Everton is one of the founding members of the Football League in the UK. The club has a long and illustrious history starting back in 1878.
The Toffees have been continual innovators, seeking to be the greatest while setting new standards in the world of football. Since 1878, the club has only spent four years outside the Top Division Football League, winning nine League titles, five FA Cups, and nine FA Charity Shields.
Brief History of Everton Football Club
The club’s origins may be traced back to St. Domingo Church Sunday School on Breckfield Road in Liverpool. In 1878, Rev. Rev Ben Swift Chambers, who was a Minister of St Domingo Chapel formed a football team to keep the church’s young men busy during the winter months. For two years, the team was known as St. Domingo’s FC before being renamed Everton FC. The church already had a cricket team, but in order to keep young players engaged over the winter, they decided to form a football squad.
Rev Ben Swift Chambers could never have imagined what he had established would eventually become the base of two of the most famous football clubs in the world. The club began playing on an outdoor football pitch in Stanley Park and immediately gained a following in the neighborhood. As more people desired to join the club, it was decided to alter the name to Everton FC in November 1879. Everton FC’s tie to the church was later partially broken, and the club began to play independently.
On December 20, 1879, the club played its first official match under the name Everton FC against St. Peter, which they lost 6:0. Everton struggled to make an impact early on and lost the majority of their games. Everton brought in players from Scotland to help them out. Former Notts County star Tom Evans later joined the club. The squad’s performance increased as a result of the induction of new players, and the team was able to compete with the best team in the city.
Everton’s Home from Stanley Park to Anfield
The club first began playing at Stanley Park in 1878. By the end of 1882, the club had grown so famous that game attendance had surpassed 2000. This enormous and rowdy audience made it difficult for the club to maintain order during the game, so the club’s management opted to rent a football field. In 1882, Everton rented a football field on the Priory Road from Mr. Cruitt, who was the owner of the land.
Everton were denied home fixtures with leading clubs such as Bolton and Blackburn while playing at Priory Road, because the field was not up to the standard. As a result, Everton failed to earn profit. Everton left Priory Road in1884 due to a dispute with the landlord, Mr. Cruitt. In 1885, Everton’s influential member John Houlding assisted the club in finding a stadium at Anfield owned by John Orrell. Later, John Houlding purchased the field from Orrell and became Everton’s landlord.
Everton played their first match at Anfield on September 27, 1884, against Earlestown, a local team. On September 8, 1888, Everton played their first Football League match at Anfield against Accrington FC. Over 20,000 spectators watched the Football League match between Everton and Preston North End at Anfield.
Move to Goodison Park
John Houlding, the new owner of Anfield, began pushing Everton for additional rent in 1891. Houlding presented an ultimatum during a meeting on Shaw Street, stating that unless Everton agreed to pay £370 per year in rent, the club would be forced to leave Anfield on April 30, 1892. George Mahon proposed on January 25, 1892, that he had an option to buy Mere Green Field, which is located on the north side of Stanley Park, and that Everton should leave Anfield and relocate to Mere Green field.
Christopher Leyland, a British businessman, owned the Mere Green field. Everton agreed to pay £50 per year rent for the pitch. The Toffees’ new home was not just in an ideal location, but it was also 25% bigger than the Anfield. Everton leveled the land, installed a drainage system, and constructed stands on all four sides to hold up to 50,000 spectators.
The stadium was officially inaugurated on August 24, 1892, after eight months of maintenance work. The stadium was named Goodison Park because it was located on the Goodison Road. On completion in 1892, it was one of the finest and well-equipped football stadiums in the UK, with hot-water boilers, a referee’s room, and a press stand.
Founding Member of the Football League
The Football League is one of the oldest football competitions in the world. It was founded in 1888, and the first season, which began on September 8, 1888, was the 1988-89 Football League. The league had a total of twelve clubs, including Everton. The Toffees are one of the Football League’s original members. Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Accrington Stanley, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County, Burnley, Preston North End, Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, and Notts County were among the other teams in the first season.
Everton has played in England’s top league (Division One/Premier League) for the most seasons (120 out of 124 as of 2021-22). The Toffees were out of the top tier of English football for only three seasons from 1951 to 1954. The match between Everton vs Aston Villa is the most played fixture in England’s top football league. As of the 2021–22 season, both clubs had played 214 league games against each other.
