SOUTHAMPTON F.C.
Founded: 1885
Also Known As:
ST. MARY'S YMA (1885-87)
ST. MARY'S (1887-94)
SOUTHAMPTON ST. MARY'S (1894-96)
SOUTHAMPTON (1896-)
*Note* - YMA translates to
Young Men's Association
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SOUTHAMPTON F.C. (Football Club)
Included Info: Brief History, Club/Stadium Info, Team Jersey & Much More...
BRIEF HISTORY of SOUTHAMPTON FOOTBALL CLUB
(reproduced from 'Wikipedia' pages)
The club was originally known as St. Mary's Young Men's Association F.C. and then became simply St. Mary's F.C.
in 188788, before adopting the name Southampton St. Mary's when the club joined the Southern League in 1894.
After winning the Southern League title in 189697, the club became a limited company and was renamed
Southampton F.C. Southampton won the Southern League championship for three years running between 1897 and 1899
and again in 1901, 1903 and 1904. That success spanned some major changes for the Saints as they moved to a newly
built £10,000 stadium called The Dell, to the North-West of the city centre in 1898. After the First World War,
when many teams were broken up by the call of National Service, Saints joined the newly formed Football League
Third Division in 1920 which split into South and North sections a year later. The 192122 season ended in triumph
with promotion and marked the beginning of a 31-year stay in Second Division. In 1925 and 1927, they reached the
semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing 20 and 21 to Sheffield United and Arsenal respectively. Saints were briefly
forced to switch home matches to the ground of their local rivals Portsmouth F.C. at Fratton Park during the
Second World War when a bomb landed on The Dell pitch in November 1940, leaving an 18-foot crater which damaged
an underground culvert and flooded the pitch. Promotion was narrowly missed in 194748 when they finished in third
place, a feat repeated the following season whilst in 194950 they were to be denied promotion by 0.06 of a goal,
missing out on second place to Sheffield United. Then relegation in 1953 sent Saints sliding back into Division 3.
It took until 1960 for Saints to regain Second Division status with Derek Reeves plundering 39 of the champions
106 league goals. On 27 April 1963 a crowd of 68,000 at Villa Park saw them lose 10 to Manchester United in the
FA Cup semi-final. The dream of First Division football at The Dell for the first time was finally realised in 1966
when Ted Bates team were promoted as runners-up, with Martin Chivers scoring 30 of Saints' 85 league goals.
Promotion was a never-to-be-forgotten achievement. Saints stayed among the elite for eight years, with the highest
finishing position being seventh place in 196869 and again in 197071. In December 1973, long term manager Ted
Bates stood down to be replaced by Lawrie McMenemy who was unable to prevent The Saints becoming the first victims
of the new 3-down relegation system in 1974 when they were relegated, along with Manchester United and Norwich City.
The team's greatest moment (to date) came in 1976, when they reached the FA Cup Final, playing Manchester United
at Wembley, and surprised all observers by beating much-fancied United 10 thanks to a goal from Bobby Stokes.
Southampton had finally broken their major honours duck and finally laid to rest memories of defeats in the 1900
FA Cup Final against Bury and more agonisingly the 1902 FA Cup Final against Sheffield United. The following season,
they played in Europe again in the Cup Winners' Cup, reaching Round 3 where they lost 23 on aggregate to Anderlecht.
Southampton were founding members of the Premier League in 199293, having played in the top flight of English football
since 1978. Southampton were tipped by many observers to be relegated from the Premiership in 199798, but they finished
in eleventh place in the table and managed a home win over Manchester United for the third consecutive season. Their
form seriously dipped in 199899 as they were rooted to the bottom of the table for much of the first half of the season,
but they again avoided relegation on the last day of the season after a late run of good results. Southampton were relegated
from the Premier League on 15 May 2005, ending 27 successive seasons of top division football for the club. At one point
during the 200506 season, Southampton were in real danger of a second successive relegation. But their form improved
during the final weeks of the season and they finished a secure twelfth. On 23 April 2009, Southampton were handed a
10 point deduction, following their parent company going into administration. This deduction ensured that Southampton
were relegated from the Football League Championship and played the 200910 season in League One. After failure to beat
Burnley in the penultimate game of the season on 25 April 2009, which ended in a 22 draw, Southampton confirmed their
relegation from the Championship to League One. This also meant that they started in the third tier of English football
for the first time in 50 years with minus 10 points, within six years of being FA Cup runners-up, UEFA Cup participants
and the eighth placed team in the Premier League.
On 28 March 2010, Southampton won their first trophy since 1976 when they defeated Carlisle United 41 at Wembley,
to claim the Football League Trophy. Southampton finished the 200910 season in 7th place, 7 points from the last
play-off position in League One. On 2 May 2011, Southampton effectively achieved promotion to the Championship after
a 31 win at Plymouth Argyle, which was confirmed on 7 May with a 31 victory over Walsall. On return to the Championship,
Southampton made a strong start to the season, winning their first four league games for the first time in their history.
The team however confirmed promotion to the Premier league with a 40 defeat of relegated Coventry, with goals from Lallana,
Sharp, Hooiveld, and Jose Fonte. The game set a record attendance at the St Mary's Stadium, of 32,363 fans. On 10 June
2012, the official club website announced the completion of the £7 million signing of Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez,
who became Southampton's first signing upon their top flight return. On 14 May 2013, Southampton confirmed their safety
in the Premier League for the following season. Southampton finished the season in 14th place, four places above the
relegation zone, on 41 points. Southampton went undefeated for five consecutive league fixtures, after victories against
Swansea City and Fulham, along with drawing against Manchester United during the 2013 season. Southampton showed
resilience towards the end of the season, and after a win at home to Everton and a draw against Manchester United on
the final day, Southampton ended their season in their highest Premier League finish, finishing 8th, on 56 points.
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CLUB FACTS & INFORMATION
| Official Name
| --
| Southampton F.C. |
| Club Nickname
| --
| The Saints |
| Year Founded
| --
| 1885 (131 years ago) |
| English County
| --
| Hampshire |
| Current Ground
| --
| St Mary's Stadium |
| Ground Location
| --
| Southampton, England |
| Club's Owner
| --
| Katharina Liebherr |
| Club Chairman
| --
| Ralph Krueger |
| Current Manager
| --
| Mauricio Pellegrino |
| Current League
| --
| Premier League |
| Last Season
| --
| Premier League, 8th place |
HOME COLORS
Red, White & Black |
AWAY COLORS
Light Green & Navy Blue |
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INTERESTING STADIUM FACTS & INFORMATION
ST. MARY'S STADIUM
Britannia Rd, Southampton,
Hampshire, SO14-5FP, England
OPENED: ......... August 2001
SURFACE: ........ Grass
COST: .............. $32 Million
CAPACITY: ...... 32,505
RECORD: ......... 32,363 (2012 vs Coventry City)
OWNER: ........... Markus Liebherr
OPERATOR: ..... Southampton F.C.
FIELD SIZE: ..... 112 x 74 yards (102 x 68 meters)
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HOME JERSEY
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AWAY JERSEY
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St. Mary's Stadium (Southampton) Seating Diagram
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SOUTHAMPTON STADIUM WALLPAPERS (Free Download)
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