Meet The Teams of The EPL: Fulham FC
Fulham Football Club (pronounced /?f?l?m/) is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and they are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London, usually considered to have been founded in 1879 (though the semi-professional Cray Wanderers F.C. are the oldest team in London still in existence).[2]
They spent much time in the old First Division through the 1960s, but are yet to gain any major honours. In 1975, as a Second Division team, they contested the FA Cup final for the only time in their history, losing 2–0 to West Ham United. Fulham qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2002 by winning the Intertoto Cup, beating Bologna 5–3 in the final over two legs. In the UEFA Cup, they won through two rounds before being defeated by Hertha Berlin. In the mid-1990s they had a brief spell in the former Fourth Division, but within less than a decade, they advanced into the top flight. No doubt their new millionaire chairman, Mohamed Al-Fayed played a crucial role. In 2009, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the top-flight, coming 7th to qualify for Europe once again.
The club has produced many British greats including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, George Best, Rodney Marsh, Alan Mullery and Bobby Moore. They play at the historic Craven Cottage, their famous home since 1896, a riverside ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham, having spent two years at Loftus Road while Craven Cottage was undergoing renovations to bring it up to Premier League standards. The club’s training ground is located near Motspur Park (and was where Chariots of Fire among others was filmed), where Fulham’s Academy is also situated, including a mini-stadium where the reserves play.
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Everton FC
Everton Football Club are an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool. Having competed in the top division for a record 107 seasons, they have played more top-flight league games than any other English team and have won the League Championship 9 times — the fourth highest of any team.[1] The club competes in the Premier League, being ever-present since the league was founded in 1992.
Formed in 1878, Everton were founder members of The Football League in 1888 and won their first league championship two seasons later. Following four league titles and two FA Cup wins, Everton experienced a lull in the immediate post world war two period until a revival in the 1960s, winning two league championships and an FA Cup. The mid-1980s represented their most recent period of success, with two league victories, an FA Cup, and the 1985 European Cup Winners’ Cup—their first continental trophy. The club’s most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup.
The club have a large fanbase and regularly attracts high attendances, averaging over 36,000, 95% of stadium capacity.[2] Everton have a notable rivalry with neighbours Liverpool F.C. and matches between the two sides are known as the Merseyside Derby. Liverpool F.C. were formed in 1892 by a breakaway group consisting of Everton’s former president and a few players. The dispute also resulted in Everton leaving Anfield, their home ground at the time. The club have been based at their current home ground, Goodison Park, since 1892. Plans to move to a new 50,000 seater expandable stadium in Kirkby on the Liverpool city border have been delayed due to a public inquiry.
The club’s home colours have traditionally been royal blue and white, with notable footballers donning the Everton shirt. The most famous is Dixie Dean, who scored a record 60 league goals in the 1927–28 season. Since 2000, the club has annually recognised notable former players, nominating an “Everton Giant” at the beginning of each season.
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Chelsea FC
Chelsea Football Club (pronounced /?t??lsi?/, also known as The Blues or previously The Pensioners) is a professional English football club based in West London. The team, founded in 1905, plays in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions three times, and have won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup twice.[2]
The club had their first major success in 1955, winning the league championship. Chelsea won several cup competitions during the 1960s and 1970s, but after that did not win another major title until 1997. The past decade has been the most successful period in Chelsea’s history, capped by winning consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, and reaching their first UEFA Champions League final in 2008, losing to Manchester United.
Chelsea’s home is the 42,055 capacity[1] Stamford Bridge football stadium in Fulham, West London, where they have played since their establishment. The club are based just outside the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. In 2003, they were bought by Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich.[3]
Chelsea’s traditional kit colours are royal blue shirts and shorts with white socks. The club crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand; the current crest, featuring a ceremonial lion holding a staff, is a modified version of one first adopted in the 1950s.[4] The club has sustained the fifth highest average all-time attendance in English football.[5] Their average home gate for the 2008–09 season was 41,464, the fifth highest in the Premier League.[6]
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Burnley FC
Burnley Football Club (pronounced /?b?rnli/), nicknamed The Clarets, are a professional English football club based in Burnley, Lancashire. They were founder members of The Football League in 1888.[1] The club colours are claret and blue, giving rise to their nickname of The Clarets, and their home ground since 1883 has been Turf Moor. They are currently managed by Owen Coyle.
Burnley have been Football League Champions twice, in 1920-21[2] and 1959-60[3], and have won the FA Cup once, in 1914. The Clarets also reached the 1961 quarter-finals of the European Cup. They are one of only three teams to have won all top four professional divisions of English football.
The club has spent most of its history in England’s top two divisions, but remained outside the top flight from 1976 to 2009. From 1985 to 1992 they had a seven-year spell in the lowest tier of the Football League. In 1987 they narrowly avoided relegation to the Conference. Between 2000 and 2009 they played in the second tier of English football, until they gained promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 33 years after winning the 2009 Football League 
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club (pronounced /?bo?ltn ?w?nd?r?r/) is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League.
Founder members of the Football League, Bolton were a successful cup side in the 1920s, winning the FA Cup three times. The club won the cup a fourth time in 1958 thanks to two Nat Lofthouse goals. A leaner spell followed, reaching a nadir in 1987 when the club spent a season in the Fourth Division. The club regained top-flight status in 1995 after a 15 year absence; their current spell in the top division started in 2001. In 2005–06 they participated in European competition for the first time, reaching the last 32 of the UEFA Cup. Bolton qualified for the 2007–08 tournament by finishing 7th in the 2006–07 Premier League season and this time they managed to reach the last 16 of the competition. Bolton Wanderers moved to the Reebok Stadium in 1997. Their former home was Burnden Park, where they played for 102 years until relocating to the Reebok Stadium.