First Football League Title
In 1890-91, Everton earned their first Football League title. It was the third season of the Football League; Preston North End had won the first two titles, and Everton was the second team to win the title. Everton has enjoyed an incredible start to the season, with wins over Accrington Stanley, Derby County, Bolton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolves.
The Toffees dominated the league, winning 14 of 22 games and claiming the title with 29 points. Everton’s forward line of Fred Geary, Edgar Chadwick, and Alf Milward combined for 63 goals in 22 league appearances. Everton struggled for the next two decades in the league matches and could only finish as runners-up five times. Everton took 23 years to win their second Football League title in 1914-15.
First FA Cup Victory
Everton won their first FA Cup in 1906. In the first round, the club defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-1, Chesterfield 3-0 in the second round, Bradford City in the third round, and Wednesday FC 4-3 in the fourth round. Everton advanced to the Semifinals, where they faced Liverpool. The Toffees defeated the Reds in the FA Cup Semi Final, qualifying for the FA Cup final for the third time in their history.
Everton’s third appearance in an FA Cup final was fortunate, as they defeated Newcastle United by one goal at the Crystal Palace stadium. Over seventy-five thousand spectators attended the FA Cup final at Crystal Palace Stadium. The only goal of the game was scored by Alex Young in the 77th minute. Everton have won 5 FA Cup titles including 1905–06, 1932–33, 1965–66, 1983–84, and 1994–95.
Dixie Dean Goals Record
Everton supporters will never forget Dixie Dean. He was one of the best strikers in English football history. Dean has the record of most goals scored in a single season. He is the only player in English football history to score 60 league goals in one season. Everton finished the 1927-28 league season with 20 victories, 13 draws, and only nine defeats. Everton scored 102 goals in the league, with Dean scoring 60 of them.
Dean led Everton to win two league titles and one FA Cup. He scored 350 goals in 400 appearances for Everton. His record of 60 goals in 39 matches has never been surpassed. Dean finished the memorable season with a hat-trick against Arsenal. Why not take a look at some of the Footballers when they were younger.
Relegation Era of Everton
Everton spent only four seasons outside the top tier of English Football. The club has been relegated twice from the First Division Football League and has never played in a league lower than the second division. Since its foundation in 1887, the club has only been relegated twice, in 1929-30 and 1950-51. Everton finished bottom in the league table in 1929-30, however the following season the team won the Second Division title and was promoted back to the top flight.
In 1950–51, the club was relegated for the second time. The Football League had been suspended due to the Second World War from 1939 to 1946. When the league restarted in 1946, Everton had lost their winning form and were unable to compete well in the league. In 1950-51, the club was relegated to the Second Division. It took three seasons for Everton to earn promotion back to the First Division in 1953-54.
Howard Kendall Era and First European Trophy
Everton’s greatest successful spell in the Football League is considered the 1980s. Everton’s manager Gordon Lee was replaced by Howard Kendall in 1980. Kendall signed seven players at the start of the league season, and added more players during the next two seasons, including winger Trevor Steven and midfielder Peter Reid. The changes made by the English manager put Everton on the right track and the club started to improve with each passing season.
Kendall led Everton to win the FA Cup in 1984 and two Football League titles in 1984–85 and 1986–87. The club also won its first and only European trophy under the leadership of Kendall in 1985, the Toffees won European Cup Winner’s Cup by defeating the Austrian club Rapid Wien 3-1. They also defeated German giants Bayern Munich 3-1 in the Semifinal. With two Football League titles, one FA Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and three 3 Charity Shields, Kendall is considered as the most successful manager of Everton to date.
Merseyside derby
Everton’s major rival club is Liverpool. Both clubs have a history at Anfield. Everton FC was the first team to play their home games at Anfield Stadium. Anfield is now the home of Liverpool. Everton FC board members and Anfield Stadium owner John Houlding had a disagreement about the stadium’s rent in 1892. Everton FC moved from Anfield to Goodison Park as a result of this disagreement, leaving John Houldingwith an empty stadium. Holding made the decision to start his own football team, later he formed Liverpool FC. Other resources of interest for football related content are the Premier League Telegram page and the America sports Telegram resource.
