Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson . Two English teams, a London XI and Birmingham City , both lost to Barcelona in the first two finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1958 and 1960. Wolverhampton Wanderers were another highly successful English club side during
17160-442: Was the first-ever victory in international football. The late nineteenth century was dominated by the growing split between the amateur and professional teams, which was roughly aligned along a North-South divide . Northern clubs were keen to adopt professionalism as workers could not afford to play on an amateur basis, while Southern clubs by the large part stuck by traditional "Corinthian" values of amateurism . Eventually, in 1885
17292-423: Was the need for foreigners to find accommodation that led to the concept of boarding. As in all schools of the time, education was based on the languages and culture of the ancient civilisations of Rome and Greece. As the reputation of the school grew through the 19th century, the number of foreigners increased, but the local families became increasingly reluctant to impose on their children a classical education and
17424-400: Was widely reported as being the first hooligan death at an English football match, and other clubs who gained notorious reputations for hooliganism during the 1970s and 1980s included Chelsea , Millwall , West Ham United , and Leeds United . The nadir came in May 1985, when Liverpool fans hooliganism, combined with poor policing and infrastructure, led to the deaths of 39 Juventus fans before
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