Football is the most popular, in terms of both participants and spectators, sports in London[1]. London has several of England's leading football clubs, and all in all the city boasts 13 professional teams, more than any other city in the world [2]. Most London clubs are named after the district in which they play (or used to play).
History
The popularity of football in London dates from the end of the 19th Century, when a fall in church attendance[specify] left many people searching for a way to spend their weekend leisure time.[3] 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. Fulham are generally considered to be London's oldest club still in existence, having been founded in 1879.[4]
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. Woolwich Arsenal were London's first professional team, becoming so in 1891,[5] 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 (1893), Tottenham Hotspur (1895), Fulham (1898) and West Ham United (1898).
In the meantime, Woolwich Arsenal went on to be the first London club to join the Football League, in 1893. 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 League title, the team in question being Arsenal (having moved to Highbury in 1913 and dropped the "Woolwich" from their name).
Historically the London clubs have not accumulated as many trophies as those from the north-west of England, such as Liverpool and Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea (who actually play in Fulham) are regarded as two of the Premier League's "big three" alongside Manchester United. In 2003-04 they became the first pair of London clubs to finish first and second in the top flight, with Arsenal winning. In 2004-05 they did so again, this time with Chelsea winning. London clubs are able to charge higher ticket prices than clubs in other parts of the country (particularly for corporate facilities), and this has swung English football's balance of power towards London. Before Chelsea's recent rise in fortunes 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 most of the post-war period.
Clubs
Out of all the London-based sides currently competing in the English football league system, Barnet F.C. are the only club never to have competed in the top division. In a controversial move, Wimbledon left London in 2003 to play in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, changing their name to Milton Keynes Dons; the newly formed AFC Wimbledon inherited most of their support, despite playing at a much lower level in the football pyramid. There are also numerous London clubs playing outside the top four divisions of English football, one or two of which are fully professional and many of which are part-time professional. Hackney Marshes in east London, home to many amateur sides, is reportedly the single largest collection of football pitches in the world, with 100 pitches [6].
The new Wembley Stadium, currently under construction
Wembley Stadium, in north-west London, is the national football stadium, and is traditionally the home of the FA CupFinal as well as England's home internationals. The old stadium was closed in 2000 in order to be demolished and completely rebuilt, and is due to re-open in 2007. Cardiff's Millennium Stadium has been the venue for recent FA Cup finals, while England play at various venues around the country. Wembley was one of the venues for the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 European Football Championship, and hosted the final of both tournaments. It also was the venue for the European Cup final in 1968, 1978 and 1992. As well as football matches, Wembley has hosted many other sporting events, including the rugby leagueChallenge Cup final.