Bolton have spent the highest number of seasons in the top flight without winning the title (the 2008/2009 season, was their 70th in the top flight).[3]
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club (pronounced /?blækb?rn ?ro?v?r/) is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire.
The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League and the Premier League (the others being Aston Villa and Everton). In 1890 Rovers moved to its permanent home at Ewood Park. Prior to the formation of the Premier League in 1992, most of the club’s successes were before 1930, when it had gained league and FA Cup trophies on several occasions. Relegation in 1966 was followed by 26 successive seasons of football outside the top flight.
In 1992, Blackburn were promoted to the new Premier League a year after being taken over by local steel baron Jack Walker, who installed Kenny Dalglish as manager. In 1995, Blackburn became league champions, having spent millions of pounds on players like Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. However, the title-winning team was quickly split up and, in 1999, the club were relegated. They were promoted back to the Premiership two years later, just after Walker’s death, and have been in the top flight ever since. During this time they have qualified for the UEFA Cup four times: once as League Cup winners, twice as the Premiership’s sixth-placed team and once via the Intertoto Cup.
The club’s Latin motto “Arte et labore”, the club’s translation of this is “By Skill & Hard Work”.
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club (pronounced /?b?rm???m ?s?ti/) is a professional football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham F.C. in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City F.C. in 1943.[2] At the end of the 2008–09 season, they were promoted from the Football League Championship to spend their sixth season in the Premier League.
As Small Heath, they were founder members and first ever champions of the Football League Second Division. The most successful period in their history was in the 1950s and early 1960s. They achieved their highest finishing position of sixth in the First Division in the 1955–56 season and reached the 1956 FA Cup Final, progressed to the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1960 and 1961, and won their only major trophy, the League Cup, in 1963, beating Aston Villa 3–1 on aggregate. They have spent the majority of their history in the top tier of English football,[3] though their darkest era came between 1986 and 2002, when they were continuously outside the top division. This period included two brief spells in the third tier of the English League, during which time they twice won the Football League Trophy.
St Andrew’s has been their home ground since 1906. They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with Aston Villa, their nearest neighbours, with whom they play the Birmingham derby. The club’s nickname is Blues, due to the colour of their kit, and their fans are known as Bluenoses.
Meet the teams of the EPL: Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (pronounced /?æst?n ?v?l?/) (also known as The Villa, Villa and The Villans)[1] is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of Football League in 1888. They were also founder members of the Premier League in 1992.[4] The club was floated by the previous owner and chairman Doug Ellis, but in 2006 full control of the club was acquired by Randy Lerner.
They are one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in England, having won the First Division Championship seven times and the FA Cup seven times.[5] Villa also won the 1981–82 European Cup, one of only four English clubs to win what is now the UEFA Champions League.[6] Aston Villa has the fourth highest total of major honours won by an English club.[7]
They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with local rivals Birmingham City. The Birmingham derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City has been played since 1879.[8] The club’s traditional kit colours are claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts and sky blue socks. Their traditional crest is of a rampant gold lion on a light blue background with the club’s motto “Prepared” underneath; a modified version of this was adopted in 2007.[9]
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (pronounced /?æst?n ?v?l?/) (also known as The Villa, Villa and The Villans)[1] is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of Football League in 1888. They were also founder members of the Premier League in 1992.[4] The club was floated by the previous owner and chairman Doug Ellis, but in 2006 full control of the club was acquired by Randy Lerner.
They are one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in England, having won the First Division Championship seven times and the FA Cup seven times.[5] Villa also won the 1981–82 European Cup, one of only four English clubs to win what is now the UEFA Champions League.[6] Aston Villa has the fourth highest total of major honours won by an English club.[7]
They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with local rivals Birmingham City. The Birmingham derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City has been played since 1879.[8] The club’s traditional kit colours are claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts and sky blue socks. Their traditional crest is of a rampant gold lion on a light blue background with the club’s motto “Prepared” underneath; a modified version of this was adopted in 2007.[9]
Meet The Teams of The EPL: Arsenal Gunners
Arsenal Football Club (pronounced /??rs?nl, ??rsn?l/) (often simply known as Arsenal or The Arsenal, or by their nickname The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London. They play in the Premier League and are one of the most successful clubs in English football, having won thirteen First Division and Premier League titles and ten FA Cups. They hold the record for the longest uninterrupted period in the English top flight and are the only Premier League side to have completed a season unbeaten.
Arsenal were founded in 1886 and were the first Southern club to join the Football League, in 1893. They won their first major trophies in the 1930s, with five League Championship titles and two FA Cups. After a lean period in the post-war years they became the second club of the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup Double in 1970–71, and during the past twenty years have recorded a series of successes – in this time Arsenal have won a Cup Double, two further League and FA Cup Doubles, and became the first London club to reach the UEFA Champions League Final.
The club’s colors have traditionally been red and white, which have evolved through history. Similarly, the club have changed location over time; the team were initially founded in Woolwich, south-east London, and in 1913 they moved north across the city to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury. In 2006 they made a less drastic move to their current home, the Emirates Stadium in nearby Holloway.
Arsenal have a large fanbase, who hold a string of long-standing rivalries with several other clubs; the most notable of these is with neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, with whom they regularly contest the North London derby. Arsenal are one of the richest clubs in English football (valued at over £600m as of 2008), and thanks to their stature, have regularly featured in portrayals of football in British culture. Arsenal Ladies are the most successful English club in women’s football and are also affiliated with the club.