Goodison Park, where Everton play, is only a mile away from Anfield. The Merseyside derby is contested between the two clubs. It has been played continuously since the 1962–63 season, making it England’s longest-running top-flight derby. The Merseyside derby is regarded as one of the friendliest derbies in England because many families have both Liverpool and Everton Supporters. Everton has played 240 times against Liverpool, winning 67 times, drawing 76 times, and losing 97 times.
Everton FC Net Worth
According to Forbes, Everton has a net worth of $940 million, making them the fifteenth most valuable football club in England. Last season, the club made around $235 million in revenue. FarhadMoshiri is Everton FC’s primary shareholder. He previously owned 14 percent shares of Arsenal FC, which he sold in 2016 to purchase Everton. Initially, he bought a 49 percent stake in the club and recently upped his stake to 94 percent. View more financial details on Everton FC here.
Interesting Facts about Everton FC
- Everton was the founding member of the Football League in 1888. The Toffees were among twelve teams which participated in the first season of the Football League in 1888-89. The club was also part of the transition of the Football League to Premier League in 1992.
- The Toffees were League champion during both World Wars. When World War I broke out in 1914, the club won the Football League, and again the club won the league in 1938–39, when World War II started.
- Everton hold the record for the most seasons in England’s top tier, 119 out of 123 seasons as of 2021-22. Since 1954, Everton has not been relegated from the First Division. The club has only been relegated twice since its inception, once in 1929-30 and again in 1950-51. The team only spent four seasons out of the top tier football league.
- Howard Kendall was Everton’s most successful manager. Everton won two league titles under his leadership in 1984-85 and 1986-87, one FA Cup in 1984, and the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup in 1984-85, the club’s only European trophy.
- Everton’s legendary striker Dixie Dean holds the record for the highest goals scored in a single season of the Football League. He scored a record 60 league goals in the 1927-28 season. Dean 1927-28 season with a Hat-trick against Arsenal.
- Everton’s continuous stay in the Premier League (First Division) allowed the club to achieve the incredible milestone of 100 seasons in England’s top flight. It was the first club in the First Division to complete 100 seasons. Aston Villa is second on the list, 11 seasons behind Everton.
- Goodison Park was the UK’s and one of the world’s first purpose-built football grounds. There were spectator stands on three sides of the stadium, as well as a separate stand for press. The ground also has a proper drainage system, heating system, and a referee’s room. On August 24, 1892, the stadium was officially opened for matches.
- Even though Everton hasn’t won a league title in the last two decades, it is still one of the most successful clubs in the top flight. Everton has won nine Premier League titles, making them the team with the fourth most top-flight league titles.
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Everton FC Honours
Everton is one of the pioneers of football in England. There was a time when Everton was one of the dominant clubs in English football, ruling all kinds of competitions. In the last two decades the club couldn’t win a major trophy. Everton has won 24 major trophies so far including 9 Football League titles, 5 FA Cup titles, 9 FA Charity Shield titles. Below is the complete detail of major trophies and titles won by Everton FC.
9 Premier League titles – the Toffees won their first league title in 1891. Everton was the second club to win a Football League title in 1891. The club has won 9 Premier League titles, including, 1890–91, 1914–15, 1927–28, 1931–32, 1938–39, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1984–85, and 1986–87. Learn about past Premier League winners in our dedicated area.
5 FA Cup – Everton appeared in FA Cup finals for 13 times and won 5 FA Cups including 1905–06, 1932–33, 1965–66, 1983–84, and 1994–95.
9 FA Charity Shield – the club has qualified for the FA Charity Shield finals 11 times and won the title for 9 times including 1928, 1932, 1963, 1970, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1995.
1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup – The UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup is Everton’s only European trophy to date. In 1984-85, the club reached the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final, and won the title by defeating Austrian club Rapid Wien 3-1. No Champions League cup as yet, learn more on our Champions League facts area.
Everton FC
The Football Club Manager is: Frank Lampard
The Official Website for Everton Supporters is: https://www.evertonfc.com/home/
The Contact Details for Everton Football Club are as follows:
Everton Football Club
Goodison Park
Liverpool
L4 4EL
For Corporate Hospitality Please phone – 0871 663 1878
The Everton Official Twitter Account can be found at: https://twitter.com/Everton
The Official Facebook Account for Everton is: https://www.facebook.com/Everton
